Magensium Oil - Do I need a Preservative?

Squinny

Hi all I make Magnesium Oil (not for selling) and only make 120 ml at a time for personal use. It is basically Magnesium Chloride Flakes and Distilled water. I have been adding 1% PlantaservE Preservative (Phenoxyethanol 90%, Ethylhexylglycerin 10%). I havent had any issues and use within a month or 2.
 Is this preservative adequate in your opinion - Do I need ETDA chelator etc or anything else? I also dont measure the pH for this product. I also sometimes add MSM Powder about 10% (Methyl Sulphonyl Methane or Dimethyl Sulfone).
The method I use is purely heating the Mag Chloride (and MSM if using) and Water until the Mag flakes (and MSM if using) dissolve (only probably to around 50 degrees C) and then once cooled to around 40 degrees C I add the preservative. It is then poured in a sterile bottle and I keep at around 25 degrees (ie the temp in my house). Many thanks for any opinions. Cheers Squinny

Pharma

Depends on how much magnesium chloride you use . 'Traditional' magnesium oil is 30% salt; no need to add antyhing else to that, it's self-preservating.

Squinny

Thanks heaps Pharma - so For just Mag Chloride and Water I currently do 45% Mag Cl and 55% Water - so If I make enough for 120 ml bottle approx 71 g weight Water and 59 g Mag Cl) If I do the one with MSM then 53% Water, 37% Mag Cl and 10% MSM. 

So if I used some hydrosol or Aloe Vera (1X) juice to replace some of the water component would I need a preservative? Sorry for so many questions!

MarkBroussard

@Squinny

If you use a hydrosol or Aloe Vera you increase the chances of contamination, but at your very high load of MgCl and since this is just for personal use I would not be concerned.

PhilGeis

EDTA is useless with that much Mg salt.  You're ;prob ok as described.

PhilGeis

Curious - why is this called an "oil"?

MarkBroussard

@PhilGeis

Because it has a slippery feel like an oil

Pharma

@PhilGeis Would you rather buy a 30% industrially mined and highly refined magnesium chloride lake or Magic Magnesium Oil? One of the first, if not the first to start the hype, was called Zechstein Magnesiumöl (can't find it anymore, thousands of copy-cats around) depicting an idyllic village in the Netherlands... Consumers think that said village is Zechstein and don't realise that Zechstein is a sediment layer spanning over big parts of northern/middle Europe from which not just MgCl2 but also rock salt is mined and which shows as the magnificent white cliffs in England. Good marketing, that's what it is.

Squinny

Thanks all appreciate the advice. I like to make my own (and the source of mine is mined from the Middle East). I find most commercial ones that I have bought for 5 times the cost of mine give me that tingling feeling and makes my skin itchy whereas mine doesnt. Anyway I like to use it and it is just for our family use. Cheers all

PhilGeis

@Pharma
I'd not buy any of it.

chemicalmatt

Thanks to @Pharma, @MarkBroussard and @PhilGeis for this. I have been reading about "magnesium oil" in the trade press and blogosphere for a long while and have been scratching my brain trying to figure WTF these people are talking about. Now I know! Brain freeze abated.