Thursday, November 24, 2011

Lemon Meringue Moisturizer

The other night we had two of our closest friends over for an evening.  The boys played video games while the girls made beauty products in the kitchen.  With winter approaching, dry skin is always an issue.  We found a recipe in Lauren Cox's EcoBeauty book for a hand cream and altered it to make our very own moisturizer.

Lemon Meringue Moisturizer

1/4 c water
1/8 tsp borax powder
5-10 drops lemon essential oil
1/2 c grapeseed oil
2 tbsp grated beeswax

1. Bring water to a boil in kettle and immediately pour over the borax in a bowl. Stir until dissolved.  Add lemon essential oil.  (This can of course be substituted for any essential oil, but then it won't be lemon meringue.) Set aside.
2. Place oil and beeswax in the top pot of a double boiler (a makeshift double boiler can be made by placing a small pot into a larger pot that is filled partway with water) over medium-high heat, and mix together until completely melted.
3. Pour the oil mixture into a blender and turn the blender on.  Add the hot water mixture in a slow, steady stream.  Blend on a high speed until well combined.  The mixture will become the consistency of a cream.

Finished product.

 The whole process was so exciting.  I couldn't believe that we really made such a completely different product from the ingredients that we started with.  I asked my husband, Brad the chemist, why this happened.  After looking into the chemical make up of the ingredients, he explained that we produced an actual chemical reaction.  Real science!

I love how thick and fluffy the cream is.  It is very moisturizing without feeling oily or greasy.  It soaks into skin quickly.  I like to use it as a hand cream, though it would work wonderfully on any dry skin areas.

If you're interested in or curious about why a person would want to make their own beauty products or be cautious about mainstream brands, I encourage you to watch this short video: The Story of Cosmetics

17 comments:

  1. Looks good enough to eat? Well done Grace. That would be a fun one for me to make with the girls too.

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  2. I am going to have to try making that....... Wonder how long it will last ? I wonder if keeping it in the fridge will extend the life ? What are your thoughts?

    Have a blessed weekend...

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  3. @Denise
    To be honest, I have never concerned myself too greatly with expiration dates. I pretty well use or eat anything until it looks or smells bad, haha. The fridge would perhaps make it last longer, but I think it would get quite hard.

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  4. Looks awesome, but does it leave an oily film on the blender...?

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    1. Yes, it definitely does. Your blender will need a major cleaning.

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  5. LOVE your posts!! This is the first time I have read (and followed) anyone's entire blog! You're awesome :)

    As far as expiration, I read for these type recipes the general rule is 3 months room temperature or 6 months refrigerated.

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  6. @Brittany
    Wow, thanks so much! That was so encouraging. I am glad you're enjoying it.

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  7. hi, there! i found your post via pinterest. i've attempted this recipe twice and i'm not able to get mine as thick as yours looks - could you tell me how long you blended yours to get it so rich?

    thanks!

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    1. I have been having problems with this as well the more times I make it. The first time must have been beginners luck. The consistency is all about having the right temperature. It cannot be too hot. The blending heats it up, so you do not want to blend it for long. Only as much as necessary. I have found that putting it into the fridge right afterwards helps as well. Good luck!

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  8. any idea as to why when i made this following the above recipe i was just left with a sort of blended soupy mess of all the ingredients?? i even thought perhaps it needed more borax for the chemical reaction and it did sort of thicken it a bit and at least managed to combine the oil and water but it never really thickened and certainly nothing like yours looks! and boy oh boy did i let it blend. after it didn't blend in a reasonable amount of time i thought perhaps it needed a more unreasonable amount of time but despite allowing it to blend for probably at least a half hour, nada. :( totally bummed, i was really looking forward to this lotion!

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    1. Oh man. I think the first time I made this (which was for this post) was beginners luck. I have made it 5 times since and had much more trouble exactly like you are describing. I have finally figured out that it is all about the temperature. It can't be too hot. I thought the same thing as you and continued blending, but the blending is making it too hot so it begins to melt again. My suggestions would be to do the borax with the boiling water first to give it time to cool slightly. Proceed with the rest of the steps. Blend only a long as necessary and then put it in the fridge. That is what has helped me. Hope it works for you as well!

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  9. Wow, your blog is very inspiring. is it incredibly expensive to make these products at home.

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    1. I'm so glad to hear that. No, it isn't at all. Some of the ingredients may seem expensive when first purchasing, but they last so long, their cost per use is minimal when compared to buying natural products at the store.

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  10. Did you use Grapeseed oil the first time you made this recipie in the pixs?

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