Making your own facial moisturizer isn’t difficult, and it can save you a lot of money. Learn to make a homemade moisturizer for oily, acne prone skin, and customize it to suit your skin.
For the last 30 years or so, I’ve struggled with oily, acne prone skin. When I was 13 years old, it wasn’t that unusual. I could blame it on the hormonal changes of adolescence. When I hit 20, I was excited that it was finally time for my skin to clear up, but it didn’t; nor did it when I hit 30, or 40!
To be honest, I’ve always avoided wearing any type of facial moisturizer because I was afraid that it would make my skin break out more than it already was.
As I’ve gotten older, though, I have new concerns. I want to use some sort of moisturizer to prevent age lines and wrinkles. While my homemade hyaluronic acid serum does seem to work quite well to help my skin stay youthful, I wanted to make myself a moisturizer to use with my serum.
Why make your own moisturizer?
Making your own moisturizer may sound intimidating, but it’s actually very easy. If you can bake a cake or make aioli, you should have no issues making your own lotions and moisturizers.
Of course, just because you can do something, doesn’t always mean you should. In this case, though, there are many benefits to making your own facial moisturizer.
Customize it to suit your skin
In this article, I’ll be sharing some of my favorite oils and other ingredients for oily and acne prone skin. These oils have worked well for me, and I think they are a great starting point for making your own moisturizer if you have acne prone skin.
While non-comedogenic oils are generally less problematic for most people with acne-prone skin, not all non-comedogenic oils work well for all people. Some people may have sensitivities to certain oils. Being able to customize a moisturizer to suit your needs can be life-changing for people with sensitive skin.
It’s not just about the oils, though. You can also avoid perfumes, parabens, and other problematic ingredients.
Save money
Not only do you gain the ability to choose what goes into your moisturizer, but you can also save money. Moisturizers tend to be quite expensive despite the fact that normally over 50% of the product is water! Once you’ve invested in a good emulsifier and preservative, you can use it for multiple batches of moisturizers and other products.
Ingredients
A moisturizer has 4 basic ingredients: oils, water, and emulsifier, and a preservative.
I have decided to use a variety of oils to add a variety of skin benefits to this moisturizer. That said, you could simplify the recipe, using only one or two of the oils that I have used.
I have also added rose water as part of the water phase of the recipe for its lovely fragrance and its skin-soothing properties. Feel free to only use water, though. You can always add some essential oils for fragrance when you add in the preservative.
The best oils for oily and acne prone skin
After a bit of research, I realized that not all oils will cause breakouts. Nor will they all make your skin feel oily. In fact, some oils can actually help balance the oils in your skin. That makes them beneficial for someone like me with oily or combination skin.
When making your own homemade moisturizer, it’s important to use the best oils for your skin type! Today, I’ll cover some non-comedogenic oils that I use in my homemade moisturizer.
While you can use my recipe as written, you can use your own combination of oils. (Just make sure to keep the total oil weight the same.)
Hemp seed oil
Hemp seed oil may be my favorite oil for people with oily and/or acne prone skin!
Not only does it have a comedogenic rating of ZERO, but it is known to help balance the oils in your skin. It may also help clear up blackheads and small pimples. It does all of that while helping reduce dry patches, inflammation, redness, and fine lines!
It’s a definite must have in any homemade lotion for oily and acne prone skin.
You may notice that in some of my photos, my homemade moisturizer is a bright white color. In others, it’s more of a pale yellow. This is due to using different hemp oils from different suppliers. When using a light-colored hemp oil, the moisturizer is very light in color or even bright white. When using a dark green hemp oil, the moisturizer is darker in color.
Some hemp oils may also add a scent that can be overpowering, so keep that in mind. (Oils with less scent and less color probably make a prettier, more pleasant moisturizer, but either type will work.)
Argan oil
Argan oil was already one of my favorite oils for both skin and hair, but I love it even more knowing that it also has a comedogenic rating of ZERO. In fact, it may even directly inhibit the bacteria that cause acne, making it a possible acne treatment!
The great thing about argan oil is that, because it helps balance the sebum production of the skin, it is a great oil to use on any skin type. It hydrates and works great on flaking or itchy dry skin. It is normally very well tolerated by people with sensitive skin, and it may help eczema, rosacea, or psoriasis.
Because it helps balance the sebum production of your skin, it’s especially great for moisturizing oily or combination skin.
Sunflower oil
I was very surprised to find that sunflower oil is another oil with a comedogenic rating of ZERO!
There is a catch, though. You shouldn’t use sunflower oil with a high oleic content which may clog pores. Sunflower oil that doesn’t specifically say it is high oleic should be fine. (High oleic sunflower oil is made from sunflowers that have been crossbred to be high in oleic acid in an attempt to prolong their shelf life and make them healthier for eating.)
Otherwise, sunflower oil may be the best oil to use on acne-prone skin because it is the highest, of the oils with a comedogenic rating of zero, in linoleic acid. People who are acne-prone tend to have lower levels of linoleic acid in their skin, and it is generally thought that oils high in linoleic acid will help problems with acne.
Sunflower oil has also been shown to hydrate the skin better than olive oil, and it also may provide a barrier against the bacteria that could cause acne and other infections.
Sunflower oil Shea butter
Shea butter
Shea butter is another one of those surprising oils. Because it’s so thick, you’d probably imagine it would cause your skin to break out. Interestingly enough, though, it also has a comedogenic rating of zero!
An amazing emollient, shea butter has demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-aging properties. It also naturally blocks some UVB rays, making it a useful addition to day creams.
If your skin is very oily, shea butter may feel slightly heavy for your skin. That’s why I use it in a low concentration. It adds its anti-aging benefits without feeling too heavy.
Unrefined shea butter also has a scent that many people find overpowering and unpleasant. Keep that in mind when choosing which type of shea butter you’d like to use.
Some people (not all) with a latex allergy may also react to shea butter. If you are in doubt, sub out the shea butter for a different oil in the recipe!
Rosehip oil
Rosehip oil is great for helping combat the redness and inflammation from acne. It has antioxidant qualities and is a good source of phytonutrients.
I was first introduced to rosehip oil when my husband was badly burned in an accident on his fishing boat. During the rehabilitation phase, the doctors prescribed massaging rosehip oil into the scars daily. They told us that rosehip oil and massage could help reduce the thickness of the scars, allowing for mobility in the scarred areas of skin.
It’s not just useful for acne and scars, though. Rosehip oil may help with a variety of skin conditions. It may help reduce fine lines and wrinkles, scarring, and skin discolorations like age spots. It may also help improve eczema, psoriasis, and stretch marks.
With all of its potential benefits, rosehip oil makes a great addition to a homemade moisturizer for acne-prone skin!
Unlike the other oils listed, rosehip oil has a comedogenic rating of 1. That is still a very low rating and most people react well to it.
Some people with acne use rosehip oil on alternate days and find that it helps them when used in that way. I added it in a low percentage to the moisturizer recipe, just in case. It works well for me. If you have issues with rosehip oil, though, sub it out for a different oil!
Rosehip oil Rose water
The water phase
While this moisturizer can be made with only distilled water, I combined the water with rose water. Rose water adds a lovely floral fragrance to the moisturizer, additional moisturizing and anti-aging properties, and it can help fight acne and eczema. Its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties may protect cells from damage. It may also help heal wounds and clear up scars!
My homemade rose hydrosol didn’t have as potent of a fragrance as the store-bought rose water sold for use in foods. So, the last time I made this moisturizer, I actually combined the two. I had an abundance of homemade rose hydrosol, so I used that in place of the distilled water. I then used the food grade rose water for the rose water in the recipe below.
While I normally add essential oils to my lotions and creams, the rose water left this facial cream with such a lovely fragrance that I didn’t choose to add any. If you have moderate to more severe acne, though, you may want to consider adding some tea tree essential oil to your cream.
Choosing an emulsifier
Because this is a recipe for acne-prone skin, I chose to use an emulsifier that is known to be non-comedogenic, Montanov 68. It’s an emulsifier that is made from tapioca and coconut oil. It gave my cream a light, yet thick, texture that goes on wonderfully. It makes my skin feel nice and smooth.
Some readers have commented that it is harder to find Montanov 68 in the United States, so I have researched other emulsifiers. (Check out my guide to cosmetic emulsifiers for more information about the various emulsifiers.)
Olivem 1000 is another natural emulsifier that is considered non-comedogenic. It’s an emulsifier derived from the olive plant that also makes a nice creamy lotion. While I haven’t tried it in this specific recipe, I have used in many other homemade lotions like the anti-stress and headache lotion posted on the blog.
Some people say that Olivem is a more difficult emulsifier to use. Others think it has a soapy feel to it in lotions. While I don’t have issues with Olivem, both of those issues can be resolved somewhat by combining it with a co-emulsifier like cetyl alcohol or cetearyl alcohol. (I’ve also read that Olivem may cause problems when over-beaten. If you think you have that issue, either hand-mix it or blend in short bursts during the cooling phase.)
Natural Preservatives
For this recipe, I originally chose Leucidal because it’s a fairly accesible natural preservative both in Spain and in the United States. Leucidal comes from fermenting radishes with a bacteria called Leuconostoc Kimchii. Using it as 3-4% of your recipe by weight allows you to keep your finished lotion for 2-3 months (outside of the fridge) provided that you have made the lotion in hygienic conditions.
I have since switched to using other preservatives instead. Lately, I’ve been making it with either Sharomix 705 or Euxyl® K 903. Both are allowed in natural and organic cosmetics. Most natural preservatives (other than Leucidal) are used at a dosage of around 1% of the recipe, by weight. That means that you’d add 1g of preservative for every 100g of cream (99g other ingredients).
There are several other natural preservatives that you can use. Check out my guide to natural preservatives for more preservatives that can be used and how to safely substitute them in recipes.
I also cover more about preservatives and emulsions in my post about how to make a basic lotion. If you haven’t made lotions or creams before, it’s a good idea to read through that post to give you a better idea of the process. (Don’t worry, it’s easy!)
Using essential oils
This is one of the few times that I haven’t added essential oils to one of my homemade lotions. That doesn’t mean that you can’t add them, though. I mostly didn’t add them because I loved the rose scent of this lotion obtained from using rose water. (This could be made more potent by adding some rose essential oil!)
If you want to try to help increase the acne-fighting benefits of this homemade moisturizer, though, tea tree oil is probably the best essential oil for treating acne. Not only is it gentle enough to be well tolerated by most people, but it has also been shown to have antimicrobial properties, which may very well help clear up acne.
Lavender essential oil is often used in skin treatments for acne-prone skin and it effectively helps clear up the skin of some people. Plus, it has a lovely fragrance!
Some people may find that they are sensitive to essential oils, and their use may cause redness, making the problem worse. If you have sensitive skin, it may be a good idea to divide your batch of moisturizer and only add essential oils to a small amount to test out before adding them to an entire batch.
When adding essential oils, I normally add them at around 1% of the product, by weight. (So, 1g for every 100g of product.)
How to make the moisturizer
To make the moisturizer, you first need to weigh out the various ingredients. The oil-based ingredients should be combined in a heat-safe container and the water-based ingredients should be combined in a separate heat-safe container.
I find it easiest weigh out all of the oil-based ingredients together and all of the water-based ingredients together. To do so, tare the scale with the empty container on it. Add the first ingredient, up to the correct weight. Tare the scale between ingredients to get the reading back to zero again.
The emulsifier will normally be added to the oil-based ingredients. (Check on the instructions that come with your particular emulsifier to make sure.)
For those who will be making their own soaps and other cosmetics, having at least one scale is essential. You can buy an inexpensive kitchen scale for under $20. A kitchen scale is great for recipes where you don’t need to be super precise. It will give you a reading to the nearest gram.
More precise measurements may be needed for making smaller batches. (For example, when measuring out preservatives or when making a homemade serum.) I use an inexpensive jeweler’s scale for those times.
Weigh out the ingredients. Combine the emulsifier with the oils. Heat both containers over water bath. Melt the emulsifier and butter.
Once you’ve weighed out the various ingredients, heat both the oils and the waters in a water bath until the emulsifier has melted.
Once the emulsifier has melted, remove both containers from the hot water bath. Immediately pour the oil-based ingredients into the water-based ingredients while warm. Ideally, they should both be around 70º-75ºC/160º-170ºF.
Pour warm oils into warm waters. Blend together with a blender or milk frother.
Periodically blend the ingredients together with an immersion blender or a milk frother while the mixture cools. You can also whisk by hand, but an electric mixer can help ensure a more stable emulsion. The moisturizer will thicken as it cools.
Once the ingredients have cooled enough, add the preservative and any other heat-sensitive ingredients that you may want to add. (This includes essential oils and/or vitamins like b-panthenol.)
Then, pour the mixture into clean packaging. I like using airless dispensers and silicone travel tubes because they allow you to dispense the moisturizer without contaminating it with your hands.
Day cream or night cream?
This moisturizer works well both day and night. It’s not too heavy and it includes several oils with anti-aging properties.
Normally, the main difference between day and night creams is that night creams often use photosensitive ingredients that can’t be used in day creams. They are also sometimes a bit heavier and greasier than a cream that you would want to wear in the day under your makeup.
This cream doesn’t have any photosensitive ingredients (unless you were to add a citrus essential oil or some other additive that may increase sun sensitivity), so it’s perfectly fine to use both night and day. Perhaps as I get older, though unnecessary, I may try making a separate night cream that is slightly heavier.
Video
Homemade Moisturizer for Oily, Acne Prone Skin
Materials
- 10 g sunflower oil not high oleic
- 5 g argan oil
- 5 g hemp seed oil
- 5 g shea butter
- 5 g rosehip oil
- 40 g distilled water
- 25 g rose water
- 5 g montanov 68 or olivem or other emulsifier
- 1 g natural preservative (follow the recommended dosage for preservative chosen)
Instructions
- Weigh out the distilled water and rose water in a heat-safe container.
- Weigh the oils and emulsifier in a separate heat-safe container.
- Heat both containers in a hot water bath until the emulsifier has melted. (You may also use double boiler inserts for heating the ingredients over the hot water.)
- Combine the hot oils and waters while still hot, stirring until well combined. Ideally, both should be around 70º-75ºC/160º-170ºF when you combine them.
- Periodically whisk the ingredients together while they cool. The mixture will thicken and become more opaque as it cools.
- Once the mixture has cooled to around 30ºC/85ºF, add the preservative and, optionally, essential oils or other heat-sensitive ingredients. Mix together well to incorporate all of the ingredients.
- Test the pH of the lotion. Adjust it down with a few drops of lactic acid, if needed.
- Pour the facial cream into bottles. I love airless dispensers because they allow you to dispense the cream easily without contaminating it with your fingers.
Notes
Customizing oils
You may adjust the amounts and combination of oils used to suit your skin and sensitivities. (Just keep the total weight of the oils the same.Adding fragrance
This moisturizer obtains its subtle floral scent from the rose water. If you want a more pronounced rose scent, you can substitute part of the distilled water for more rose water or add a few drops of rose essential oil. If you prefer, you can also substitute the rose water with another floral water or hydrosol. You can also add an essential oil like lavender or tea tree oil at around 1% of the recipe by weight. Some essential oils may also help prevent and clear up acne.Preservatives
I normally use Sharomix 705 and Euxyl k903 to preserve this moisturizer. If using Leucidal for your preservative, it should be dosed around 3-4% of the recipe by weight (rather than 1%). For more information about preservatives, check out my guide to natural preservatives.Emulsifiers
Different emulsifiers will give different consistencies and textures. You may need to adjust the amount of emulsifier used depending on the one chosen. (Adding more will give a thicker consistency.) For more information about emulsifiers, check out my guide to emulsifiers. I like Montanov 68 and Olivem 1000.Testing the pH
You can use ph test strips to test the pH of the lotion. Test the pH to ensure the lotion falls in a decent range for both your skin (5-6 is ideal) and for the preservative you want to useYield
This recipe makes around 100g of lotion. In volume, it will make slightly less than 100ml. (The oil component of ml to grams isn’t interchangeable in the same way water is.) You can adjust the amount of the recipe to suit whichever container you plan to use.This post was originally published on April 8, 2017. It was rewritten, adding new photos, video, and clearer instructions in April of 2021.
Jessica
Hi tracy! I have been following you posts for a while and have really enjoyed the thought and detail you put into every project.
I made this recipe and absolutely loved it! I now am now wanting to make a primer to wear under water based airbrush makeup and was wondering if you had any thoughts, I was thinking about combining glycerin (for stickyness, to prime the skin for makeup) water, hemp oil, argan oil, Olivem and zinc oxide (sun a little added sun protection). I don’t have really any experience but I want to learn, what do you think? (I do have serious acne that I have finally just got under 70% control) so a little gun shy at trying new things 😉
Tracy Ariza
Hi Jessica,
Thank you so much. I’m happy you liked it! 🙂
Do you have a comparable product that you are trying to reproduce? I’m not very familiar with primers. Your logic sounds reasonable, but it’s not something I know much about. 😉
laurie
Thank you so much for the recipe. I made substitutions, but the end result is a lightweight moisturizer for my oily skin that has a good consistency. I love how it’s just a small batch. Too many recipes out there have you making 10 jars of something. I just want to make it when I need it. Thanks.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Laurie,
I’m happy it worked so well for you! 🙂
Nicole
Hi Tracy,
Thank you for sharing your recipe.
I have followed your instructions to the letter and the resulting cream is lovely. However, I find it leaves my face very shiny. Can you suggest something to remedy this? Adding arrowroot powder? Something else?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Nicole,
I haven’t had that problem, but, yes, adding arrowroot powder is definitely something that you could try. It’s what I usually add to body butters to keep them from feeling as oily. I’d think it could help in a lotion or moisturizer too, but I haven’t personally tried it yet in this recipe.
If you do try it and find it helps, I’d love to know. It may be a good addition to the post to help others with the same issue.
Rachel
I don’t know if this has been asked but if I am using a homemade facial scrub and/or cleanser that contains oils, do I then need a moisturiser like this as well? I’m wondering if so many products with oils will make my skin worse.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Rachel,
This is a difficult question to answer, but I’ll do my best to give you my opinion. I believe that our skin can really benefit from proper hydration, and using moisturizers like this one can help with that. They draw moisture (in the form of water) into our skin, and the oils help keep the moisture in. They can also replenish the oils that we remove when we cleanse our faces.
Oil-based cleansers can actually strip your skin of oils because the oils of the cleanser bind to the oils in our skin, and both get rinsed away. That’s how the oil-cleansing method works. Obviously, it depends on how you rinse, etc.
Some oils will help balance our skin and improve it, but it can be difficult to find the ones that are best for you because it will be different for everybody.
That’s what I like about making my own products- it makes it easier to experiment and find the ones that work best with my skin.
Ika
Hi, I always was thinking that coconout oil or olive oil can clog pores that’s why I was always thinking they are not the best as emulsifier, what should I do 🙁 ?
Tracy Ariza
We aren’t using either oil here. We are using emulsifiers that may have been derived from them, but that are completely different in the end.
I’d say try one of them and see how it goes. You can always use it for a general body lotion or for making emulsified sugar scrubs if you don’t like it for your face. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, though.
Scarlett Ray
This was really helpful. My skin is so much oily and this saved me from pimples and acne.
Rachel
Hi Tracy! I’m hoping you can help! The first time I made this it was fantastic; thick, creamy and not at all greasy, however I tried to make it again yesterday but it split 🙁 I then tried another two times but exactly the same happened and it’s driving me mad! I’m not doing anything differently. Any ideas?? I love this moisturiser (thank you for the recipe!) and I’ve nearly run out. Thank you for any advice. Rachel.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Rachel,
When you say it split, do you mean it separated into the liquid and oils?
If you are having problems getting them to stay, there are a few things you can try.
While I don’t normally do it, and don’t think you need to “heat and hold,” many people will hold the ingredients at 70-80ºC for around 20 minutes before combining them and say it helps the emulsion somehow. I’ve never done it, but I did see a study once about why it may help the emulsion be slightly more stable.
There are other easier things you can try first, though.
1) try to make sure both the water and oil based ingredients are at the same temperature when you mix them together.
2) use an electric mixture and mix the mixture over the course of the cooling period. Many times you won’t need to, and can just easily whisk it every once in a while as it cools, but a bit of help from an electric mixer will help get you a much more stable emulsion.
What emulsifier did you use, by the way? Some are a bit harder to work with than others and may need a bit more power mixing. 😉
You can try to save your other batches by re-heating and whisking as it cools, but keep in mind that the EO’s and preservatives can be heat sensitive, so you may need to add more. Using the preservative adequately is a bit harder to do correctly because too much can be irritating to your skin, but not enough can allow for microbial growth. I’m just guessing, so I don’t know how sound this advice is, but if I had used 1% before, I might try adding in another 0.5% so as not to go overboard but to help it in case the heat has done it any damage (if that makes sense). This will depend so much on your preservative, of course- you can look to see how heat sensitive your particular preservative is, though, before adding more!
Arianna
Great recipe! I subbed your oils choices for what I have around: Sweet Almond, Jojoba, and cbd infused Grape Seed oil. My flavors were Rose-Chamomile and Earl Grey-Lavender (a night cream because Bergamot oil is photosensitive).
Heads up, I believe your units calculator is way off! I put in 3000ml ending weight and the oz side looked weird, check it out and let me know I’m crazy…
Thank you for creating this!! I’m so glad you introduced me to some natural emulsifiers and preservatives!
Tracy Ariza
Hi Arianna,
Thank you!
It sounds like you made some great choices!
I just infused some CBD into some oils for lotions, and I’m really excited to try them out. I’ll be posting more about that eventually. 🙂
Thanks for the heads up on the calculator. I was kist heading off to pick my son up form his karate class, but I’ll take a look when I get home! I definitely don’t want any crazy conversions!
Tracy Ariza
Wow- you’re completely right!
I just wrote to the people who make the recipe card plugin to see what they say about how to fix that. Hopefully, I can get it fixed soon! Thank you so much for the heads up!
joni
Does anyone have the ingredients in volumes rather than weight? My scale doesn’t seem to be sensitive enough and allows for a big range.
Sandy
For other recipes that do not call for emulsifiers or preservatives, is there a standard for using them?
Tracy Ariza
You’re welcome!
You only need an emulsifier for a product that combines water and oils- where you want them to stay together. So, you’ll use them in any basic lotion recipe, conditioners, and even for something like an emulsified sugar scrub. Actually, in the case of the sugar scrub, you don’t even need to combine with water, but you want it to form a lotion when you combine it with water on your skin. That helps keep it from being greasy like a sugar scrub that doesn’t have an emulsifier.
The preservatives also really only need to be used in products with water in them. Oil based products without water, like the lotion bars, won’t need them. In some cases, it’s a good idea to add a preservative anyway. A good example is the emulsified sugar scrub. It doesn’t really need one, but it’s a good idea to add one if you will be storing it in a jar in the shower. If it gets contaminated with water, microbes can grow. You can normally see mold forming, so you will know to throw something moldy away. The problem is that you won’t normally see the bacteria forming, not even in a transparent product.
Does all of that make sense?