Valentine's Day Skin Cream

Method:

• Heat Stage 1 (fat stage) in a stainless steel jug/beaker or heat safe glassware on a double boiler until the temperature is above 75°C.
• Add the Stage 2 (water stage) ingredients to the other stainless steel jug/beaker or heat safe glassware. The boiled hydrolat can come straight from the kettle. If you don't have any hydrolats you can use plain boiled bottled water.
• Pour Stage 1 into Stage 2 and stir these together with a silicone spatula or metal spoon.
• Then, use a stick blender (high shear) to emulsify the two stages. This will happen in about 30 seconds, so keep checking. Keep the stick blender at the bottom of the container and ensure the temperature stays above 75°C. When you lift the stick blender out of the mixture, the mix running off the blender head should look like a thin cream. If it looks granular or like it is separating, it needs more high shear blending for another 30 seconds.
• When it has emulsified, take it out of the double boiler and use a silicone spatula to stir it whilst it is cooling down. You can use a cold water bath to speed up the cooling if you want to. Do not continue to use the stick blender, as this will destroy the liquid crystal structure that the emulsification has formed.
• When it is under 40°C, add the Stage 3 (heat sensitive) ingredients. Combine thoroughly, jar and label.

That’s it!

Rose Hydrolat combines beautifully with either Orange Blossom or Frankincense Hydrolat. Try the different combinations to see who would prefer which in their customised cream.

The stick blender method used to make this cream is hard to do with a small 100gm batch so we suggest you double the recipe and make 2 x 100gm pots each with a different essential oil or blend.