DIY Natural Shaving Cream

According to Gillette, shaving cream does four things:

1. Hydration – keeps moisture in hairs during the shave, leaving them softer and easier to cut. When less force is needed to cut each hair, your shave can be more comfortable.
2. Lubrication – creates a thin layer of protection between the blade and the skin, ensuring less friction and minimizing the risk of redness, razor burn, and irritation–and fewer nicks and cuts.
3. Tracking – the act of removing shaving cream as you shave helps you keep track of where you’ve already run your blade so you won’t miss any spots!
4. Soothing and refreshing – a shaving cream will help leave your skin feeling soothed and refreshed after each shave.

However, commercial shaving creams may not be suitable for everyone. So, here’s a quick DIY on how you can make your own shaving cream using all natural ingredients by Crafty @diplycrafty on Instagram 

If the video tutorial is too fast for you, no worries! We’ve got your back 

What you’ll need:

1. Coconut Oil
2. Shea Butter
3. Jojoba Oil
4. Frankincense Essential Oil
5. Glass Beaker (safe for microwaves/double boilers!)
6. Stirrer
7. Microwave (we recommend using a double boiler instead, though! There’ll be lesser chances of burning and bubbles this way)
8. Mixer
9. Jar (to put your finished product in)

Instructions

1. Measure out 1/2 cup (4oz = about 113g) of coconut oil and 1/4 cup of shea (2oz =  about 56g) butter into the glass beaker.
2. Melt the oil and butter in the microwave/double boiler.
3. Add 1/2 teaspoon (about 2.5ml) of jojoba oil and 20 drops of frankincense essential oil into the mixture.
4. Stir until evenly mixed and pour it into your mixer’s bowl.
5. Leave in the fridge to thicken.
   *Note: Don’t leave it in the fridge for too long, though! Or else it might harden too much
6. Using a mixer, beat the mixture until it’s fluffy.
7. Transfer the shaving cream into a jar for storage.
8. It’s now ready to use!

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This video tutorial belongs to Crafty @diplycrafty on Instagram!

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

Get to Know: Cosmetic Irritants, Allergens & Comedogens

There is a lot of information on the internet about cosmetic irritants, allergens and comedogens, but which is true and which isn’t? Check out this informative video (with factual references!) by Belinda Carli, theDirector of the Institute of Personal Care Science and Cosmetic Formulator 

Thank you Belinda Carli from Personal Care Formulations for sharing this video with us!

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!

About Vitamin E and Which to Use in Your Personal Care Products

Generally, we know that there are two kinds of the antioxidant Vitamin E: the naturally-occurring (the d- form) and the synthetic (the dl- form, and the acetate). However, there is more to it than just that. Vitamin E comes in 8 forms which belongs to two classes. So, which do you use? And, how much Vitamin E do you need to add to your formulations?

The following informative video by Belinda Carli, Director of the Institute of Personal Care Science and Cosmetic Formulator, explains both selection and input amounts for you, and how to check that you have it right.

Check it out now 

*In our store, we sell Vitamin E Acetate (Tocopherol Acetate; You can buy it here!) which is synthetic and contains antioxidants that are great for the skin but does not slow down the rancidity of oils. On the other hand, natural Vitamin E (like dl-alpha-tocopherol) is an even better antioxidant for the skin, and it’ll also slow down the rancidity of oils.

SOME SCIENCE FACTS

Tocopherols

Consists of 4 types of Vitamin E: alpha tocopherol, beta tocopherol, gamma tocopherol, and delta tocopherol. They are distinguished by the slight chemical differences (location and number of methyl groups) on its core structure.

Tocotrienols

Consist of the 4 other types of Vitamin E: alpha tocotrienol, beta tocotrienol, gamma tocotrienol, and delta tocotrienol. Tocotrienols have 3 unsaturated bonds ‘trienol’ but are otherwise similar to tocopherols in structure. Tocotrienols are also more permeable to cell membranes (meaning they’re more easily absorbed) than tocopherols.

If you’d like to read up more on Vitamin E but don’t know where to start, check out our list of references down below!

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Thank you Belinda Carli from Personal Care Formulations for sharing this video with us!

References:

1. Publishing, Harvard, “Easy Does It With Vitamin E – Harvard Health”, Harvard Health, 2014 <https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/Easy_does_it_with_vitamin_E&gt; [Accessed 9 June 2019]
2. “The Eight Faces Of Vitamin E”, Juvenon.Com <https://juvenon.com/the-eight-faces-of-vitamin-e-0903/&gt; [Accessed 9 June 2019]
3. “Tocotrienols: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, And Warning”, Webmd.Com <https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-1522/tocotrienols&gt; [Accessed 9 June 2019]
4. “Vitamin E: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Dosage, And Warning”, Webmd.Com<https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-954/vitamin-e&gt; [Accessed 9 June 2019]

Pssst, we're also available at Craftiviti.com!