# face cream for dry skin



## Eve (Oct 21, 2013)

Hello everyone,

I have really dry skin, to the point of flaking and redness. I've used some daycreams in the past, but all of them only made the problem worse after a while. I think I'm probably sensitive to something in them. Right now I sometimes use vaseline (the pure petroleum jelly) but that's really fat, shiny stuff. When I still lived with my parents I would sometimes use my mothers cetomacrogol cream, and that worked too, without irritation. (cetomacrogol cream is prescription, but there's not really any 'true medicine' in it, pharmacists also use it as a medium to apply other active ingredients. It contains cetomacrogol wax, cetiol, soribitol, water and a preservative).

I figured the problem is probably the perfume. Could also be a certain oil, preservative or emulsifier, but so many people are sensitive to perfume that it's more logical. another reason could be higher amounts of water, as water put on the skin actually dries it out.

I normally wash my face with only water, but have recently started with the oil cleaning method. I upped my sunflower oil to a lot because it was also drying at first.

Anyway, I found a recipe for a face cream. What do you think of this one?

Green tea repairing face cream for dry and aging skin - ingredients


.25 oz (by weight!) bees wax.
1 oz almond oil
1 oz coconut oil
1/4 tsp Rose Hip Seed Oil
1 packet organic green tea
source: http://saynotsweetanne.com/2013/green-tea-face-cream/


I'm not sure what the rose hip seed oil does, does anyone know? Could I substitute it for something else?


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## soapsydaisy (Oct 21, 2013)

You will need a good preservative too if you want to keep it longer than a few days.


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## judymoody (Oct 21, 2013)

If you are interested in making lotions, head straight over to swiftcraftymonkey.blogspot.com and start reading.  She has all the information you will need about procedures and formulating and preservatives and safety.  I can't recommend her enough.

There is a bit of a learning curve with lotions so I suggest you start with something simple like the following:

A whipped butter - say 80% shea butter and 20% liquid oil - safflower and ricebran are nice, and the latter is good for, ahem, mature skin.     Whip the ingredients at room temperature until fluffy using a standing mixer or hand held beaters.  It will be greasy but gentle on the skin.

An oil serum.  These are very nice for the dry winter air especially.  Just mix some oils you like and pat a few drops into your face.  I like squalene (derived from olive oil), avocado oil, hempseed oil, rice bran, and safflower.  If your skin is sensitive, I'd avoid nut oils (just in case of allergies) and coconut oil (which makes many people break out).

If you want to give cold process facial soap a try, you might try a Castille (100% olive oil) made with goat's milk and superfatted at 8-10%.  That's about as gentle as it gets.  Note that many soap that is marketed as Castille (Dr. Bronner's, etc.) is not 100% olive oil.

Good luck!


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## SugarandOats (Oct 21, 2013)

Is olive oil good for your face tho won't it make you break out??? I usually use about 20% TO MY RECIPES 

sugar & oats


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## Eve (Oct 22, 2013)

Thanks for the replies!

Soapsydaisy: there's no water in this one, so I wouldn't actually need an emulsifier, right? (the tea is steeped into the oils, not in water). And because there is no preservative I would just make a small batch. Again, no water, so it spoils later.
SugarandOats: I'll give some of those a try! To clarify, I don't have *ahem* mature skin, even though that recipe is for dry and aging skin. My skin is really dry, and maybe it even looks aging, but I'm 22, so... 

I don't think I'll make soap for my face, I use water right now and sometimes a tonic to remove make-up. No soap at all is still better for your skin than homemade soap, I think.


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## Robert (Oct 22, 2013)

Eve said:


> there's no water in this one, so I wouldn't actually need an emulsifier, right? (the tea is steeped into the oils, not in water). And because there is no preservative I would just make a small batch. Again, no water, so it spoils later.


Actually, no water so it spoils never.  The tea's dried so although it contains traces of moisture, its water activity is too low to sustain life.


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## judymoody (Oct 22, 2013)

Eve said:


> Thanks for the replies!
> 
> SugarandOats: I'll give some of those a try! To clarify, I don't have *ahem* mature skin, even though that recipe is for dry and aging skin. My skin is really dry, and maybe it even looks aging, but I'm 22, so...



You may not have mature skin, but I do! 

Plain castor oil is great for removing makeup, by the way.

The recipe that you are proposing looks more like a salve than a cream.  Give it a try and see what happens.  You might want to substitute a different oil for the coconut though, as many people are sensitive to it and it can cause breakouts.


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## evelovesowls (Oct 26, 2013)

Hey there if you have a problem with dry skin you can buy double base it's not and ingredient and it really helps 


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## Tienne (Oct 26, 2013)

I would say, that if you are prone to allergies or irritated skin to keep it natural and as simple as possible, with a few ingredients as possible. 

I use a small dollop of coconut oil as facial moisturizer, straight up. Nothing added, I just use it as it is. It won't leave you greasy but soaks right in. You could also add some Vitamin E if you want extra healing properties and it can even be used as an eye cream.

Either that, or just two or three drops of argan oil. That also soaks right in.

I like simple remedies and that's all I have used for years and I don't break out and neither the coconut oil or the argan oil leaves me feeling greasy. You can also use both oils in your hair. 

I don't have problems with eczema or irritated skin, but if I get an abrasion or a bug bite or sunburn or chafing anything at all where my skin feels compromised, I use plantain salve. 

I make it by double infusing plantain leaves in almond oil and then mixing that with some melted beeswax. For each one ounce/30 ml of infused oil, measure out one tablespoon/15 ml (or less) of grated or granular beeswax. 

Plantain is also called "miracle leaf" and I was flabbergasted the first time I made it as to how effective it actually is! Mozzie bites will stop itching after just a minute and the welt will disappear soon after.

I swear by plantain salve for anything and everything that I feel needs healing. It's my number one go to "miracle salve".


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## Eve (Oct 28, 2013)

I assume by plantain you mean Plantago major and not some kind of banana (that came up on google)? It's called weegbree where I live, and yes it's amazing stuff! I use it for stinging nettle burns, though I have never used it in a salve.
I've heard that coconut can cause acne. I don't have bad acne, but I do have the occassional pimple since I got of the pill, and I wouldn't like to get more...

I haven't made this cream yet, still have to buy ingredients, but soon...
Also, does anyone happen to know of an ingredient that might reduce redness? Or will that reduce over time if my skin gets less dry and irritated?


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## indulgebandb (Oct 28, 2013)

Eve,

I started using the oils cleansing method recently and to moisturize I use a blend of oils. It's been great so far! I have had issues with flaky skin on my forehead and nose area ( and I live in a warm humid area) and nothing seemed to help but this. For a moisturizer I use 2 drops of rosehip oil, I drop of aloe Vera juice, 1 drop of jojoba oil and one squirt of rose water. It has been wonderful. In the evening I cleanse with a combination of olive oil and castor oil, then I use a toner made of aloe Vera juice, distilled water and tea tree oil, then moisturize. In the morning I cleanse with black soap with Shea bitter then use the toner and moisturizer. Obviously everyone's skin is different but I would check into using some natural oils as a moisturizer as some have suggested.


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## Tienne (Oct 29, 2013)

Eve said:


> I assume by plantain you mean Plantago major and not some kind of banana (that came up on google)?
> 
> ****
> 
> Also, does anyone happen to know of an ingredient that might reduce redness? Or will that reduce over time if my skin gets less dry and irritated?



Yes, I meant the green leafy weed.  

It grows everywhere. You can recognize it by looking at the back of the leaf. (You can use any kind of plantain.) The leaf has seven veins that spread out from the stem of the leaf. It's very recognizable.
You can use pretty much any kind of light oil you like to make the infusion.  I know some people have problems using coconut oil, but then just stick to some of the other oils that are really good for the skin. Oils like avocado, argan, sweet almond, olive and rosehip are good. Jojoba is too. Or a mix of them! 

As for the redness, I think if you could get the dryness under control, your skin would feel less "angry" and the redness may go away as your skin heals and calms down. If it's a redness caused by broken veins or an otherwise persistent redness, then you could (if you use makeup) make yourself a green colour corrector. I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but if you have red blotches or patches, you can cancel them out using green. You could make your own corrector by mixing a small amount of green chromium oxide (or green mat eyeshadow) into a bit of your regular concealer or foundation and dabbing a small amount of that over the red to cover it up before you put on your foundation. Works like a charm. :wink:

You could also help your skin calm down, by using a green clay mask a couple of times a week. It's always better to try and cure problem skin, than just cover up the symptoms, so maybe try this before jumping ahead and using a colour corrector. Green clay has some anti-inflammatory properties and it's just one of those things that is all-round kind and healing to the skin. I'll put in a few link to help you on your way. I hope some of it can be of help to you or give you some inspiration.

Green Clay Uses, Techniques and Recipes;
http://katariskincare.com/recipes/

Making and Using Mineral Make-up for a Flawless Natural Look;
http://makeskincare.blogspot.se/2010/09/making-and-using-mineral-make-up.html

If you want to go all the way and make a colour corrector from scratch, then here's some recipes;

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style...l-foundations-concealer-and-colour-correctors

If your skin is prone to being angry, then don't use hot water on your face. Keep it tepid or cool and it would even be good to splash your face with cold water after your usual cleansing regime to tighten the skin, close the pores and get the blood vessels to contract. That might help reduce redness, too.  (My grandma only ever washed her face using cold water and she swore by it, so of course I follow her advise and do the same.)

Here's link to a simple plantain salve;
http://adelightfulhome.com/how-to-make-plantain-salve/

You can beef it up as you choose! You could put some calendula petals in as well and infuse them along with the plantain leaf for some extra healing power. Adding a few drops of grapefruit seed extract is also something I would consider, but ONLY a few drops! It's powerful stuff. A bit of Vitamin E would also be good and you'll have yourself one heck of a healing salve!

Well, I could talk all day, but I'll shut up now.  I hope I could help.


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