make lavish DIY facial serum that's better than store-bought
make lavish DIY facial serum that's better than store-bought
Does your skincare routine need an overhaul?
It's really easy to make high-quality skincare items that nourish your skin and are free of questionable ingredients. Personally, I won't put anything on my skin unless I'm confident in what it is and where it came from.
To make your own facial serum, all you'll need is essential oils, carrier oils, and a 1oz or 1/2 oz dropper bottle.
How can I adjust this recipe to be perfect for my skin?
I recommend making up a small amount at first, to test the recipe for a week or two. You can use a small dram bottle for that.
How do I figure out the right proportions to use, if I'm using a smaller or larger bottle?
The rule of thumb is that your finished blend should be filled 1/3 to 1/4 of the way with essential oils, and the rest topped off with carrier oils.
How do I pick a carrier oil to use?
This really depends on how oily/dry your skin is. Argan oil is an excellent all-around skin oil. It's more nourishing than jojoba oil, but jojoba is cheaper and easier to find.
Olive oil is great for dry skin, but might be too greasy for average skin. Grapeseed oil is better for oily skin, and feels lightweight and non-greasy.
Sea Buckthorn oil and Pomegranate Seed oil are amazing additions to your carrier base of Jojoba, Argan, Olive, or Grapeseed. They're especially for aging, damaged, or irritated skin. They are full of antioxidants and Omega-3s.
You can easily just use Argan or Jojoba alone, or you can experiment with carrier oil blends.
>> Right now I'm loving a combo of 3/4 Argan oil with 1/4 Sea Buckthorn in my facial serum, to combat some sun damage* (from citrus essential oils--whoops!).
Gimme the Recipe Already!
Okay - you'll need:
1oz dropper bottle Carrier Oils
An assortment of NON-citrus* skin-nourishing essential oils, such as:
Frankincense - great for cellular regeneration
Patchouli - especially hydrating for dry skin
Yarrow|Pom - yarrow is full of antioxidants, and the Pom means it's mixed with a base of Pomegranate Seed carrier oil, which is also very nourishing for older skin
Lavender - good all-around skin oil, calming for irritations
Sandalwood - great for scars and smells amazing
Myrrh - thick, viscous oil with antioxidant properties
Geranium - great for dealing with breakouts
Helichrysum - soothing, and also useful for aging skin
Manuka - encourages healthy microbiome of skin, promotes cell regeneration
Rose - great for acne, also enhances absorption of other oils!
*The only citrus oil that’s not photosentitive (i.e. makes your skin more sensitive to sunlight) is Green Mandarin. The rest of the citrus family are only okay to use at night!
How to make facial serum:
1. Select your essential oils. You can use everything on my list above, or just 3-4 favorites. Maybe you're not a fan of Geranium? Ok, leave it out--no problem. However, note that certain essential oils have specific skincare properties, so you might want to research each oil beyond just smelling them!
2. Begin with a clean eyedropper bottle, and add your favorite essential oils first, keeping note of what you add to the bottle AS you add each ingredient (so you can recreate it, or know how to adjust the recipe later!).
Obviously, if you're using just 3-4 essential oils, you'll need to use more drops of each one in order to fill up 1/4 - 1/3 of the bottle. For example, if you add 10 drops of Frankincense, 10 drops of Patchouli, and then 10 drops of Lavender, you may only have room for another 15 drops total in the bottle before it's past 1/3 full. In that case, pick two more essential oils--say, Myrrh and Manuka--and add 7 drops of each to get the bottle 1/4 - 1/3 full.
3. Finally, top off the bottle with your carrier oils. If you're just using one type of oil, you can just add it to the bottle directly. You can measure them with a pipette or eyedropper if you want to combine oils.
For example, you might use three dropperfuls of Argan oil and one dropperful of sea buckthorn oil. Then repeat that process until the bottle is full. Again, write down everything you do!
Voila! You've made your first DIY skin serum with essential oils. It's that easy.
You can apply it with your fingertips after a shower, and then roll it in with a jade facial roller for extra benefits, like getting rid of puffy eyes!
Wait! What if I don't like the oil blend I just made?
You can use it as a deep cleansing facial mask instead! Just apply a dime-size amount to dry skin before taking a bath or shower. Rub it in, then remove with a warm washcloth. Instant glow!
Where can I get Sea Buckthorn and other neat carrier oils?
I buy my carrier oils from Mountain Rose Herbs. They have organic options as well.