Once upon a time, I watched a lady on YouTube who was always glowing. Literally shining. I wondered, what the heck does she have on her face that makes her glisten so? Well, it turns out she was making her own home face balm/lotion. I have no idea what was in hers as when I finally made it out to her Etsy shop it was GONE and there were no plans to bring it back. Let that be a lesson, don’t wait, jump in with both feet and get it while you can! 😉 At any rate, that left me in need and obviously it had to be as something natural and as nutritive as possible for my skin. In this hunt for the perfect “night” cream I have decided on this recipe after combing countless books for skin remedies and watching a bajillion videos. Here’s THE recipe for an easy natural nightly face cream using herbs and nutritive oils. Tadaaaahhh!:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup of coconut oil (sub. avocado oil)
- 1/4 cup of sweet almond oil
- 1/4 cup of jojoba oil (sub. apricot kernel oil)
- 1/4 cup of beeswax
- 1 tablespoon of dried chamomile flowers
- 1 tablespoon of dried lavender flowers
- 1 tablespoon of dried calendula flowers
- 1 teaspoon of vitamin E oil
Instructions:
- In a double boiler, melt the coconut oil or sub, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil or sub, and beeswax together over low heat.
- Once melted, stir in the dried chamomile flowers, lavender flowers, and calendula flowers. Or your substitute herbs, naturally.
- Allow the mixture to infuse for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Strain the mixture through a cheesecloth or fine mesh sieve, pressing down on the herbs to extract as much oil as possible.
- Add in the vitamin E oil and stir well.
- Pour the mixture into a jar or container and allow it to cool to room temperature.
- Once cooled, the cream can be applied to the face and neck each night before bed.
This cream is so rich in moisturizing and nutritive oils, as well as herbs that are known for their soothing and nourishing properties for the skin. The chamomile, lavender, and calendula flowers provide gentle aromatherapy benefits, making this cream a relaxing addition to your nighttime skincare routine. I think I’ve done a blog post on lavender and chamomile, I guess this means I need to do one for calendula next. If you are curious about the one’s already posted to understand the soothing and nourishing properties, feel free to give these posts a browse. 🙂
If you want to add one more aromatic but skin healthy herb, what should it be?
If you want to add another aromatic but skin-healthy herb to the recipe, I would suggest adding rose petals. Rose petals are rich in antioxidants, have anti-inflammatory properties, and are known to be soothing and hydrating for the skin. They also add a lovely floral scent to the cream.
To add rose petals to the recipe, you can use the same amount as the other herbs (1 tablespoon). Simply add the dried rose petals to the mixture along with the chamomile, lavender, and calendula flowers in step 2. Strain the mixture as directed in step 4 and continue with the recipe as written.
Since rose can be a scent that in America we equate to our beloved elders, is there another option?
If you’re looking to avoid a “grandma” scent, you can try adding other aromatic herbs that have skin benefits but don’t have a floral scent. For example, you could add dried rosemary or sage to the recipe. Both herbs have anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties that can be beneficial for the skin.
Alternatively, you can omit the herbs altogether and just use a combination of nutritive oils and beeswax for a simple, unscented cream. You could also add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for a personalized scent. Just be sure to choose an essential oil that is safe for topical use and suitable for your skin type. I have a strong affinity for lemon grass. Its herbaceous aroma with its pick me up lemony-ness. Perfection…for me. This is a pick your own ending kind of deal though so have fun with it, find something that fills your senses in a way that makes you shine from the inside out.
Ministry of Making 