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Diluting with oils?

post #1 of 14
2/26/09 at 4:34pm
Thread Starter 
Everclear is legal in New York but I haven't been able to find it. One owner said he refuses to carry it because he thinks it's dangerous. (College drinking parties, "jokes," ...) The thread about getting 190 proof alcohol by mail only seems to show problems. So how about diluting with jojoba oil or aloe vera gel? I have a bottle of aloe gel that I keep over the kitchen sink in case of burns. It's been open for 15+ years and shows no signs of spoiling. If feels nice on the skin. Why not dilute with oil instead of alcohol? I just bought a new 16 oz. bottle for $3.99.
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post #2 of 14
2/26/09 at 5:45pm
Another option is fractionated coconut oil which IMO is as good if not better than jojoba.
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post #3 of 14
2/26/09 at 8:25pm
Gel is usually water-based; so it may be difficult to get your oils added. Also, there are many oil-based frags, but they do not project the same as alcohol based frags.

Choices you make in your diluent greatly affect the fragrance of your concoctions. In my experience, it's much easier to get decent projection with alcohol based fragrance.

To find Everclear here in Wisconsin you need to go to larger liquor stores; it's not too difficult to find though.

Good luck
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post #4 of 14
2/27/09 at 9:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ECaruthers View Post

Why not dilute with oil instead of alcohol?

Because it then cannot be blended with alcohol, anything water based, and sometimes even certain types of oil based products.

Can't you just place an order from Snowdrift Farm?

You can also use Dipropylene Glycol if you want something "oily". It can still be blended with alcohol or water based products later on.
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post #5 of 14
2/27/09 at 5:46pm
Thread Starter 
"Can't you just place an order from Snowdrift Farm?"
$9.56 for a 16 oz bottle + $10.56 postage for formulator's alcohol vs. $3.99 for 16 oz of aloe vera gel. Plus aloe vera is actually good for my skin.

Not being able to blend with anything water based is a consideration. I've done water/alcohol extracts of some materials that I might want to use.

I haven't tried gel in a spray bottle.

Any other known problems?
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post #6 of 14
2/27/09 at 8:47pm
You may also consider Cyclopentasiloxane.

Quote:
Cyclopentasiloxane is a colorless, odorless, transparent, nongreasy silicone
fluid commonly used in cosmetics products as a spreading or wetting agent which
provides a light lubrication to hair and skin.
Cyclopentasiloxane has a low viscosity, surface tension and a relatively high
vapor pressure that allows most of the silicone portion to evaporate from the
surface to which it is applied.

This can be mixed with alcohol too. Water I'm not sure.

One reason it's not being used much in perfumery is probably because of it's price, it's five times as expensive as alcohol... Evaporation is different too, so it changes the speed at which notes appear/disappear, that may be a good or bad thing, depending on how you look at it.
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post #7 of 14
2/28/09 at 4:49am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ECaruthers View Post

"Can't you just place an order from Snowdrift Farm?"
$9.56 for a 16 oz bottle + $10.56 postage for formulator's alcohol vs. $3.99 for 16 oz of aloe vera gel. Plus aloe vera is actually good for my skin.

Not being able to blend with anything water based is a consideration. I've done water/alcohol extracts of some materials that I might want to use.

I haven't tried gel in a spray bottle.

Any other known problems?

With aloe, I'd think solubility of your materials would be a primary concern. But by all means try it and let us know how it works for you. I haven't heard of anyone using aloe as a diluent before.

Personally, if I didn't have alcohol to use, my next choice would be DPG - it dissolves most things well, it doesn't go rancid (and I have had jojoba go rancid) but it slows diffusion and you'd need to adjust your formulas accordingly.
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post #8 of 14
2/28/09 at 8:54am
Caribu, how can jojoba go rancid when it is a wax? I can only see something like this happening if there are oils in it that go bad after time. But not the wax itself.
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post #9 of 14
2/28/09 at 10:15am
Quote:
Originally Posted by aromagal View Post

Caribu, how can jojoba go rancid when it is a wax? I can only see something like this happening if there are oils in it that go bad after time. But not the wax itself.

I don't know how to explain it myself. My unused supply of jojoba (several years old) remains fresh smelling but I had 2 perfume solids (different formulas, both made with distilled EO and absolutes) in a base of jojoba and beeswax (no other oils) that smelled fine for approximately 6 months and then developed a strong odor of rancidity.
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post #10 of 14
2/28/09 at 2:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by aromagal View Post

Caribu, how can jojoba go rancid when it is a wax? I can only see something like this happening if there are oils in it that go bad after time. But not the wax itself.

Assuming it's not toasted in light or heat... it's oxidation and/or bacterial activity. It's the same reason butter or margarine can go rancid.

Which means if you drew out all the oxygen out of the container and then store in a vacuum and also use an antibacterial agent in it, that might make it last a lot longer.
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post #11 of 14
2/28/09 at 3:38pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by caribou55313 View Post

I don't know how to explain it myself. My unused supply of jojoba (several years old) remains fresh smelling but I had 2 perfume solids (different formulas, both made with distilled EO and absolutes) in a base of jojoba and beeswax (no other oils) that smelled fine for approximately 6 months and then developed a strong odor of rancidity.

Is it possible the EOs went bad? I can't imagine the jojoba or beeswax base would do that, especially since your unused jojoba remained fresh.
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post #12 of 14
3/5/09 at 11:00am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ECaruthers View Post

Everclear is legal in New York but I haven't been able to find it. One owner said he refuses to carry it because he thinks it's dangerous. (College drinking parties, "jokes," ...) The thread about getting 190 proof alcohol by mail only seems to show problems

There's a store in Jersey that sells 190 proof Everclear and will ship to most states. ABout $16 a bottle. Shoppers Vineyard is the store, you can google it.
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post #13 of 14
3/6/09 at 4:32am
Thread Starter 
I've tried 5 diluents so far. In each case I added 10 drops of Aura Cacia Lavendar to 5 ml of the dispersant. If 20 drops make a ml, then these are all about 9% EO.

Fleischmann's 80 proof vodka. The oil dispersed with shaking but partially separated on standing. Small droplets are visible floating on the surface. The consistency is watery. The color is clear. The scent is cleanly lavendar.

Devil's Springs 160 proof vodka (the closest I could get to Everclear in Rochester). The dispersion was complete and I haven't seen any separation after 6 days. Consistency is watery. Color is clear. Scent is pure & develops immediately after applying to my skin.

Desert Essence Jojoba oil. Dispersion is complete & immediate, even with no agitation. Consistency is oily. Color is golden. Scent is pure & develops a little more slowly after I apply to my skin. The oil is slow to dry. Dispersions in oils should probably be more concentrated so less oil has to be applied to the skin.

Neutragena fragrance free body oil. Dispersion is complete & immediate. Consistency is oily. In the bottle it looks less viscous than jojoba oil but the feel on my skin is about the same . Color is clear. Scent is pure & develops about the same on my skin as the jojoba oil.

Lily of the Desert Aloe Gel has a jelly-like consistency out of the bottle. I microwaved it for 10 seconds to get it fully liquid. Then the dispersion was complete & immediate. Consistency is like jelly. Color is clear. Scent is pure and develops on my skin about like the dispersion in alcohol. Drying is faster than oil, a bit slower than alcohol.


I'll probably play with mixes of diluents to see how the development & duration of scent on my skin can be varied.
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post #14 of 14
3/6/09 at 10:04am
Thanks for sharing!
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