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Home Spa: Gentle Gel Serum

Filed Under: Bath & Body Tutorials

Difficulty: Beginner
Time: 30 minutes
Yields: 10 tins

Relieve tired eyes with a serum part of the Home Spa collection of tutorials. The ingredients in this formula were specifically selected for their skin-loving properties. For example, Carrot Seed Essential Oil, which some studies suggest provides a natural source free-radical-fighting antioxidants, is wonderful for mature skin. Additionally, the Evening Primrose Extract is extremely gentle and is often used to treat acne, eczema and  psoriasis. The Bulgarian Lavender provides an element of aromatherapy, and it’s all held together by a combination of nourishing oils and waxes. Finish off your creation with our vintage label design. Download the free PDF template here.

What You’ll Need:

1.5 oz. Chia Seed Oil

1.2 oz. Fractionated Coconut Oil

.24 oz. Evening Primrose Extract

1 tsp. Cera Bellina Wax

3 drops Carrot Seed Essential Oil

15 drops Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil

2 Droppers

Non-Stackable Clear Lip Butter Pots

Label Template

Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!

ONE: In a microwave safe container, combine the Chia Seed Oil, Fractionated Coconut Oil and Evening Primrose Extract.

TWO: After the oils and extract have been thoroughly stirred together, add the Cera Bellina Wax. Place in the microwave on 30 second bursts until the wax is fully melted.

THREE: After the wax has been fully melted into the oils, add the Carrot Seed Essential Oil and Hungarian Lavender Essential Oil and mix well.

FOUR: Slowly pour the mixture into the lip balm tins. Pour until you reach the indented groove in the tins.

FIVE: Place the tins without their lids in the freezer for 30 minutes to an 1 hour. This step is essential or your gel won’t set up!

If you make this or any of our Home Spa Collection projects we’d love to see them! Share them on Instagram or on Facebook and be sure to add #homespa so we can find them.

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38 Comments

  1. Hi, I would love to make this serum. Thanks for the recipe! I have a couple of questions though. The description of the Evening primrose extract mentions a recommended usage rate of 1%-2%. I converted the serum recipe to %, and the extract rate is almost 8%!!! Wouldn’t that be a bit too much of the good stuff 🙂 ??

    And, because of the emulsifying capabilities of the cera bellina wax, do you think it would be possible to add a small amount of water based additives to the recipe? If so, what do you think would be the cera bellina/additives ratio?
    Thank you so much for all your help!

  2. This looks awesome!
    I have a question, using this recipe, would I be able to add an additional anti aging ingredient, for example Q10 or something like that?

    • Hi Nataku!

      So glad you like the recipe! We didn’t try this recipe with Q10, but I believe that would be just fine. I would recommend making a small test batch to see how it feels. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  3. The link for the tins seems to be broken. Do you still sell them? If not, how much product do they hold?

    Thanks!
    Christine

  4. I just made this a couple of hours ago, halving the recipe. May I know if the last photo in the tutorial was taken before or after you took it out of the freezer? I’m curious because I poured mine into two kinds of containers- an airless pump bottle and a round tin. I don’t think the round tin is going to work very well as it’s kind of runny. 🙁

    Thing is, the serum set up nicely post-freezer, but once it warmed up to room temperature it’s back to runny. I thought the consistency would be more like gravy, not castor oil. LOL The only possibility I can come up with is my measurement… because I halved the recipe and my scale is a dinky Escali one, I might have used too much oils and not enough Cera Bellina wax?

    Despite the possible error I really like how the serum feels on the back of my hand. Love the carrot & lavender blend too… I used 4 drops of each. 🙂

    • Hi Sibs!

      The picture at the top of this post was taken after the serum was taken out of the freezer. In our tests, the serum stayed set up at room temperature.

      My only guess is that a bit too much oil may have been added. The serum is still usable, just a little softer! You may also try remelting the serum and adding a bit more wax. That may help give you a harder consistency. 🙂

      -Kelsey with Bramble Berry

  5. Dear amanda
    I want to infuse calendula herb with oil for this recipe, Can you recommend for me the EO that mix well with calendula smell
    can we mix EO and FO and use for face, some recipes mix vanila(FO) with some EO like patchouli,lavender

    • and I have ylang ylang EO,which EO can I mix, I want a gentle floral scent

      thanks for your help

  6. Hi,
    I made the serum this morning. I halved the recipe to give it a try. I put it in the freezer for an hour. The serum has not gelled all the way through yet. How long does it take? Should I add more cera bellina?
    Any help would be greatly appreciated! I love your site. It has inspired me to try new things!

    Laura

    • Hi Laura!

      We found the product hardened up after about an hour or so. Placing it in the freezer definitely should have done the trick! You could remelt it, and add a little bit more beeswax to harden it up if you’d like 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  7. I’ve been looking for a recipe to replace a lotion I used to use, and this looks like it might do the trick. Would I be able to use calendula extract, or infuse the oil with with calendula flowers? I’d be leaving out the lavender oil, if that makes a difference.

  9. Hello…

    I am just getting into hand made skin products. This sounds wonderful!

    I am wondering a couple of things…

    1. How much does this recipe make?
    2. Is there a way to incorporate grape seed oil into this? The benefits of this oil are said to decrease dark circles under the eye and this would be a nice added benefit to this gel, especially since grape seed absorbs quickly and is non greasy.

    Thanks, Deb

    • Hi Deb!

      This recipe makes a little over 3 oz of product. You could certainly add some Grape Seed Oil to this recipe. You could decrease the amount of Chia Seed Oil, and add some Grape Seed Oil! 🙂

      I hope you love this recipe as much as we do Deb 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  10. I made this serum/gel and I love it. I gave it to my very picky sister to try, if she liked it everyone would like it. Well, she LOVED it, has already come back for more and is telling her friends about it too! Yay!!! I also had the exploding Evening Primrose oil thing happen to me too, next time I will add that after the oils have been melted. Thanks for this awesome recipe.

    • Hi Dede!

      We are so excited to hear that you found a recipe that your sister would like and appreciate. This is one of my favorite recipes from this past summer and I’ve already used up my most recent batch. =) If you get any fun pictures of your products, be sure to share them with us on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

      https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry

  11. Hi,
    I made this and it turned out great, except……I think I had an older version of the Evening Primrose extract, which was water based. I just didn’t notice, and when I heated in the microwave, it kind of exploded. I cleaned it up, salvaged the rest, adding a few grains more wax, and some Helichrysum EO, and it gelled great!!! Thank you! Think about posting some more recipes using that wonderful wax, which I have a lb of!! I think it would be great in a lotion.

    • Hi Dawnia!

      We are happy to hear that you were able to try this tutorial out, it is really such a soothing gel (I use it everyday). I’m glad that your batch turned out and that the explosoin in the microwave didn’t deter you. Thanks for the great feedback! 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  12. Does this recipe require any Preservative? What will be it’s expiry date after making it?

    Thanks
    Pooja

  13. I think you can find recipes to make your own Cera Bellina Wax online, but I’ve never tried. If someone has, it would be nice to see the process!

    What oils would sub for the chia oil? Could you replace it with light oils and extracts?

    Thanks for showing us how to make the gel! I look forward to experimenting!

  14. I also have Candellila Wax…what is the best substitute for Cera Bellina Wax? Thanks!

  15. Are there any substitutes for the Cera Bellina Wax? I have white & yellow Beeswax and also Emulsifying wax. Will any of those work? And what is the difference between these waxes?
    Thank you.

    • Hi Sly!

      The Cera Bellina Wax is actually makes this particular recipe gel and emulsify so well. You can try out Beeswax as an alternative, but it is going to be more balm than gel-like if try that substitution.

      While we’ve only done this recipe with the Cera Bellina Wax, you can experiment with a very small batch if you want to try using Beeswax or Candellila and even including a small amount of an emulsifier to help wax and oils mix better together.

      Cera Bellina Wax is actually a hydrophilic (water-loving) derivative of beeswax and works really well with any product that you want to gel. It also works well as a co-emulsifier or thickener in lotion and serum formulations.

      Cera Bellina Wax: https://www.brambleberry.com/Cera-Bellina-Wax-P5642.aspx

      Beeswax is one of the harder waxes we carry and is great to add to lip balms and lotions as a hardening agent. We’ve also used it in candles as it tends to burn longer and more clean than other waxes.

      Yellow Beeswax: https://www.brambleberry.com/Beeswax-Yellow-P4206.aspx

      Candellila Wax is actually a harder and more brittle wax this is a great vegan alternative to the Beeswax. It gives gloss and slip to lip balms and lotion bars.

      Candellila Wax: https://www.brambleberry.com/Candellila-Wax-P4207.aspx

      I hope this helps! 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  16. Yes, I too am wondering if this is an under eye serum, or all over face??
    Also, Please consider selling that wonderful wax in smaller quantities, like 4 oz.
    What else is this wax good for? Thank you!!

    • Good morning, Dawnia!

      You can use this under the eye and all over the face, it is totally up to you how you use it! The Cera Bellina Wax can be used in lip balms, lotion bars or even emulsions to give them a smooth and very luxurious texture! Thanks for the suggestion, I will pass it onto our Product Development Team. I hope this helps! 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

    • Hi Tiffaney!

      This is a great under-eye gel and that is actually what I’ve been using it for. 🙂 We’d love for you to make it and let us know what you think.

      -Becky with Bramble Berry