The invention of this cold cream recipe is credited to Galen, a physician in the second century from Greece. This cold cream is thick and softens when it touches the skin. It is perfect for dry skin on elbow, feet, and knees and also perfect for natural ways of removing makeup and to avoid eczema in dry parts of your body.
Galen was one of the first to be known to make a link between the body and soul and how to treat sickness looking at the four humor (blood, phlegm, yellow bile and black bile). You can actually find some of his work translated from Greek in this book: Selected Work By Galen
This Galen Cold cream recipe is without borax. Borax is also known as sodium borate which helps binding water and oil. Beeswax is here an effective emulsifier that binds water and oil. The only trick is that you have to be careful with the ratio water vs oil. If you put too much water, your cream will separate.
How to make this Galen cold cream recipe is a very simple process that requires 3 ingredients:
Rosewater (also called rose hydrosol) is a bi-product of the rose essential oil distillation process. It helps to balance the skin sebum production and is used to enhance circulation.
I prefer to substitute Olive oil with almond oil because I like the scent better, plus it is less greasy than olive oil.
Almond oil has many benefits for the skin. It is naturally rich in Vitamin E, monounsaturated fatty acids, proteins, potassium, and zinc.
As you know, beeswax is the hard labor of the bees and beeswax which create a natural emulsion and binds the water and the oil together.
I’ve seen many forums claiming that you cannot create a cold cream recipe without using a chemical emulsifier like borax, sorbitol & stearic acid.
This is not true. You can create a cream with simple ingredients as in this cold cream recipe below. If you use chemical emulsifiers, you will need to use preservatives like triclosan or Caprylyl Glycol. You can skip all that nonsense. The reasons those chemicals were created is to have long shelf life, 2 to 5 years. That allows commercial cosmetic companies to make more money, at the expense of our health.
Make small batches, use clean and sterilized utensils as well as tools and surfaces. The shelf life of this cream is between 2 to 4 weeks.
Use clean hands when you handle the product and most of it use common sense! If you see mold or the cream is smelling off, throw it away!
Please tell me what do you think of Galen invention and how you like this recipe in the comments below!
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If I were to add borax to the rose water, how much do you recommend? I know it doesn’t need it, but it’s something I prefer to use.
Just made this. I added Geranium and Frankincense essential oils. Love the texture of thos cream. Never going back to store bought creams. Thank you so much for the recipe.
thanks Kanchan :-)
I've been using the cream I made using this recipe and I can honestly say I will never go back to shop-bought! I have combination skin which tends to be oily across the forehead, nose and chin but can be sensitive and dry in patches. This has honestly made my skin glow! Tone is more even, pores smaller. I'm really delighted with the results. After leaving on my face for a minute or two I wipe off makeup etc. with a warm face cloth but use it as a moisturiser too, when my skin needs a bit of TLC. Thank you Eve! I'm now hooked and will be perusing your site for more recipes to try. x
Hi Eve,
How long does this cold cream last for?
Hi esther, 2 to 4 weeks but you can add a drop of organic grapefruit seed extract to extend the shelf life.
Can Beeswax be substituted if so what do you recommend?
not for this cold cream, beeswax gives the best results but you could try with candellila wax or carnauba wax, cant guarantee the results tho, will have to test!
I made 4 jars of this today and they all turned out perfect. I neglected to read the instructions in one pan and heated until the bees wax melted then whipped it up! No need to heat the rose water separately. Next time I am going to add more beeswax to make it less greasy.
more beeswax will make it more greasy and will give a waxy feeling!
Thank you for the recipe! I purchased the ingredients at my local apothecary and used bees wax from the farmers market. It whipped up perfectly! I think I will use a little more beeswax next time to mitigate greasiness, and I prefer grape seed oil so I used that. I followed your directions closely and had brilliant results. It’s been a couple hours and has not separated yet. I like not using borax, I go through this quickly enough that it doesn’t go rancid. I also just used regular water, but will try a hydrosol next time.
I was purchasing cold cream online but it got pricey and I’m not timid when it comes to diy. Thank you so much for your guidance, you’re an angel!
Hi could you use frankincense myrr or geranium instead of rose otto I've got rose damask 8% diluted in jojaba oil think it's 8 or 3 can't quite see .
I made this and used it. I followed the directions exactly and it came out smooth and creamy. I used olive oil as that’s what I have on hand and I made my own rose water. It removed all of my makeup and left my skin soft.
Thank you for this recipe!!!
Dear Eve. Thank you for your beauty recipes. I tried and my cream seperated. What can ı do to mix again this oil phase and water phase ? Thanks a lot:)
Özge Akgül
Hello Ozge, are you sure the oil and water are at the same temperature when you mix them?
If so, increase the amount of oil, that should help with the emulsion.
Thanks Eve for this lovely recipe. I mixed my batch and it blended beautifully. Then hours later I see it is separating. Is it too late now to fix it? Can I warm it all together and remix? It’s such a shame to toss it.
Thank you for your advice ı will try.