We use cream to moisturise our skin, to prevent our skin
from drying out.
Our skin has the job of protecting our body, it is a
waterproof barrier. It consists of 3 layers, each with special functions:
Epidermis - the layer we can see:
- It makes new skin cells at the bottom of the layer. The skin cells travel to the top of the layer
and flake off about 28 days after they have been formed.
- It makes melanin, which is what gives our skin its colour.
- It protects our skin.
Dermis – beneath the Epidermis, is a much thicker layer. It
contains:
- Sweat glands where sweat is made.
- Nerve endings which send signals to the brain so we can feel
cold, heat, pain, itchiness.
- The root of each hair.
A small muscle is attached to each root, when it is cold the muscle
contracts, the hairs stand on ends and the skin gets goose pimples. This is a
remnant of a time when humans were covered in a lot more hair. Hair that stands
on ends keeps the heat in and at the same time more oil is secreted.
- Oil glands, a tiny gland that secretes a lubricating oily
matter into the hair follicles to lubricate the skin and hair. The oil keeps
your skin soft, smooth and waterproof.
When it makes too much oil it causes pimples (acne).
- Capilliaries (small blood vessels) bring the blood to your
skin, feed the skin and take away the waste material.
Subcutaneous fat layer – the bottom layer, contains:
- Special connecting tissue that attaches the dermis to the
muscles and bones.
- The blood vessels and nerve cells that start in the dermis
get bigger in this layer and are connected to the rest of the body.
- Controls your body temperature.
- Stores fat, this fat pads your muscles and bones and protect
them from bumps and falls.
A few interesting facts:
Our skin absorbs oxygen, 2% of the oxygen requirement for
the body takes place through the skin.
We secrete oily matter, sweat and carbon dioxide.
Per day we secrete 1 litre of water, 2/3 of this is in
sweat. Of coarse we perspire more in very hot weather conditions. Perspiring is
a way for the body to cool down. When we get hot, the skin turns red, as a
result of the widening of the blood vessels. The blood circulation is
increased, more heat is used and secreted.
In this way the body does not overheat.
Our skin and hair consist mostly of 2 large fibre proteins, ‘keratin
and collagen’ and in smaller quantities ‘elastin’.
Keratin is the most important structural component in hair,
horns, claws, hooves and the outer layer of human skin.
Collagen is the most common protein in the connective tissue
of human beings and mammals and make up 1/3 sometimes more of our body weight.
The elasticity of our skin is due to the protein
elastin. Elastin is mostly present in
our tendons and blood vessels.
Making creams:
The Epidermis, the top layer of skin, is there to protect the
Dermis and Subcutaneous fat layer. No
cream can pass through this protective barrier. One of the few things that pass
through is essential oil with its very small molecules.
The function of creams is moisturising the Epidermis. By
moisturising the skin appears smoother and helps the wrinkles appear less
severe. It cannot make them go away.
For a good cream oil, water, emulsifier and a stabiliser is
needed and some drops of essential oil for therapeutic purposes.
We all know that oil and water do not mix, but when we add
an emulsifier to oil and water the mixtures turns into a milky liquid, a
stabiliser is added to influence the consistency of the cream.
Oil
There are many oils we can use even Sunflower or Olive oil.
A few favourites:
Almond Oil – it gives a pleasant, soft feel to the skin and
does not become rancid quickly.
Avocado Oil – hardly ever goes rancid, very good oil with a
high moisturizing factor, and it even protects mildly against sunburn. Native
to Central America.
The oil is made from
ripe fruit.
Jojoba Oil – like Avocado Oil it protects mildly against
sunburn, makes the skin feel very supple and elastic. The oil is obtained from
the nuts of a desert plant Simmondsia
chinensis (Jojoba). Native to California,
Arizona and Mexico.
Water
Distilled water or demineralised water is used to make
creams.
The emulsifier used in the recipe is ‘Lanette’ made from Cocos nuciferia, the Coconut Palm.
Coconut oil which contains the component
with its Cetearyl glucoside and Cetearyl alcohol has emulsifying properties.
Stabiliser
Several different stabilisers can be used to make
creams. The most common are:
Bees wax – it comes in two forms, yellow or white pellets.
Beeswax has been used for centuries. Very suitable to make handcreams.
Cetyl Palmitate – before this stabilisor was found in the skull
of sperm whales. It is no longer used
and a substitute has been produced derived from Palm Oil.
Cetyl Alcohol – made from Coconut Oil, produces a more solid
cream, but makes the skin soft.
Cocoa Butter – made from the Cocoa beans. It hardly ever
becomes rancid, it feeds the skin but as it leaves a shiny sheen, it is more
suitable for night cream.
Shea Butter – from the Shea Nut Tree (Butyrospermum Parkii Kotschy) native to Central Africa.
Very skin friendly, it cures and disinfects and offers some
protection from the sun. It can become
rancid.
What utensils do we need to make hand cream:
- A weight scale that is accurately to 1-2 grams.
- A pan large enough to contain 2 heat resistant glass
measuring jugs of 200 ml.
- A thermometer to 100 degrees C.
- 2 heat resistant measuring jugs of 200 ml or other glass
jars i.e. jam jars.
- Plastic or Glass Stick to stir.
- Jars of 50 grams for the cream.
it is easier to make a large quantity of the fat components (oil, emulsifier, stabiliser). After melting the fat components together you can store it in a jar for up to 1 year in the fridge. As no preservatives are used in the cream, make the cream in small badges whenever you need it.
The fat components:
60 g of Almond Oil (or any of your choice)
25 g of Lanette (emulsifier)
15 g of Bees Wax (stabiliser)
5 g of Cetyl Alcohol (stabiliser)
You do not need to use the above mentioned stabilisers. You can use just Bees Wax on its own or Cacao Butter or any of the other stabilisers as long as you keep to 20 g of stabiliser in total.
melt this together, stir, leave it to cool a little, then
transfer it to a jar for further use.
For 40 g of hand cream you need:
10 g of the fat components
30 g of distilled or demineralised water.
then
Heat some water in the pan.
Add the distilled water to the 1st heat resistant
glass measuring jug.
Add the fat components to the 2nd heat resistant
glass measuring jug.
Put both into the boiling water.
The oil fat mixture takes longer to heat than the water.
Heat both 70 degrees C.
Take the 2 jugs out of the pan.
Slowly add the water to the fat mixture whilst stirring.
Keep stirring in a figure of 8 till
the mixture is thick.
Add the essential oil when the cream is below 30 degrees C.
Bibliography: Cremes
en milde zepen – I. Putz & C.Niklas; Web; Cursus Kruidenverwerking.
