Sweet Garden Night Cream

Finished Night Cream

Today I wanted to make a night face cream that was light, non-greasy, and superb at hydrating the skin all night long. I also wanted to try my hand at making an oil-free cream.

Now I will admit that the term “oil-free” is just a little confusing. In the marketing world, when they say “oil-free,” they are referring to the lack of fixed oils. Fixed oils are non-volatile plant or animal sourced oils. These are things like sunflower oil, coconut oil, beeswax, and lanolin.

I should also correct myself. This recipe is actually a 99% oil-free formulation. Can you tell me which ingredient(s) gives it that status? Tell me in the comments below! Let’s get started by looking at some of the ingredients I selected to make this delectable night cream.

My first two ingredients are silicone oils, Cyclomethicone and Dimethicone. Cyclomethicone is ultra light and gives a soft powdery feel to the finished lotion. Dimethicone is a little heavier but gives a wonderful glide to the lotion. It also imparts a velvety feel while allowing the skin to breathe. How awesome is that?

Weighing Ingredients

Next, I used Hydrovance. Hydrovance helps keep the skin feeling moisturized and soft. In this particular formulation, it makes the skin feel dewy. Perfect for a night cream!

I also used Isopropyl Myristate. This is to keep the lotion from feeling too heavy or greasy. Rather it gives a soft, powder finish to the lotion as you rub it in. It really makes a difference!

Finally, I wanted to use our Jewelweed Extract and Witch Hazel Extract. Jewelweed Extract has been reputed to aid with redness of the skin while Witch Hazel is reputed to reduce irritation and inflammation. Both have qualities that certainly are desirable in a face cream.

Recipe:

Ready to heat

Weigh everything except the extracts, preservative and fragrance oil into a microwave-safe container. Heat gently until everything is liquid. Using an immersion blender, mix the solution well. Allow it to cool to below 120° F before adding the Liquid Germall Plus, Rose Garden Fragrance Oil and extracts. Stir well. You want to make sure that the preservative is mixed into the lotion completely.

Scoop the lotion into a bag so you can pipe it into your jars. I find that using a bag saves me time, reduces clean up and prevents wasted product. Particularly when working with a lotion that is fluid like this one. Bags are a huge help! I highly recommend them.

Cap and label the jars of cooled lotion. Enjoy!

Mixing Lotion

Notes: While I loved trying out the new Rose Garden Fragrance Oil, I felt it was a little too strong being so close to the nose. Next time I make this lotion, I would rather use half the fragrance oil. Just enough to give it an odor but not so strong.

Mixing Lotion

Adding Extracts, Fragrance and Preservative