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For treating skin stressed by the weather or other influences, a face and beard serum is an excellent choice. In addition to using it on the facial skin, you can also apply it to the stubble area and thus soften the skin, for example to make shaving easier. Try our tutorial for a face and beard balm with an unmistakable woody‑spicy scent.
To achieve intensive hydration, hyaluronic acid was used in the face and beard serum. In addition, the serum consists of aqueous and oily raw materials, so it takes the form of an emulsion created thanks to the emulsifier Olivem 1000. You will feel the soothing properties of the serum thanks to the content of witch hazel hydrosoland aloe vera juice.
Below you will find several pieces of advice and tips that will make it easier for you to produce the face and beard serum. They will advise you, for example, on how to create a stable emulsion or correctly adjust the product’s pH.Before heating, do not forget to cover the containers to prevent evaporation of the water and at the same time ingress of water from the water bath. To increase accuracy when producing larger batches, weigh the aqueous mixture before heating and record the weight. After heating weigh the mixture again (place the hot container on a plate so that the heat does not damage the scales)and replenish the evaporated water. It is important that both phases have approximately the same temperature around 70 °C at the moment of combining. Otherwise the emulsifier may solidify before you have time to sufficiently disperse the mixture with the blender. Use an immersion stick blender, or possibly a milk frother, but make sure that the milk frother has sufficient power (insufficient power is manifested by separation of the aqueous and oily phase).When adjusting the pH always add lactic acid dropwise, since the amount needed will vary depending on the accuracy of dosing of the other ingredients, the quality of the ingredients or changes in the formula. For this reason the stated amount is only indicative. After each drop of lactic acid, mix the composition thoroughly and check the pH. Do not add the Cosgard preservative before pH adjustment – without pH 5.5 and lower it will not be effective.
If you have been thinking about possible substitutions in the formula or about the meaning and function of individual ingredients, you are in the right place. Below you will find more information about the benefits and purpose of the individual ingredients for making the face and beard serum.
The basis for making most cosmetic products is demineralised or distilled water. Its advantage lies in the fact that it does not contain minerals that would affect the stability of the emulsion or the preservative. For this reason, do not replace it with ordinary tap water or boiled water. However, you can replace it with hydrosols, which in addition contain volatile substances from plants. These not only smell pleasant, but also have caring properties for the skin. However, hydrosols often have a different pH than demineralised water, so such a substitution in the formula will also cause a change in the required amount of lactic acid to adjust the pH.
Aloe vera juice provides excellent hydrating and caring effects to the skin. This juice also helps to soothe irritated skin, for example after shaving. It is a clear, odourless liquid that is well tolerated by the skin, so you will find it in many types of commercially available cosmetics. Aloe vera juice can be replaced with demineralised water or a hydrosol, or conversely you can increase the proportion of this juice at the expense of water in the formula. Again, however, these substitutions will result in a change in the product’s pH.
Witch hazel is a frequent component of cosmetics for sensitive and irritated skin. You should definitely not omit it if you want your serum to help soothe skin after shaving or redness. Similar rules apply to its substitution as in the case of aloe vera juice. You have a wide range of available hydrosols or floral waters at your disposal if you decide to replace witch hazel with another type of hydrosol.
For moistening and hydrating stressed skin, glycerin is an excellent choice. It is a clear, syrupy liquid, well soluble in water. It helps not only to hydrate the skin, but also to retain water in it for longer. In addition, it accelerates the hydration of powdered raw materials such as hyaluronic acid, so it is an essential part of this recipe. Without glycerin it will take longer for the hyaluronic acid to become fully hydrated and stop forming lumps in the final product.
Hyaluronic acid provides effective and intensive hydration of the skin. This raw material intensively binds water, thereby forming a gel depending on its concentration. In this way it helps not only to hydrate the skinand restore its lost water, but at the same time it thickens products.You will appreciate hyaluronic acid if you have dry skin. At the same time it provides effective hydration even for oily skin,and that without the use of oils and fats that would unnecessarily burden the skin. Since it is an active substance, it is possible to omit it from the formula and replace it with water, or you can use a low molecular weight variant of hyaluronic acid, which thickens the product less, but thanks to the smaller particles penetrates into deeper layers of the skin.
To combine the aqueous and oily phases, an emulsifier was used, in this case Olivem 1000. Emulsifiers are often similar in appearance to waxes, they are sold in the form of light granules or flakes that dissolve in oils after heating. Thanks to intensive blending they subsequently enable the combination of water and oil and at the same time thickening of the product. Olivem 1000 cannot be omitted, because otherwise hemp oil will not mix with the aqueous phase. However, it can be replaced with Beautyderm K10, or with another emulsifier. By increasing the proportion of emulsifier in the formula you will obtain a thicker, more viscous serum.
To soften the beard and the skin, hemp oil was used in this product. This oil has the advantage that it is quickly absorbed and does not leave an oily film behind. In addition, it is rich in vitamins and minerals, including unsaturated fatty acids. At the same time, it helps to retain water in the skin by creating a protective film on it.Hemp oil can be replaced with another vegetable oil in the face and beard serum formula. By increasing its proportion you will achieve a more conditioning and richer product, whereas reducing its proportion in the formula will make the serum less oily.
The main element for achieving a pleasant woody‑spicy fragrance are essential oils. The base note consists of cedarwood, the heart notes are composed of lavender and black pepper, and the top note is formed by thyme. In addition, these oils have caring properties and are suitable for beard and moustache care.The selected essential oils can be replaced with others according to your preference, but observe the recommended dosage, for example according to IFRA standards. It is ideal to avoid citrus oils especially during summer, because they can cause photosensitivity, since the serum is a leave‑on product. An alternative to essential oils is represented by fragrance oils, which are prepared synthetically, but the range of available oils is broader. Alternatively, it is possible to avoid perfuming altogether and replace the essential oils with hemp oil.
For pH adjustment, lactic acid was chosen. This organic acid helps gradually lower the pH to the physiological pH of the skin in the range of 4.5 to 5.5. A possible substitute is a solution of citric acid, but you will need a different amount than when using lactic acid.
A preservative commonly used for making homemade cosmetics is Cosgard. Its advantage is its good efficacy, but for its use it is necessary to have an acidic pH in the product, and therefore pH adjustment using acids is essential. If you do not want to adjust the pH, choose for example the preservative Euxyl PE 9010, but it is always more advantageous to have products with the physiological pH of the skin, as there is an assumption that they will be less irritating.
More about pH adjustment is mentioned above in the Tips and tricks section.
As mentioned, you can experiment with homemade recipes to achieve the desired properties. However, the final result can be influenced by many factors, such as humidity, temperature, quality of 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. Each raw material can have the potential to trigger an allergic reaction in sensitive individuals, therefore before using the product we recommend finding out whether you suffer from an allergy to any of the raw materials or to the overall product, e.g. by means of a skin test. If you have very sensitive or very acne‑prone skin, or if you have other skin and health problems, we recommend that you consult a medical professional before applying a new product to the skin, whether it is a homemade cosmetic product, a pure raw material or a commercially available product.
Hydration and care for men without a greasy feeling, with a typical spicy scent. This is the face and beard serum that will certainly please more than one man.
For this great contribution with a tutorial for creating a face and beard serum we thank Ivana Jačalová.
If you have any questions or tips from your own experience that we could add to this blog article, be sure to write to us at marketing@handymade.skWe will be looking forward to it.
Until saponification, friends.
