Your summer afFIRMations are here!

Step confidently into summer with a homemade firming body cream 

Long, hot days are on their way, and that means bathing suits, shorts, and sleeveless shirts are back in regular rotation. While for many of us cellulite is inevitable and nothing to be ashamed of, it IS possible to improve its appearance. To do this, we’re not proposing any miracle products or techniques, each more expensive than the last. We at COCOÉCO opt for this lifting cream recipe made with natural ingredients that’s been tested and approved by our team. It’s formulated for evening use anywhere on your body where you wish your skin looked a bit firmer—just don’t use it on your face. 

The secret of this cream lies in its ingredients! Rich in toning and revitalizing essential oils, this DIY body cream leaves your skin looking firmer and cellulite fainter. Gum arabic and witch hazel combine their powers to visibly smooth your skin. To boost elasticity, improve skin texture, and combat the signs of aging, we’ve added lemon essential oil and green tea. All these ingredients combined in a single recipe yield a lifting cream with a light texture and lovely citronella scent.

A true natural remedy, afFIRMations will show results in just a few uses! 

How to make a toning body cream 

Ingredients

Infusion

• Two bags of green tea
• 250 g water

 

You’ll only need 24 g (10%) of this infusion for this body cream recipe. Store the rest in the fridge for another project (it will keep for three or four days) or pour it over ice cubes for a delicious iced green tea.

Aqueous phase

• 24 g (10%) green tea infusion
• 144 g (60%) witch hazel hydrosol
• 2.4 g (1%) gum arabic

 

Oil phase

• 4.8 g (2%) sweet almond oil
• 4.8 g (2%) castor oil
• 4.8 g (2%) calendula maceration
• 24 g (10%) glyceryl stearate
• 4.8 g (2%) borage oil
• 4.8 g (2%) sesame oil

 

Cooling phase

• 4.8 g (2%) citronella essential oil
• 4.8 g (2%) Atlas cedar essential oil
• 2.4 g (1%) lemon essential oil
• 4.8 g (2%) vitamin E
• 4.8 g (2%) elderberry extract

Tools

• Components to make a double boiler
• Scale, accurate to 0.1 g
• Scale, accurate to 1 g
• Large stainless steel bowl
• Three small stainless steel bowls
• A few ramekins
• One 240-ml jars
• Regular-sized silicone spatula
• Pipette
• Mini-mixer
• Piping (cake decorating) bag or a Ziploc-style bag with a piping tip (optional)

Good to know!

• We specifically chose the essential oils in this body cream recipe for their properties. In combination with the other ingredients, they will help diminish the appearance of cellulite and improve your skin’s texture, making it look smoother overall. So, if you want this DIY firming cream to work as intended, we advise against replacing the essential oils in this recipe with any other essential oils or aromatic essences. 
• Essential oils also impact the cream’s smell. We want to emphasize that this cream has a strong citronella scent, which may not be up everyone’s alley. 
• Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that helps prevent the oils from going rancid. It’s also an excellent revitalizing active ingredient that’s recommended for dry and mature skin. 
• Witch hazel hydrosol has an overall toning effect on skin, making it a choice hydrosol for people with circulatory problems.
• Green tea helps reverse the premature signs of aging. Green tea contains polyphenols, which are compounds that help combat the visual signs of aging and improves your skin’s elasticity. 
• Rich in vitamins E and A, sesame oil has softening and revitalizing properties, making it a perfect ingredient to help preserve your skin’s natural beauty. 
• Lemon essential oil is a natural ally in the fight against the signs of premature aging. Thanks to its antioxidant properties, it tones your skin and helps boost its elasticity.
• Atlas cedar essential oil has a soothing, revitalizing effect and helps eliminate impurities from your hypodermis—that is, the innermost layer of your skin.
• The balanced concentration of omega-6 fatty acids in borage oil gives it revitalizing and reparative properties. It helps maintain the health of your hypodermis, which is made up of various components, including elastin and collagen—two proteins essential to your skin’s elasticity.
• Gum arabic is a choice ingredient in firming creams. It’s rich in polysaccharides and glycoproteins, making it an active lifting ingredient.
• All together, these ingredients yield a lightweight product that’s pleasant to apply and won’t leave a greasy film.

Steps to follow

1. Prepare and disinfect your equipment and workspace.

Infusion

2. In a large stainless steel bowl, heat 250 ml of water until simmering.
3. Remove from heat and add the two green tea bags.
4. Cover the bowl with a well-fitting lid and leave to steep for 25 minutes.
5. When the 25 minutes have elapsed, measure out 24 g (24 ml) of the infusion in a ramekin. 

Aqueous phase

6. While the tea is steeping, weigh the witch hazel hydrosol in a small bowl and heat it on the double boiler. Be sure to cover the bowl with a well-fitting lid to prevent evaporation. When the hydrosol reaches 70°C, remove the bowl from the heat. 
7. When the infusion is ready, weigh the gum arabic in a ramekin and then add it to the 24 ml of green tea. Mix vigorously with a mini-mixer to combine and prevent clumps.
8. Pour the green tea and gum arabic mixture into the witch hazel hydrosol and mix to combine. Your aqueous phase is now ready! 

Oil phase

9. Weigh all the oil phase ingredients in a second small bowl. Heat it on the double boiler until the mixture reaches 70°C, then remove it from the heat. 

Cooling phase

10. While the oil phase is heating, weigh all the cooling phase ingredients in a ramekin. 

Emulsion

11. It’s time to combine your aqueous and oil phases! Before you do, make sure that both are still at 70°C, otherwise the two phases will not emulsify. If either phase has cooled too much, just pop it back on the double boiler to reheat. Then, pour the oil phase and aqueous phase into a large stainless steel bowl. Mix with the mini-mixer to form an emulsion. 
12. Continue to mix until the emulsion has cooled to 45°C, then add the cooling phase. You can place your bowl in a basin of cold water to help the mixture cool more quickly.
13. Continue to mix until the emulsion is homogeneous. 
14. Pour your cream into a suitable container. You can use a piping bag or a Ziploc-style bag with the tip cut off to help transfer your cream.
15. Your homemade body cream is now ready! 

Use and conservation

This recipe contains a high concentration of photosensitizing essential oils, so it’s very important that you apply it in the evening, not during the day. You should avoid exposing this skin to the sun in the eight hours following application.

 

This homemade body cream is formulated for all skin types. It is intended for body use only; do not use it on your face. For maximum benefit, we recommend applying it directly onto the desired area (buttocks, thighs, legs, upper arms…) after showering. Massage it into your skin in circular motions. 

When made in optimal sanitary conditions, it will keep for three months.