I originally made this lovely homemade lavender cold cream for my mom for Mother’s Day and she or he loved it!

Since that point, I’ve made a couple of more versions of it that I wanted to share with you today!

My mom loves lilacs, so I exploit those flowers, plus fresh violet blossoms to infuse the water portion of the cream. Unfortunately, lilacs are one among those flowers, alongside gardenias, whose scent is unable to be captured for long, therefore the scent doesn’t stick around within the finished cream.

However, lilac infusion remains a quaint home remedy for clear skin so I include it anyway, alongside violets which are a helpful treatment for chapped, irritated, or dry skin. Sometimes I add other flowers too, like lavender, chamomile, elderflower – counting on what I even have available.

A few drops of lavender oil, plus a drop of frankincense round out the ingredient list and add a touch of natural lavender fragrance, but you'll also leave it unscented if you’d like.

If you don’t have violets and lilacs available, no problem! you'll just leave them out and still make a pleasant cold cream, or try another flower like calendula in their place.

Below, you’ll find 3 different versions of this cream.

First up, is a simple version made with emulsifying wax? I always use the vegetable-based emulsifying wax sold at Rosa pendulina Herbs; it’s incredibly reliable and consistent. If you employ another sort of emulsifying wax, you'll got to slightly adjust the quantity up or down, counting on how your recipe seems.

The second version features Bio-Mulsion Wax, which is Bramble Berry’s version of Oliver 1000, which is Ecocert, hypoallergenic, vegetable oil-based, PEG-free, and makes a really coffee cream. It’s a tad more finicky than emulsifying wax, but generally well-behaved if you follow directions to be used.

The third version is that the original recipe that I made for my mom several years ago. It uses beeswax and therefore the old-fashioned cold cream method. I might consider this the foremost challenging version, because beeswax isn’t an emulsifier on its own and separation problems can happen. Still, beeswax-based cold creams are perfect for purists and that they are often very nice when done right!

I hope you enjoy these recipes the maximum amount as I enjoyed making and gifting them! :)

Before making your cream, you’ll first get to make an oil and/or a water infusion. you'll use one or both in your recipe.

Lilac & Violet Oil Infusion


  1. Gather a couple of lilac and violet flowers.
  2. Spread them out on a towel or tea towel and permit to air dry for several days.
  3. Fill a little canning jar about 1/4 to 1/2 with dried flowers.
  4. Cover with about twice the maximum amount as your favorite carrier oil, or to the highest of the jar. (I often use apricot kernel, almond, or rice bran.)
  5. For a fast infusion: Set the uncovered jar down into a little saucepan crammed with a couple of inches of water. Heat over a coffee burner for a couple of hours, keeping an in-depth eye that the water doesn’t evaporate out.
  6. For a slower, more traditional infusion: Cap the jar of dried flowers and oil and tuck in during a cabinet for around 4 to six weeks, shaking occasionally as you remember to.
  7. Once sufficiently infused, strain and use the quantity required within the recipe of your choice.

Lilac & Violet Tea or Water Infusion


  1. Gather a couple of lilac and violet flowers.
  2. Place them during a small canning jar.
  3. Heat 3 to 4 oz (85 to 113 g) water to a simmer and pour into the jar.
  4. Let steep for 20 to half-hour
  5. Strain and use within the cream recipe of your choice.

Note About Preservatives

These recipes assume that you’re using 4% of a naturally derived preservative, like Leucidal SF Complete, or a mixture of Leucidal SF Max + AMTicide Coconut. These mild natural preservatives usually give me a period of about 3 to 4 months, if the lotion/cream is carefully made and stored during a cool dry place. (A bathroom isn't an excellent place to store your natural handmade creams.)

If you’d sort of a for the much longer period, I like to recommend using Optiphen Plus instead. It’s formaldehyde-free and paraben-free, though not considered natural, but your lotion would still be 99% natural if you employ it.

For years, I made lotions and creams with no preservatives, on the other hand, ran some home microbial tests as an experiment, and altered my mind. you'll read more about those tests in my article: Natural Preservatives for Homemade Lotion {An Experiment}. I even have even more in-depth information about 19 preservative choices (most are natural), plus oils, butters, essential oils, herbs, flowers, then far more in my Handmade Lotions & Creams course designed especially for home hobbyists.

1. Lilac & Violet cold cream with Emulsifying Wax

Ingredients:



  • 64 g violet & lilac tea (or distilled water)
  • 15 g violet & lilac infused oil (or plain oil)
  • 10 g mango (or shea) butter
  • 7 g emulsifying wax
  • 2 to three drops of lavender volatile oil, optional
  • 1 drop frankincense volatile oil, optional
  • 4 g nature-derived preservative*

Directions to Make:



  1. Weigh out the tea during a small jelly/canning jar and canopy lightly with a lid, to stay the water from evaporating because it heats.
  2. Weigh the infused oil, shea butter, and vegetable emulsifying wax during a separate jar.
  3. Place both jars down into a saucepan containing an in. approximately of water, forming a double saucepan of sorts.
  4. Turn the burner to medium-low and warmth until the wax and butter are fully melted – about 10 to fifteen minutes.
  5. Pour the recent tea and melted wax/butter/oil together into a clean jar and stir, stir, stir with a fork.
  6. Stir frequently until the lotion starts to thicken because it cools.
  7. I place the container down into a bowl of drinking water to assist speed this intensify and to form sure the shea butter cools quickly, to scale back the prospect of grittiness.
  8. Once cool enough for your preservative of choice, stir that in, then add the essential oils, if using, and blend well.
  9. This cream will begin thinner and more lotion-like, but it'll thicken into a stunning cream after several hours or overnight.
  10. Pour into lotion containers or jars.

* Use either 4 g Leucidal Liquid Complete or 3 g Leucidal SF Max + 1 g AMTicide Coconut for a natural option. If using Optiphen Plus as your preservative, decrease the quantity to 1 gram, and increase the water amount to 67 grams.

2. Lilac & Violet cold cream with Bio-Mulsion Wax (or Oliver 1000)

Ingredients:


  • 142 g violet & lilac tea (or distilled water)
  • 25 g violet & lilac infused oil
  • 5 g cucumber seed oil (or more infused oil)
  • 10 g mango (or shea) butter
  • 10 g Bio-Mulsion Wax (or Oliver 1000)
  • 4 to five drops lavender volatile oil, optional
  • 1 drop frankincense volatile oil, optional
  • 8 g nature-derived preservative*

Directions to Make:


  1. Combine the infused oil, cucumber seed oil, and Bio-Emulsion Wax during a wide mouth canning jar, or deep heatproof glass measuring container that a stick blender can easily fit into.
  2. Add the violet & lilac tea during a second jar, and canopy lightly with a lid to stay it from evaporating while heating.
  3. Place both jars during a saucepan with a couple of inches of water, forming a makeshift double saucepan.
  4. Heat on medium-low to 158 to 176° F (70 to 80° C), or until the wax is melted, about 20 minutes.
  5. Pour the recent tea into the oils/butter/wax mixture.
  6. Mix with a stick blender for several minutes.
  7. Add preservative and essential oils.
  8. Stir frequently with a fork because it further cools.
  9. To speed up the method, place the container down during a bowl of drinking water to chill it down faster.
  10. Pour or spoon into containers once thickened.

* Use either 8 g Leucidal Liquid Complete or 6 g Leucidal SF Max + 2 g AMTicide Coconut for a natural option. If using Optiphen Plus as your preservative, decrease the quantity of preservative to 2 grams, and increase the water amount to 148 grams.

3. Lilac & Violet cold cream with Beeswax

Ingredients:


  • 4 oz (85 g) violet & lilac tea (or distilled water)
  • 2.5 oz (71 g) violet & lilac infused oil
  • 0.5 oz (14 g) jojoba oil, or more infused oil
  • 1.5 oz (43 g) mango (or shea) butter
  • 0.5 oz (14 g) beeswax pastilles
  • 2 tablespoons octadecanoic acid (natural thickening agent)
  • 5 or 6 drops lavender volatile oil (optional)
  • 1 drop frankincense volatile oil (optional)
  • 11 g nature-derived preservative*

Directions to Make:


  1. Weigh the infused oil, jojoba oil, mango butter, beeswax, and octadecanoic acid into a 4 cup Pyrex cup.
  2. Set the cup down into a pan crammed with a couple of inches of water and warmth on medium-low heat until everything is melted.
  3. Remove from the pan and let cool to blood heat.
  4. Strain the violet and lilac tea and measure four ounces of liquid, adding more water if you don’t have quite enough for the recipe.
  5. If needed, gently heat the tea to blood heat.
  6. The oil/butter/beeswax/stearic acid mixture must be that the same temperature because the tea, or within 5 degrees of every other. it'll make mixing success far more likely.
  7. Using a hand mixer, turn the beaters on low and slowly drizzle the tea into the oils mixture.
  8. As the oils start to thicken, increase the speed to high.
  9. Beat on high for quarter-hour, until the mixture is thick and creamy.
  10. Add the preservative and essential oils, then mix about 30 seconds longer, or until completely incorporated.
  11. Spoon the cream into jars.

* Use either 11 g Leucidal Liquid Complete, or 8 g Leucidal SF Max + 3 g AMTicide Coconut for a natural option. If using Optiphen Plus as your preservative, decrease the quantity of preservative to three grams, and increase the water amount to 93 grams.