Crafting Your Own Cold Cream

WHEN a pot of cold cream to Eliza you send,

You with words to this purpose your present commend;
Whoe'er with this cream shall her countenance smear,
All redness and roughness will strait disappear,
And the skin to a wonder be charmingly clear;
If pimples arise, this will take them away;
If the small-pox should mark you, those marks will decay;
If wrinkled through age, or bad dawbing the face is,
'Twill be smooth in a trice, as the best Venice glass is;
All this, and much more (could I spare time to write it,
Or my pen go as fast, as your lips would indite it)
You affirm of your cream: and I would not abuse it,

But pray tell me one thing—Do you yourself use it?

-Dr. Russell, 1814

Autumn is the time of year in which I like to make homemade cold cream. My skin gets so dry in the winter that it really needs the extra oil that cold cream can provide. Cold cream is said to have its origins in the second century, when it was invented by Galen, the famous Greek physician. This version contains two oils, olive - which was the original oil used - and Macadamia. Macadama oil has a high concentration of palmitoleic acid, which is especially beneficial for dry and mature skin.
My recipe is a modified version of the one found in the book Natural Beauty at Home: More Than 250 Easy-to-Use Recipes for Body, Bath, and Hair.

Greek Cold Cream

1/8 tsp. baking soda
1/8 tsp. vitamin C powder

1/4 cup distilled water

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup macadamia oil

2 TBS beeswax pellets

1 tsp. rose water

Step 1: Mix the water, vitamin C powder, and baking soda in a microwavable glass and set aside.

Step 2: Mix the oils and beeswax in an oven proof bowl, like pyrex.

Step 3 : Place the oil/beeswax mixture in a preheated 170 degree oven.

Step 4: Nurse the baby, change the toddler, put the laundry in the dryer - do whatever you need to do while the beeswax is melting in the oven. Occasionally go back and stir the mixture until it is crystal clear.

Step 5: When the mix is clear, take your water mixture and microwave it for about one minute.

Step 6: Slowly stir the hot water mixture into the oil mixture.  This is best done with a fork, in my opinion. It will start out quite watery, but as it cools it will begin to thicken. Continue to go back and stir it up until it is just about room temperature. At this point it looks a lot like pudding.

Step 7: Add the rose water and stir again.

Step 8: Place your cold cream in a jar and make a pretty label for it. It will still be quite soft, but as it continues to cool it will get harder.

Now you're ready! Before you go to bed just rub some on your face and tissue it off. The residue that remains will help to moisturize your skin as you sleep. Remember, this is only for dry or mature skin - do not use it if your skin is oily.