Ingredients
Phase A
134 g distilled water
1 T ceremonial grade matcha or high-quality green tea
7 g sunflower lecithin granules/powder
Phase B
22 g tallow, St. John’s wort infused
11 g jojoba oil, sea buckthorn infused
Phase C
10 g tetrahexyldecyl ascorbate vitamin C (5%)
8 g carrot resin
4 g vitamin E oil
2 g Geogard ECT at 1% (or preservative of choice at the recommended usage rate)
1 g ferulic acid (0.5%)
10 drops helichrysum essential oil
5 drops neroli essential oil (optional)
Instructions
- In a glass jar or beaker, steep green tea or matcha in hot distilled water, just off the boil; allow infusion to steep for 10-15 minutes
- Strain out all plant matter and discard.
- Weigh your strained green tea infusion; top up with distilled water until you have 134 grams again.
- Sprinkle lecithin granules into the cooled water; cover and set aside. The lecithin needs to hydrate in the water for 30-60 minutes before it will be ready to blend with your oils.
- After your lecithin has had a chance to fully hydrate, sprinkle hyaluronic acid powder onto the surface of the water; using an immersion blender, blend briefly to better distribute the lecithin and hyaluronic acid.
- Meanwhile, using double boiler or other gentle heat source, heat tallow and jojoba oils until liquified.
- While running the immersion blender, slowly drizzle oil phase into the water phase, and continue mixing until well emulsified and smooth.
- Add phase C ingredients to emulsion and blend once more until fully incorporated. The serum will continue to thicken slightly for a couple of hours before it reaches its final consistency.
- Transfer to a treatment bottle with a pump, preferably an amber bottle or one with dark-colored glass and store out of direct sunlight. (Do as I say, not as I do — the bottle I used displays the sunny yellow lotion nicely for the photos, but it’s not a great choice for longterm storage. Sunlight will oxidize the antioxidants.)
- You’re done! Smear some on your face, chest, arms, etc. in the morning or anytime you want to give your skin an extra photo-protective boost ♥
Notes
Makes approx. 7 oz of moisturizer.
Note that this is NOT a sunscreen and is not intended to replace responsible sun exposure.
I recommend glass containers for storing homemade lotions and potions. Glass doesn’t leach chemicals and it’s easier to clean/sterilize after the product is used up and you’re ready to refill.
If you do choose to use a plastic container, be aware that essential oils tend to react with plastic, so even if you can get it “clean,” your container will likely not be reusable.
