How to Make Homemade Night Cream

One of my goals for 2013 was to work on homesteading.

I should add that my goals for homesteading are simple. I not only want to try new projects, but I also desire to live more green and natural. Let’s face it, everyone is getting cancer and most doctors still don’t know why. That is scary stuff. Perhaps then, living more “green” will be worth it. It gives me peace of mind knowing I can read and understand all ingredients in the products I’m using. Also, long-term, I believe making my own products will save money.

So I now present my first project… Homemade Night Cream. This is totally a woman thing so guys you can stop reading now. Previously I had been using Neutrogena Naturals Multi-Vitamin Nourishing Night Cream, which retails at about $12 for a 1.7-ounce jar. While “all-natural” this cream still contained a few too many ingredients for my liking. It did, however, come in a nifty glass jar which I was able to reuse for my own recipe.

My night cream recipe is based off of one I found via Brittany at Eating Bird Food. While I scoured the internet and found a few other interesting recipes, hers seemed the most simple. I also was able to secure the necessary ingredients very easily.

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Cocoa Butter & Tea Tree Oil

The tea tree oil was an adaption from Brittany’s recipe. I added three drops to the mixture after it was removed from heat. I also cooled my mixture for about two minutes in the freezer before shaking the jar. I would not recommend adding the tea tree oil if you have sensitive skin. I have mixed skin so it’s working well for me so far. Additionally, tea tree oil has anti-bacterial benefits which I figured would help preserve my concoction.

Homemade Night Cream

Then end product has been working well. Only a tiny dab goes a long way. It took a while to get used to the cocoa smell – so odd for bedtime – but now the scent is a part of my routine. So far my skin is doing good with the added tea tree oil too.

The cream melts very easily and quickly in my fingers. Long-term I would like to find a mixture that is more of a “whipped” consistency, similar to what I purchased from Neutrogena. Also, next time I make a batch I would like to experiment with adding Vitamin E oil.

For those who are interested, the previous ingredients in my purchased cream were… Water, Dicaprylyl Carbonate, Glycerin, Glyceryl Stearate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Heptyl Undecylenate, Plukenetia Volubilis Seed Oil, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, Ilex Paraguariensis Leaf Extract, Tocopherol, Stearic Acid, Gluconolactone, Maltodextrin, Sclerotium Gum, Benzyl Alcohol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Sodium Benzoate, Fragrance.