After-sun serum with lavender essential oil

Published on July 3, 2019 - Cosmetics

After a day spent at the beach, lake, or in the mountains, it is necessary to rehydrate your skin with a light, refreshing and soothing cosmetic product.

I suggest to self-produce a Lavender After-Sun Serum, suitable for all skin types, which you can apply after a shower to restore the correct hydrolipidic balance of the skin and preserve a tan at its very best.

I chose Lavender because this unique medicinal plant contains anti-inflammatory, soothing, and refreshing properties, perfect for taking care of our skin after exposure to the sun’s rays.

Lavender after-sun serum recipe

Let me remind you that the formulations to follow for the preparation of the cream are divided into phases, identified by alphabetical letters:

identifies the aqueous phase and all the hydrophilic components that will be dissolved in it
identifies the oily phase and all the lipophilic components that must be dissolved in it
is the phase that indicates the ingredients to be added after the emulsion has cooled down (essential oils and some active ingredients).

To prepare about 50 ml of After Sun Serum, you will need:

PHASE A

15 gr of distilled water

14 gr of Lavender hydrolat

PHASE B

9 gr of Lavender oil

6 gr of almond oil

2.4 gr of shea butter

1 gr of cetylstearyl alcohol

1 gr of olivem 1000

PHASE C

1 gr of Lavender EO

0.6 gr of cosgard preservative

Procedure for lavender after-sun serum

Weigh olivem 1000 and cetylstearyl alcohol (emulsifiers) and place them aside in a container.

Weigh the hydrolat and distilled water, place them in a metal container, and then on a hotplate to be heated (be careful not to exceed 65°C).

Weigh the vegetable oils, place them in a metal container, and then on a hotplate to be heated (be careful not to exceed 65°C).

Dissolve the 2 emulsifiers in phase B (or fat phase).

Remove both containers from the heat and pour phase B into phase A, mix and then shake with a hand blender.

Allow the product to cool, continue mixing by hand, and add the Lavender essential oil and preservative.

Measure the ph: which must be equal to 5.5; if it is higher or lower, add lactic acid or a 30% soda solution and measure again, until the desired value is reached.

Transfer into an airless bottle or a more classic jar (less recommended because it is easy to contaminate the product and compromise its integrity) and store in a cool, dry place away from sources of heat.

Recipes for after-sun creams based on medicinal plants and their extracts

For those who love richer textures even in the summer, here are two other do-it-yourself cosmetic preparations in an after-sun cream version, which you can prepare following the same procedure as for the Lavender serum.

In the first version, there are lavender hydrolat and aloe gel, with anti-inflammatory, soothing, and refreshing properties; perfect for skin care after exposure to the sun’s rays. In addition, there is jojoba oil, elasticizing, anti-aging, soothing, and regenerating, as well as shea butter, soothing, anti-inflammatory, healing, regenerating, and elasticizing.

For 50 ml of After Sun Cream you will need:

PHASE A

15 gr distilled water

10 gr Lavender hydrolat

10 gr aloe gel

PHASE B

8 gr jojoba oil

2.4 gr shea butter

6 gr almond oil

1 gr cetylstearyl alcohol

2 gr olivem 1000

PHASE C

1 gr Lavender EO

0.6 gr cosgard preservative

If you have glycerin and carrot oil, excellent as an after-sun product for hydrating and regenerating the epidermis, you can also prepare this recipe:

PHASE A

15 gr distilled water

10 gr Lavender hydrolat

10 gr aloe gel

PHASE B

4 gr jojoba oil

4 gr carrot oil

2.4 gr shea butter

6 gr almond oil

1 gr cetylstearyl alcohol

2 gr olivem 1000

PHASE C