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Do you want to take care of your skin during the winter months? Thicker creams with a higher proportion of oils are suitable for the cold and frosty season and will protect your skin from the negative effects of the weather. Try making a winter face cream following our instructions with Vegeline vegetable petroleum jelly for long-lasting skin hydration.
As with other emulsions, skin creams are made up of water and oil-based ingredients. An emulsifier is used to combine these two otherwise immiscible ingredients, so preparing such a product will require heating. However, you can find out more in our tutorial!
Preparing emulsions can sometimes be challenging, so we've put together some tips and tricks to make it easier for you to make your winter lotion. It's a good idea to mix the powdered ingredients, i.e. hyaluronic acid and allantoin , with glycerine to make them easier to dissolve and hydrate. Otherwise, it will take a long time to get a nice clear gel of hyaluronic acid, and there may still be lumps of unhydrated hyaluronic acid in the resulting cream a few hours after preparation, but these will gradually disappear. Be sure to cover the containers with phase A and B with foil before heating in the water bath to prevent water evaporating or entering the containers. If you want to work with extra precision, weigh your Phase A container before heating and record the weight. After heating, weigh the container again and refill with evaporated water. Be sure to place a plate or other support under the hot container; hot objects will adversely affect the accuracy and functionality of the balance.When combining phases A and B, ensure that both mixtures are approximately the same temperature. Otherwise, the emulsifier may solidify and cause the emulsion and lumps in the mixture to not bond. Also, use a stick blender to ensure that the two phases are well combined . Reach for milk frothers if they have good performance, in some cases it happens that the two phases are not well connected.If you want to use Cosgard preservative in the product, you must lower the pH by adding lactic acid. Always add the lactic acid drop by drop, mix thoroughly and check the pH. Continue with further additions until you reach a pH value between 4.5 and 5.5. Note that the amount of lactic acid is only a guide and the pH of the product will depend on the accuracy of the weighing, the quality of the ingredients or on substitutions of ingredients or changes in dosage.
Below we will introduce you to the different raw materials used in the production of the Winter Lotion.You will also learn more about possible substitutions or changes in the dosage of individual raw materials.
The basis for the production of most cosmetics is demineralised water. In this case, it is supplemented with a hydrolat, which can replace part or all of the demineralised water dose. Do not use normal tap water, as this contains minerals that can undermine the stability of the product and the whole emulsion. You can increase the proportion of water in the recipe at the expense of Vegeline if you find the product too oily and thick. However, try this strategy only after replacing Vegeline with vegetable oils, as the viscosity of the product will certainly change. However, any changes will most certainly also result in a change in the pH value of the product.
Hamamelis is a great medicinal plant that helps soothe irritated and reddened skin with its extracts in the hydrolat. This is especially appreciated in the winter months when the skin is intensively exposed to frost or wind. As mentioned, you can increase the proportion of hydrolates in the recipe at the expense of distilled water, or you can choose a different hydrolates according to your preference. However, in any case, allow for a change in the pH of the final product and thus a different amount of lactic acid needed to adjust the pH.
High molecular weight hyaluronic acid is a great addition to winter cosmetics for its moisturizing and emollient properties. Instead of purely water-based serums, try adding hyaluronic acid to the aqueous phase of your creams during the winter to enjoy the benefits of this ingredient in combination with vegetable oils and butters. Hyaluronic acid helps to partially thicken the product and reduce the greasy feeling on the skinfrom the applied product. It can be omitted and replaced with water, however, there will be a change in the viscosity of the product.
The main moisturizing ingredient in a winter face cream is glycerin. It is a clear, viscous liquid that dissolves well in water and helps to hydrate and retain moisture in the skin.In addition, glycerin serves to accelerate the dissolution of hyaluronic acid in aqueous solutions. Thanks to glycerin, hyaluronic acid will take less time to fully hydrate and form a uniform gel. Allantoin is similarly affected. This is also why it's a good idea not to leave glycerin out of the recipe. However, if you are not happy with this ingredient, you can substitute it with water.
A great soothing agent for your skin is allantoin. Combined with hamamelis hydrolate, it helps reduce redness and soothes skin irritation caused by cold or sharp winds. Allantoin has the disadvantage that larger amounts are difficult to dissolve in water and heating is necessary. However, even then, once the solution has cooled, the allantoin may precipitate back out and form deposits at the bottom. In this case, less is more, do not increase the dose of allantoin unnecessarily, this substance is already effective in small quantities. This avoids problems with product stability.
Another substance with properties similar to glycerine is sodium lactate. This is the sodium salt of lactic acid, you will find this compound in the form of a colorless solution that dissolves well in water. Sodium lactate is a great complement to other moisturizing ingredients such as glycerin or hyaluronic acid. Sodium lactate can help reduce water loss from your skin and keep it supple and hydrated during the winter months. It is an active ingredient, so again, it can be omitted from the recipe and replaced with glycerin or water. Do not unnecessarily increase the sodium lactate content above the manufacturer's recommended level - skin irritation could result.
Mango butter serves as an exceptionally nourishing and protective ingredient in this recipe. It is rich in antioxidants, vitamins A and E, which help to regenerate the skin and improve its elasticity. Thanks to its light texture, it does not leave a greasy feeling, while creating a gentle barrier against the adverse effects of winter weather. Ideal for dry and sensitive skin, which it moisturises and softens.
As the cream combines aqueous and oil ingredients, an emulsifier is needed to combine the two phases. In the case of the winter skin cream, Beautyderm K10 was chosen. It is a commonly used emulsifier for the production of skin creams, body milks or other emulsions. Be sure not to leave Beautyderm K10 out of the product, otherwise the water and Vegeline won't come together. However, by changing the representation of Beautyderm K10 you can influence the viscosity of the product. If you like more fluid creams, reduce its content by 0.5-1%, on the contrary, for a thicker cream you can increase the content by about 1%. If you don't know which variant you like best, prepare small test batches of cream with different emulsifier ratios. This emulsifier can be replaced in a winter cream with, for example, Olive 1000.
Lactic acid has been chosen for the final pH adjustment of the product. Its advantage over citric acid is, it is sold already as a solution, so you do not have to prepare the solution at home. However, a 30 or 50% citric acid solution can be used to adjust the pH - but be aware that you will need a completely different amount than with lactic acid. Omit the addition of lactic acid only if the pH of the product is already between 5,5 and 4,5 without treatment. Otherwise, add lactic acid drop by drop and check the pH continuously (e.g. with litmus sticks or a pH meter) until you reach the desired range.
A great preservative for natural cosmetics is Cosgard. It is a broad-spectrum preservative, but it is only active in acidic pH, ideally below 5.5. This is why it is necessary to adjust the pH of the product with lactic acid, otherwise the preservative will not be active. In this case, the preservative must be added, as the winter lotion also contains water, which without the preservative treatment would be a great breeding ground for bacteria, yeasts or moulds after just a few days and your product would be unusable. You can substitute Cosgard with another broad spectrum preservative, but make sure that the preservative will be effective at the final pH of the product. Otherwise, the pH of the product must be adjusted.
As mentioned, you can experiment with homemade recipes to achieve the desired properties. However, many factors such as humidity, temperature, quality of ingredients or 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 professional before applying a new product to your skin, whether it is a homemade cosmetic product, a pure raw material or a commercially available product.
Does your skin need more nourishment and care in winter? Try it with a winter skin cream that you can make by following our instructions.
Thanks to Ivana Jačalová for the great information and the how-to article.
Do you have any interesting tips and tricks we could add to this tutorial? Email us at marketing@handymade.sk and share your new experiences with us.
