A light homemade face moisturizer recipe to balance oily, acne-prone skin

Make this light, natural face moisturizer to refresh and balance oily, acne-prone skin. It's the best moisturizer for oily skin I've made yet!

Its cool, minty scent lifts your energy and your mood - for a happy start to your day, use it on your face and body after your morning shower.

Note:  It's important not to neglect moisturizing your skin, even when you have acne.

Cleansing your face strips away your skin's natural oils, and if you don't replace them your skin will do it for you, producing even more oil than before.

This homemade face moisturizer recipe includes peppermint and tea tree to rejuvenate your skin's oil levels and cleanse acne-causing bacteria. Aloe vera and witch hazel calm irritation and promote healthy skin.


Moisturizer for Oily Skin

Ingredients

1/3 cup (75ml) Grapeseed OR Jojoba oil

2 tablespoons (10g) Emulsifying wax

1/2 teaspoon Stearic Acid (stabilizer)

1 teaspoon (5ml) Vitamin E

1/2 cup (125ml) Witch Hazel or distilled water

2 tablespoons (25ml) Aloe Vera gel

10 drops Grapefruit Seed extract

10 drops Tea Tree essential oil

10 drops Peppermint essential oil

10 drops Petitgrain OR Lemongrass essential oil

1 drop Jasmine OR Ylang Ylang


Quick Links - Buy Supplies

Directions

1.

Stir together the oil, emulsifying wax and stearic acid in a glass heat-safe measuring cup (such as Pyrex).

2.

Place the measuring cup in a pot of water and warm slowly over a low heat, stirring occasionally, until the wax is melted. Remove from heat. Add the Vitamin E.

3.

Pour the witch hazel and aloe vera into a large glass heat-safe measuring cup. Stir to combine.

4.

In a separate pot on the stove (using the water-bath method as above) or in the microwave, gently warm the witch hazel mixture until it's lukewarm. Do NOT skip this step - your moisturizer will separate later if the witch hazel mixture is too cold.

5.

Slowly pour the oil mixture into the witch hazel mixture, stirring constantly with a wire whisk.

6.

Stir in the essential oils and the grapefruit seed extract.

7.

Pour the homemade face moisturizer into a clean, sterilized 8oz (250ml) dark glass or PET plastic bottle and allow it to cool before putting the cap on.

8.

Shake the bottle occasionally as the lotion cools to prevent the ingredients from separating. Store in a cool, dark place.

This recipe makes approximately 8oz (250ml) of moisturizer for oily skin. Use it after washing and toning your face every morning. It's also suitable as an over-all acne-fighting body lotion.

To complete your skin care routine, also make this skin balancing cleanser and astringent toner. Click here for a full acne skin care routine, plus more acne recipes.

Troubleshooting Your Moisturizer for Oily Skin

Lotion with soap

If your moisturizer turns out too thin - and you will only know this for sure once it has cooled completely - make up another little mini-batch with 2 teaspoons oil, another 1/2 to 1 tablespoon emulsifying wax, and another 1/2 teaspoon of stearic acid. Melt as directed in the instructions above. Whisk in 3 tablespoons of warm water and then pour the new batch into the old, thin batch. Stir them together and let them set.

If your lotion turns out too thick, make another complete batch using the recipe above, but this time reduce the emulsifying wax to 1/2 tablespoon and leave out the stearic acid. Mix the new, thin batch in with the old, thick batch to get a more middle-of-the-road consistency.

You can't just add more water because your cream would separate - the emulsifying wax has to work its magic to hold everything together.

Customizing Your Moisturizer for Oily Skin

For a thinner consistency, add a little less emulsifying wax (up to a half a teaspoon.)

You can also reduce the strength of the scent by decreasing the number of drops of essential oils. Do not increase the essential oils, however, since they should only be a certain percentage of the total recipe.

Some of my readers have written to say that aloe vera makes their sensitive skin sting. If that also applies to you, replace the aloe with 2 tablespoons of water.

Where to Get Supplies

I prefer Mountain Rose for all my basic ingredients, like the grapeseed oil and aloe vera. I trust them - their quality is always great, their prices are good and their customer service is terrific.


For essential oils, I use doTerra. After comparing and experimenting with my recipes, I saw that recipes using doTerra's oils worked faster and better - plus I never experienced any of the glitches like headaches or skin irritation that happen with some other brands.

doTerra's oils cost more, which makes sense because with essential oils, you always get what you pay for. Spending a little more for something stronger and cleaner makes sense to me. (Plus I actually use fewer drops than the recipes call for, which cuts costs. Genius!)

You can shop doTerra retail by clicking the Shop button at the top. Or click Join & Save to become a wholesale customer and get 25% discount. Message me to get more info on the perks of wholesale membership. Discounts are awesome!


If you're someone who loves choices, Amazon is great. You can compare, read reviews, and there's lots of price ranges to fit your budget. Just remember to buy the best essential oils you can afford - they go directly into your bloodstream, so you don't want junk.

More Acne Recipes

Here's a few more facial recipes to get you started...


Tea Tree Oil Facial Wash

This homemade acne cleanser reduces oil production and removes the bacteria that cause breakouts. Powerful, but gentle enough for daily use.

Purifying Facial Scrub

This homemade acne remedy uses clay and oatmeal to scrub away dead skin cells and absorb excess oil, unclogging pores and smoothing your skin's texture.

Astringent Facial Toner

Toners are easy, quick homemade acne remedies. This recipe includes lavender and geranium to support healthy skin and balance oil production.

Light Daily Facial Lotion

A light, natural lotion recipe to balance oily, acne-prone skin. Good for face and body, this is one homemade acne remedy your skin really does need.

Healing Night Cream

A good acne recipe with tea tree and ylang ylang that has rejuvenates oily skin and helps reduce the appearance of scarring.

Acne Treatment Oil

This is another of the easiest home remedies for acne. A healing oil treatment to reduce the appearance of acne scars and restore a healthy balance to your skin's oil levels.

Herbal Facial Steam

Make this herbal aromatherapy facial steam to open your pores, deeply cleanse and prepare your face for treatment.

Deep Cleansing Facial Mask

A clay mask that deeply cleans pores, removes dead skin cells and supports balanced oil production.

Acne Skin Care Routine

A complete acne skincare routine using homemade aromatherapy remedies specifically for acne.


Best Essential Oils for Acne

The top 15 essential oils for acne and how they work.


Aromatherapy Recipes Homepage from Moisturizer for Oily Skin

Still Looking?

Want to find the best homemade face moisturizers for your skin type? Use the Search Box below.

Simply type in "moisturizer" (without the quotes) and hit Search. All the moisturizer recipes on this website will pop up. Take a look at them and pick the best one for your skin type - and remember, you can use more than one recipe depending on your skin's needs of the moment.


SEARCH BY INGREDIENT, RECIPE OR PROBLEM