Help with a body product recipe

[fidgiegirl]

Hey all,

So for about six months of the year I have problems with dry and scabby nostrils (JUST what you wanted to read about tonight!! ;) ) and sometimes I put petroleum jelly up there, but I don't like to. It stinks, and, well, it's petroleum. Ew. So anyway, I have this fantastic book, Better Basics for the Home (http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_26?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=better%20basics%20for%20the%20home&sprefix=better+basics+for+the+home%2Caps%2C348&rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Abetter%20basics%20for%20the%20hom e), that has a recipe for a Non-Petroleum Jelly.


2 ounces olive oil
1/2 ounce beeswax
12 drops grapefruit seed extract

Combine the oil and beeswax in a double boiler and place over medium heat until the wax is melted. Remove from the heat, add the grapefruit seed extract, and mix with a hand or electric mixer until creamy.

Two questions for people with experience making these kinds of products:

1) I have a small block of beeswax. I presume the ounces are weight and not volume? Do I grate it? I do know I can't cut the sucker.

2) I priced the GSE and it is costly. What is the function in the recipe? I saw that the GSE in the store had the extract plus glycerin. Could I sub glycerin in the recipe, or simply omit? I read that GSE is antimicrobial. The book also mentions that it functions as a preservative. So I suppose if I omit, the mixture will simply not last as long.

My goal here is to not spend the $14 on the small bottle of GSE. Do you have any ideas or answers, or perhaps even a different (easy) recipe for a thick moisturizing cream? Thanks!

[Tussiemussies]

In Ayveridic (sp) medicine they recommend putting sesame oil in your nostrils for I believe your nervous system. My Mom had to go to Las Vegas to do some work and she couldn't stand how dry her nose was inside so I told her to use cold-pressed extra virgin olive oil and she was fine then...the grapefruit seed extract is o help it from going bad. It is also used in soap-making. If you go to Mountain Rose Herbs maybe they have a small bottle of it. Or if you have a friend that makes soap maybe you could just purchase from them what you need. Would definitely grate the beeswax it will make processing it faster. One thing I would find out if grapefruit seed extract is safe for pregnancy. I wouldn't use the glycerin....hope it works well for you, I bet it will the ingredients sound great for your issue...chris

[Jilly]

What Tussie said. Also, you do know that petroleum jelly is just dinosaur fat, yes? :~)

[Float On]

I just wonder if you've tried a little bit of coconut oil. If the nasty petroleum jelly did the trick, maybe something else that is super simple (like coconut oil) would do the trick as well. Plus.....it smells yummy.

[lac]

Have you tried Aquaphor? It works great for healing skin.

[pattirose]

I like almond oil better than coconut oil.

[Gardenarian]

Fidgie - I was just going to do a search for "Nostil problems" because mine are driving me crazy, despite using the neti pot and applying coconut oil. (The coconut oil is very soothing, but the problem continues.)

You can get beeswax in little bead shapes (sometimes called pastilles), much easier to melt. If you have a block, put it in a plastic bag and break it up with a hammer. That stuff is hard! Yes, they mean ounces by weight, that would be about 2 tablespoons, broken fine.

No suggestions on substitute for the grapefruit seed extract. Might be worth spending the $14 just to see if it is really effective. My nostrils want to know! The only thing I can think of that is similar is Tea Tree oil, but that stuff is strong - have to do some research to see if it is safe to put up your nose.



I've tried Aquafor, Cerave, Egyptian Magic, jojoba oil, sesame oil, and olive oil for this, and nothing has helped much - Egyptian Magic and coconut oil worked the best, but definitely not a cure.

Just checked my Tea tree oil - says not to use one mucous membranes, so that's out.

[mira]

You can use pretty much any oil in combination with beeswax to make an effective balm. Quantities don't have to be exact - if the final consistency isn't too your liking you can always melt it down again and add more whatever. If you're using a little lip balm tin, I recommend a teaspoon or so of grated beeswax and enough oil to almost fill the tin. For larger containers, just adjust the qquantities proportionally.

My favourite balm oil is jojoba but it's pricier than ones like sunflower that will work well for such a balm.

[fidgiegirl]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I haven't tried anything yet, but just looked up more info on GSE, sounds like a miracle product from this site! Some of what they use it for I use vinegar to do and a lot cheaper. But I was surprised at some of the uses, and from what this woman shares, it sounds like it would be fine in the nose.

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/grapefruitseedextract.htm

I'm thinking I might splurge and also make my mom some spray for her feet fungus - might help. I bet the $14 bottle stretches when you use it in drops. Also, I have some supplements to order and was going to research some online sources, so perhaps I could get it with that order as well, or even tack it on to and Amazon order if we make one here soon.

[Gardenarian]

Well, last night I broke open a Vitamin E capsule to rub onto a scar, and thought to try it on the nose problem.
Today my nose feels about 90% better.
Maybe it's just a coincidence, but I googled it and a lot of people recommend Vitamin E for nostrils to prevent dryness and promote healing. If you have some around, give it a try!

[fidgiegirl]

Huh! Now that I think of it, I do have some Vit E caps, from when I was making the dogs' food . . . I might just try it. Thanks!

[fidgiegirl]

Update, I decided to go ahead with a microwave version of the recipe I had been eyeballing, omitting the GSE. Interestingly what finally made me make my decision was looking at how to make furniture polish and realizing I could kill two birds with one stone! My non-petroleum jelly recipe from the book was the same as the furniture polish recipe in a different part of the book, and the same as what this gal makes. I did add the contents of some vitamin E caps to the mix - interestingly, it was listed as an ingredient for the furniture! :)

If you're interested: http://www.amberdusick.com/woodmouse_loves_crafts/2010/07/how-to-make-beeswax-wood-polish-woodmouse-recipe.html#comment-6a00e54f0d38018834019b0094dacc970c

[Azure]

Hope it does the job for you!

[reader99]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I haven't tried anything yet, but just looked up more info on GSE, sounds like a miracle product from this site! Some of what they use it for I use vinegar to do and a lot cheaper. But I was surprised at some of the uses, and from what this woman shares, it sounds like it would be fine in the nose.

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/grapefruitseedextract.htm

I'm thinking I might splurge and also make my mom some spray for her feet fungus - might help. I bet the $14 bottle stretches when you use it in drops. Also, I have some supplements to order and was going to research some online sources, so perhaps I could get it with that order as well, or even tack it on to and Amazon order if we make one here soon.

The GSE lasts for years. I use it by the drop to add to my nasal saline, and it really does all the stuff they say it does. I'm thinking though that the balm recipe may be more complicated than necessary. I suppose the wax is to make it cling. But vitamin E oil or any other oil will cling fairly well on it's own. If the GSE is to keep the product from going bad, that need is avoided by just using oil as you go instead of making a product. OTOH it will kill any fungus or bacteria that happens to be lurking in your nose.

[mira]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone. I haven't tried anything yet, but just looked up more info on GSE, sounds like a miracle product from this site! Some of what they use it for I use vinegar to do and a lot cheaper. But I was surprised at some of the uses, and from what this woman shares, it sounds like it would be fine in the nose.

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/grapefruitseedextract.htm

I'm thinking I might splurge and also make my mom some spray for her feet fungus - might help. I bet the $14 bottle stretches when you use it in drops. Also, I have some supplements to order and was going to research some online sources, so perhaps I could get it with that order as well, or even tack it on to and Amazon order if we make one here soon.
I'm not sure if it's exactly the same thing, but you can buy grapeseed oil in large bottles at the supermarket as a cooking oil for cheap!

[fidgiegirl]

Thanks for the ideas, but the damage is done, so to speak. :)

Seems to be working ok after one night. I'm hoping with continued use I'll be able to ward off further problems. Shelf life is one year at room temp, two years in the fridge, that seems reasonable. And it worked fantastic on the rocking chair!

[Azure]

Thanks for posting the info about GSE. My ds has eczema and dandruff. Part of the dandruff issue we were told once is some kind of a fungal thing. I have suggested repeatedly to him that fish oil or flax might help him but he just never remembers to take them. We have tried various creams and potions for the eczema and others for the fungal thing. He hates putting things on his scalp that makes his hair sticky or just nasty feeling.

I think this might be worth a try. If he puts some in his shampoo I wonder if it just might help the eczema on his ears as well as dealing with the fungal stuff on the back of his head. Also as the shampoo runs down his face maybe it will help with the eczema on the eye lids. Or at least for the fungal thing I might just put some drops in water in a spray bottle and we can spray the area once or twice a day.