D.I.Y. for a Brighter Eye!

By: Jessie Assaf and Chelsea Truong

Hi guys! It’s Jess and Chels back at it again with a D.I.Y! We chose to make our product about helping our skin in some way. We agreed upon an eye cream because we really don’t get enough sleep and could really use a pick-me-up. We had so much fun making it. Our product turned out great and was the best version because we added/changed some ingredients to make it smell better and have a greater texture. You guys should 100% try this recipe because it was simple, fun, and useful. Throughout the process, we changed a lot and there were a few trials and there was a lot of experimenting with products. The one we decided to write about today was our favorite because of its result and because of how easy it was to make.

We got the original recipe from a site that was actually another blog, and we loved everything about the cream, but we just wanted to add and improve some of the ingredients to fit us. Now fair warning, some of the ingredients we changed were turned back into their original form because our supply was used up by others before we were able to make our product.

We both chose to buy pineapple extract for the citric acid it had, but it was such a rare ingredient that we couldn't buy it. However, there was some citric acid powder in the classroom still. So we adapted, and while the other recipe contained no citric acid, we decided to add it for its great levels of Vitamin. This vitamin is an antioxidant that aids in many skin ailments, such as dark spots and sun tanning. So we had changed the cacao butter to shea butter since it great anti-inflammatory properties due to its cinnamic acid, but when we have arrived at the lab, all of it was used up, and we had to resort back to cacao butter. To add, there was no ground coffee beans so we retrieved some from our chemistry teacher. Except, this coffee was pumpkin flavored instead. But there was nothing to complain about as the pumpkin flavor, the coffee flavor, and the cacao butter could potentially all mix to create a great aroma. In the end, due to circumstances that we could not control, the things changed about the recipe was the adding of citric acid and the pumpkin flavor of he coffee beans.

Materials:

2 tbsp Cacao Butter

2 tbsp Rosehip Oil

2 tbsp Ground Pumpkin Flavored Coffee Beans

2 tsp Beeswax Pellets

2 pinches Citric Acid Powder

1 Double Boiler

1 Small-Medium Sized Mason Jar

1 Mesh Strainer

1 Small Pipette

6 Small Containers

The Benefits of Cacao Butter

Cacao butter makes you think of delicious chocolate, I know, but it can actually also improve and firm your skin! See cacao butter is a vegetable fat extracted from cacao beans, and was used in medicine in ancient times(and still is)but it’s also used today in makeup and other cosmetics. This substance contains many fatty acids, and these fatty acids are the “building blocks of healthy cell membranes”. Fatty acids are polyunsaturated fats(one of the healthy fats found in nuts, seeds, salmon, etc), and help to produce your skin's natural oil barrier, keep it hydrated, plumper, and younger looking. This butter also contains the body's most plentiful protein: collagen. Collagen helps to make up many connective tissues in your body and has many other important functions, including providing your skin with structure. Who knew right?

Rosehip Oil Brewing

The Benefits of Rosehip Oil

So, despite what you may be thinking, no rosehip oil doesn't come from rose petals. You might be confusing it with rose oil. Rosehip oil is actually pressed from the fruit and seeds of the rose plant. Rosehip oil can be found online, at Target, or even in your local grocery store! Its benefits are extremely abundant. It is jam packed with vitamins A,C, and E, and rich fatty acids. Those fatty acids make sure the cells' are strong so that they don’t lose water. And while Vitamin C assists in regenerating cells, which boosts overall radiance, the Vitamin E is known for its anti-inflammatory effects. As for Vitamin A, it encourages the activity of fibroblasts—the cells that develop the tissue responsible for keeping skin firm and healthy. The uses could go on and on!

The Benefits of Coffee

It sounded just a tad weird to us when we heard about putting coffee in our eye cream, but when we actually researched the advantages, we knew it was just the right ingredient for this product. Its caffeic acid is an antioxidant which may increase levels of collagen and reduce early aging of cells. Caffeine can also encourage blood flow and widens the blood vessels. The increased blood flow can help the skin to naturally tighten and so the buildup of fluid under the eyes could potentially be lessened. So clearly its taste isn't the only way that coffee is one of the best things in the world!

Straining the Coffee Beans and Rosehip Oil

Procedure:

1. So first of all, add water to the double boiler and put it over medium heat. Then add all of the coffee grounds and rosehip oil into a small-medium sized mason jar. (For those without a double boiler, just add a few inches of water to a skillet and put the contents into a heatproof glass).

2. Put the mason jar into the double boiler and take the spoon to mix the oil and coffee grounds together. Stir the contents every 5 minutes for 30 minutes. This helps to fuse the oil and coffee properties that will benefit your skin.

3. After the half hour, use a strainer (or coffee filter) to separate the coffee grounds from the juice and pour it into a container. Make sure to pour the juice back into the original mason jar and place it back into the double boiler.

4. Add the cocoa butter and heat until melted. Now stir stir stir!

5. Add a pinch of citric acid into the mixture.

6. Stir and heat for about two minutes to make sure the contents are liquid.

7. Add the beeswax pellets. Stir until melted. Stir for about thirty seconds to blend further.

8. Using the pipette, evenly fill the six containers with the mixture. Let the containers sit until firm. To speed up the process, put the containers in the fridge.

9. Have fun and enjoy!

If you try this, we swear you will see a change instantly! We both did, and although we will see some shine from the buttery cream, it can help you so much if you are someone who struggles with under-eye circles or anything related.

Overall, the product was important because it uses natural ingredients and benefits our skin in so many ways. Our ingredients blended together so nicely and aromatically. The process was educational and beneficial in helping us create the best possible results. We have been using this product for about a week and we get compliments on the smell as well as the look. When we showcase it, everyone is eager to try it. To conclude, this D.I.Y. eye cream is easy to make, useful to try, and beneficial to your skin!