Facial Balm Recipe

Face Balm Recipe

No. 1- obtain a double boiler setup. This requires a pot and a glass bowl that fits snugly in the pot. Put a small amount of water in the bottom of the pot. 

I have found this ratio of butter; oil; beeswax to work very well for many combinations! 

Ingredients: 

4 T Butter - my preferred butters are Mango and Shea

6 T Carrier Oil -  possible options: Apricot Kernel, Sweet Almond, Jojoba, Argan, Tamanu, Rosehip, Marula, Maracuja, Grapeseed (make your own combo to suit your skincare needs!) 

1 T Beeswax  

~20 drops Essential oils (optional) you can use a mixture of oil such as lavender, neroli, geranium, chamomile, helichrysum, frankincense, clove, clary sage. You can be somewhat creative, but don’t get crazy and add too much. More is not better in this case!! And please no citrus oils on the face! More on this later. 

Potential yummy combos: 

- 10 drops geranium + 10 drops lavender

- 10 drops neroli + 10 drops chamomile 

- 10 drops frankincense + 10 drops clary sage 

Container of your choice - preferably dark glass so that the product cannot get spoiled by the sun as easily. This is a good time to reuse sanitized glass containers. 

1. Melt butter(s) in double boiler and raise to med/high heat for about 10 minutes. The butter needs to fully break down so that it does not form an odd texture in the final product.
2. Lower the heat. With stove set to med/ low, add beeswax. 
3. Next you can pour in your carrier oil(s) 
4. Mix gently with rubber spatula until dissolved 
5. Turn heat off completely. Remove mixture from heat and add Vitamin E oil and essential oils (if using). 
6. Pour mixture into container of choice. 
7. Pop container (lid off!) into the freezer and allow it to harden. This helps it achieve optimal creamy texture :) 
8. Remove from freezer once cooled to enjoy. 
9. Can be stored up to 1 year. 

How to avoid Grainy Texture in Butter- based moisturizers

A note about the possibility for grainy texture: Butters (especially mango) when combined to make beauty products can create a somewhat grainy texture due to temperature changes causing the separation and subsequent re-solidification of the butter. This does not in any way alter the potency or effectiveness of the balm. The grainy-ness can just be kind of annoying and unpleasant. It is important to heat the butter to a high temperature for an extended period of time (10-15 minutes) in order to properly break down the butter before it is mixed with other ingredients. The butters cool at a different rate and that can also sometimes cause the separation of the butter from the other oils and compounds in the serum. So, that is why I recommend cooling the mixture quickly - in the freezer - in order to stop it from forming little “balls.” While this process can adequately inhibit the balm from forming grainy texture in the process of creation, it is possible that the weird texture will occur from temperature changes. For instance, if you leave your balm in the car and it gets all melted and then it re-solidifies when you bring it inside. If this does happen, you can simply warm the balm between fingertips before applying to the face. Also, you can pop the glass container in the microwave for a quick 5-30 second spin and then put it in the freezer (as long as the glass is not super hot from microwaving). It should return to smooth texture from doing this. If you do not like microwaves, you can also melt the oils by heating a small amount of water in a flat pan with the glass container resting in it. After the balm has thoroughly melted, it can be placed in the freezer to solidify. 

Sometimes the graininess seems to just be caused by a not-so-great ratio of oils to butters. They are a little finicky! I have found my ratio to work very well.

*I would love to help you achieve your perfect facial balm! Let me know if I can be of any help :)