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DIY Sweet Orange Face Balm Recipe

DIY Sweet Orange Face Balm

I know that every girl loves to get her skin a bit of a pick-me-up during the long winter months, especially when it’s getting cold outside. Sweet orange essential oil is perfect for cold winter. The oil’s antioxidant, antiseptic, and calming effect will give your skin that pick-me-up you need on a cold January day.

Table of Contents

What is Sweet Orange Face Balm, and What Does it Do?

Sweet orange face balm is a solid, uplifting ointment that combines waxes, infused oils, butter and essential oils. It forms a protective layer on the skin, helping to shield it from harsh weather conditions, prevent moisture loss and nourish the skin. The balm is occlusive by nature, and as such, it would benefit greatly normal and dry skin.

Why is Balm Good For the Face?

Balms, unlike moisturisers, are thicker and shield the skin from harsh winter weather by forming a protective layer, sealing in moisture. By incorporating botanicals into the formula, they can have a restorative effect on the skin. 

How to Use Face Balm

Carefully scoop out a pea-size amount of the balm into your dry, clean hands. Warm it between your fingers to soften it up, and massage it into your skin in circular motions spreading it thin. The balm will help seal the moisture in the skin, keeping it hydrated for longer. Use it as the last step in your beauty regimen.

Key Ingredients

Beeswax – firms the balm, soothes the skin, promotes the skin’s regeneration, and protects the skin against environmental pollutants.  

Mango and cupuacu butter help protect the skin’s moisture barrier, restore its elasticity, and soften it. 

Vanilla infused peach kernel oil. Peach kernel oil is a light, readily absorbent oil that works beautifully for dry and ageing skin. The one I have picked has a very low odour and pairs very well with the sweet scent of vanilla. 

Rice bran oil. Rice bran oil is an excellent moisturising oil rich in antioxidants nourishing and protecting the skin.

Annatto seeds infused in sunflower oil add rich orange colour to the mix. In addition, sunflower oil is rich in vitamin A, D, E, and oleic fatty acids that help to nourish, repair and replenish the skin’s lipid barrier. 

Essential oils. A blend of sweet orange, lemon and sandalwood Amyris essential oils create a smooth, creamy fragrance completed with a hint of orange.

How to Prepare Vanilla Infused Oil and Annatto Infused Oil

Preparing your own infused oils is a great way to add fragrance, colour and extract beneficial properties to your DIY skincare formulae. For sweet orange face balm, you will need vanilla, and annatto seeds infused oil. To prepare:

Vanilla Infused Oil

I have used the traditional sun infusion method. Although it takes a bit longer, the sun gently heats the oil to release vanilla’s scent. Begin by splitting the vanilla pod lengthwise and placing it in a 100ml glass jar. Fill the jar with peach kernel oil and leave it in a sunny location for three to six weeks. I have allowed mine to macerate for six weeks and strained the oil. It turned golden yellow with a rich vanilla aroma. You can read more about vanilla’s skin benefits, and uses of vanilla-infused oil here.

Annatto Seeds Infused Oil

I have used heat infusion. Prepare by adding one teaspoon of annatto seeds into a 100ml glass jar and cover with sunflower oil. Place the glass jar into a pan filled with water. Warm the oil in low heat for about an hour or so. Do not overheat the oil as you don’t want to risk degrading it. When the oil has cooled, strain out the seeds. The oil will turn deep orange. Be careful when using it as it stains clothes. Use in small amounts in your formulas.

DIY Sweet Orange Face Balm Recipe

DIY Sweet Orange Face Balm Recipe

Recipe by Kay GuptaDifficulty: Beginner Formulator
Makes

100

grams
Total time

30

minutes

Sweet orange balm, is an easy-to-prepare DIY ointment that can help protect, nourish and shield the skin from harsh winter weather.

Directions

  • Prepare a hot water bath by bringing 2-3 cm of water to a simmer over medium-low heat in a small saucepan.
  • Weigh beeswax, berry wax, cupuacu and mango butter (phase A ingredients) in the glass beaker, place them into a bain-marie and allow them to melt gently.
  • When the wax and butter mixture has melted, remove from the heat and oils (phase B ingredients). Keep on stirring. It will prevent graininess in the balm. 
  • Once the mixture has cooled to under 40C, add vitamin E and essential oil and stir until thin trace. 
  • Now you are ready to pour the balm into aluminium jars. Don’t forget to label. 

Skin Patch Test

  • Before incorporating sweet orange balm into your skincare regimen, always do a skin patch test. Although I use natural ingredients in my formulations, some people may be allergic or sensitive to them.

Shelf Life and Storage

The sweet orange balm is an anhydrous product, and you can expect it to keep for up to a year if stored well. Please keep it away from direct sunlight in a dry, cool room or a draw. If your balm changes colour, smell or texture, dispose of it and whip up a new batch. 

Substitutes

Please remember that swapping the ingredients in the formula will alter the final product. Consider how the ingredient you wish to switch will affect the final product’s scent, consistency, or absorbency when making changes. 

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strong>Beeswax: You can replace beeswax with vegan waxes like candelilla or carnauba wax. To learn more about them, check out Formula Botanica’s post. 

Butters: Mango butter is a dry butter that works well for the face as it doesn’t leave an oily feeling behind. You could try swapping it for light and easily absorbent tucuma butter

Oils: Infused vanilla oil adds depth to the aroma. You could replace vanilla-infused oil with vanilla oleoresin and peach kernel oil. Annatto seeds infused oil adds a beautiful orange shade to the balm. But you don’t have to use it at all. Use sunflower oil instead. 

Essential oils: If you’d like to swap essential oils, learn more about them first by reading Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals by R Tisserand and R Young. Some oils can cause sensitisation.

FAQs

How Often to Use Face Balm

For the face, apply the balm once a day – in the evening at the end of my skincare routine. Nevertheless, this balm works not only for the face. You can also use it to nourish and protect your hands, feet or any dry patches of skin on your knees and elbows. For the body, use as many times during the day as you need. 

lass="wp-block-heading" id="can-i-use-face-balm-for-my-lips">Can I use face balm for my lips?

I do not recommend applying sweet orange face balm to your lips. The skin on your lips is thinner than your facial skin, and applying essential oils to your lips could cause irritation.

Are you looking for more ways to add sweet orange to your skincare? Check out the recipes below!

DIY Orange Blossom Ginger Face Toner Recipe

DIY Sweet Orange Facial Cleansing Oil Recipe

DIY Sweet Orange Ginger Body Lotion Recipe

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a href="https://skincrest.com/diy-nourishing-sweet-orange-vanilla-hand-cream-recipe/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">DIY Nourishing Sweet Orange Vanilla Hand Cream Recipe

DIY Sweet Orange Peppermint Foot Scrub Bar Recipe

DIY Refreshing Sweet Orange Kaolin Deodorant Recipe

Nourishing DIY Orange Peppermint Foot Cream For Dry Feet

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