Super Toner

This toner is packed with everything I had on hand...  Witch hazel and lavender to soothe and calm the skin, lots of extracts and a dose of AHA to boot.

I like to use this at night, as it does leave a slight barrier on the skin (due to the allantoin).  The extracts might have been a bit too much, as I noticed the solids kinda started to settle in the bottom.  I just shake, shake, shake and then use.  It's a deep colour but doesn't leave any on your face or pillow in my experience so far.

The extra boost of AHA (Lactic Acid) and Multifruit BSC (another AHA from fruit acids) have left my skin very soft and smooth.  I noticed a difference after one night.  This might be too harsh for some skin types, so beware that this toner is pretty heavily packed.  You might want to start with just one extract and see where it takes you, or leave out the AHA till you know how you will react.

Super Toner
I wouldn't say all skin types- mine is slightly oily, sensitive, aging (30+) and acne prone.  
I doubled the % and ended up with two 3oz spritzer bottles.


Heated Phase:
11.5% Water (23g)
30% Witch Hazel (hydrosol, no alcohol) (60g)
25% Lavender Hydrosol (50g)
10% Aloe Vera Gel (20g)
2% Sodium Lactate (4g)
2% Cromoist Hydrolyzed Oat Proteins (4g)
0.5% Allantoin powder (1g)

Cool Phase:
5% Multifruit BSC (10g) - You could cut this in half if you're sensitive.
3% Acai Botanical - liquid (6g) -This is what gave it a darker colour.
2% AHA Lactic Acid (4g)
2% Panthenol (4g)
3% Honeyquat (6g)
0.5% Liquid Germall Plus (1g)
Extracts- each of these measured out and added to the liquids, mixed and mixed until dissolved.
Chamomile Powdered Extract (1/8 tsp)
Cucumber Powdered Extract (1/8 tsp)
Green Tea Powdered Extract (1/8 tsp)
Honeysuckle Powdered Extract (1/4 tsp)

Warm the heated phase in a double boiler until it reaches 70*C and hold it there for 20 minutes.  I wouldn't let it get much hotter than this.  Once finished, double check the weight, and top up with hot water (boiled separately) as needed.  What I like to do is put all of my heated phase ingredients in a pyrex measuring cup together, except my water.  I boil my water separately and once the 20 minutes has been reached I put my cup back onto the scale, set to zero, and add the appropriate amount of hot water.  This way you never have to worry about evaporation.

I like this toner a lot, and have been using it for over a week now.  It has definitely helped with turning over new skin on a few problem areas on my face including a few pimples.  It helped to dry them out and took the redness down (thanks to the lavender I think).

Mild AHA Lotion w/ Extracts

I wanted to create a face lotion with a bit of AHA in it.  For this recipe, I started out very mild.  Next time I will definitely go higher- probably more like 5% of the Multifruit BSC.  The goal for this lotion was to have something very very light- something that would sink right into the skin without leaving any greasiness or waxy feeling behind.  Normally my choice for an emulsifier would be BTMS-50 as it is drier feeling and almost powdery in finish.  BUT Multifruit BSC doesn't work well with this emulsifier so I had to go the route of Polawax.  Much to my surprise (due to my lack of experience) the Polawax did not impart any waxy feeling at all to this lotion.  In fact, it sinks in even better than the Sea Buckthorn lotion I previously posted.
All in all, I am a very happy camper with this lotion.  Next batch can only get better!


Face Lotion for Aging Acne Prone Skin
Water Phase:
144g water (48%)
545g aloe gel (15%)
45g neroli hydrosol (15%)
10g sodium lactate - humectant (2%)
10g cromoist hydrolyzed oat protein (2%)


Oil Phase:
12g Jojoba (4%)
6g Sea Buckthorn (2%)
6g Macadamia (2%)
12g Polawax (4%)
3g Cetyl Alcohol (1%)
1 pipette Vitamin E Oil


Cool Phase:
6g Panthenol (2%)
1 tsp honeysuckle powder (0.5%)
9g Multifruit BSC (Natural AHA) (3%)
6g Acai Botanical Extract (2%)
2 pipettes Liquid Germall Plus (about 2g or 0.75% which is a teeny bit high)
3 drops Jasmine EO - very mild scent


Yield about 16 ounces.  WONDERFUL texture.  Pale yellow colour with just a hint of mild fragrance.  It soaks in and leaves skin very soft.  Next time I am double the Multifruit BSC for a little more AHA power.  This would work well with any type of hydrosol as well.  I have been using this everyday for a week and I am really loving it.

Seabuckthorn & Extracts

Face Lotion for Most Skin Types (except very dry)


Water Phase:
240g water (48%)
50g aloe gel (15%)
25g neroli hydrosol (7.5%)
25g lavender hydrosol (7.5%)
10g sodium lactate - humectant (2%)
10g cromoist hydrolyzed oat protein (2%)


Oil Phase:
20g sunflower oil (4%)
20g jojoba (4%)
10g seabuckthorn (2%)
20g BTMS-50 emulsifyer (4%)
10g cetyl alcohol - thickener (2%)


Cool Phase:
10g Panthenol (2%)
1tsp Chamomile powdered extract (0.5%)
1.5tsp Honeysuckle powdered extract (0.5%)
2.5g Liquid Germall Plus - preservative (0.5-1%)


Pale yellow, smells slightly herbal.  Silky smooth, non greasy, suitable for all skin types except very dry.  Thicker texture than I expected- could be adjusted with the amount of cetyl alcohol (more for a cream, less for more liquidy).