DIY Natural Moisturizing Hand and Body Cream

Now, this is the part 2 of our DIY Creams series. I am very much excited to share this series with you. It needs lot of preparation and work, so the videos and blog are a bit delayed. Sorry for that.

Let's jump to the Part 2 now. If you haven't checked Part 1, here is the link.

In Part 2, we will take the template discussed in Part 1 as a base.

In the above picture, you could see ingredients used below the template-ingredients.

You could swap with other ingredients which I will list below.

Ingredients required:

Phase A:

Safflower oil 7%
Shea butter 2%
Organic Beeswax 1%
Olivem 1000 4%
Cetyl alcohol 2%

Phase B:

Water 74.9%
Xanthan gum 0.2%
Glycerin 4%

Phase C:
Euxyl K 712 1.5%
Floral Potpourri F.O 1.2%
Sodium gluconate 0.1%
Vitamin E Tocopherol 0.1%
Green tea extract 1%
Cucumber extract 1%

Why are the ingredients used and Substitutions:

Heated Oil Phase:

1) Oils: Safflower Oil is a light oil which suits many skin types including acne prone skin. Oil is the base for any cream. It can be replaced with other light oils like Grape seed oil, Sweet almond oil or healing oils like Tamanu oil, Rosehip oil, Tomato seed oil. Sky is the limit, you can add any plant oil which you prefer (suitable for skincare only). Oil infusions or glycerites also add some unique properties.

2) Butters: Butters are generally not required but it adds moisturizing properties in cream specially ones made for winter. I have added shea butter which is known for its moisturizing properties. Cocoa butter, mango butter or other butter can be used in place of Shea butter.

3) Waxes: Beeswax is an occlusive ingredient which forms a light layer and prevents scaling in winters. The one I got is organic which has a nice texture and smell too. It can be replaced with other wax or can be skipped.

Heated Water Phase:

1) Distilled water: Always use distilled or demineralised water only.

2) Gum: Gum adds stability to the formulation. It also improves texture. Xanthan gum is widely available and easy to use. Solagum or other gum can be added in place of Xanthan gum.

3) Humectants: Glycerine is cheap and effective humectant. It is non-tacky at 4% but is hydrating too. Propanediol 1,3, Sodium lactate are alternatives of Glycerine.

Cool Down Phase:

1) Preservative: Euxyl K 712 is a natural preservative which is effective under pH 5.5. Liquid Germall plus, Geogard ECT, Geogard Ultra or other preservatives effective at pH 5.5 are good alternatives.

2) Fragrance Oil: Floral Potpourri F.O has a nice mixed floral smell which is my family's favorite. It can be swapped with any E.O or F.O suitable for hand and body creams.

3) Chelating agent: Sodium gluconate is a natural chelating agent which is also added to improve product's stability. Alternative: EDTA, Dermofeel PA3

4) Anti-oxidant: Vitamin E Tocopherol prevents rancidity of oils. Mixed Tocopherol or Rosemary Oleoresin can be substituted for Vitamin E Tocopherol.

4) Extracts: Green tea extract and Cucumber extract are soothing for the skin, suitable for winters. Extracts can be chosen as per personal preference according to the benefits.

Ingredients used for stability are a personal choice. It would improve stability and product shelf life but aren't mandatory. Emulsifier and Preservative are mandatory. If preservative is not added, it will go bad very quickly. If emulsifier is not added, water and oil will separate. It will not be a cream. Either way it can go bad quickly.

So, now you see the importance of each ingredient and what can be substituted. My previous blog also has common usage rates. Varying proportions of Oils/Butter/Waxes, Emulsifier and Water varies the consistency of the creams. Higher oil phase can make thick creams. Few emulsifiers like Olivem 1000 make thick creams when blended more. Playing with different ratios is interesting and fun. I may share more such in upcoming blogs.

Coming to the procedure to make this.

1) Measure Phase A ingredients in a beaker.

2) Hydrate Xanthan Gum in Glycerin. Add Xanthan in glycerin and stir to hydrate. Add distilled water slowly to the mixture and stir while adding water.

2) Heat both the beakers on a double boiler until all the ingredients are melted.

3) Add Phase B to Phase A. I generally add water phase to oil phase because it is easy to pour and clean using a spatula.

4) Blend it with immersion blender in intervals for 10 minutes. Once it is cool down, blend again.

5) Add the cool down phase ingredients when it comes to room temperature. Blend again so that everything is mixed properly.

6) Check the pH and adjust to 5.5 if it is above. ( I have videos on my channel, how to make 50% citric acid solution, how to calibrate pH meter and more)

6) Pour into a container.

In the next Part, will see the various actives and how it can be included.

I would be happy to hear from you about this series. Do let me know if you like it.