Skin Care Secrets Revealed: How to make Moisturising Face & Body Creams and Peeling Face Creams the Aromantic way

By Kolbjorn Borseth
NOTE: To learn how to make Skin Gels click here

Making your own moisturising face and body cream or peeling face cream is simple, fun and cost effective. The beauty of making your own products is in knowing exactly what ingredients are being used and in being able to use only pure, natural ingredients combined in recipes that address your skin type and/or skin problem. For example, if there is an ingredient you are allergic to, you can often leave it out or replace it with something else.

There are a few simple rules that must be followed in order to make face and body creams or peeling creams effectively; but beyond these there are endless possibilities for inventing and making your own creams for different purposes, for yourself, family or clients.

A cream is an emulsion (a suspension of one liquid in another) of oil and water. In order to mix oil and water you will need an emulsifier – a medium that enables normally non-mixable ingredients to mix together. In this article we give you recipes for creams that use our MF and VE Emulsifiers. Aromantic’s MF and VE emulsifiers are both used as ingredients in the Scandinavian food industry to make bread and vegan ice cream. This shows that they are both very safe emulsifiers to use as they are edible. The VE emulsifier is added during the fat stage of making the cream and the MF emulsifier during the water stage. NB never use paraffin-based emulsifiers.

You will need the following kitchen equipment: stainless steel saucepans, oven-proof or stainless steel bowls, spatula, whisk, measuring jug, measuring spoons and a thermometer (for up to 100°C). You will also need scales but if you don't have any you can use the conversion table to find out what quantities to use instead of weights. It is important to be as accurate as possible with the weighing and/or measuring of ingredients. It is also important to be particularly careful with hygiene when using water in products.

Conversion for Ingredients in Creams

Cetyl Alcohol 1g = 3ml
MF Emulsifier 1g = 2.5ml (approx.)
VE Emulsifier 1g = 2ml
Essential Oil 0.5ml = 15 drops (approx.)

Recipes:

How to Make Creams using VE and MF Emusifiers

Moisturising Face & Body Cream

Recipe makes 100ml of cream. Suitable for dry/mature/sensitive skin types.

Fat Stage 75-80°C

• 2g Cocoa Butter
• 3ml Macadamia Nut Oil
• 7ml Apricot Kernel Oil
• 3ml Thistle Oil
• 2g Cetyl Alcohol
• 2.5g VE Emulsifier

Water Stage 75-80°C

• 4.5g MF Emulsifier
• 70ml Spring Water
• 2ml Glycerine
• 12 drops Preservative

Third Stage 35-40°C

• 1g Vitamin E
• 2ml NFF Complex

Fourth Stage 35-30°C

• 12 drops Essential Oils
   
  

Peeling Face Cream Recipe

Recipe makes 100ml of cream. Suitable for all skin types, except very sensitive or problem skin. You must test the pH in this cream with litmus paper after it’s been made. The pH needs to be under 5.5. If it is higher than 5.5 reduce the pH mixing in a few drops of lactic acid until the pH is under 5.5.. Massage the Peeling Cream into your skin and wash off with lukewarm water before applying a toner and moisturiser.

Fat Stage 75-80°C

• 8ml Castor Oil
• 8ml Jojoba Oil
• 1g Cocoa Butter
• 2g Cetyl Alcohol
• 3g VE Emulsifier

Water Stage 75-80°C

• 5g MF Emulsifier
• 58ml Spring Water
• 5ml Sorbitol Moisturiser
• 12 drops Preservative K

Third Stage 35-40°C

• 10ml Beta Detergent
• 1ml/g Vitamin E Oil

Fourth Stage 35-30°C

• 15 drops Essential Oil
• 12 drops Lactic Acid

 
Note: Castor Oil is good for cleansing and peeling and is used specifically because it is not quickly absorbed by the skin. Castor Oil also attracts and draws the dirt to itself so both oil and dirt can then be removed with damp cotton wool or lukewarm water.

Basic Method for Making all Creams using MF AND VE Emulsifiers

1. Fat Stage: Heat the fat stage ingredients in a double boiler until all of the ingredients have melted and the temperature has risen to 75-80°C. There is no need to use a whisk at this stage.
2. Water Stage: After boiling the spring water in a kettle, measure it according to the recipe and pour it over the water stage ingredients, which you have put into a separate double boiler.
3. Whisk the water stage ingredients well together, making sure that the MF emulsifier powder is fully dissolved in the water and that you don’t have any lumps. Then allow the mixture to heat to 75-80°C.
4. When both fat and water stages are over 75°C (check with a thermometer), remove both double boilers from the hob, keeping the water stage mixture hot by leaving it on the top half of the double boiler.
5. Now pour the melted fat stage into the water stage in a thin, steady stream, while continuously whisking the mixture from side to side for 5 minutes.  If necessary, use a spatula to scrape the mixture from the sides of the saucepan (or bowl).
6. Allow the mixture to cool, stirring all the time. You can speed up by the cooling process by replacing the hot water in the BOTTOM of the double boiler with very COLD water.  In the process of cooling down, the mixture becomes a cream and will reach its thickest consistency when it is has cooled down to room temperature.
7. Third Stage: Stir in the third stage ingredients when the mixture has cooled to under 40˚C. 
8. Fourth Stage: Continue stirring until the mixture has cooled to under 35°C, then thoroughly mix in the essential oils and lactic acid (if in recipe).
9. Pour the cream into one big jar or smaller jars and label.

Recipe for a Light Face & Body Cream using Base Emulsifier
for dry/sensitive skin

This recipe is by popular demand - how to make a light cream is a request I get all of the time. Instead of VE and MF Emulisfiers, we use Aromantic’s Base Emulsifier.

Fat Stage (75-80°C)

• 7ml Sunflower Oil
• 6ml Apricot Kernel Oil
• 1g Shea Butter (Organic)
• 4ml Thistle Oil
• 2g Cetyl Alcohol
• 5g Base Emulsifier

Water Stage (75-80°C)

• 57ml Boiling Spring Water
• 2ml Glycerine

Third Stage (40-35°C)

• 3ml Kiwi Seed Oil
• 1ml/g Vitamin E Oil (undiluted)
• 2ml/g NFF Complex
• 0.5ml/g Preservative
• 10-15ml Aloe Vera Gel

Fourth Stage (30-20°C)

• 12-15 drops Essential Oils

Method for making a light Base Emulsifier Cream

1. Fat Stage: Heat the Fat Stage ingredients in a double boiler until all of the ingredients have melted and the temperature has risen to 75 - 80°C. There is no need to use a whisk at this stage.
2. Water Stage: After boiling the Spring Water in a Kettle, measure it according to the Recipe and pour it over the Moisturiser, which you have put into a separate double boiler. Then allow the mixture to heat to 75 - 80°C.
3. When both Fat and Water Stages are over 75°C, remove both double boilers from the hob, keeping the Water Stage mixture hot by leaving it on the top half of the double boiler.
4. Now pour the melted Water Stage into the Fat Stage in a thin, steady stream, while continuously whisking the mixture from side to side for 5 minutes. If necessary, use a spatula to scrape the mixture from the sides of the saucepan (or bowl).
5. Allow the mixture to cool, stirring all the time. You can speed up by the cooling process by replacing the hot water in the double boiler with very COLD water. In the process of cooling down, the mixture becomes a Cream and will reach its thickest consistency when it is has cooled down to room temperature.
6. Third Stage: Stir in the Third Stage ingredients when the mixture has cooled to under 40˚C.
7. Then add the Aloe Vera Gel until you get the right consistency.
8. Fourth Stage: Continue stirring until the mixture has cooled to under 25°C,
9. then thoroughly mix in the Essential Oils.
10. Pour the Cream into one big jar or smaller jars and label.

Cream recipes can be adapted in a variety of ways, for instance with the addition of hydrolates or herbal tinctures. However the amount of spring water used at the water stage must be reduced accordingly. Tinctures, however should only be added at the end when the temperature will not damage their properties. Infused or macerated oils such as calendula or chickweed can be added at the fat stage instead of, or as a proportion of, the vegetable oils. By adding different Essential Oils you not only change the aroma of your cream but also the therapeutic action. The latter allows you to make creams for very specific purposes.

Helpful hint

It is useful to write down all your recipes, including the ones which are not so successful, along with the date, a batch number and the intended purpose of the product. With all this information you should be able to work out the reason for any problems you may have and more importantly will be able to reproduce your successes.

The main thing to remember is to have fun and enjoy yourself!

For more cream recipes, see:

The Aromantic Guide to making your own Natural Skin, Hair and Body Care Products

Instantly downloadable eBooks (chapter excerpts from the printed book, The Aromantic Guide to making your own Natural Skin, Hair and Body Care Products):

eB1 An introduction to making your own natural creams and cosmetics
eB3 Making Creams
eB6 Making Lotions & Sun Creams

Printed Recipe Brochure No 9 Recipes for Skin Cleansers, Exfoliators and Peelers
Cold Emulsifier article
The Aromantic Newsletter archive

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