#cleansingcream

I use this cleansing cream as the first step to my two-step cleansing ritual. I apply it all over my face with my hands and rub it in in small circles for about a minute or two to make sure any make-up and dead skin is picked up in the oil. Afterwards, I wash my face of the cream with a black soap mixture.

Ingredients

50 grams shea butter

50 grams olive oil

2 drops carrot seed essential oil

2 drops frankincense essential oil

2 drops ylang ylang essential oil

Melt shea butter in a double boiler. When melted, remove from boiler and mix in olive oil. Allow to cool but not set and add essential oils. Pour into container and allow to cool completely at room temperature. Shea butter takes on a gritty consistency if not allowed to cool at room temperature. 

This can theoretically be made with any type of oil/butter combo you would want to use. My goal is for you to use something you can easily attain. I’ve found this mixture to work well on normal/slightly sensitive skin. Grapeseed oil would work well for someone with oily skin while avocado would work well for someone with dry. Another good oil to try for dry skin is sesame, however keep it to a minimum and mix it with another oil unless you wish to smell like sesame.

You do not have to include the essential oils for this recipe to work, the essential oils simply add a little extra kick to this recipe. If you are not experienced with essential oils, a nice place to start your research (and collection) is here (I don’t get any kick-back from them, I just love them). 

Number 1 Rule: Essential oils are volatile oils that contain high amounts of concentrated chemicals and should always be used diluted in a fat, never in just water. 

If you have sensitive skin, I would avoid all but the safest such as chamomile, lavender, and frankincense serrata. 

Oily skin should stick with the same as sensitive skin, lavender and frankincense. 

If you have acne prone skin, I would recommend rosemary or tea tree. Rosemary tends to be less drying and irritating than tea tree oil is but tea tree tends to work faster. 

For aging skin, myrrh might be more up your alley. 

If you have scars or pigment problems, ylang ylang (possibly irritating in those with sensitive skin) and carrot seed might be able to help. 

Excess redness might be calmed with chamomile. If you have an asteraceae (daisy) or ragweed allergy, avoid chamomile. 

Don’t forget to do your research on which essential oils are safe for skin. 

That being said, keep the amount of essential oils to a minimum. I only used 6 drops total for a standard cream used on someone with normal skin. Less may be necessary for someone with sensitive skin, maybe 2-4. Even omit them completely About 24 drops of essential oil would be a 1% dilution but that is going to smell for days and you won’t want to use it on your face. Trust me on this lol.

I would also highly recommend doing a skin patch test on the inner elbow or inner arm before applying anything to the face. Simply apply a small amount of the finished product on a small patch of skin on your inner arm and wait 24 hours to see if your skin has a reaction. If there’s no reaction, you should be able to use your product without issue. If there is a reaction, be glad you didn’t decide to put it on your face. I put a peel off mask on my face once without doing a patch test and ended up with the weirdest ~bumpy rash~ all over my face and it stayed there for about 3 days. I remember going to Tan and Tone (I was about 16 and just getting into diy skincare) and being mortified not just because I was at Tan and Tone, but because I had a ~bumpy rash~ across my entire face. Don’t do like me, do a patch test.