Magnesium chloride flakes

[alatiolais]

Hi,

I am trying to make a balm and I would like to dissolve magnesium chloride flakes in coconut oil or extra virgin olive oil.  I have tried dissolving the magnesium in water and then adding to the balm, but the magnesium and water sweats out of the balm. Is there any combination that would allow me to bind the magnesium to something that could be added to the balm without separation?

Many Thanks!

Alaina

[korton]

Have you tried a chelating agent such as EDTA?

[ekfunder]

If you have enough electro-negative ions in solution you should be able to suspend the Magnesium by varying the pH.  Sometimes this is done with a salt solution, sometimes a base solution, but often it's a combination of the two.  Using some chemistry might prove effective, I think since you know that you are trying to make an acidic long-chain alkene for the balm you should be able to experiment with what pH the oil you are using separates and buffer a solution of alcohol and weak base to access the energy of the separation chemistry.

[#4]

Super old thread but wanted to answer in case someone else came across it.

What you're seeing is separation because you can't combine oil and water without an emulsifier, that's pretty basic chemistry.

NSF wax at probably 3-4% of your batch weight should do the trick.

Also magnesium flakes will dissolve in oil it just takes long and steady prolonged heat. Like 30+ days in my experience, usually if I put 4 cups in a batch of infused avocado oil I'm making by the time I strain it in a month I have at most 2 undissolved cups left over.

You could also grind it into a very fine powder and add it to your balm/salve in the wax phase.

[#5]

I just came across this post and i read your answer regarding melting magnesium in oil and the time that it take.  I have a question for you if you don't mind answering.  I am trying to make a moisturizing bar and Id like to add magnesium but i don't have a month to wait for them to dissolve and I don't want to use water because I would then have to use a preservative. If i ground up the flakes to a fine power can I then add them to my melted oils and bees wax? Would that work? Thank you in advance for your input.

[Mel_Rose07]

I know this is late, but in case anyone else wants to know about dissolving magnesium flakes in oil...

I did a trial and ground magnesium chloride flakes up in a mortar and pestle, until it became a powder, then I made up my usual basic balm recipe and melted all the ingredients together with the magnesium flakes in a double boiler on the stove. By the time all the other ingredients had melted, the magnesium was still undissolved (despite having crushed it up finely), so I turned off the stove but left the mixture in the double boiler to maintain heat and began stirring... And stirring... And stirring. And after a good half hour of rigorous stirring, nearly all the magnesium chloride had dissolved. 

The balm that resulted is a decent balm, although it feels slightly gritty on the skin, as there are still very tiny crystals of the magnesium that didn't quite fully dissolve.

If I were to do it again, I would either stir it for longer (maybe 45 min or so) or I would strain it through a sieve lined with cheesecloth to remove the tiny magnesium crystals, so the balm would be completely smooth.

So it is definitely possible to dissolve magnesium chloride flakes in oil, but it takes a lot more work than dissolving it in water.

[tmooney1017]

I know this is an old thread but I just came across this and was wandering what ratio of oil to magnesium flakes did you use? I am wanting to make a balm and want to try dissolving the magnesium in the oil instead of water. I am going to try it by using a crockpot on the warm setting and let it sit over several days. I infuse oils with herbs this way.