~Creating a Facial Cremè ~

This weekend I decided it was time to make the new recipe I have created for a facial cremè.  I was at the very end of my last batch, so it was time.  I have been doing a lot of reading about what ingredients do what and I want to share that information here. It actually took me years to learn all about what the ingredients do and how they work and what they are for. 

Ingredients for recipe

Always remember that when you are creating a recipe, that it needs to be 100%. By this I mean that when you add all the amounts of your ingredients up, they should equal 100%. For example: Shea butter 22% or 5 ounces, almond oil 10% or 2 ounces, etc. To do this you need to use a calculator. Divide the amount into 100 and that will give you the percent. Here is a table to use at one of my favorite sites. This site has so much more info on it too about lotion making.

The Daily Age Reducer Cremè

 STEP ONE:
In your 2 cup measuring cup, the glass one for liquids, is what we are going to use for our melting pot. I always set it in a pan of water and heat the butters and oils that way.

This recipe is in ounces. 
First Phase: Oil
.75 oz. Shea Butter                               .50 oz. Jojoba Oil
.75 oz. Kokum Butter                            .50 oz.  Sea Buckhorn Oil (optional)
.50 oz. Cocoa Butter                             .50 oz.  Emulsifying wax
.50 oz.  Illippe Butter                                 1  oz.  Stearic Acid
.30 oz.  Rose Butter (optional: use more cocoa butter)

Measure all the ingredients in the oil phase into your glass measuring cup. Heat slowly and only until ingredients melt. We do not want it to boil and ruin the active ingredients in the mixture.  Let this sit while you prepare the water phase of the recipe.

Second Phase: Water

1 oz. Glycerin

8 oz. aloe vera and waters of choice: 7.75 oz of infused water and .25 oz of aloe vera concentrate. If you are not using concentrate, use 6 oz of infused water (3 oz each of elder flower and green tea) and 2 ounces of aloe vera.

I usually use a little larger bowl for the water phase as this will be the bowl you mix it all together in. For this recipe, I infused elder flowers for part of the water phase (4 oz.). The other part was green tea infusion (3.75 oz.). Strain your infusions into a measuring cup and for this recipe we want 7.75 ounces of liquid. Add that to the mixing bowl.

 I use concentrated aloe vera gel, so I use a small amount, .25 oz. Add that to the water mixture and stir together. Heat this mixture in your water bath, on the stove to  120°. Do not heat in the microwave as it makes the active ingredients inactive. The two phases blend better if the water phase is also hot and closer to the same temperature as the oil stage.

I have a stick blender I use ONLY for making my lotions and cremès.  Slowly pour the oil phase into your water phase and blend with your stick mixer. Pulsating seems to work better for me. Slowly is the best, this way it it gets well blended. When you have it all into the bowl, blend for a few more seconds. 


Third Phase: Other ingredients
.16 oz. Germaben II or Optiphen Preservative
.10 oz. to .25 oz. Essential Oils and Fragrance
1 tsp.  Arrowroot or Baking Soda

Decide what essential oils you want to use in your recipe. I always use lavender and tea tree oils for their anti-viral and anti-biotic actions. It helps to keep the face from having germs to create acne or pimples. Carrot Seed EO is another great one for aging skin. Add your desired EO's and blend 2 more minutes on the blender. Add the third phase, one ingredient at a time and mix well after each ingredient. After all ingredients are in, blend well for several minutes.

My finished product in containers ♥

Always let your mixture cool in the bowl. It will get thicker when it cools completely. After cooling put into cleans containers of your choice. Using a q-tip or spoon is the best so as not to contaminate your cremè.

Label your containers and keep them in the frig.