I have two near-future Licensed Estheticians in the house and we like to experiment. I wanted to concoct a serum that a) I could apply daily and nightly, b) that was all natural, c) that would be moisturizing, soothing and also healing, and d) that had Moringa in it. Our final concoction hits all those notes.
This is what you'll need:
The zest of at least four oranges (wash the oranges!)
Moringa Seed Oil
Grapeseed Oil
Vitamin E Oil
What I Did:
1. I scraped the zest from an orange into a container, being careful not to include the pith which can be bitter. The zest contains most of the orange's essential oils.
2. I put just enough Grapeseed Oil to cover the orange zest and I added some vitamin E oil and I heated the mixture on medium high, stirring constantly. I didn't keep it on the stove long … because letting it get too hot and burn will take away the essence from the zest and oil. The good thing is that Grapeseed Oil has a high cooking "flash point" to prevent burning.
Note: Next time, I will not add the Vitamin E oil at this step, I will save it for later.
3. After a little while, not more than about five minutes of heating and constant stirring, I remove the mixture from the heat. The now-infused oil will smell like citrusy, orangey goodness.
4. I strained the mixture multiple times, so that I would be left with just the pure oil. The zest can be reused for other, future creations (see below).
5. I pour the strained, infused oil into a dark bottle (see above in marquee photo). I filled it up about two-thirds of the way, because I knew I would be adding more oils.
Note: Whenever you're working with Vitamin C, it is important to consider possible oxidation and photo/light sensitivity. The Vitamin E helps to stabilize it a bit as does optimal storage. To extend the life of the serum, dark and cool storage, if possible, is the way to go.
6. I filled the remainder of the bottle up (the last third) with Moringa Seed Oil and a little bit more Vitamin E Oil.
Primary Skin Benefits:
Moringa Seed Oil: Moisturizing, healing, anti-oxidant, anti-aging, aids with scarring, high in Vitamins A, C and E.
Grapeseed Oil: High in essential fatty acids, soothes, smooths and softens skin and won't clog pores.
Vitamin E Oil: Healing, helps reduce scarring.
Vitamin C from Orange Peel: Fights free radicals, helps reduce hyperpigmentation, brightens complexion.
Future Mixes + Remixes:
I am going to make a batch of the serum using Black Seed Oil, Avocado Oil and Aloe Vera.
Kennedi-Rae is big on face masks, so we're going to try out an Orange Peel, Turmeric and Honey, or maybe Aloe Vera, Mask.
The orange peel zest can also be dried and mixed with Moringa Seed Oil (or your carrier oil of choice) to make an exfoliating body scrub (thanks for the suggestion, Mom!).