The Perfect Recipe for a DIY Face Serum
If you haven’t noticed, we’re all about DIY around here. DIY beauty projects are a fun, easy way to flex our creative muscles, and get ourselves a sweet product out of the deal, too. We’ve tried our hands at everything from salt scrubs to conditioning masks to actual conditioners (granted, some to varying degrees of success), but one that always trips us up a bit is skin care. Using the right products that don’t aggravate or harm our skin is key to maintaining a healthy complexion, and some DIY attempts seem dodgy at best.
We’re not about to go messing with fruit acids or powerful acne-fighting ingredients—not now, at least—but armed with the right blend of essential oils and emulsifiers, it’s true that one can create almost anything. Serum, for one, seems inherently complicated, the kind of thing that should be left to a skin care pro. Not so! It’s actually one of the easier, less risky homemade projects to attempt, and we’ll also say that it’ll leave you feeling majorly accomplished once you start noticing the results from your own DIY serum.
It’s all in the ingredients, of course. You’ll want to start with an oil of your choice, or a combination of oils. Pure argan oil is an amazing moisturizing and healing ingredient that will leave skin super-soft, and we’re also fans of jojoba oil for oily, acne-prone skin—it sort of “tricks” your skin into thinking it’s producing oil, which therefore regulates oil overproduction—or, for especially dry skin, olive oil. Two tablespoons of oil to 10-12 drops of essential oil makes for a 2% dilution, which is just the right amount for something you’ll be using daily.
You can create your own blend of essential oils based on their skin care benefits: For example, lavender and tea tree oil are both especially great for soothing inflammatory conditions like acne, while rose is a moisturizing gentle antiseptic that reduces redness and irritation. There are tons of options out there, and it’s up to you to decide what you want your serum to treat. Once you’ve chosen, it only gets simpler from there. Using a small funnel or a dropper, add each of your ingredients to a dark amber bottle (to protect the ingredients from light and heat, which can render them ineffective) and shake gently to blend. It’s so easy, not to mention budget-friendly—and it makes a great Mother’s Day gift, to boot. Wink, wink.
Read more from Daily Makeover: 5 Totally Doable Ways to Make DIY Lipstick
