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DIY Shea Butter + Turmeric + Lemon Night Cream


I live in a pretty humid city, so I usually don't moisturize my face in the day (unless it feels super dry). I find that putting on cream-based products on my face while I'm out and about makes me sweat like crazy. So, the only time my face gets pampered is at night. But ever since my acne problem started a year ago, I've been having trouble finding a good night cream for my face. I have tried a couple of options but they almost always end up breaking me out. I used Nivea Soft Light Moisturiser for a while, but it caused me to break out. I used Bio Oil once (which was one of the worst skincare decisions I have made) and it made my skin erupt into a ginormous pimple. I used this Korean product called Mizon Snail Recovery Gel Cream, which was hailed by many blogs as an acne cure, but again it broke me out. I haven't seen any adverse effects while using Lactocalamine, but I feel like it doesn't so much moisturize my skin as mattify it. Also, I sweat a bit while using Lactocalamine which is not a feeling I like.

I am sure there are commercial creams out there that may suit my skin, but I don't want to shell out money trying to find the right one. There are a lot of ingredients that go into making a cream commercially, and you never know which ingredient your skin may be allergic to. Which was why I decided to make my own night cream using natural ingredients that I know will not cause breakouts.

Let me break down what ingredients I used for this simple night cream and why:
Shea Butter: 
Shea butter is incredibly good at moisturizing your skin. It is non-comedogenic, meaning that it doesn't clog pores and thus will not cause acne. It smooths out wrinkles and fine lines.  It helps with inflammation and sunburn. It has a little bit of SPF as well. But make sure you're using raw, unrefined & organic shea butter to get its full benefits. It can be a little expensive, but you're going to be putting this on your face, so it's better to be safe than sorry. I purchased 50 grams of raw shea butter on Amazon for Rs. 266. The brand is called Green Junction and if the reviews are to be trusted, it seems like a quality buy. I suggest you do your own research before buying the shea butter, but a good tip is to check the colour of the butter. Raw shea butter is supposed to have an ivory to off-white colour. If it has a yellowish tinge, it is most likely refined or adulterated.

Turmeric Essential Oil:
Turmeric has anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, anti-microbial properties, so it will dry out your acne really quickly. It helps in fading scars and brightening your complexion. It also has anti-aging properties which is always a good thing. Turmeric is widely used in India to reduce facial hair, but I am not sure if the oil version of it will do the same thing. The turmeric oil that I bought is from the brand Aroma Treasures and a 10 ml bottle of it is available on Nykaa at Rs. 125.


Lemon Essential Oil: 
The vitamin C and anti-oxidants in lemon is great against acne. Like turmeric, it also has skin brightening and anti-aging benefits. It is an astringent and therefore helps in reducing sebum production on your face. My lemon oil is again from Aroma Treasures and I bought a 10 ml bottle of it from Nykaa at Rs. 185.

I decided to make a small sample of the cream to test how my skin reacts to it. So, I took about 1.5 teaspoons of shea butter in a small plastic jar and mixed it well with a toothpick until it became soft and smooth. Many tutorials on the internet suggest melting the butter in a double boiler, but I found it unnecessary. Perhaps the humid climate in my city helped to liquefy the butter on its own. Then, I added 5 drops each of turmeric and lemon essential oils and mixed it until fully combined. And voila! My DIY night cream was ready.

I used turmeric oil instead of turmeric powder in my cream because I felt it would incorporate better with the shea butter, but you can use the powder if you so prefer. I wouldn't use lemon juice as an alternative to lemon oil though, because the water in lemon juice will reduce the shelf life of the cream significantly. Also, I would not recommend using this as a day cream because turmeric and lemon make your skin photo-sensitive, so if you go out in the sun after using this, your skin will darken.

Today is my first day using this night cream and I love the texture of it. The cream is almost solid at room temperature, but melts immediately when you rub it into your skin. It spreads very easily, so a tiny, tiny amount is enough to moisturize your entire face. After applying the cream, my skin felt greasy for 30 minutes or so, after which there is no greasy residue left. My skin just feels really hydrated. I don't see any bad things happening (yet - lol), but I will keep you updated on the results in another post.
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