One of the questions I get asked most often is how to make a moisturiser for an oily or combination skin. Having this type of skin myself I understand the reluctance to put more oil on the skin and the confusion as to what ingredients to include when making your own creams and lotions
When creating product for oilier skin types it is important to choose your ingredients carefully, sticking to oils with a light non greasy texture for their emollient properties and light emulsifiers which will not clog the pores. Don’t forget to include some humectants for their hydrating properties as oily skins get dehydrated too.
Emollients
Ingredients such as oils and butters used for their moisturising and skin smoothing properties.
Avoid Cocoa Butter & Coconut Oil in moisturisers if you have oily skin as they are too heavy and can block pores. Instead choose jojoba oil which is a good all round facial skincare oil along with one of the lighter, dryer feeling oils such as Thistle.
Humectants
These ingredients attract water to the skin and can help hydrate, they include glycerine, hyaluronic acid and materials such as Honey Moisturiser (from Aromantic).
Emulsifiers
If you want to make a lotion or cream then you will need an emulsifier. Emulsifying wax is the easiest to use but those of us with oily or combination skins find it a bit heavy and waxy. There are many other products you can try but my favourite so far is Olivem 1000. It is available in the UK from www.gracefruit.com or in the USA from www.lotioncrafter.com
The thing I like about it is its light skin feel and the fact you can actually use it alone with water as the sole moisturising agent in a lotion. You do not need to add any other oil – so it’s great for making an “oil free” lotion. It is a little bit more difficult to use than emulsifying wax but I think it’s worth it.
Here is a simple recipe for a moisturiser suitable for oily or combination skin using Olivem 1000.
