Victorian Cold Cream (borax-free!)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 17 ก.ย. 2024
- Ok, so this may not meet the definition of a modern cold cream (which is defined as an emulsion of oils, waters, and wax), but the Victorian's labelled it such and serves the same purpose. This cream is great for removing makeup, oil cleansing, or even just as a regular moisturizer. As much as I love my other recipe, this cream is a more practical option for me during the summer. I use cream more during the dry winter months, but once it warms up I only use them occasionally to remove heavy makeup. This cream is very shelf-stable, so it can sit on my counter for months without going moldy or rancid (unlike a cream made with water).
Recipe adapted from 1874 book: "The Ugly Girl Papers" (Isn't that a great title for a beauty book?!)
Notes about this recipe:
1) The original recipe used spermaceti, which is a substance made from whales. Jojoba oil has similar properties and makes a great substitute, which is why I have used it here instead.
2) The final cream will not be as stiff as my other recipe. This does not affect the effectiveness of the product at all. Once any cold cream is applied to the face it melts with the heat of your skin, so it's original state doesn't make a difference. (I suspect the original cream would have actually been slightly thicker in texture, due to the fact spermaceti is more solid then jojoba oil at room temperature.)
3) I’ve listed the ingredients in terms of “parts” so you can make as much or as little as you like. For example if you only want a little bit of the cream to try out: use 5tsp almond oil, 3tsp jojoba oil, and ½ tsp of beeswax. Want a bit more? Use a different base measurement or multiply accordingly. (If anyone is confused with the math, I’m a math tutor. I can help!)
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TH-cam failed me. lol You told me you would be posting this and then it never showed up on my list....ugh. YT FAIL!
Lovely! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I do love OCM so this is a natural progression from straight oil.
Yes, TH-cam seems to be messing around with what videos show up again. I'm glad you found it eventually!
MrsBrit1 o
So excited to try this out! Really easy to follow along, so thanks for that :)
Ps: Shout out from Canadian to Canadian :)
You are a God-send...
Seriously.... I have watched countless videos
on lotions.. saves... balms... etc.
I am a chemist and you'd think I would know how
to do this... Yes I do...
My problem is the RIGHT formula.
I am a Reflexologist, and for 30 years I have been using a
Honey and Almond Lotion that I adore... It was Perfect!!!
Problem: The company went out of business.
NOW... I can make an equivalent of the Honey and Almond Lotion.
Thank YOU so much for sharing this SIMPLE, yet fantastic formulation.
Glad to be of help :)
Oh I used this recipe and it works pretty good, I added more wax to give it more stability and subbed the jojoba for sunflower because I couldn't afford it. Don't add too much scent because I used rosemary and it took a few days to get use to
thats a really nice cream! for an extra thick face cream i would recommend whipping it after letting it sit in the frigde until its fully solidified! it becomes thick like a body butter!
That sounds lovely!
Hello! I just wanted to say first that I love your videos so much and always look forward to seeing them. I just tried this cream in a test size and it turned out okay but a lot more yellow than yours (even though I only put a half a teaspoon of beeswax in). I know you said it would not be as stiff as your other recipe or I suppose modern creams but I am still a little surprised at the consistency! I thought this cream would dry into a firm, more balm-like consistency but apparently not. Clearly I am new to this, but it's quite fun to try these historical recipes. Anyway, thanks for the tutorial!
Aw, thanks for watching :) And yeah, this one is a little runnier than some of the other recipes I've done. Not sure why your turned out more yellow though. The only thing I can think of is maybe you beat less air into it? That shouldn't really affect the functionality of the cream but it might affect the consistency. You can always remelt and rewhip if you wanted to, as there isn't anything in this cream that would be harmed by reheating. If you want it a bit thicker, you could also re-melt it with a bit more beeswax which should thicken it into a firmer balm.
omg I found it! I posted on your other cold cream vid the softening one that I couldn't find this anywhere ... I'd watched it once and I finally found it again!!!
Glad you found it!
What an excellent recipe ofcream!... And what a beautiful Teacher! Yes.
Simple .. love it
Grazie mille!👍🍀🌹
This is wonderful, thank you.
Glad you liked it :)
I would love to see a video about how you clean the wax and oil out of all your kitchen tools...i always seem to make a big mess with those haha :)
Haha, yeah the mess can be a bit of a problem. I find the secret is to wipe off as much of the product as possible with paper towel before washing, and then wash with as-hot-as-possible water.
I have a crazy idea. I got a Kilner mayo maker and I wonder if you could make vintage beauty emulsions in it such as cold cream. It’s a mason jar with a special lid and perforated metal plunger. No electricity and based off a vintage design. I do not work for Kilner at all but I’d gladly send you one if you want to try it on your channel!
I looked them up and I can't see why it wouldn't work. You can technically make cold cream just by beating it with a wooden spoon for ages (I haven't the patience!), so I would think the Kilner mayo maker would produce similar results. No need to send me one but thank you for the kind offer :)
What is even funnier...
My stage name used to be
Victoria Love DuPree
and I love wearing Corsets...
I am a Victorian Woman in my heart.
What oil could you use in place of the sweet almond oil?
Any oil that is liquid at room temperature can be substituted (such as olive oil, apricot kernel oil, grapeseed oil, etc).
TheLongHairedFlapper Sweet! I’ve got those oils. I try to stay away from nut oils because of my nut allergies just to be safe.
Pro tip from an historical herbalist: that’s not accurate. Victorian face cream was made with beef tallow, beeswax and herbal infusions.
... I took the recipe directly from a historical source (as listed in the description). I did make one change, as I substituted jojoba oil for spermaceti (again, as noted in the description). Some recipes were are you described but in most late Victorian books I usually see almond oil, spermaceti, rose water, and beeswax mixtures as the most common recipe for cold cream. But there are also a ton of variations for cold cream recipes (some are completely oil based, some use glycerin instead of rose water, some use borax, etc). There was no single "right" way of doing it. History is complex and there are often a large number of variations in terms of recipe formulations.
Sorry to bug you so much on your videos haha. I just have one more question and I can't find an answer on google. I've been making mine the last month and even though I'm loving them, they all come out really runny. Like the one in this video, which doesn't bother me, but I want to make them more solid, like cake frosting...but I don't know which ingredient makes it that way? If I want it more creamy, what do I add extra of or remove more of? I think I read somewhere (of which I now can't find), that if you want your cold cream more creamy and solid to add more beeswax? What are your thoughts? I want to make it more like the texture of Ponds cold cream rather than gooey, like the other video you made with the crushed rose petals!
Adding more beeswax will make the cream more solid. I would also recommend letting it cool after melting everything together, then whipping with some electric mixers. That should fluff it up a bit, making it creamier and less dense. Ponds, if I remember correctly, is a water-oil emulsification. There really isn't a good way to replicate the texture of an emulsified cream with just oils, but the extra beeswax + whipping it should help. If you want something closer to ponds, you will need to add a water (such as rosewater). That of course has it own issues to consider (for example you need an emulsifier, and unless you add a preservative the cream needs to be store in the fridge). Hope that helps!
You're such a beauty! Much love ♡
Thanks :)
Nice
Love your pin curl scarves. Just ordered from Etsy.
Thank you for the order :) I will have them shipped out tomorrow.
Thank you so much. XO
love it 💕
Hey!! Do you think if I put Aloe Vera juice in it'd still keep okay if I refrigerated it or would it need to be stored in the freezer?? I know that water based would go bad quicker but I'm not sure about Aloe juice, I've tried looking into it but didn't find much. Thanks!!
Aloe juice is considered a "water" when used in skincare, so yes it will shorten the lifespan of any product you add it to. I know there are a lot of people that suggest using some sort of broad-spectrum preservative even if you keep it in the fridge. Personally, I have a chemical sensitivity and prefer to avoid preservatives if possible, so I usually just store my preservative-free borax-based cold creams in the fridge (although the freezer would be a better option). I do take precautions though: I always use distilled waters (rose water or store-bought aloe juice would count) rather than tap water and sterilize my tools/jars before using them. Usually the cream lasts a month or two without any issue. However, I should note that this will vary a lot based on a number of factors (hold cold your fridge is, how tight your jar seals, what bacteria is on your hands, etc). If anything smells, looks, or feels off then don't take a chance and just toss it.
One thing to note: if you are going to add aloe juice, you will need some sort of emulsifier or the cream will separate into a gloopy mess. I would suggest either a borax-based cold cream (you could use a variation of my rose cold cream recipe: th-cam.com/video/tlDKCUE2wWI/w-d-xo.html ) or use any emulsifying wax instead of beeswax (the amount of wax may vary depending on the brand used). Borax does have some mild preservative properties, so I think using it does add to the lifespan of my water-based creams. If you don't want to use an emulsifier but still want to add aloe to your cream, Mountain Rose Herbs sells a dried aloe powder. I've never tried it but it might be an option to add it to an oil-based cream (no worries about it going bad, yay!) either directly or via an infusion.
Hope that answers your question!
TheLongHairedFlapper Thank you so much!! It does indeed answer my question!!
2:00 is that a Victorian mixer?
Love it thank you 😊
What kind of glass are u using? Im afraid i accidentaly use non heat proof.
The jars are canning jars (not sure of the brand, but any jars used for canning should be safe in a hot water bath) and the bowl I pour the hot oils into is a pyrex bowl.
Would you need to store it in the freezer or fridge, since it's borax-free?
Since there is no water in this product, you don't need to worry about mold growth. It should be fine just left on a countertop :)
Can you add a little of Castile soap to make it like a face cleanser ?
I've never tried it, so I can't say one way or another. It might work but the only way to know for sure would be to experiment and play around with it.
If I’m using it as a moisturiser, do I have to wash it off after like, 5 mins?
No, you don't need to wash it off. It's just oils and wax, so you can leave it on like you would any skin cream.
Hello! And thankyou for answering esrlier! I have a question. I made this cold cream using four ingredients: almond oil, beesvax, rose water and lavender essential oil. I have used it for four weeks now and my skin is breaking out. I find it weird since i have used coconut oil before and my skin was fine with it. Should i continue using this cold cream? Have anyone else had this problem?
Did you substitute in the rose water for the jojoba oil? My guess is if this is a recent problem, bacteria has gotten into the cream which is causing your breakouts. With no borax and no preservative the cream could go off fairly easily if you used a water based substitute for any of the ingredients (although storing that mix in the fridge will extend it's lifespan). If you've been breaking out since you first started using it, then you may be having a reaction to one of the ingredients in the cream (my guess would be the almond oil). Everyone's skin is different. Mine loves almond oil but if yours doesn't and you still want to make your own creams, I would try experimenting with other oils such as grapeseed oil or olive oil. I do also have a newer "borax-free cold cream" recipe that has a slightly different combo of oils (it technically still uses almond oil but that could be easily swapped out for any oil of your choosing) --> th-cam.com/video/Z64oViUyQY8/w-d-xo.html&t=
Sometimes essential Oils could irritate your skin or a breakout
Can use cocoa butter instead of beeswax
The only true way to know is to give it a shot and see, but my best guess is no. Beeswax is a wax and cocoa butter is a solid (at room temp) oil, so I would expect them to perform differently in this recipe.
How lonh does the cream keep?
There is no water in this recipe, so it will last as long as the oils stay fresh. Depends a bit on how old the oils you start with are, but typically it will keep for one to two years. If it starts to smell like old crayons, that's a sign the oils have gone rancid and it's time to make a new batch!
That jar is gorgeous! Where is it from?
Thanks, it's a Ball Mason Jar. It's basically just a small sized normal canning jar but it works well for holding beauty products. Not quite sure where I picked this one up. I suspect it was likely just on-sale at the grocery store or dollar store or something like that.
Where on your Etsy can I buy this product ?? :-)
At this point in time, I don't sell any of my beauty products online. There is a mountain of regulations and legal aspects to selling beauty products / cosmetics and it's not something I'm able to tackle at the moment. I just share the recipes for free so other people can make them at home :)
does anyone know how to store this product? should it be in the freezer or can it just be stored normally anywhere?
It can be stored anywhere. Because it's an entirely oil-based cream you don't need to worry about mold growth like you do with a product containing water.
TheLongHairedFlapper oh that’s great thank you! also, instead of almond oil could i use a different one? i wouldn’t like this cream to clog any pores and i’m not too confident with almond oil :)
Yes, any liquid oil should work. Personally my skin reacts very well to almond oil, but feel free to substitute in a different oil that works for you.
For how many days can I store it n do I have to deep freeze it??
Because this is an entirely oil-based cream, it should be fine on the counter for quite a long time. It won't go moldy like water-based creams, but the oils will eventually go rancid after several months. A few drops of vitamin E (some oils will already contain this as an ingredient so check your labels!) should extend the shelf-life to over a year. If it starts to smell "rancid" (like old crayons) it's time to make a new batch.
💖
What do you mean by parts?
I did mention a bit about "parts" in #3 of the notes found in the video description (with a measurement example). Basically, "parts" are used in many skincare formulas to denote the ratio in which to combine the ingredients. This allows the maker to make as much or as little of the product as they want.
TheLongHairedFlapper thank you!
What's the name of the song? :)
Elite Syncopations - composed by Scott Joplin
You need the borax.
This cream was very designed to be made without borax, and as there is no water in it borax would do nothing in the recipe. If you check out my more recent cold cream videos, I've managed to create some excellent creams without it's use (including "true" cold creams that mix oil and water). Many historical skin creams, especially in the early Victorian period, did not use borax and they work beautifully.