DIY Eye Cream with Frankincense & Shea Butter

Shea butter works well with frankincense: it is a solid base that melts on contact with skin and carries a few drops of essential oil. This eye cream uses frankincense only, not myrrh. It is made with Baraka unrefined shea butter, made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana.

Shea butter with frankincense and myrrh: what this recipe uses

This recipe pairs shea butter with frankincense essential oil. Myrrh is not in it.

Shea butter is the base of the cream. It is solid at room temperature and melts on contact with skin. Baraka shea butter is unrefined, strained and filtered only, with no refining, bleaching or deodorising. Its natural colour runs from ivory through cream to pale yellow and varies between batches. A mild nutty smell is normal and is not a fault. Shea is the seed of a fruit, and it has traditionally been used on dry skin, lips, hands, feet and hair.

The frankincense is kept low, at 10 drops (about 0.5 g) for the whole batch. Do not use essential oils in anything made for babies or young children. Apply the cream around the eye area only and keep it out of the eyes.

The rest of the recipe is simple:

• Virgin coconut oil is pressed from the fresh coconut kernel, with no solvent extraction and no chemical refining. It keeps its fresh coconut aroma. It is solid below about 75°F (24°C) and clear liquid above it, and it absorbs quickly rather than sitting on the skin.
• Aloe vera gel adds the water to the cream. That is why the storage note below matters.
• Vitamin E is added in a small amount, as in the original recipe.

Baraka shea butter is the base for this cream. Shop Baraka Shea Butter to see the sizes available.

Ingredients

• 10 drops frankincense essential oil (about 0.5 g)
• 1 fl oz (30 ml) pure aloe vera gel
• 1 oz (28 g) Baraka shea butter
• 1 oz (28 g) virgin coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) vitamin E

Directions

1. Mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
2. If needed, gently heat the shea butter and coconut oil in a small pan over boiling water so they blend more easily. Take them off the heat before you stir in the remaining ingredients.
3. Transfer the cream into a clean glass jar.
4. Use a small amount around the eye area, not in the eyes. A small jar also makes a handmade gift, so pass on the storage note with it.

Recipe source: draxe.com.

Storage

Contains water, so make small batches, keep it cool and throw it out if it smells or looks off.

Keep the cream in a clean, closed glass jar and take it out with clean, dry hands or a clean spatula. Coconut oil solidifies and liquefies with the temperature of the room. This is normal and does not affect quality. Because the colour and smell of shea butter vary a little between batches, your cream may look slightly different from one batch to the next.