Guest guest Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 Hi All, I did another search, and found lots of suggestions. I'll try and filter this to save it, and next time no water. The everclear worked fine until I added it. Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 > I have a very newbie question, and I've checked the archives, but > didn't find any information. I was working yesterday with a base of > everclear, > about 80% to which I added 10% water and 10% eo's. My mixture wound up > cloudy. I know that this is from the addition of the water (it was > distilled > by the way), but does anyone know how to prevent this from happening, > or > should I just stick to an alcohol only base. hi cheryl, allow the current mixture to set a bit in a cool area, some of the cloudiness may disappear. then, filter through a perfume or natural coffee filter. next time add the water slowly, by the drop. warmly, roxana ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Roxana Villa Visual & Aromatic Artist Ph: 818.992.0490 rox@... www.roxanavilla.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 At 02:27 PM 3/14/2005, you wrote: >I have a very newbie question, and I've checked the archives, but >didn't find any information. I was working yesterday with a base of >everclear, >about 80% to which I added 10% water and 10% eo's. My mixture wound up >cloudy. I know that this is from the addition of the water (it was distilled >by the way), but does anyone know how to prevent this from happening, or >should I just stick to an alcohol only base. Hi cheryl How I wish that had a better search feature for the archives! I have all the posts to the group on my HD, so I hit the " find " button. Here are some past answers on this subject, the first from the great Cat in Nov. 2002: Let me ask you a few questions regarding your perfumes: 1. What proofage/percentage of alcohol are you using? The reason I ask is you want the highest strength/proofage possible to properly emulsify the oils added to it. Specially denatured alcohols come very close to 100%, and grain/grape alcohols can be as high as 95%. 2. Are you adding water to them, or are you using a pure alcohol base? Adding water to alcohol-emulsions can be tricky. The more water you add, the greater chance of it clouding or separating. I try not to add more than 50% for lighter fragrances, definitely no more than 25-30% for heavier scents. 3. If you are adding water, do you add it to the alcohol before or after mixing the alcohol with the oils? Here's a little trick I learned from an old perfumer's formulary. If you do decide to add water, you add it very slowly (almost drop by drop) to the alcohol which has been previously mixed with the fragrance/essential oils. It's kind of like making mayonnaise...you must add the oil to the egg yolks, not the other way around, or it won't mix! 4. What type of water are you using? Room-temperature distilled water is recommended. 5. Finally, what fragrance/essential oils are you using in your perfumes? Heavier, thicker oils need more alcohol to emulsify, while lighter oils like citrus, lavender, etc. need less. I have never had citrus/lavender blends cloud up on me, even when using half water in the formula. But add even the smallest amount of water to a scent containing benzoin absolute and *poof*...cloudiness! :-( You can sometimes salvage a cloudy perfume by adding small amounts of alcohol (about a 1/2 oz. at a time) until the mixture clears. It will dilute your blend, but it's an alternative to throwing it out! Another old method of clarifying perfumes is to pack a paper coffee filter with unscented talc or magnesium and slowly pour the perfume through this. Allow it to settle and decant off the clear product. You will probably lose a small amount of your fragrance using this method, as the powder absorbs the oils. I hope this helps! Cat Here's some more from Dorothy of Kingsbury in the same thread: You can sometimes salvage a cloudy perfume by adding small amounts of alcohol (about a 1/2 oz. at a time) until the mixture clears. It will dilute your blend, but it's an alternative to throwing it out! Another old method of clarifying perfumes is to pack a paper coffee filter with unscented talc or magnesium and slowly pour the perfume through this. Allow it to settle and decant off the clear product. You will probably lose a small amount of your fragrance using this method, as the powder absorbs the oils. That is interessting, something new to try. (Anya here: other posts have emphasized mixing the perfume with the talc, stirring the mix thoroughly, then pouring it through the filter. ) A slightly different clouding problem, with a solution from Chrissie Wildwood, Dec. 2004: Before filtering homemade tinctures, try storing the extrait in the fridge (or even in the ice department of a refrigerator) for 24 hours before filtering. I've found that this helps enormously in stopping the insoluble components from filtering through and clouding the formula. ChrisB added some great info as to why refrigeration helps in the same thread: 1) The salting out effect that water has on the oil. 2) Less drying to the skin 3) Less burning to the skin 4) Has a minor fixative effect 5) Better bloom on skin upon application If I have time today, I'll upload this to the Files section so hopefully, newbies such as yourself can find basic info like this easily in the future. Anya http://anyamccoy.com " The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is probably the day they start making vacuum cleaners. " -Ernst Jan Plugge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 14, 2005 Report Share Posted March 14, 2005 I would suggest the refrigerator / freezer method. Chill overnight and then filter. All of the larger particles clump together and it comes out clear.... Magic. JoAnne Fresh and alive essential oils bought direct from the source. Retail, wholesale, and bulk. Come visit AromaWorld! http://www.AromaWorld.com Exquisite natural fragrances http://www.JoAnneBassettInc.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 9, 2010 Report Share Posted January 9, 2010 Hello, , lets bring out the sun !even though it is in the middle of the night.. are you getting closer to where you like things? For next batch u could strain out starter liquid, with a coffefilter, i use cheesecloth folded up many times..how are you doing?? peace..jahjet > > good morning.....my first batch of kombucha is 3 weeks old now and is cloudy.....i'm assuming that this is pretty normal since it looks like many of the pictures that have been posted.....at what point of the process does it become clearer ? > > i tasted it yesterday at the 3 old week point and it tasted nice but not tangy so i'll taste it in another week.....it has been more chilly than usual in the kitchen so maybe that accounts for its slowness.....thanks for any advice.....peace, mary > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.