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Do you want to take care of your skin even during the winter months? For periods of cold and frost, richer creams with a higher proportion of oils are suitable, as they protect your skin from the negative effects of the weather. Try making a winter face cream according to our instructions, containing the plant-based petrolatum Vegeline for long-lasting skin hydration.
As with other emulsions, face creams also consist of aqueous and oily raw materials. To combine these two otherwise immiscible components, an emulsifier is used, so preparing such a product will require heating. You will learn more in our instructions!
Preparing emulsions can sometimes be demanding, so we have prepared tips and tricks for you that will make it easier to produce your winter face cream. It is a good idea to mix powdered raw materials, i.e. hyaluronic acid and allantoin, with glycerin in order to facilitate the solubility and hydration of these substances. Otherwise, it will take longer before you obtain a nice clear hyaluronic acid gel, and in the finished cream there may still be lumps of unhydrated hyaluronic acid for several hours after preparation; these will gradually disappear. Do not forget to cover the vessels with phases A and B with aluminium foil before heating in the water bath, to prevent water from evaporating or entering the vessels. If you want to work with extra accuracy, weigh the vessel with phase A before heating and write down the weight. After heating, weigh the vessel again and top up the evaporated water. Remember to place a plate or other pad under the hot vessel, as hot objects adversely affect the accuracy and function of scales.When combining phases A and B, make sure that both mixtures have approximately the same temperature. Otherwise, the emulsifier may solidify and cause failure of the emulsion to form and lumps in the mixture. For good combination of the two phases, use a stick blender. Use milk frothers only if they are sufficiently powerful; in some cases, they do not achieve good combination of both phases.If you want to use the preservative Cosgard in the product, it is necessary to lower the pH by adding lactic acid. Always add lactic acid dropwise, mix thoroughly and check the pH. Only then continue with further additions until you reach a pH in the range of 4.5 to 5.5. Bear in mind that the stated amount of lactic acid is only indicative, and the pH of the product will depend on weighing accuracy, the quality of the raw materials, or on substitutions of raw materials and changes in dosage.
Below we will introduce the individual raw materials used in the production of the winter face cream.You will also learn more about possible substitutions or changes in the dosage of individual raw materials.
The base for the production of most cosmetics is demineralised water. In this case, it is complemented with a hydrosol, with which you can replace part or all of the demineralised water. Do not use ordinary tap water, as it contains minerals that can disrupt the stability of the product and of the emulsion as a whole. You can increase the proportion of water in the formula at the expense of Vegeline if you feel that the product is too greasy and thick. However, try this strategy only after replacing Vegeline with vegetable oils, as this will certainly lead to a change in the viscosity of the product. All changes will also almost certainly result in a change in the product’s pH value.
Witch hazel is an excellent medicinal plant whose extracts in the hydrosol help to soothe irritated and reddened skin. You will appreciate this especially in the winter months, when the skin is intensely exposed to frost or wind. As mentioned, you can increase the proportion of hydrosol in the formula at the expense of distilled water, or you can choose another hydrosol according to your preferences. However, in all cases you must expect a change in the pH of the final product, and therefore a different amount of lactic acid needed to adjust the pH.
High-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid is an excellent addition to winter cosmetics thanks to its hydrating and softening properties. Instead of serums based purely on water, try adding hyaluronic acid to the aqueous phase of your creams in winter, so that you can enjoy the benefits of this raw material in combination with plant oils and butters. Hyaluronic acid helps to thicken the product partially and reduce the feeling of greasiness on the skin from the applied product. You can omit it and replace it with water; however, this will change the viscosity of the product.
The main moisturising agent in the winter face cream is glycerin. It is a clear, viscous liquid that dissolves well in water and helps to hydrate the skin and maintain moisture in it. In addition, glycerin serves to accelerate the dissolution of hyaluronic acid in aqueous solutions. Thanks to glycerin, hyaluronic acid will need less time to become fully hydrated and create a uniform gel. Allantoin behaves similarly. For this reason, it is advisable not to omit glycerin from the formula. However, if this raw material does not suit you, you can replace it with water.
An excellent soothing substance for your skin is allantoin. In combination with witch hazel hydrosol, it helps to reduce redness and alleviate skin irritation due to cold or sharp wind. The disadvantage of allantoin is that its larger amounts are difficult to dissolve in water and heating is necessary. Even then, it may happen that after cooling of the solution, allantoin recrystallises and forms deposits at the bottom. In this case, less is more; do not unnecessarily increase the dose of allantoin, as this substance is effective already in small amounts. In this way, you will avoid problems with product stability.
Another substance with properties similar to glycerin is Sodium Lactate. It is the sodium salt of lactic acid, and you will find this compound in the form of a colourless solution that dissolves well in water. Sodium Lactate is an excellent addition to other moisturising raw materials such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid. Sodium Lactate will help you to reduce transepidermal water loss from the skin and keep it supple and hydrated even during the winter months. It is an active ingredient, so it can again be omitted from the formula and replaced with glycerin or water. Do not unnecessarily increase the Sodium Lactate content above the level recommended by the manufacturer – it could lead to skin irritation.
In this recipe, mango butter serves as an exceptionally nourishing and protective component. It is rich in antioxidants and vitamins A and E, which help to regenerate the skin and improve its elasticity. Thanks to its light texture, it does not leave a greasy feeling while creating a delicate barrier against adverse winter weather conditions. It is ideal for dry and sensitive skin, which it hydrates and softens.
Since the cream combines aqueous and oily raw materials, an emulsifier is necessary to combine these two phases. In the case of the winter face cream, Beautyderm K10 was chosen. It is a commonly used emulsifier for the production of face creams, body lotions and other emulsions. You should certainly not omit Beautyderm K10 from the product, otherwise water and Vegeline will not combine. However, by changing the proportion of Beautyderm K10 you can influence the viscosity of the product. If you like more fluid creams, decrease its content by 0.5–1%; conversely, for a thicker cream, you can increase it by about 1%. If you do not know which variant you would like most, prepare small trial batches of the cream with different emulsifier levels. In the winter face cream, this emulsifier can for example be replaced by Olivem 1000.
For the final adjustment of the product pH, lactic acid was chosen. Its advantage over citric acid is that it is sold already as a solution, so you do not have to prepare a solution at home. However, a 30 or 50% solution of citric acid can likewise be used for pH adjustment – bear in mind, however, that you will need a completely different quantity than with lactic acid. Omit the addition of lactic acid only if the product pH without adjustment already lies between 5.5 and 4.5. Otherwise, add lactic acid dropwise and check the pH continuously (for example with indicator strips or a pH meter) until you reach the desired range.
Cosgard is an excellent preservative for natural cosmetics. It is a broad-spectrum preservative that is active only in an acidic pH, ideally below 5.5. For this reason, the pH of the product must be adjusted with lactic acid; otherwise, the preservative will not be active. In this case, the preservative is necessary to add, because the winter face cream also contains water, which, without treatment with a preservative, would become a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, yeasts and moulds within a few days, making your product unusable. Cosgard can be replaced by another broad-spectrum preservative; however, make sure that the given preservative will be effective at the final product pH. Otherwise, the product pH must be adjusted.
As mentioned, you can experiment with homemade recipes in order to achieve the desired properties. However, the final result may be influenced by many factors, such as humidity, temperature, quality of the raw materials or their storage.
Before you use any raw material to produce a cosmetic product, familiarise yourself with its properties, recommended dosage, storage conditions and safe handling. Every raw material may have the potential to trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, so before using the product, we recommend finding out whether you are allergic to any of the raw materials or to the final product as a whole, for example through a patch test. If you have very sensitive or very acne-prone skin, or if you have other skin or health problems, we recommend that you consult a medical professional before applying a new product to your skin, whether it is a homemade cosmetic product, a pure raw material or a commercially available product.
Does your skin need more nourishment and care in the winter period? Try the winter face cream that you will make according to our instructions.
We thank Ivana Jačalová for the excellent information and the article with instructions.
Do you have interesting tips and tricks that we could add to this tutorial? Write to us at marketing@handymade.sk and share new experiences with us.
