Throughout my childhood I had eczema, which if you’re unfamiliar with it, generally means that your skin is drier than a normal persons. It manifests itself in very different ways in different people, though. Some get rashes, others don’t, I for example got tiny little scabs that looked like mosquito bites. All over. Being a kid, I’d of course pick at them which didn’t help much when it came to making them go away. During especially bad bouts people would think I had chicken pox, but nope. That was just my skin. Luckily, it went away with puberty (which happens about half the time with childhood eczema), and my skin was pretty great. Until I started wearing make-up, which is when general redness started appearing and break outs started happening, and I started to notice how easily I scarred. After something healed on the surface, a purple mark would remain behind for a couple months. After puberty the breakouts generally went away, but my skin still scarred really easily and the redness was still an issue. I just figured it was all genetics and there was nothing I could really do about it. But once I started eating more seasonally, I also started to think about what I was putting on my face everyday.
I used the generic drug store stuff for make-up and nicer department store face washes and creams, but had never really thought to read through the labels. The more I started researching about skincare, though, the more I kind of started to freak out about the harsh soaps, preservatives, and oil-stripping compounds I was putting on my face. Our skin breathes and absorbs materials, especially when it’s dry, so whatever is applied and rubbed into it goes into our bodies. About a year and a half ago, I decided to switch to all-natural make-up and took a stab at making my own face cream through a tutorial on Mountain Rose Herbs‘ website. It was surprisingly easy to make, and honestly a lot like making aioli. And because I was making it myself, I was able to specifically buy ingredients that had calming effects on the skin and helped neutralize scarring, making a customized skincare product for myself, like Mountain Rose Herbs’ organic olive oil, organic avocado oil, beeswax, organic cocoa butter, organic mango butter, lavender hydrosol, and rose hydrosol. And the best part was that the recipe made enough lotion to last a year.
Because there are no preservatives, however, it does need to be refrigerated during the storage time. So I usually pour my cream into several jars and keep the jars I’m not currently using in the refrigerator until I am ready. This keeps the ingredients from deteriorating and preserves the beneficial vitamins and minerals that can become less effective when exposed to warm temperatures or sunlight for an extended period of time. And after the initial investment in the ingredients, you don’t have to buy face cream for a few years (when you buy them in bulk you can make more than a year’s worth of face cream).
Homemade Face Cream
I recommend sourcing the ingredients from MountainRoseHerbs.com, they have a ton of organic and sustainanly sourced ingredients and ship pretty much everywhere.
Ingredients
All-Purpose Face Cream
- 1 cup assorted gentle vegetable/nut oils like olive oil
- 1/4 cup cocoa butter or other similar nut butter
- 3 tablespoons beeswax
- 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon concentrated oils like pomegranate seed oil, rose hip seed oil, etc.
- 2 teaspoons vitamin E oil
- 1/2 cup hydrosol like rosewater, etc.
- 12 to 15 drops desired essential oils
Soothing Rose & Jasmine Face Cream
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup sunflower seed oil
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon cocoa butter
- 1 tablespoon shea butter
- 1 tablespoon kokum butter
- 1 tablespoon mango butter
- 3 tablespoons beeswax
- 1/4 cup lavender hydrosol
- 1/4 cup rose hydrosol
- 1 tablespoon tamanu oil
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate seed oil
- 2 teaspoons vitamin E oil
- 1 teaspoon rosemary herbal oil
- 4 drops white willow extract
- 4 drops rose essential oil
- 3 drops jasmine essential oil
- 2 drops vanilla essential oil
Instructions
All-Purpose Face Cream
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For the general face cream, combine the gentle vegetable/nut oils, cocoa butter, and beeswax in the top of a double boiler over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the beeswax has melted completely and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
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Once cooled, empty the mixture into a blender and remove the center hole from the cap, so that you can add ingredients while the blender is running. Turn the blender on to medium speed and add the concentrated oils and vitamin E oil. Then add the hydrosol in a thin, steady stream. Allow it to continue to blend, over time it will turn into a thick, pudding-y consistency which can take a few minutes. Once it reached the right consistency, add the essential oils and allow to blend for another 30 seconds.
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Turn the blender off and empty the mixture into three separate sterilized 4 ounce glass jars. Allow to cool to room temperature before screwing on the lid and refrigerating. The cream that you're currently using can be left at room temperature, but store the creams that are not yet in use in the refrigerator to preserve them and their beneficial compounds. Enjoy!
Soothing Rose & Jasmine Face Cream
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For the soothing jasmine & rose face cream, combine the olive oil, sunflower seed oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, kokum butter, mango butter, and beeswax in the top of a double boiler over low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until the beeswax has melted completely and the mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and allow to cool for 15 minutes.
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While it is cooling, whisk together the lavender and rose hydrosols in a small bowl until combined, set aside.
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After 15 minutes have passed, empty the olive oil mixture into a blender and remove the center hole from the cap, so that you can add ingredients while the blender is running. Turn the blender on to medium speed and add the tamanu oil, pomegranate seed oil, vitamin E oil, and rosemary herbal oil. Then add the hydrosol mixture in a thin, steady stream. Allow it to continue to blend, over time it will turn into a thick, pudding-y consistency which can take a few minutes. Once it reached the right consistency, add the white willow extract, rose essential oil, jasmine essential oil, and vanilla essential oil and allow to blend for another 30 seconds.
-
Turn the blender off and empty the mixture into three separate sterilized 4 ounce glass jars. Allow to cool to room temperature before screwing on the lid and refrigerating. The cream that you're currently using can be left at room temperature, but store the creams that are not yet in use in the refrigerator to preserve them and their beneficial compounds
This looks amazing, thanks for sharing. I love dabbing coconut oil on dry patches of skin
i love coconut oil on my face, in my hair, on my today and of course in my belly 🙂
Looks amazing! I will have to try this out because I've been looking for a homemade face lotion alternative.
Love Argan oil for my face and hair! Rose water for setting makeup.
What a great giveaway!
I've been using shea butter as moisturizer on my face for the last few weeks & my skin has started clearing up! I love it.
There's so much good stuff in there, I'm sure it smells absolutely amazing! Also mango butter? I'm intrigued!
Love, love, loved this post.
Thank you for the opportunity! I would love to make my own products.
I had echzema since I was a child, and unfortunately is still with me 🙁 I found that staying in the sun helps and eat healthy as well, most of our skin problems are caused by stress and wrong diet. I would love to try one of your creams Eva, as well as your splendid dishes!! ^^
What a great idea. I bet the lotions smell amazing and I love that you can customize them based on your needs and preferences. On top of that. . .1 batch lasts a whole year. Crazy!!
I love your personal story about skin care. For me, it's almost the opposite as I have a combination oily skin, but the results are the same: acne (even in adulthood, I get recurring pimples), redness, and a general intolerance of harsh products. I have long been interested in switching to natural products, or even trying my hand at making things myself… I'd love to see a guide for a face cream for combination/ oily skin!
I use olive oil the same way too!
I use honey for everything–in masks, as spot treatment, etc.
This is so rad–I've been getting into this lately, but I've been too afraid to get the ingredients together and actually do it. All I do to my face these days is put coconut oil on it as a moisturizer–I have yet to find a cleanser that doesn't rip apart my face. I wish I could do more, and it's clearly possible. I'm so glad you've shared your experience with making face products!
These photos are gorgeous, Eva.
And I totally love this idea! I've been having issues with my hair lately… it's thin and the shampoos and conditioners I use seem to be drying it out and making it kinda straw-like. So far I've tried a few natural products, but have yet to find one that really works.
…. and that had nothing at all to do with face cream. Sorry!
But really, I love this post. So inspiring. <3
Drink water.
I also suffer from dry skin, scars sticking around longer than necessary and keratosis pilaris. Lotions and potions only do so much, and nothing works for my KP. Thanks for sharing your recipe, maybe I'll give it a try.
My biggest natural DIY game-changer has been toner made from half apple cider vinegar and half green tea. It helps out with acne and oiliness.
My best tip is to always put on sunscreen at least 30 minutes before going outside – shaunie
I use coconut oil for just about everything. It is my go to beauty tip.
The best skincare tip I've ever received…. use coconut oil to cleanse, remove makeup, and moisturize and use apple cider vinegar as a toner!
I really love using face oil from Badger!
I love Mountain Rose Herbs!
Eva, these photos are absolutely gorgeous. Possibly some of my favorites of yours, which says a lot. And really, this post couldn't have come at a better time. The past few weeks my mom and I have been experimenting with different essential oils, foods, herbs, and vitamins to make natural cleansers. Not only do they make me feel great about what I'm putting on my skin, but I know I'm doing good for the earth. So far, our favorite is a lavender and vitamin E face wash, which helps with dry skin and wrinkles.
As I said, this post was beautiful. I'm definitely going to be trying these recipes out, and crossing my fingers for the Mountain Rose Herbs giveaway. They're one of the few companies I can trust when looking for natural ingredients.
Thank you for the great giveaway!
I love this giveaway! I use natural oils for soaking my feet in. It makes skin so soft.
Sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen!
What a lovely post and an amazing giveaway! I hope to win!!
I love Mountain Rose Herbs and have used their products for making my own chapstick and shaving cream.
I generally use coconut oil for any quick and good smelling skin moisturizer! Great as an aftershave too.
Beautiful photos, I've been making my own serums for years and it is a treat to skin like no other!
Masks of yogurt to exfoliate and brighten, mixed with honey to moisturize and disinfect, and 15-20 minutes of breathing calmly.
I love anything Lavender for the calming effect.
Coconut oil is my skin care tip. Perfect for an all over moisturizer right out of the shower and as a facial moisturizer before bed, and in the morning too.
I live in Canada and therefore can't enter your giveaway, but I just wanted to tell you how beautiful these photos are and how much I'm looking forward to trying your recipe. I've been collecting natural beauty ingredients for some time and I love to experiment with toners, facial and body oils but haven't attempted a cream yet. This looks gorgeous, Eva!
I love using oil as a moisturizer!
I have been using raw honey as a face wash for about a week. So far, I like the way it feels clean, and I'm looking forward to seeing if there are long term benefits.
Absolutely love your blog – amazing pictures. Having dealt with acne (and was on Accutane twice), I too value natural products and look forward to trying these out. My favorite skincare step, which makes my skin feel radiant and fresh, is rose water toner. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity…fingers crossed!
Pat your face dry, never rub it.
Use a turmeric face mask to reduce face redness and acne.
Tamanu Oil is a best kept secret. It is great on the skin especially to clear acne.
Wow, what a great giveaway! I don't do a lost of cosmetics in general, but I do make a simple homemade deodorant with cornstarch, baking soda, coconut oil, and lavender & tea tree oils. Super easy and so nice. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
I hear you on the skin sensitivity. I constantly battle a grouchy scalp and face. I've almost entirely switched over to natural products, but the idea of making my own is even better. I'll be making your face cream recipe this weekend!
exercise in in the fresh air.
I use argon oil in the winter time in place of other moisturizers. It's fast absorbing, doesn't clog my pores, and moisturizes!
demureprincess7(at)gmail(dot)com
Beautiful pictures and great recipes! Thank you. I have very dry skin in general but my face is the most frustrating. While it doesn't look that dry without makeup as soon as I put makeup on it obvious that I have dry flaky patches. I'm hoping one of these recipes will help with that. For a quick/temporary fix I use Fractionated coconut oil before putting on makeup. I have also used Coconut oil or Jojoba oil as well.
Beautiful flowers!
What a great recipe! I love that it uses all of those moisturizing oils!
I love to use coconut oil on my skin when it's particularly dry!
I like using homemade toners
your pictures are absolutely stunning!!
https://aspoonfulofnature.wordpress.com/
I use coconut oil to remove my makeup every night.
rosebud_96@msn.com
This looks wonderful! I've started using oils on my face instead of other cleansers or moisturizers and have been loving it!
-Kelsey
Oh my, these are incredibly beautiful photos. Some of your best, I think. I am a neighbor to the North, so I can't enter the giveaway, but I will look at investing in these products, because the face cream sounds incredible.
Lovely lovely pics, Eva! I also have problem skin – a bit of a bad mix between dry and oily… Hope to be able to win these amazing sounding ingredients to try and make my own face cream!
I just recently made a simple lotion, and can't believe it's taken me so long to learn how easy it is. What a great giveaway!
Looking forward to trying this recipe!
I use jojoba & rosehip oils on my face — cleared up any scarring, and my skin is so much softer than it used to be!
I have been toying with the idea of trying honey as shampoo and then just coconut oil for conditioner. I have not had the guts yet, but know my hair needs something. As far as my face, I have been trying to just make sure I eat healthy, sleep well and try to deal with stress better.
determineddebby at gmail dot com
rosewater spray
I make a hand salve from olive oil, beeswax, and coconut oil. I mix in a few drops of essential oils, and it is perfect for soothing gardeners' hands! PS – I love Mountain Rose Herbs – it is my oils/butters/herbs destination. Great recipe! 🙂
i love the recipe, thanks!
Smile, and, in the immortal words of Van Morrison, stay "on the bright side of the road."
I love making masks with Greek yogurt as the base. The yogurt contains lactic acid which does a beautiful job of exfoliating. I usually add honey and ground uncooked oatmeal to it.
Hi Eva,
Where do you buy your essential oils? Especially rose and jasmine–they are so expensive! Mountain Rose Herbs doesn’t have a wide variety of essential oils.
Thanks!
Hello, I really love this recipe! However I’m not sure if I did it right myself, and I was hoping for some advice. I made this recipe about a week ago and have kept it in a black boa free jar that I sterilized with alcohol. When I opened it tonight, I noticed the top of the cream had a bunch of small light spot all over. When I rubbed them between my fingers, they seemed firm, like I could feel there form, but they would break up easily if I rubbed them between my fingers. i was wondering if you had any experience with this. Is it possible that it simply wasn’t mixed well enough and certain ingredients are segregating and reforming? Is it something else? Again I love this cream and would really love to add it to my regimen, but I’m at a loss as to what is happening on my end.
I made the skin cream and I love it! So does everyone I gave some too! Thank you so much for sharing. I have a question. Is there something I could substitute the beeswax with? Would Shea butter work?
I have been using your skin care recipe for at least 5 years now. It is my go to face and body cream when NOTHING else works. I love it best and thank you for putting it out here.
Wow ,so many Different oils an butters in 2nd recipe .why ?
Hello I do love the way you make natural face creams without any additives,
I’ve tried it but was desapointed to see the next day the oily staff separated , and kind of a watery liquid in the jar too.
Would be very grateful if you give me tip how to avoid separation ….some people advise to add emulsifier …..not sure if the emulsifier is good for the skin ?
Best face cream I’ve ever used! I didn’t add the concentrated oils as I didn’t have them, but it is a winner nonetheless! My one year old’s skin gets dry where we wipe food away on her chin. This soothes her and now she applies it to my chin several times a day as well!
Just making another batch of the basic cream now. I just wanted to say I have been making this for over a year now and the s is my everyday night and day moisturizer! Nothing beats it, I’ve occasionally tried others when I have been late making a batch, but nothing compares. I use this everyday on my kids eczema too and it works better than the treatment from the pharmacy! I have tried other recipes prior to this, but the 15 min cooling time seems to be the magic never as this one has not failed me yet! A big thank you!
Would you have any recommendations on ingredientes for super dry skin?! I’m having problems on the area around my mouth (just bellow the nose) and chin.
This is very helpful but I’m looking for a recipe for face cream that helps wrinkles
Homemade face creams are crafted from natural ingredients, often chosen for their specific benefits to the skin. DIY enthusiasts may combine oils, butters, essential oils, and other natural elements to create a personalized face cream. This approach allows for customization based on individual skin needs and preferences, avoiding certain chemicals that may be present in commercial products.
Add Retinal palmitate after last step is done.
Dear Eva, I am making my home organic creams starting 4 years ago.. Love to learn from others how they doing.
Love your recipe. Will try also
What you suggest for eczema – my friends daughter also have bad eczema .
Can I make this recipe without essential oils? If so will it decrease the shelf life of the cream?
I love your craft. Healthy creams are very expensive so I have decided to try making it myself.
Thank you. Really interesting!
Hello Eva! I’m thinking that the list of ingredients is pretty intimidating, and yet, it’s encouraging to have a year’s worth of wonderful, good-for-my-skin cream. I’m wondering if my dbl boiler and blender will ever be the same/usable for food after this experiment? 🙂
Can I use coconut, almond, avocado, jojoba or almond oil for the vegetable nut oil in the face cream recipe?
J’ai fait l’essai et une fois fini, il y a de l’eau dans la crème… comment éviter cela. Merci
When I get some spare time I’d like to make these creams
Thank you for sharing this
Our Face Moisturizing Cream deeply hydrates and nourishes your skin, leaving it soft, smooth, and radiant. Formulated with natural ingredients, it provides long-lasting moisture, helps to reduce dryness, and improves skin texture. Ideal for all skin types, it ensures your skin looks and feels its best every day.
Med Spa in Little Elm offers a wide range of high-quality deep cleansing facial services and treatments tailored to rejuvenate and revitalize your skin. Known for providing the best facial treatments in Little Elm, Malkaspa.com Med Spa specializes in deep cleansing facial that thoroughly purify your skin, removing impurities and leaving you with a refreshed and glowing complexion. Their expert team ensures a luxurious and personalized experience, making it the perfect destination for all your skincare needs.
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