By going the DIY route, you think you are saving some dollars, getting a healthier all natural product, but if you are not careful you may be putting yourself at risk. In particular, if you are using water in your formulations and no sort of preservatives bacteria could be inhabiting your product.
Water is the ultimate moisturizer which is why you may feel the need to include it in your hair product. However, as soon as you have added water to the mixture, you have created an environment where bacteria can grow, which greatly limits the life span of your product. You can safely use the product for a few days maybe even up to a week in a refrigerated environment, after that point it may become contaminated, if you have made no attempt to preserve it in some way.
When some people hear the word preservatives they think that they are a bad thing. Preservatives in and of themselves are not bad because they keep us safe. Some preservative choices are better than others which is why people have made the choice to avoid parabens for example, but overall they shouldn’t be looked at in a negative light. Some bacterial growths can cause sickness, blindness and even death so trust me you want to make sure you are doing what you need to do to protect your product.
Here are some ways to keep your DIY natural hair products safe, healthy and bacteria free:
- You can choose not to include water in your mixture at all. This makes things really easy and gives your DIY product longer lasting shelf life without the need for all the extra stuff or the worry of growths.
- Always keep your products in a cool dark place like your cabinets or your refrigerator, if the product contains water or any other perishable use it quickly.
- Make your product in smaller batches if it contains water so you can use it up within a week’s time or less.
- Use Vitamin E oil
, lemongrass oil
, or tea tree oil
to ward off radicals. These are not preservatives but these oils can help fight off some types of bacterial growth.
- Willow bark extract
and Aspen bark are all natural preservatives, that may extend the shelf life your product. If you would like to make a water based product in bulk or sell your product, you should be researching the best preservative to ensure effectiveness.
Hi,my fellow naturalistas,pls wat kind of gel can I use for my natural hair to make it sleep and wat kind of products can I use to make it soft and long coz I can feel its not growing.pls help me
A lot of women use Eco styler gel in their regimen for a sleeker look, so you can see if that works for you. To get your hair to grow you will need to have a regimen to go along with your products. You will need to have a shampoo, conditioner, deep conditioner, protein conditioner, a moisturizer and/or a leave-in conditioner. Use your conditioners, and deep conditioners to keep your hair moisturized and soft. Wash your hair once per week, and moisturize your hair everyday. In the mean time here are a couple of tips that can help you grow your hair.
https://afrokinkyhair.com/2016/06/01/16-tips-to-grow-long-healthy-hair/
For most natural black hair, you don’t need to wash your hair everyday or every week due to the fact that most shampoos sry out your hair. I
How long will my diy product last if I add preservatives, will I still have to keep it in the refrigerator? How much preservative should I add?
If using avocado or banana in my diy which if any preservative should I use????
Hey there!! If you aren’t moisturizing I can understand how washing your hair weekly is not the plan. Secondly sorry your shampoos are no good if they’re drying you out. I like to buy her products here -> Cleopatrasbathe.etsy.com she is an artisian of 4a-4C hair and has Flaxseed Shampoo Bars and Dragonfruit conditioner bars fairly reasonably priced for a healthy wash routin. She also has Indian vital serums to seal your ends, and Chebe creams for moisture retention. The main secret is mositure and this happens when you chose products listed on this site! But they are all sold out!! Mainly sis, I recommend you have a moisturizing routin daily and wash your hair weekly to open cuticles to prepare hair for more absorbtion and rid of build up. Build up is the leading cause of hair stunt, dandruff, mild alopecia, and breakage. We were told to only wash monthly or hardly at all — we are taking more control over our roots ladies!! Glad to see your on this journey! We all are!