With all the wonderful natural facial serums on the market today, it can be a little overwhelming choosing the correct formula with safe, non-toxic ingredients, all at a reasonable price. The good news is that it’s easy and fun to make a quality product on your own using the miracle of nature – essential oils. 

When
I started working with skincare formulas in 2003, one of the first products I
was excited about making was an essential oil-based facial serum. My skin needs
were changing, and a moisturizing oil made perfect sense for dry, maturing
skin.

I
decided to work with four wonderful healthy aging essential oils I had
discovered: Lavender, Frankincense, Rose Geranium, and Carrot Seed.

The
natural and highly effective nature of essential oils makes them perfect for
skincare. When blended for their various properties and used with a carrier oil
that matches your skin type, you can create a serum tailor-made for your skin.

What Are Essential Oils?

Essential
oils are the essence of plants. Hidden away in many parts of the plant, like
the flowers, seeds, and roots, they are very potent chemical compounds. They
can give the plant its scent, protect it from harsh conditions, and help with
pollination.

The
benefits of essential oils on humans are diverse and amazing. Lavender
flower oil, for example, contains compounds that help soothe skin irritation
and redness, while the scent reduces feelings of anxiety and stress.

The
beautiful Rose essential oil is hydrating to the skin and sometimes used to
treat scarring, while the scent is known to help lift depression. 

There
are many essential oils to choose from for specific skincare needs. I have used
a myriad of different combinations but keep coming back to the tried and true
blend from my very first serum.

The
four essential oils used are the workhorses of skincare for mature skin, as
well as being wonderfully uplifting for mind, body, and spirit. 

The Base Oil Blend Formula

Here’s what you’ll need:

Bottle

1 oz. amber dropper bottle. You can find those in pharmacies or online.

Base (Carrier) Oil

As a base, you can use one of
the oils below or a combination of several that meet your skin’s needs:

• Jojoba oil is my base oil of choice. It’s incredible for most skin types: it’s extremely gentle and non-irritating for sensitive skin, moisturizing for dry skin, balancing for oily skin, ideal for combination skin, and offers a barrier of protection from environmental stressors. It also helps skin glow as it delivers deep hydration.
• Rosehip oil smooths the skin’s texture and calms redness and irritation.
• Argan oil contains high levels of vitamin E and absorbs thoroughly into the skin leaving little oily residue.
• Avocado oil is effective at treating age spots and sun damage, as well as helping to soothe inflammatory conditions such as blemishes and eczema.
• Olive oil is a heavier oil and the perfect choice if your skin needs a mega-dose of hydration. Just be aware that olive oil takes longer to absorb and leaves the skin with an oily feeling. This may be desirable for extremely dry, red, itchy skin.

Essential Oils

• Lavender essential oil is very versatile and healing. It helps reduce inflammation, kill bacteria, and clear pores. Its scent is also calming and soothing.
• Frankincense essential oil helps to tone and strengthen mature skin in addition to fighting bacteria and balancing oil production.
• Rose Geranium essential oil helps tighten the skin by reducing the appearance of fine lines, helps reduce inflammation and fight redness, and offers anti-bacterial benefits to help fight the occasional breakout. The scent is also known to be soothing and balancing.
• Carrot seed oil is a fantastic essential oil for combination skin. It helps even the skin tone while reducing inflammation and increasing water retention.

The Recipe

Let’s start with a simple
recipe:

• 1 oz. Jojoba oil (or carrier oil of your choice)
• 10 drops Lavender
• 10 drops Frankincense
• 10 drops Rose Geranium
• 10 drops Carrot seed oil 

Place
the essential oil drops in the amber dropper bottle then fill with
Jojoba/carrier oil. It’s that simple!

Applying Your Homemade Serum

Use
this serum morning and evening as part of your regular skincare routine. Serums
work best when applied after cleansing your face. You can cleanse with Coconut Oil or a mixture of oils for enhanced hydration (we
will cover this in the next article) or use your regular facial cleanser.

Essential
oils will not interfere in any way with your normal skincare products.

Keep
in mind that the serum is concentrated. Use only a pea-sized amount, work it into
your fingertips, and apply evenly over the face without tugging or pulling.

If
your skin feels tacky, reduce the amount on the next application. Your skin should
feel soft, not oily. Follow with your regular moisturizer if you like. 

Making
your own facial serum is fun and rewarding! I look forward to hearing your
thoughts and ideas on essential oils and making personalized serums and
skincare.

What
facial serum do you use? Have you made one yourself? What is your favorite
essential oil for skin care? Please share your thoughts with our community!

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When you think of melatonin, sleep (or lack thereof) is probably is the first thing that comes to mind. As an oral supplement often taken as a natural alternative to OTC and prescription sleep aids, the naturally-occurring hormone produced by our brains is responsible for signaling the transition from daytime to bedtime. It’s often touted for its ability to help soothe the aftermath of jet-lag as well as provide short-term relief for insomnia and other disruptions in the sleep-wake cycles (circadian rhythm). While research regarding melatonin’s efficacy seems to be a patchwork of varying views, an emerging field looking at its topical benefits is emerging —and now brands are making melatonin skin products.

We’re well aware of wide-ranging skincare benefits a topical antioxidant can deliver to the skin, ranging from protection against environmental pollutants, UV rays and oxidative stress to improving elasticity and softening fine lines. Vitamin C is the most common and arguably the most derm-approved antioxidant active, lauded for its dark-spot-erasing and glow-inducing magical powers –just to name a few.

There is a slew of other antioxidant ingredients with powerful anti-aging properties as well, including Vitamin A (retinol), niacinamide, flavonoids, Vitamin E and polyphenols. They’ve all been shown to offer a number of benefits including accelerating skin rejuvenation, reducing inflammation, shielding your skin from sun damage and helping to soften fine lines. However, melatonin –while technically a hormone — is now being used as an antioxidant in tandem with other topical antioxidants in skincare. While it’s an emerging active on the market, dermatologists and skincare brands are seemingly standing behind it.

“Melatonin is actually highly lipophilic which means it can easily penetrate into skin cells and impart important cellular functions such as repairing mitochondrial and DNA damage. It also has been shown to upregulate important antioxidative enzymes which activate further protection against oxidative damage. It has been shown to repair mitochondrial and DNA damage,” according to New York-based dermatologist, Dr. Melissa Levin. While melatonin may be skincare’s hottest newcomer, “efficient free radical scavenging and repair from triggers such as UV light, allergens, pollutants, irritants, and mechanical insults which has been studied and shown by topical melatonin.”

ImaxTree.

However, in order to reap melatonin’s visible anti-aging effects, you’ll have to apply it topically. “There is no evidence that oral ingestion of melatonin will impart skin anti-aging benefits. Topical melatonin currently has the most robust data for providing skin benefits as an antioxidant and skin brightener.” 

One of the pioneering labels endorsing melatonin-infused skincare is ISDINCEUTICS, who has introduced a line of advanced skincare products harnessing the powers of both stabilized vitamin C in unison with melatonin. The brand’s best-selling serum, Melatonik works to accelerate your skin’s natural repair process, promoting faster cell turnover while you get your beauty sleep — pun intended. According to Assistant Clinical Professor of Dermatology, Deanne Mraz Robinson, MD, FAAD, the serum’s combination of antioxidant actives and botanicals “…work while you sleep to protect and repair your skin against the damages it faces during the day: free radicals,  environmental pollutants, and the effects of UV radiation. Meanwhile, the third ingredient bakuchiol, an organic botanical that activates approximately 90% of the same receptors as retinol, helps to replenish collagen and help with skin turnover.”

Other skincare brands have quietly introduced melatonin to their skincare products, from Dr. Dennis Gross’s best-selling sunscreen infused with the double protective properties of topical melatonin to Peter Thomas Roth’s hemp-infused night cream, which contains 2% topical melatonin to assist in cellular repair while you sleep. Here are some of the innovative melatonin skincare products paving the way for beauty’s latest active.

Alpyn Beauty.

Alpyn Beauty Calming Sleeping Mask with Melatonin & Wild Dandelion

A night cream enriched with brightening melatonin and smoothing bakuchiol (a popular retinol alternative) for restoring moisture and increasing firmness.

Buy: Alpyn Midnight Mask With Melatonin & Wild Dandelion $68

ISDIN.

ISDINCEUTICS MELATONIK 3-IN-1 Night Serum

In addition to this multifunctional serum’s blend of melatonin and Vitamin C, it also contains a botanical ingredient called bakuchiol, which acts as a gentler alternative to retinol, so you reap the benefits of added exfoliation overnight as well.

Buy: ISDIN Melatonik 3-in1 Night Serum $160

Dr. Dennis Gross.

Dr. Dennis Gross Dark Spot Sun Defense SPF 50 Sunscreen

This best-selling sunscreen amplifies protection from sun damage as well as environmental aggressors thanks to its addition of Vitamin C, E and melatonin. Hence, not only does it protect you from damage, but it’s also helping to repair the existing signs of it as well.

Buy: Dark Spot Sun Defense SPF 50 Sunscreen $32.20

Isdin.

ISDIN ISDINCEUTICS Flavo-C Melatonin Serum

This two-in-one offers both a set of daytime Vitamin-C ampules for the daytime and a melatonin-Vitamin C version to be applied before bed.

Youth Corridor.

Youth Corridor Ultimate Antioxidant C Boost Serum

Designed by a top plastic surgeon, this powerful serum contains a proprietary blend of antioxidants –including melatonin alongside hydrating actives like Vitamin E to prevent over-drying the skin and lock in moisture all day.

Peter Thomas Roth.

Peter Thomas Roth Green Releaf Therapeutic Sleep Cream Skin Protectant

Hemp and CBD skincare is undoubtedly a rising trend in beauty about to go rival. This night cream takes forward innovation to the next level by incorporating a base of hemp seed oil with other progressive actives including colloidal oatmeal to soothe and calm irritation and 2% topical melatonin to expedite the skin’s rejuvenation process.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

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In the immortal words of Ice Cube, today was a good day. Why you ask? I actually remembered to put on eye cream. Admittedly, I’m still a skeptic in recovery. Less than a year ago, you couldn’t convince me it was anything but an unnecessary purchase that added some benefit to the face but ultimately didn’t have to be in my routine. Do eye creams work? I guess it depends on your expectations. If it’s to make those dark circles disappear in a few short days, you’ll be disappointed fast. If it’s to completely reverse the effects of bad habits that take years to die, well, don’t kill the messenger. You know the answer isn’t good either.

There is, however, an art to putting on eye cream which may sound a bit pretentious, but considering just how complex our skin is, I would argue that I’m not saying enough. But since I know time is money and you want to know if this stuff is actually worth the extra couple dollars in your budget, let’s get into why eye cream is made in the first place, what does the best job of addressing those setbacks and how we should be applying them to our face.

Why Do We Need Them?

If our skin is a work of art, some maintenance is required, right? Masterpieces in the MoMA are guarded with a lock and key, so we should be treating our face the same, especially the skin around our eye which happens to be thinnest and consequentially, the most damage-prone. It’s an easy enough concept to understand, but we usually don’t grasp it until we’re older and wiser with the fine lines and sunspots to show for it.  (I seriously wish younger me wore sunscreen as much as she wore tanning oil.)

Like a painting or carefully constructed bungalow in the Californian desert, three very specific factors affect the luminosity of skin around the eye: color, reflection and shape.

Source: Instagram

Color

As far as color is concerned, light changes and reveals the skin. Specifically, it’s a kaleidoscope of chromatic undertones that can cause a slew of visible changes to the eye area. “The red and violet chromatic disturbances are particularly visible under the eyes,” says Dr. Jacqueline Hill, Director of Strategic Innovation and Science for La Prairie. “Leakage of blood from the capillaries to the surrounding tissues, followed by oxidation of the blood, also adds to the under-eye darkness.”

If you really want to geek out, here’s a breakdown of how and why each color becomes visible in the under-eye area according to Dr. Hill:

• Grey: as a result of pollution particles accumulating on the skin surface. This gives a dull and sad look to the expression.
• Brown: due to the accumulation of the brown pigment melanin in the epidermis. This leads to irregular pigmentation and age spots.
• Yellow: due to the accumulation of glycated collagen fibers in the dermis. This gives a sallow, unhealthy look to the skin.
• Red: as a result of blood capillaries dilated by chronic silent inflammation. This leads to irregular diffuse redness.
• Violet: dark under-eye-shadows are mainly the result of both oxygenated and especially de-oxygenated hemoglobin from blood capillaries. The de-oxygenated blood appearing bluish because it is low in oxygen. This gives a tired and sad look to the face.

Reflection and Shape

Uneven texture, sagging and fine lines are common complaints about aging skin, all of which can be boiled down to one word: shape. It’s a part of life, but let’s be real: it’s not always fun to come to terms with, especially if you know you could’ve taken better care of your skin beforehand.

According to Dr. Hill, the rough surface is caused by dehydration (aka not enough moisture), poor skin barrier (aka not enough sunscreen and antioxidants) and irregular desquamation (aka peeling). As a result, the “skin looks dry and dull, feels uncomfortable and generally, processes are slowed down due to lack of water.”

Like a ripple effect, this loosens the density and thickness of that skin as protein fibers break down and take longer to renew themselves. Over time, those fine lines start to settle in, the skin starts sagging beyond its natural pace and loses its luminosity, otherwise known as reflection. 

Eye bags can also form prematurely “due to the accumulation of fluids and fat under the eyes caused by poor drainage and lack of microcirculation. Sunscreen and eye cream sounds a lot more appealing now, huh? 

La Prairie.

The Fixer-Uppers

Stick with me here—help is on the way, in the form of active ingredients. There is a lot to choose from, but according to Dr. Hill, the most effective ones are…

For Color: peptides, age spot inhibitors and antioxidants for a brighter complexion

The peptides specifically address those red and violet chromatic disturbances I already mentioned, while antioxidants protect the skin barrier from the elements and inhibitors prevent the overproduction of melanin, thus leading to dark spots.

For Reflection and Shape: ingredients packed with ceramides, omega fatty acids and amino acids for firmness and suppleness.

Again, there are plenty of eye cream options, both expensive and affordable, that claim to provide the benefits of these ingredients which are admittedly pretty common. So what sets a brand like La Prairie apart? Simply put, a lot of research, some clinical trials and patented innovations that take benefits to a whole other level.

For instance, La Prairie’s White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire is made with Lumidose, a highly potent active (with 90 patents!) that fights age spots and was developed over 15 years of research and 50,000 ingredient screenings before going public. There’s also the brand’s signature luxe ingredient, golden caviar extract renewably sourced from Acipenser gueldenstaedtii, a type of fish found in the Caspian Sea.

According to Dr. Hill, it’s “rich in lipids such as omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids, as well as sugars, amino acids and minerals, and helps increase the formation of ceramides in epidermal cells and collagen in dermal cells.” All of these improve the smoothness of the skin as well as luminosity and firmness. Lastly, at the heart of every La Prairie skincare product is an exclusive cellular complex that uses cutting-edge research to put life and energy back into the cells that make up our skin by targeting the most essential skin cells.

And of course, all of these ingredients are clinically tested once combined to create a product.

Giphy.

The Application

Generally speaking, eye cream should be applied every morning and night around the eye, but not too close to it. After cleansing your face, gently apply cream around the eye, starting at the inner corner and moving toward the temple. From the temple, continue the gesture back along the brow bone to the inner corner. Most experts recommend dabbing with your ring finger since it applies the least amount of pressure, though you can do the same thing with a fancy took like the ceramic pearl applicator on La Prairie’s White Caviar Eye Extraordinaire.

Giphy.

Once the cream is distributed and sitting on top of your skin–whether you’re using a tool or not–start under the eye at the inner corner, dab or roll toward the temples and then above the brow bone and back to the crease between the eyes. “Once you reach the bridge of the nose, continue the gesture back towards the outer corner by rolling the ceramic pearl along the lower brow line. Continue along the upper cheekbone to the inner corner of the eye to finally return up to the crease between the eyes,” says Dr. Hill. “Stroke the crease in an up-and-down movement three times. One last time, roll the ceramic pearl along the upper line of the brow to the temple. Press gently and release. Repeat the entire circuit twice more.”

If you’re a visual learner, make sure you screenshot this chart, especially if your eye cream of choice is La Prairie’s:

La Prairie.

All in all, eye cream is worth the investment. Just make it worth your while by using it correctly, whether you prefer something from the department store or drugstore.

Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission of the sale and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.

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