I've been making moisturizer for a couple years now. Not only do I save a lot of money, but it's great fun to come up with recipes tailor-made for my family. My husband suffers from chronic atopic dermatitis -- eczema -- and I've tried many many recipes to keep his outbreaks at bay. The basic moisturizer is good for day to day use. With only three ingredients it is simple to make, and very well tolerated by the most sensitive skin, but during a change of season, a period of stress or after wearing irritating clothes flare-ups can still occur. The following recipe is the result of my research into all the exotic ingredients which claim to cure skin ailments... It works quite well for my personal test subject, but I want to emphasize that everybody is sensitive to different chemicals. This cream helps my (extremely sensitive) spouse, but it could make you break out into a rash -- so try a little of the oil mix on a patch of healthy skin, and if after a few days of use you don't get a reaction you can see if it helps your angry red blotchy patches of skin... You can also replace some of the grape seed oil in the basic moisturizer with small amounts of these ingredients, trying them one at a time. That way you would be able to tell if you just need to avoid one of the ingredients listed here.
I like making small quantities often, to avoid preservatives which can irritate my "patient's" skin, but this cream has too many ingredients to make that practical -- the solution is to make this in two steps. First, mix the oils and waxes, then make the cream (i.e. add water) with only a portion of the oils. I can store the leftover oil mix in the refrigerator, where it will last a very long time (bacteria and mold need water to grow), then I can make extra cream quickly whenever I need it.
If you are struggling with this skin problem, check out my guide, Bleach baths and other cheap eczema remedies.
I like making small quantities often, to avoid preservatives which can irritate my "patient's" skin, but this cream has too many ingredients to make that practical -- the solution is to make this in two steps. First, mix the oils and waxes, then make the cream (i.e. add water) with only a portion of the oils. I can store the leftover oil mix in the refrigerator, where it will last a very long time (bacteria and mold need water to grow), then I can make extra cream quickly whenever I need it.
If you are struggling with this skin problem, check out my guide, Bleach baths and other cheap eczema remedies.
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Signing UpStep 1: Equipment
You will need a milk frother or a quick wrist with a small whisk.
You will need two wide mouth jars or similar containers: one for the finished cream and one for storing the extra oil/wax blend. Containers should be able to hold at least 1/2 cup each.
A recycled honey bottle or a similar container which can stand on its cap will work for the finished cream but not for the oil blend which will harden, especially if you store it in the refrigerator.
If you have a small precise scale (one which can weigh up to 1/10th of a gram is best, but if it only goes to 1 gram that's OK too) making this cream is a lot easier and faster -- but I give measurements in volume as well as grams, so you can measure either way.
You will need two wide mouth jars or similar containers: one for the finished cream and one for storing the extra oil/wax blend. Containers should be able to hold at least 1/2 cup each.
A recycled honey bottle or a similar container which can stand on its cap will work for the finished cream but not for the oil blend which will harden, especially if you store it in the refrigerator.
If you have a small precise scale (one which can weigh up to 1/10th of a gram is best, but if it only goes to 1 gram that's OK too) making this cream is a lot easier and faster -- but I give measurements in volume as well as grams, so you can measure either way.
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Belsy...I love your instructable.... :D
Everybody has their favorite oil -- I like black seed, Zorra31 likes Neem -- and using a single oil is definitely easier than making this emulsion. Still, I find this recipe worthwhile because the other ingredients add properties which a single oil can't have: glycerin is a humectant, lecithin makes the skin unbelievably soft, dimethicone is a great barrier, the water will moisturize. Oils don't actually moisturize -- they soften the skin but they don't add moisture (which can only be water) to the skin. Also a cream gets absorbed much faster. Whenever my husband uses pure oils his clothes get ruined. Even with an undershirt the oils seep through to his shirts unless he has the time to let the oil absorb for a good 15 minutes before dressing -- and he never does.
Has anyone in the UK managed to get these ingredients under one roof and in fairly small quantities?
so i looked up natural ways to get rid of stretch marks and your mixture came up, i just want to get rid of my stretch marks on my stomack from when i was bigger how do i do this just with shea butter??? and where can i get natural oils by the way ?? like tea tree or almond oil, im not rich and would like to stay in budget thanks :)!
Good luck!
My eczema decreased dramatically once I moved away from my parents' and into the city. If I wear gloves for a long time, or am somewhere warm where my hands sweat, it's basically a guaranteed outbreak. A doctor once explained it to me as an immune response to my own sweat.
I’ve tried all sorts of creams and oils, but the only thing that works reliably for me to deal with the small blisters and later dead skin is the steroid creams (hydrocortisone, betaderm, etc). You can get some over the counter. The strong ones are more expensive and need a prescription, but they work like magic for me.
Coconut oil has reduced my eczema to the point where I only have to use the prescription half as much as previously to keep it clear, but the psoriasis patch is tougher.
I thought it was dairy in my case, but I am generally uncertain right which it is.
Then an old friend said to try bathing him in AMWAY LOC.. I think that it is a cocoanut oilbased detergent . the rash cleared up in about 2 weeks and never returned.
He only ever had one asthma attack and never again...
Do you have any "treatments" for psoriasis that you need guinea pigs for? I have two friends who suffer with the affliction.
I don't sell the cream ready-made for a variety of reasons: first, I can't legally claim that a cream I sell helps eczema (i.e. as a drug) without all sorts of testing and permits. Here I'm only giving a free recipe, and I'm only claiming that it helps my family..... Second, I'm interested in helping people save money. The only way I could turn a profit on a small scale (especially with the regulations) would be to charge a whole lot of money, which defeats the purpose. Third, I'm interested in making, inventing, and designing, not marketing and selling. I REALLY hate selling. It always makes me feel guilty taking people's money away, which explains why, although I can make pretty much anything, money is not one of them....
In my opinion, using dimethicone on someone (especially a child) who has eczema is ridiculous. My daughter has atopic dermatitis and after years of numerous different prescription creams and lotions and remedies suggested by doctors and pediatricians, we tried using something that has been used for centuries to treat nearly all varieties of skin rashes and irritation: neem oil. We use it straight from the bottle and it works wonderfully. Her patches of eczema diminished overnight after the first treatment and after 10 days it had cleared up completely.
We apply the neem oil once weekly now to keep her eczema in check (whereas with the prescription creams, many were barely effective at all, and the ones that were required a lot of product -- twice daily applications, only diminished the eczema, never completely cleared it up, and if we skipped a day of applying the cream her rash would flare back up again immediately). We are very pleased with the neem oil. It's easy, soothing, super effective and cheap -- a small bottle for $8.99 has lasted about 8 months now (whereas before we were going through one tube a month of prescription cream at $14-$35 apiece). I highly recommend any parent of a child with eczema give pure neem oil a try!
I have tried Neem oil but my husband absolutely refuses to let me put it on him (either pure or in a cream) because he finds the smell offensive: it smells like a cross between garlic and peanuts, a strong, lingering scent. I still use it for all sorts of other things (including my sunscreen) but when it comes to applying a pure oil for eczema black seed oil is the one I prefer by far. It smells great, feels wonderful and works wonders. Tamanu is also a favorite. The reason to add water and ingredients like dimethicone (besides a more agreeable texture) is to increase the moisturizing and barrier properties of the cream. The oils alone soothe and heal but they don't increase moisture in the skin or prevent moisture loss.
I'm glad Neem works for you, and I appreciate your sharing your experience. Since the smell doesn't bother your daughter it's a good solution for her.
I will keep an eye out for Tamanu - we might give that a try, too!
Anyway, just wanted to throw my two cents in in case other readers looking for eczema solutions come across your article and it doesn't work for them due to the dimethicone, another avenue for them to try. Thanks! :)