r/NaturalBeauty • u/Haven • Mar 13 '20

Making aloe gel shelf stable?

I already process my own aloe gel at home, but I am wondering how I would go about making it shelf-stable for continued use? I have been thinking about making my own hand-sanitizer using aloe, rubbing alcohol & some EO's.

Any thoughts?

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u/whitstap Mar 13 '20

You can buy vitamin e, a preservative, in capsule and liquid form at most pharmacies. I used to make my own moisturizer and I would use 4-5 capsules for about a 1/4 cup of aloe. You can also refrigerate it, but the vitamin e will let it keep fresh for longer.

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u/lookoutitscaleb Mar 13 '20

Vitamin E isn't a preservative.

It "preserves" oil but it's just preventing oxidation and the oils from going rancid. Also Vitamin E is an oil, so it won't really mix into Water based ingredients.