How to Make DIY Eye Cream

Basic DIY Eye Cream

If you want to make a true cream and not an oily salve, emulsify your ingredients in a blender. Be aware, however, that to blend ingredients, you need to make a fair amount of product so there are enough ingredients for the blender to work. If you want to make this basic eye cream recipe, you'll probably have plenty to give to friends and family (but you can always store some in the refrigerator).

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
• 2 tablespoons filtered water
• 1 capsule of vitamin E oil
• 3 tablespoons beeswax
• 2 tablespoons rosehip seed oil
• 3 tablespoons almond oil
• 5-6 drops of lavender oil

Steps:

1. Combine aloe vera gel, filtered water, and the contents of one capsule of vitamin E oil in a bowl. Warm to 90 degrees in a double boiler or microwave and set aside.
2. Heat beeswax, rosehip seed oil, and almond oil in a double boiler until completely melted. Remove from heat and pour gently into your blender.
3. Blend on the lowest setting for 10 seconds, then slowly add the aloe vera and water mixture (10 drops at a time) while the blender is on low. It should take several minutes to combine the two mixtures (this is the emulsification process).
4. Keep blending until you have a creamy consistency you're happy with. Then, add a few drops of lavender oil and stop blending. Use a spatula to store your cream in containers of your choice.

Brightening Eye Area Salve

Olive oil is rich in fat-soluble vitamins (including E and K, both of which are good for all skin types), and geranium and bergamot essential oils result in a fresh, bright scent.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons shea butter
• 1 teaspoon argan oil
• 4 drops geranium essential oil
• 3 drops bergamot essential oil

Steps:

1. Combine olive oil, shea butter, and argan oil in a heat-resistant bowl.
2. Gently heat until ingredients are melted together.
3. Remove from heat and add three to four drops of geranium essential oil and two to three drops of bergamot essential oil.
4. Cool for a few minutes and pour into a container; the mix will harden a bit but will still be soft enough to dab. Apply as needed.

DIY Eye Cream for Aging Skin

This coconut oil-based eye treatment is ideal for applying before bed, so it can work while you sleep. If you use it in the morning, it will take 10-15 minutes to absorb into your skin.

The recipe contains rose and frankincense essential oils, both of which have a long history as anti-wrinkle ingredients, as well as rosehip seed oil, which has molecules small enough to penetrate deep into the skin to help moisturize it.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons rosehip seed oil
• 1 vitamin E capsule
• 3 drops rose essential oil
• 3 drops frankincense essential oil

Steps:

1. Heat coconut oil in a double boiler until melted.
2. Add rosehip seed oil, the contents of one vitamin E capsule, rose essential oil, and frankincense essential oil.
3. Mix everything and remove from heat.
4. Let cool for a few minutes before pouring into your container of choice.

Anti-Puffy Eye Cream

Coffee and green tea are often used in skin creams to reduce puffiness because caffeine is a vasoconstrictor (it constricts blood vessels). Combined with soothing ingredients, coffee and green tea can be a good short-term fix to hide swollen skin around the eyes.

To make this recipe, create a coffee-infused oil by combining two tablespoons of almond oil with one tablespoon of caffeinated ground coffee in a heat-resistant bowl. Gently heat the mixture in a double boiler for an hour. Let it cool to the touch, then filter out the coffee grounds using a cheesecloth or a fine sieve.

1. Combine coffee-infused almond oil with two tablespoons of coconut oil, one tablespoon of beeswax pellets, one vitamin E capsule, and your favorite gentle essential oil like lavender or rose (or leave unscented).
2. Heat this mixture over a double boiler until everything is melted.
3. Let cool to the touch but pour into a glass container while still liquid.

Super Simple Light Eye Area Moisturizer

This moisturizer is ideal for very oily skin as it is very light. This mixture should soak right into the skin easily. The anti-inflammatory properties of aloe combine well with beneficial nutrients like minerals, fatty acids, and vitamins.

1. In a small glass or plastic bottle (6 oz size) with a top, add two tablespoons of aloe vera gel, a tablespoon of rose hydrosol, and a teaspoon of rosehip oil.
2. Shake well and apply to eye area.
3. Shake each time before use and keep in a cool spot—ideally the refrigerator, which will help the gel last longer and feel cool upon application.

DIY Eye Mask for Immediate Moisturizing

This is a one-time use mask for the eye area, if you need deep moisturizing, calming, and soothing around the eyes.

1. Mash up 1/4 of an avocado in a bowl using a fork.
2. Add a teaspoon of aloe vera gel and 5-6 drops of sweet almond or grapeseed oil and mix.
3. Apply around the eye, being careful not to get any in your eye. Lie down for 5-10 minutes while the mask works.
4. Rinse off (don't use soap if you can avoid it). Pat dry and apply your regular eye cream.

Emergency Rescue for Puffy Eyes

Sometimes you wake up on the wrong side of the bed and the skin around your eyes tells on you. This quick pick-me-up needs to be made in advance, but it will keep for a year or more in the freezer, so it'll be there when you need it.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup of your favorite milk (a nut milk like almond or hazelnut is best but any milk will work)
• 1/4 cup aloe vera gel
• 4 cucumber slices with most of the skin removed
• 6 mint leaves
• 1 tablespoon almond oil

Steps:

1. In a blender, mix milk, aloe vera gel, and 3-4 thick cucumber slices.
2. Add mint leaves and almond oil. Blend for 2 minutes.
3. Pour blended mix into an ice cube tray and freeze.

When needed, pop out of the ice tray, wrap in a thin piece of fabric (like a bandana), lie down, and gently pat the eye area. It will slowly melt, which is fine, let the mixture soak into your skin.

Jasmine Green Tea Eye Spray

Jasmine green tea contains caffeine, so like the coffee eye cream, this spray might help with puffiness. Aloe vera will moisturize and the double-spray process will give this light mixture a chance to absorb. The spray application method is also an easy way to cover the whole eye area at once.

1. Brew a tablespoon of jasmine green tea with three tablespoons of hot water (180 degrees Fahrenheit) for three minutes. Drain green tea leaves out.
2. Add a tablespoon of argan oil to the warm, concentrated tea, and then 2 tablespoons of aloe vera gel.
3. Add mixture to a small spray container. Shake vigorously to mix ingredients.
4. Close eyes and spray over the eye area.
5. Gently pat dry and repeat, this time patting the mixture into the area around the eye with your fingertips. Gently pat dry again.
6. Shake well before each use. This spray doesn't have any natural preservatives in it so will only last a couple of weeks.