Moisturizing Ceramide cream

Ceramide cream has been on my recipe list for a long time. Ceramide is used especially for the treatment of dry and damaged skin. Basic creams sold at the pharmacy quite often also contain ceramide. I decided to prepare a protective and caring cream containing ceramide for autumn. In spring and winter, the indoor air starts to be quite dry due to the heating. Then it is good to use the best possible ingredients against skin dryness. The moisturizing ceramide cream is the homemade cosmetics equivalent of the basic cream from the pharmacy. You’ll soon find out that you can’t live without this cream, it’s such an effective moisturizer.

Should I do a ceramide-rich salve or an emulsion?

The difference between a salve and an emulsion is clear; Salve is a water-free product, only oils and beeswax are used to make it or, alternatively, some other wax is used to solidify the oil. In the preparation of an emulsion, both water and oil are needed, as well as an emulsifier to connect these two ingredients together.

I decided to choose an emulsion-type cream for this product. Moisturizing the skin is not possible without liquid. Of course, you can moisturize the skin in advance, before applying the cream, and then add the anhydrous salve to the skin. The emulsion is just so convenient to use. With one treatment, the skin gets both hydration and protection. Making an emulsion cream is not difficult at all. If you have never made an emulsion cream before, you can find the basic instructions for making an emulsion cream on my website; This is how a homemade emulsion cream is created.

You can read more about ceramides here; Ceramides; dry skin rescue. Cholesterol should also be used in creams together with ceramides, as it supports the effect of ceramides. However, cholesterol is a very difficult ingredient to process. I haven’t worked with the cholesterol myself precisely because of its challenging nature.

Moisturizing ingredients for ceramide cream

The purpose of this cream is to moisturize the skin and protect the skin from drying out. The purpose of ceramides is specifically to protect the skin. In order for the cream to work by moisturizing dry skin, moisturizing factors must be added separately to the cream.

This cream contains three moisturizing ingredients that work in different ways. Of course, you can leave out some of the moisturizing factors if you don’t have them available. However, it would be important to use at least one of the following ingredients.

Marshmallow root

Marshmallow root is very moisturizing. It is usually used in hair care because it leaves a nice texture in the hair and adds volume. The herbal marshmallow root is also suitable for skin care. It’s a mallow plant. If you have mallows in your yard, you can also use their roots. The roots of mallows are very much more delicate than the roots of the marshmallow’s root. That’s why only the leaves and cores are often used. The roots and leaves of burr are also suitable for this purpose.

Marshmallow contains a lot of skin and hair moisturizing mucilage. There are a lot of mucilage substances in the whole plant, but most in the roots. The herbal marshmallow root is sold in herbal shops in small light cubes. The cubes are boiled in water and the broth is used for making cosmetics. Marshmallow roots are completely non-toxic. The first marshmallow candy was a vegan delicacy. They were made from marshmallow roots (marshmallow) and sugar.

Allantoin

One of the most moisturizing ingredients is allantoin. It is a white powder that dissolves very easily in water up to 0.5%. Allantoin is therefore dosed very moderately. If you don’t have a scale accurate enough, dose allantoin like adding carefully just a little more salt on food.

Allantoin exists in both plant and animal sources. Allantoin is a salt of uric acid that is secreted by mammals. It is also obtained from plants like horse chestnuts and wheat germ. Many wild plants such as buttercups also contain allantoin. However, buttercups are slightly toxic, so they should not be used in cosmetics.

Since allantoin is a quite natural product, the skin tolerates it well. Allantoin has many good properties, so it should be included in the cream formula.

• Allantoin moisturizes the skin very effectively
• Allantoin works like keratolytic, which means it removes indurations from the skin.
• Allantoin increases cell renewal and promotes skin healing
• Allantoin reduces skin irritation
• Allantoin soothes the skin and reduces inflammatory reactions

Glycerol or glycerine

Glycerine is an old, familiar friend to the readers of this blog. Lipids, like oils, consist of fatty acids and glycerine. Glycerine is isolated from vegetable oils. Glycerine is a colourless and odourless liquid. The taste of glycerine is very sweet. Glycerine is a completely non-toxic substance that is also used in the food industry as an additive. It mixes well with water and oil.

Glycerine is used in cosmetics mainly because of its moisturizing properties. Glycerine binds a lot of water. Glycerin takes water from its surroundings like from the skin.  Glycerine helps the moisture to stay in the skin. If there is no moisture in the skin, glycerine will only harm the skin. That’s why glycerine is used in water-based products like emulsions.

You shouldn’t use too much glycerine in the product because it easily makes the skin sticky. It’s a sugar alcohol. Glycerine also requires plenty of water around it. A suitable dosage for glycerine in cream is about 2-5% of the total weight of the product.

You can read my article about glycerine here; This is how miracle-making glycerol helps in the treatment of dry winter skin.

Excipients for ceramide cream

In this cream, I also used the familiar Olivem 1000 emulsifier derived from olive oil and the Geogard 221 preservative, which is ECOCERT approved. You can also use familiar Eco preservative, which is a very safe and versatile preservative system. It is absolutely necessary to use a preservative for products containing water. Otherwise, your wonderful cream will be spoiled in a few days.

Skin softening oils

I have chosen a light base oil for this product, which is easily absorbed by the skin. The protection of the cream is achieved with ceramides, which means that the oil can be very light and easily absorbed. That’s why I used safflower oil for the cream this time. Grapeseed oil is also light enough for this cream.

To complete the oleic acid profile of safflower oil, I chose nourishing blackcurrant seed oil. Blackcurrant seed oil contains a lot of gamma-linolenic acid, which is not found in base oils. Blackcurrant seed oil is a special oil that only a very small amount is needed in the product.

Prescription; moisturizing Ceramide Cream

You can use the moisturizing ceramide cream perfectly on your entire body. I personally use this after a sauna or a shower on the whole body. The cream is also suitable for children and especially for elderly people.

This dose may be too small if you want to use the cream all over your body. If you like cream, double or even quadruple the dose like I did.

This emulsion cream becomes very thin, milky and light. I think the cream moisturizes better if there is plenty of liquid in it. If you want a firmer, thicker cream, reduce the amount of liquid but keep the ratio of oil and emulsifier the same.

Formulating cosmetics is fun but challenging. If you want to test the structure of the cream, don’t use expensive ceramide and your finest oils. Make your training version with just water, cheap cooking oil and an emulsifier.

You need these:

• A double boiler or a standard flat boiler
• Two heat-resistant dishes; one for the water phase and the other for the oil phase
• A small whisk or glass stirring rod
• Thermometer
• A scale that measures tenths of a gram
• Pump bottle for packaging

Ingredients

First, you need to prepare the marshmallow root decoction.

Marshmallow root decoction;

• 2 tablespoons of dried marshmallow root
• about 4 decilitres of water

Boil the marshmallow root slowly in water for about 15 minutes. Filter the decoction and use it in the water phase of the cream or as a hair conditioner.

• 70 gr of marshmallow root decoction
• 10 gr of safflower oil
• 2 gr blackcurrant seed oil. Nature by Amppu sells particularly good quality blackcurrant seed oil
• 2.5 gr of glycerol/ glycerine
• 2 gr ceramide pellets, I used Limepop’s Ceramide NP III Eco product
• 0.3 gr allantoin
• 3.5 gr Olivem 1000 emulsifier
• 0.7 gr Geogard 221 preservative

Do like this:

• Put water in the empty pot
• Measure the marshmallow root decoction and glycerol in another container and mix.
• Measure safflower oil, ceramide pellets and Olivem 1000 emulsifier into another container
• Place the both phases in a water bath and heat them to over 70 degrees Celsius.
• Stir the oil phase from time to time so that the emulsifier and ceramide melt completely
• Combine the phases by carefully pouring the oil phase into the water phase while gently mixing
• Remove the emulsion from the water bath and continue mixing until the temperature has dropped below 40 degrees
• Add blackcurrant seed oil, allantoin and preservative. Mix thoroughly
• Pour the emulsion into a clean pump bottle or other container. The storage containers should first be cleaned carefully with clear, strong alcohol.
• Label the bottled product with a list of ingredients and the date.
• The product remains usable for about 3-4 months at room temperature, protected from light

This is how you use a moisturizing ceramides cream

Apply the cream on moist skin. Best timing is at the end of a shower or sauna. Apply the cream to the skin by massaging lightly. You can use ceramide-rich emulsion cream for both your face and body.

Let the cream soak in for a few minutes so that the moisture in the cream can be properly absorbed into the skin. After a while, the skin feels very soft and moisturized, but not greasy at all. Ceramides do not remain on the surface of the skin but are absorbed deep into the skin, creating a natural moisturized feeling. A pleasant feeling remains on the surface of the skin.

The gentle, moisturizing ceramide cream is suitable for the whole family.

Let me know what you think about this cream!