It’s been so wild around here lately that I’ve barely had time to clean my house, much less do any fun projects. In fact, I take that back–I haven’t had time to clean my house.
Life has been oh-so-busy with all the “lasts” of my son’s senior year of high school and all of the piles of paperwork involved in college and scholarship applications, plus of course the regular busyness of running a business, sitting on boards, volunteering, and the like. For those of you with inquiring minds, he still hasn’t decided where he’s going, but the deadline isn’t until May 1st and I know that this kid will keep us wondering until the last minute!
Today I finally tried a quick little project, mostly to get my mind off of my overwhelming to do list. I’m really pleased with how it turned out, so of course I had to share.
How to make a DIY Face Cream
This recipe for organic face cream is so easy–only five ingredients–and obviously the ingredients are pure. One of our readers actually mentioned it to me when I wrote {this} post about combating alligator skin during the winter. While there are quite a few recipes on Pinterest, I used {this} one by RealFoodRN as a starting point.
| Cacao Butter | Sweet Almond Oil | Jojoba Oil | Coconut Oil | Tea Tree Essential Oil
The recipe is a snap:
1/2 c. cacao butter (this is a rough measurement since the chips are bulky)
2 T. sweet almond oil
2 T jojoba oil
1/4 c. coconut oil
Kate at RealFoodRN talks about why each of these ingredients is helpful for skin care; also, she uses frankincense oil in her cream, but I opted to use tea tree oil because of its anti-acne properties (I figured my teenagers might find it helpful).
All you do is melt the cacao chips in a double boiler and then mix in the rest of the ingredients minus the essential oil.
The pop the mixture into the fridge for an hour or so while it begins to harden, and then whip it up using a mixer. When it’s fluffy, your work is done.
Now it’s time to mix in the essential oils. I only used 20 drops of tea tree oil, but the smell is almost too strong for me, so I’d recommend 10 drops to start if you’re using the same recipe. Just mix it in and you’re done!
In addition to tea tree oil and frankincense, other essential oils that are considered good for skin care include: patchouli, rose, ylang-ylang, cypress, lavender, and sandalwood. I’m sure there are others, too (let me know if I missed any big ones).
The recipe makes about a cup and that should be plenty since it’s very moisturizing! For storage, I like these jars; I use the larger size for mustard and jam and the hexagonal shape is kind of different and fun.
I’ll let you know in a week or two what my kids think of it.
Thanks for stopping by!
Always love a good beauty DIY. I am curious though…I had heard that tea tree oil wasn’t good to use in body care products due to hormone imbalance. I may be totally wrong. And then again not every study done is accurate either.
I can totally relate to the whole college thing. Our oldest had dorms reserved at three schools before finally choosing! LOL
Sorry for the slow response—all I can say is it’s the end of the school year!! I think there’s one study that indicates that tea tree oil and lavender may contribute to gynecomastia in boys, but I don’t think it’s been established yet. It’s so hard to know when there are conflicting studies out there!!
XO,
Christy
Just wondering if this is greasy when you apply it to your skin or does it absorb with no greasy feeling left behind?
Thank you.
Hey, Maggie–
It feels very smooth and yes, a little greasy when you put it on, but then it seems to absorb really quickly. I’m actually really enjoying it!.
Hope that helps–
Christy
this looks interesting. Is it greasy? Also, do you have to keep it refrigerated? Inquiring minds want to know lol. Hope your schedule relaxes a bit.
Thanks, Heidi–clearly I’m still running around like a chicken with my head cut off since it’s taken me two weeks to reply to you!! It feels a little greasy when it goes on, but then it absorbs and just leaves my skin feeling soft. You don’t have to keep it refrigerated but you can (which would feel good in the summer!).
I hope that helps!
Christy