DIY Face Cream

I came across this "recipe" for homemade face cream a few months ago on one of my favorite blogs: Eating Bird Food.

I have been wanting to try it out but decided to wait until my current face cream ran out so I could refill the little jar it came in.  I made this yesterday and used it for the first time last night.  I have to say, I am really impressed at how nicely it worked!  I was a little nervous at first using such an oily product on my face.  My skin is very dry but gets oily throughout the day.  I put it on after my shower last night and it soaked in completely within 5 minutes, and didn't look or feel oily at all.  I handed it to Erik and told him to test it with me, and I couldn't believe how excited he got about the smell!  As he was rubbing it in, he took in a big deep breath and proclaimed "this smells like.... a delicious granola bar!"  haha...  So I think we will both be using this as our nighttime face cream...  :)

Here is how to make it:

Homemade Face Cream:

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 2½ tablespoons cocoa butter (I used about 2/3 of the stick since it's hard to measure)
• ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation (modified to how I made it):

1. First find two bowls or drinking glasses, one small and one large.  I use a small juice glass and glass salad bowl.  Measure ingredients, add all to small drinking glass. 
2. Fill larger bowl with hot (near boiling) water, about 2/3 full.  Place smaller glass inside, being careful not to get water in it.
3. Allow ingredients to melt together.  Mix occasionally with spoon.  I think it took about 5 or 6 minutes for everything to melt completely.  You may need to change out the water once to keep everything hot.
4. When it is all melted together, pour into the container you plan to keep the face cream in.
5. Depending on the temperature, the mixture may solidify similar to how coconut oil/cocoa butter do on their own. In the winter the cream will usually be solid. You just have to use your finger to get a little bit out of the jar, rub it around in your palms or between your fingers to warm it up a bit and then apply.

Here is what it loos like in it's melted state:

Let it sit out at room temp for 30 minutes to an hour, and it will look like this:

I found this cream very easy (and fun) to make.  It cost less than $3 for the entire batch, which I am sure will last many months.  A little bit of cream goes a long way!  It would be even less expensive if you could find the cocoa butter stick on sale.  I paid $2.50 at Whole Foods, but I think Rite Aid has them on sale sometimes for $0.99 each.  I love that all of the ingredients are 100% natural, and environmentally friendly.  Good for the body and the planet!