Protective moisturizing rose oil cream

Rose oil is very popular in skin care as such. However, rose oil can be used as an ingredient in home cosmetics. This time I made a cream using rose oil. This cream can be applied to the whole body. It’s neither too oily nor too heavy so it’s perfect for summer.

moisturizing-rose-oil-cream

I’ve often wondered how I could prepare an ointment that does not make my skin feel unpleasantly oily. Of course, we can avoid the problem by choosing the best absorbent skin oil. However, we have to wait some time before the skin has absorbed enough oil. Rose oil-based cream does not have this problem. It is instantly absorbed and leaves the surface of the skin soft and dry, like velvet.

What are the ingredients of the whole-body Rose Oil cream?

Xanthan gum

The secret of my rose oil-based cream lies in the xanthan gum. Xanthan gum is a safe cosmetic ingredient. If you’ve ever read any negative stuff about xanthan gum, it is always related to food. Xanthan gum is used as a food additive in candy, confectionery, salad dressings and in many other foodstuffs.

What is xanthan gum?

Xanthan gum (E415), the INCI name for XANTHAN GUM, is made from sugar by bacteria. The product is dried and ground to a white powder. I don’t know the manufacturing process exactly, but it doesn’t sound a very dangerous ingredient in cosmetics. Xanthan gum gives the cream an extra texture and viscosity. Xanthan gum is used as a thickener along with an emulsifier.

What does xanthan gum do in the product?

Xanthan gum is not only a thickener but also a moisturizer. Because xanthan gum’s molecule size is big, it stays as a protective layer on the skin. Such a protective layer retains moisture in the skin. That’s why xanthan gum is an absolutely essential ingredient in this cream.

Xanthan gum also absorbs moisture itself. This is why the surface of the skin feels wonderfully peachy. Xanthan gum provides a good foundation for makeup. It gives the skin a matte finish on which is easy to apply directly makeup or even powder.

Xanthan gum gives the cream a gel-like structure.

Sorbitol

Sorbitol is a sugar alcohol such as glycerol. The purpose of Sorbitol in this product is to provide additional moisturizing features. Sorbitol also thickens creams.

Rose oil

roses

Rose oil is a semi-finished product for cosmetics. I have prepared it using how-to make herbal oil instructions. I used rice bran oil and dried rose buds for extraction. The extraction was completed in about 4 weeks. If you don’t have rose oil right now, you can use some other herbal oil you’ve extracted.

You can read more about roses as cosmetic ingredients here.

Prickly pear oil

Opuntia oil is not necessary. Opuntia oil, or prickly pear oil, is pure luxury. I added this special oil to bring more skin caring fatty acids and antioxidants into the product. Opuntia oil is a very moisturizing oil that is said to be even more effective than argan oil on the skin.

I wanted to get a product that I could also use on my face. Opuntia oil gives this cream an extra absorbency and healing features.

Rose water

Rose water, aka hydrolate is a product produced by steam distillation. Hydrolates are floral waters that are formed as a by-product of the distillation of essential oils. Essential oils are fat soluble parts of the plant and hydrolates are water soluble parts.

Rose hydrolate should be purchased from a reputable retailer. A cheap product sold under the name Rose Water in Ethnic Stores is not genuine rose hydrolate but synthetically produced fake.

Rose hydrolate not only gives the cream a longer shelf life but also adds a lovely rose scent.

Water

I have used plain boiled tap water in this cream. You can choose between distilled or otherwise filtered water.

However, do not use tap water as such. I recommend you boil the water first as this will improve the shelf life of the cream.

emulsifier

I chose the Olivem 100 emulsifier for this product. It is a very stable and easy to use emulsifier. It is also an ECOCERT certified product. So, your cream will be on the same level than natural cosmetics.

Preservative

I only made this product for a week’s use and I stored it in a sterilized glass jar in the refrigerator. Therefore, I did not need any preservative. In case you want to use a preservative, I recommend Geograd 221 preservative. It is an ECOCERT and COSMOS certified preservative. Recommended dosage is 0.2-1% by volume of the product. If you make 100ml lotion you only need 0.2-1 ml of Geogard 221 preservative. For such a small amount, I recommend you to get a small douche. It has a scale for such a small amount of liquids.

Spruce sprout glycerite

I have made glycerite from spruce sprout. It became quite strong so this time I used only ½ teaspoon. It was the first time ever I made it.  It smells wonderfully pitchy and spring forest. I recommend you to try it. I’ve told about Spruce sprout here.

 We can make the cream also without glycerite. You can also use glycerol alone. It is also a sugar alcohol and a very moisturizing ingredient.

How to prepare a protective cream based on rose oil

rose-oil-creme

You need these tools

  • 1 clean, sterilized glass jar
  • boiler/pot
  • Metal bowl for water bath
  • Milk frother to mix the emulsifier
  • Thermometer
  • Spatula (silicone)

You need these ingredients

  • 50ml boiled water
  • 25ml rose hydrolate
  • 20ml rose oil
  • 5ml opuntia oil
  • 5 grams of Olivem 1000 emulsifiers (two teaspoons)
  • A bit of sorbitol powder
  • ½ teaspoon of xanthan gum
  • A bit of beetroot powder to bring a rosy colour, optional
  • ½-1 teaspoon of spruce sprout glycerite, optional
  • Preservative (Geograd 221), optional

Do like this:

  • Mix water, rose hydrolate, rose oil, opuntia oil and Olivem 1000 in a metal bowl.
  • Lift the bowl into the water bath and let the water in the pot heat up gently
  • Stir the mixture until Olivem is completely melted
  • Remove the bowl from the water bath and mix the xanthan gum, sorbitol and beetroot powder (colour)
  • Use the frother to mix thoroughly
  • Let the cream stay in the water bath at 75-80 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes. Check the temperature on the thermometer. This step destroys potentially harmful bacteria from the cream.
  • After 30 minutes of heat treatment, lift the bowl out of the water bath and blend once more until smooth.
  • At this point you can add spruce sprout glycerite and beetroot powder if you wish.
  • If you want to add a preservative, let the cream cool down to 40 degrees and then add the preservative drops.
  • Once finished, place the cream into a sterilized glass jar.
  • Store in a refrigerator.
  • The preservative-free cream will last for about 2 weeks, with the preservative for about 2-3 months.

I’m really satisfied with this cream. This cream moisturizes effectively the skin dried by summer. It also provides effective skin protection. The skin feels soft and peachy but at the same time moisturized.

I look forward your response, how this cream suits to your skin. I also want to know how did you like the cream’s composition and feel of your skin. Feedback is always welcome and I really look forward to it. So, please add your comments to the comment section. Thank You!

3 answers

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  2. A really beautiful recipe. I will try this formula. Thank you for sharing. I love all these pure ingredients you are using.

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