DIY Face Serum

Homemade face serums are easy to DIY and deliver wonderful skin benefits. They will leave your skin replenished and glowing while catering to the specific needs of your skin type.

Jump to:

• What is a face serum?
• How to Use a Face Serum?
• Basic Ingredients
• Equipment
• How to Make Homemade Face Serum?
• 6 Homemade Face Serum Recipes for Every Skin Type
• Can Face Oil Replace Moisturizer?
• FAQs
• How to Make Face Serum at Home (printable)

Making a DIY face serum can be as simple as combining 2 oils that you might already have in your home. You will feel the skin benefits even if you don't go for a luxury face oil right away.

I like to use it after cleansing with my homemade facial soap or after treating my skin with a nourishing face mask. It feels great on the skin!

What is a face serum?

A facial serum is a cosmetic product that contains highly concentrated, precious active ingredients that target specific skin care needs. Serums are water or oil based and are easily assimilated by the skin.

Face serums can be a great choice for mature skin due to their many anti-aging properties. They do a great job in reducing fine lines, improving skin tone and skin elasticity by increasing collagen production. But they can also be very beneficial for sensitive skin, oily skin, acne-prone skin, treating sun damage, reducing age spots and the appearance of scars.

Face serums can be very expensive and contain the most precious and rare ingredients. Homemade face serums can be a great way to cut down on cost and enable you to make them part of your normal skincare routine.

How to Use a Face Serum?

• Serums can be used mornings and nights on clean skin (damp skin if using oil based serum)
• Warm 2-3 drops in palm of your hands
• Gently pat onto face until fully absorbed
• Apply moisturizer or night cream after serum

Basic Ingredients

These are some basic ingredients that are beneficial for every skin type.

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Carrier Oils

• Sunflower oil: very nourishing and similar to skin sebum, filled with vitamin A, D, E and essential fatty acids. Alternative: Safflower oil
• Olive oil: deeply nourishing, full off vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. A great candidate for infusing with calendula which will give it exceptional skin healing properties
• Grapeseed oil: non-greasy, light and very easily absorbed by the skin
• Jojoba oil: very similar to the skin's composition and deeply penetrating, easily absorbed and leaves no oily residue, has a very long shelf life
• Sweet almond oil: very nourishing with high amounts of fatty acids, absorbs easily
• Sesame oil: highly nourishing, regenerative and anti-inflammatory properties. Use cold pressed, raw oil, NOT roasted.

Essential Oils

Essential oils can enhance your face serum in a wonderful way and give it a beautiful aroma. Nevertheless they're potent ingredients that need to be diluted before applying to the skin. As a rule of thumb: 10-12 drops of essential oil should be diluted in 1 oz. (2 Tbsp) of carrier oil.

• Chamomile: anti-inflammatory, regenerative, can help reduce scars and soothe skin irritation and dryness
• Lavender: calming and anti-septic, healing for a wide array of skin conditions including acne, dark spots and wrinkles
• Frankincense: Anti-bacterial and toning properties, beneficial and balancing for all skin types
• Myrrh: filled with antioxidant and moisturizing properties, it can help fade blemishes and restore healthy skin by healing chapped, dry patches
• Sweet orange: high in Vitamin C, it's astringent property contributes anti-aging benefits, can help fade dark spots and acne scars

Equipment

• 1 oz glass bottle with dropper
• small funnel
• measuring spoon

How to Make Homemade Face Serum?

The easiest serum to make at home is oil based. It requires no synthetic preservatives and can be whipped up in a few minutes. Keep in mind though that the lack of water also means that a face oil serum WON'T hydrate your skin. Be sure to follow up with an hydrating moisturizer.

1. Choose one or two carrier oils from above list
2. Choose one or two essential oils
3. Place small funnel in dropper bottle
4. Add 1 tablespoon of carrier oil
5. Add 1 tablespoon of a different carrier oil
6. Add 10-12 essential oil (one oil or a combination of two)
7. Screw lid on
8. Shake bottle a few times

6 Homemade Face Serum Recipes for Every Skin Type

For Mature/ Aging Skin:

• 1 tablespoon rosehip seed oil
• ½ tablespoon jojoba oil
• ½ tablespoon vitamin e oil
• 5 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 5 drops frankincense essential oil

For Blemishes/ Scars:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil or calendula infused olive oil
• 1 tablespoon evening primrose oil
• 5 drops myrrh essential oil
• 5 drops frankincense essential oil

For Dry Skin:

• 1 tablespoon jojoba oil
• 1 tablespoon rosehip oil
• 5 drops geranium essential oil
• 5 drops myrrh essential oil

For Oily/ Acne Prone Skin:

• 1 tablespoon hazelnut oil
• 1 tablespoon jojoba oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil
• 5 drops clary sage or tea tree essential oil

For Combination Skin:

• 1 tablespoon jojoba oil
• 1 tablespoon apricot kernel oil
• 5 drops geranium essential oil
• 5 drops lavender essential oil

For Normal Skin / Dry Skin:

• 1 tablespoon argan oil
• 1 tablespoon grape seed oil
• 5 drops sweet orange essential oil
• 5 drops frankincense essential oil

Can Face Oil Replace Moisturizer?

With so many skincare products on the market, it can be confusing to know what to use and when. Serums, face oils, and moisturizers each have a different job, but they all have their place in our daily skincare routine. Find out more in my post: Can face oil replace moisturizer?

FAQs