How Do I Sterilize My Containers & Instruments for Handmade Cosmetics.

Bacteria are everywhere, and some are good for us while others are harmful. That’s why minimizing our exposure to harmful bacteria when making your own cosmetic products is so important.

I use these elements of aseptic technique: a) keep sterile a work area, b) good personal hygiene, c) sterile reagents and sterile handling.

For a) I wipe the work surface with 70% ethanol before and during work.

For b) I wash my hands before and I wear gloves during all time of the process of manufacturing. Just only washing hands aren’t enough. The space under the fingernails, also called the subungual region, was “an important site” for harboring bacteria.

Take a look what lives under your fingernails.

For c) I keep cosmetic ingredients in separately assigned cabinet and some of them - in separate refrigerator in airtight containers.  I always wipe the outside of the storage containers or bottles with oils or actives with 70% ethanol before and after using them. And I avoid passing my hands/arms over any open bottles/containers. 

See here my storage cabinet and refrigerator for cosmetics ingredients and tools.

Of course, this is not aseptic technique, because I use disinfection, not sterilization. Both sterilization and disinfection are decontamination processes, but they are not the same thing. Disinfection is the process of removing harmful microorganisms. Sterilization is the process of killing all microorganisms (and their spores). Sterilization is crucial for things like surgery, acupuncture with tattooists, or in environments like cell culture laboratory, but not essential for other industries.  In handmade cosmetics disinfection is usually adequate. There are many disinfectants on the market like bleach, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, detergent and antibacterial solutions.  Some of these do have the capacity to sterilize, but only if all of the conditions are correct.

To achieve optimal bacteriological cleanliness of my products, I run all tools and containers through three steps of preparation.

Step 1: Cleaning

By cleaning I mean the mechanical removal of surface contaminants. Cleaning is an important element for any effective infection control process. Despite the effectiveness of the cleansing procedures, the range of its capabilities is rather small: it can remove contaminants and reduce microbial populations, but it cannot completely destroy neither bacteria nor viruses.

So, I wash any utensils with hot soapy water and rinse well. Then, I sit the containers on a clean/new paper towel to air dry.

Step 2: Disinfection

Methods of disinfection are designed to destroy unwanted microorganisms.

The most affordable and effective resources for disinfection are 70 ° C alcohol or bleach.

I use rubbing alcohol.  I spray all working surfaces, laboratory dishes, containers and tools with 70% alcohol and wipe off with lint-free paper rolls or let the alcohol evaporate.

Also those items that are not subjects to sterilization (plastic dishes, jars, lids, some parts of bottles) should be soaked in alcohol. For good disinfection, such items are kept in alcohol for 30 minutes.

Step 3: Sterilization

Sterilization makes it possible to achieve absolute purity, and it excludes any manifestations of the vital activity of microorganisms (fungi, bacteria, or viruses). Such a degree of purity is achieved through the use of thermal, chemical or radiation effects.

I usually boil any glass containers. For plastic tools and containers I use UV-sterilization.  Ultraviolet sterilization is a non-heated method used also in food processing, laboratories and water treatment. UV sterilizer uses the bactericidal and fungicidal properties of UV light and this is safe and effective. Sterilized dishes and tools are best used immediately. But sometime I store them in UV sterilizer.

In conclusion here, I should mention the preservatives in cosmetics.

Many people think that if the handmade cosmetics are natural, then the preservative should not be there! But this is not truth for all water-containing products. The preservative is never an option, it’s a MUST. Preservatives must to be added to extend the shelf life of handmade products and to keep them free of bacteria.

Next time I will post all information and my thoughts about preservatives in cosmetic.

DIY project: Hair Mask with Egg and Olive Oil.

This is a very effective and simple mask for the treatment of hair and its regular use will make your hair really healthy.
You will need only a few components and you will see the result even after the first application. 

Egg hair mask can do wonders with even the most dull, weak and damaged hair.
Eggs are rich in protein, lecithin and biotin and that is why they are very essential for healthy and strong hair.
Olive oil is a rich emollient that helps in conditioning hair, making it smooth and silky while improving its elasticity and strength.

You will need:

- 5 tablespoons olive oil

- 2 egg yolk

- 3 tablespoons mayonnaise.

Directions:
1. Separate the egg white and yolk. We will use only yolks. Beat the egg by whisking with an egg beater.
2.  Add olive oil to the egg mixture, and mix well.

3.  Once you have a smooth mixture, add mayonnaise and stir well.

How to use:

Massage the mixture into scalp, working from the roots to the hair ends, and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.
Cover your hair with a disposable plastic shower cap.
Rinse and wash your hair with a shampoo.

You will be left with revived, healthy-looking hair if you do this at least once a month (but better do it once per week).

Quick tip:

Do NOT use hot water to wash your hair—this will cook the eggs in the mask, and you will have cooked egg bits stuck around your hair strands.
Use cool water for final rinse.

Hand Skin Care in Winter. Simple Tips.

Winter season comes with the cold and dry weather which dehydrates skin. Our hands get affected by winter harshness the most. How to help them?

There are many tips for winter hand care that you can utilize to ensure that your hands look noticeably smoother and softer: 

- Wearing gloves in winter keep your skin soft and protected.

- Winter hand cream should be special - containing natural vegetable oils, butters and wax. These additives have polyunsaturated fatty acids necessary to form a protective barrier of the skin.

- Wash your hands by water at room temperature, as hot water causes dryness and flaking.

- Scrub should be used 1-2 times a week.  

- At least 2 times a week apply a mask for hands.  In contrast to the daily care masks have a better therapeutic effect, helping women maintain hands in good shape.

- The skin around our nails gets really dry and peels easily, so apply cuticle balm consistently throughout the day.

You can read more on this topic here:

DIY: Nail & Cuticle Oil.

DIY: Hand Scrub