Summer discount -10% off everything
Nakúp ešte za 23,50€a dopravu máš zadarmo
Would you like to create account?
If you want to prepare a thick, moisturising balm for dry skin, we bring you a recipe that combines vegetable oils and butters to provide your skin with intense hydration and protection against water loss.You'll love this balm if you have dry skin on your elbows, feet, hands or knees.
The basis for the production of the dry skin balm is Vegeline - vegetable petroleum jelly. This raw material gives the balm a thick consistency and also helps to form a protective film on the skin, which prevents further dehydration. To reduce the feeling of greasiness, other ingredients such as starch or alkyl benzoate have been used to make the product more comfortable to apply on the skin.
Want to make your dry skin balm easier to make? You've come to the right place!To heat the ingredients in a water bath, choose a container that is wideenough and suitable for mixing - it has a rounded bottom such as a metal or heat-resistant plastic bowl. Cooling time will vary depending on the amount of product you will be making. However, do not leave the mixture in the fridge or freezer overnight - the balm will already be too stiff to whip. It is enough that the mixture is not still liquid at the bottom of the container.You can also speed up the chilling process by leaving the empty metal bowl in the freezer to chill beforehand. Then, after removing the hot mixture from the water bath, start pouring it over the sides of the chilled bowl in small batches. The mixture will solidify almost immediately. Later, however, you will need to use a spatula to get the mixture from the walls to the whisks of the mixer.It is important to proceed gradually when adding the starch to the mixture. It is a good idea to turn off the mixer, stir some of the starch into the mixture with a spoon, stir with the mixer and repeat this process several times until you have added all the starch to the mixture. If you add the starch while the mixer is stirring, the mixer may stir up the starch and scatter it around. It is a good idea to store the finished product away from sources of direct sunlight and heat. Dark glass cups are suitable as the mixture is not liquid and would be difficult to dispense from another container. The advantage is that as long as the oils and butters in the product do not oxidise and no water has got into the product (for example from wet hands), you can still use the product. Since there is no water included in the recipe, the product does not require a preservative.
Below you will find information on the properties of the individual ingredients in the recipe. You will also find out more about their possible substitutions or how you can tailor the balm to your exact requirements.
Vegeline vegetable petroleum jelly was used to create the thick consistency of the dry skin balm. However, this is not its only role. Thanks to its vegetable fat content, it is able to moisturise very dry skin by forming a protective film, which prevents further water loss from the skin and in turn helps the other ingredients to penetrate the skin better. This petroleum jelly is purely vegetable in origin and contains no paraffins or other petroleum derived substances.You will especially appreciate Vegeline if you often have to wash or disinfect your hands and therefore have dry and cracked skin. If you would like a less thick balm that is a little easier to spread, reduce the amount of Vegeline in the recipe and replace it with your choice of oils or butters.
A great butter for moisturizing your skin is cocoa butter. This butter dissolves at body temperature, making it easier to apply creams or balms. In addition, if you choose the unrefined version of this butter, you can also enjoy the pleasant chocolate scent that accompanies cocoa butter. Cocoa butter also contributes to the denseness of the balm, so reducing its content in the recipe will cause, will make the product more fluid and easier to apply. You can substitute other vegetable butters for this butter, but any substitution will result in some change in the consistency of the product.
The advantage of MCT caprylis neutral oil is the fact that this oil is extremely stable and minimally subject to oxidation. This allows you to enjoy your products for longer. In addition, this oil is colourless and odourless, and so the other components of the product can stand out. Of course, MCT caprylis can be substituted with another vegetable oil of your choice. You can also opt for a combination of several oils or increase their proportion in the recipe if you want a balm that will be creamier and easier to apply to the skin.
The main oil-reducing ingredient in the final dry skin balm is rice starch. This type of starch is extremely gentle on the skin, which is why it is often used in baby lotions or dry shampoos. Rice starch can be substituted with any other starch, try cornstarch for example.If you find the product lacking in nourishment and lubrication, reduce the amount of starch in the recipe. Otherwise, you can increase the starch content of the recipe at the expense of the Vegeline. However, it should be taken into account that rice starch contributes to the denseness of the product.
Alkyl benzoate is an oil-based raw material that perfectly complements the other ingredients of the product, this substance is used to replace part of the vegetable oils as it is well absorbed by the skin and does not leave behind a greasy feeling. If you don't have alkyl benzoate on hand, you can substitute this ingredient with vegetable oils, especially those that are well absorbed by the skin, such as almond or apricot oil.
To keep the oils and fats used in the balm recipe fresher for longer, tocopheryl acetate has been used. This is a form of vitamin E, which is an oil-soluble vitamin with antioxidant properties. Its ability to quench free radicals and thus fight oxidation is appreciated not only by our skin, but also by the other ingredients in the product. Thanks to vitamin E, the final stage of oxidation, when oils and fats become discoloured, is delayed and acquire an unpleasant smell.Tocopheryl acetate is sensitive to heat, so add it only to the cooled mixture. Its possible substitute is tocopherol, 96% vitamin E.
The fresh scent of the dry skin balm is obtained by the use of the essential oil of spearmint. essential or essential oils are a great way to scent products in a natural way. You can substitute peppermint essential oil with another type of these oils, but it is a good idea to follow the recommended dosage (see IFRA document next to the product).Another option is to omit any fragrance or choose fragrance oils that are synthetic substitutes for essential oils. These oils provide an even wider range of scents, so you can also reach for a variety of fruity fragrances.
As mentioned, you can experiment with homemade recipes to achieve the desired properties. However, many factors such as humidity, temperature, quality of ingredients and storage can affect the final result. Before using any raw material to make a cosmetic product, familiarize yourself with its properties, recommended dosage, storage conditions or safe handling. Any raw material may have the potential to cause an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, so before using a product, we recommend that you find out if you suffer from an allergy to any of the raw materials or the overall product, e.g. by a skin test. If you have very sensitive or very acne-prone skin, or other skin and health problems, we recommend that you consult a medical professionalbefore applying a new product to your skin, whether it is a homemade cosmetic product, a pure raw material or a commercially available product.
Thank you to the great Ivana Jacalova for a great post with instructions on creating a basalm for dry skin. Have you created one with us? If you have any comments, experiences or questions that you have while reading or creating ourinstructions on the blog, please email us at marketing@handymade.sk and we'll be happy to write back to you.Until we see you again in a new article or tutorial, have a wonderful and creative day.
Until the saponification, my friends.
