DIY Moisturizing night cream

Hey guys!  Welcome back to The Suitably Named.  So I'm currently on break from school which means a lot more free time, which means me getting hard into something new.  That new something this time has been natural skincare remedies.  I've decided to start leaning away from most store-bought products, and to start saving some money and making my own!  

DISCLAIMER:  I am just a newbie at this, if you are really wanting to get into DIY skincare/beauty products-do your research.  If you add water to any natural ingredients, you need a preservative to help protect against bacteria growth.  Also, be careful with the use of essentail oils.  These are very concentrated and could cause toxicity if used improperly.  Do your research.  That being said, I used way too much lemon oil and decided to use this as a body moisturizer instead of a face moisturizer.

I recently took a stab at this whole DIY skincare thing, and made my own night cream.  I liked this recipe I came up with so much that I wanted to share it with you guys!  It's pretty simple to make-if you can combine ingredients in a bowl and mix them together, you are more than capable of making this for yourself!

Here's what you'll need

1/2 cup unrefined coconut oil

1 tbsp orange blossom water or rose water

2-3 tbsp aloe vera gel

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp apricot kernel oil

2 capsules vitamin e

10 drops essential oil of choice (I used lemon)

Here's what you do

 Measure out 1/2 cup coconut oil, and heat it up in the microwave for 30 seconds.  I didn't do this, but highly recommend it t soften up the oil a bit before the mixing process.

In a bowl, combine the coconut oil, floral water, aloe vera gel, and apricot kernel oil, and mix with a hand mixer on medium speed until creamy.  The apricot kernel oil acts as a "carrier oil," which helps change the consistency of the coconut oil during mixing.
EDIT: Hydrosols (rose/orange blossom water) are natural antiseptics, as are vitamin e and apricot kernel oil.  The aloe vera gel I used also contains preservatives.  Because of this, I did not add any additional preservatives, and two weeks later have had no problems with bacterial growth.  If you use distilled water or pure aloe vera, you will need to add your own preservative and/or keep this product in the refrigerator.

Next, poke holes into the vitamin e capsules and add the contents along with the olive oil to the mix.  Mix on high until the consistency becomes light and fluffy
EDIT: Make sure you sterilize the tool you use to poke holes in the capsules to limit bacterial growth.

Once you are satisfied with the mixing process, add in 10-15 drops of whatever essential oil your heart desires.  I used lemon oil because I love lemons, and the scent complimented the orange blossom water well.
EDIT: I would use a different essential oil in a smaller amount.  1 drop of lemon essential oil is equal to 1 POUND of lemons.  This amount of lemon E.O. could potentially cause phototoxicity on the skin.  Peppermint, Rose, or Lavendar would make beautiful alternatives.

Transfer your brand new, home-made cream to a cute little jar and you're done!
EDIT: A clear jar isn't always the best for products with natural ingredients, as it can denature the product and speed up bacterial growth.  However, I keep the lid on tight and away from heat and light and it has been fine!

And there you have it!

The texture of this cream is really light and whipped at first, but hardens slightly to a thicker cream once it cools.  I've really been enjoying this for my face AND my Keratosis Pilaris on my arms.  ALSO I wanted to say that I chose apricot kernel oil as the carrier because it is an excellent emolient that sinks into the skin really well, but you could substitute any of these oils for others (i.e. grapeseed, avocado, sweet almond).  I DO however recommend using this as a night cream, as your body heat will melt it to an oil, and you'll be a bit shiny for a hot minute.  I have worn this under makeup, but I waited a good half hour between applying the cream and applying makeup.

EDIT: Like I said, I no longer use this on my face.  I'm currently working on another moisturizer for that and will share once I figure it out.  The texture of this is similar to Coconut oil in itself-once it comes into contact with your body heat, it melts into an oil and absorbs into your skin.

That's all for now folks!  I hope you enjoyed this post and try it out for yourself!  If you do, comment on this post or send me an email to let me know how it worked for you!

Thank you so much for stopping by, have a beautiful day~