Make your own skin cream

Moisturizing Skin Cream

Making your own skin cream is a fun & very satisfying process. I have been making my own for years & years with the odd lapse from time to time.. but soon came to my senses & got back on the job. Most of us don't realize that when we spend all that money on moisturizers we are paying for an awful lot of water & large quantities of fairly unuseful things like parabens & other chemicals which may be quite harmful. Much better to know exactly what you are putting on your precious skin every day & save a lot of money doing it : ) You may have to make a bit of an investment to begin with but you will soon see the benefits if you make a batch or two. Each lot will be a little different & can be adjusted to suit your own preference.
These are the kinds of ingredients you'll need:

1 cup sweet almond oil (or apricot kernel oil)
1/2 cup emulsifying wax
Gently heat these two together in a bowl over hot water until the wax has melted.

Leave to cool a little.

Mix together 1 c of boiled water with 1/2 aloe vera juice (or use half & half).
A mixture of boiled water, aloe vera & rose water is another alternative.

Begin to very slowly pour the liquid into the oil as if you are making mayonnaise.
After a while it will begin to turn cloudy & start to emulsify.

Then it starts to thicken up as you continue to whisk.

Now add 1/2 cup of avocado oil, a capsule or 2 of vitamin A, E or evening primrose oil

& a few drops of your favourite essential oils. I really enjoy a mixture of rose & ylang ylang.

For a long time I didn't add any preservative but your lovely cream can go off very easily if not kept in the fridge & it's horrible to waste it... so I now add:

 Sodium benzoate & lactic acid at a ratio of 20 mls lactic acid to 5g sodium benzoate (1/2 tsp).

 If it is too thick still at this stage add some more warm water.
 Spoon the cream in to clean dry jars.
 Leave to cool fully before putting the lids on.

Now, a few tips..the sweet almond oil (just this oil is fine if you prefer) & avocado oil are readily found at most supermarkets. Their prices are quite good & their turnover fairly high so you should get a fresher oil. Places like Cornucopia in Hastings & Chantal in Napier are also great for most of the ingredients. Rosewater is available from speciality shops..Indian/Mediterranean.
 The emulsifying wax is a little harder to track down but most health food shops should be able to help.
Or have a look online. Buy a wax with a thickener if possible. You can add a little beeswax &/or coconut oil too if you like. The aloe vera is quite often on special at some of the pharmacies or can even be found in most supermarkets & organics shops.

 Keep it in the fridge after you open it & then you will have some for the next time you make your skin cream & you'll also have the best ever first aid miracle always on hand.
 Soak a burn in cold aloe vera for 10mins & all the pain disappears! And it heals sooo quickly.

Another lovely thing to add to the cream is calendula oil.

Easy to make your own.

Gather up a big handful of calendula flowers on a sunny day.

Lay them out on a sunny window sill to dry
then add them to a jar of sweet almond oil.

Make sure that they are fully submerged then cover with
 muslin & leave for up to a week until the flowers sink
to the bottom & the oil turns golden.

Strain the oil through the muslin & use as above to
make your skin cream.
Calendula is very healing & soothing to the skin.