The lovely Fleur de Guerre wrote a post about that most classical of creams - cold cream. This was such a staple ware in the the lives of the 1940s woman. She would use it to clean her face with or use it as a face mask in the evening. Read Fleurs post here.
For those of you vintage lovers that want to try making your own I found the below recipe. I made one little addition, some rose oil for fragrance. If any one of you ladies give it a go, please let me know how it went.
Also, if you like making your own skincare products, you might want to try the recipe for Floral Water that I posted on my other blog.
HOMEMADE COLD CREAM
1/4 teaspoon borax
1/4 cup distilled water
1/2 cup oil that is liquid at room temperature (Almond is nice)
1/2 ounce (by weight) grated beeswax ( about 2 tbs )
If possible work with glass containers as it can get a little messy.
1. Dissolve the borax in the water. Set aside.
2. Mix together the oil and beeswax.
3. Heat the oil/beeswax mix in a microwave until the beeswax is melted in and the mixture is clear. Or you can put the beeswax in a container that you then put in a pot of water. When the water starts boiling the wax will slowly melt.
4. Heat the borax/water mix in a microwave or on the stove for a minute - almost to boiling.
5. Slowly pour the borax/water mixture into the oil/beeswax mixture, using a stick blender to mix as you pour.
6. Beat very well with the stick blender until the mix is glossy white and slightly thick. If you wish you can put a few drops of essential rose oil into a little almond oil and mix in for fragrance.
7. Pour the (hot) cold cream into a jar with a lid and let it cool to room temperature.
NOTE: If you don't have a stick blender you can beat the cold cream with a whisk or in a regular blender, but the cleanup will be much more difficult.... By using glass containers and a stick blender you will be able to simply wipe most of the excess off with paper towels, then wash in hot soapy water. Cleaning plastic measuring cups, and a whisk or (worse yet) a blender of this wax-containing product is difficult and a pain in the neck....
