Two years ago, my mom gifted me a facial for my birthday. I did not really know what to think, I was still the girl who splashed water on her face at night and slept with eye makeup on! I had never really paid attention to my skin — I had been blessed with good skin for the most part and never really had to worry. Well, let me tell you, it was AHmazing. Not only was it so relaxing, but also very informative! She told me all about the importance of taking care of my skin.
So began my skin care routine.
Being the crunchy mama that I am, I did not want to buy a ton of the “product” that she recommended to me. I mean, check out the ingredients lists on those pretty bottles! Yikes!!! So, I started investigating different natural companies. That has been an ongoing journey of discovery, so I started a Safe Skin Care Facebook group where we discuss removing the toxins from our skincare and making safer choices. I invite you to join thousands of others in the conversations HERE.
Now I was on the path to having my makeup figured out, but how about those expensive face creams? I decided to try making my own!
Then I got into essential oils. Wow, that took things to a whole new level! My favorite oil to use on my face is Frankincense. Naturally, I had to come up with a skin cream that included it… Frankincense face cream!
A little bit about the other oils I chose, and why I chose them…
- Cocoa butter: improves skin tone and elasticity
- Coconut oil: promotes collagen production and heals damaged skin
- Jojoba oil: anti-inflammatory and has been shown to reduce the signs of aging
- Sweet almond oil: reduces scarring, smoothes and rejuvenates skin
Note: this recipe makes about 1 cup of face cream. I divide it between 2 jars and store one in the fridge for later. If you only want a small amount, then divide the recipe in two.
Frankincense Face Cream
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup cocoa butter — where to find
- 1/4 cup coconut oil — where to find
- 2 Tbsp jojoba oil — where to find
- 2 Tbsp sweet almond oil — where to find
- 40 drops Frankincense essential oil
Directions:
- In a double boiler, melt the cocoa butter
- Combine melted cocoa butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, and almond oil in a mixing bowl (I use the bowl from my kitchen aid mixer)
- Place the bowl into your fridge until it starts to harden
- Once it is cooled and hardened, put the bowl under your stand mixer, or use your hand mixer to whip it up
- Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and whip some more. I scrape and whip several times to get it all well combined
- Whip until nice and fluffy, then add in the Frankincense and whip until combined
- Store Frankincense Face Cream in the glass jar, or transfer to any container you desire. I use these or these (you can also find some really cute bottles and jars HERE)
- Apply Frankincense Face Cream to skin as needed for moisturizing, I use it morning and night. You only need a small amount to cover your face, if you use too much it will be greasy. A little bit goes a long way!
- I store mine in the fridge in the warmer months to keep it cool. Its very refreshing to apply a cool cream in the summer!
UPDATE: I used to sell this cream on Etsy and would always sell out within an hour of listing it! I have since quit selling it, but I get regular requests to start back up. I don’t have time to fit that back into my schedule at this time, but a blogger friend of mine makes a great tallow cream using essential oils. It is almost identical in texture and results in this Frankincense Face Cream. So, if you don’t want to make your own and would rather buy it, check out her page HERE.
Want to know more about my skincare routine? Here are my other recipes: WASH, TONE, UNDER EYE SERUM, VITAMIN C SERUM
Watch the video recipe below
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174 Replies to “Frankincense Face Cream for Beautiful Skin”
Did you mean 2 tbsp or cups for jojoba and sweet almond oil?
I meant TBSP, I fixed it. Sorry about that. I had initially tried it with 1/4 cup for each and didn’t like how it turned out so I knocked it back to 2 TBSP, and did not edit out the cups. Ah postpartum brain. I’m lucky I remember my name most days 🙂
I made this and it didn’t thicken or whip up really and than it sort of turned into foam after letting it sit for a while
Hmm, I have never had that happen. Did you chill it?
Would it matter if the Frankincense oil is applied before the whipping as opposed to after?
No it shouldn’t make a difference
tablespoons
Wondering if you could suggest a sub for the coconut oil. I love using coconut oil as a body moisturizer, but I break out when I use it facially. Any suggestions? Thanks so much, love your blog!
That’s a tough one! Coconut oil is really what hardens and whips up so nice. You will need a good saturated fat in place of it. Try omitting it and see if it whips up, you might just get a face oil out of the recipe, but it will still work great 🙂
you could try palm oil. This is another great “hard” oil that is chocked full of Vitamin E!
You could try beef tallow.
What about Shea Butter? Would that work?
Sure, you could try that
the cocoa butter does not smell that good, does the frankincense cover that up?
It still smells pretty chocoaltey.
Could Shea butter work? I cant stand the chocolatey smell…which is weird since I love chocolate.
I get that. Chocolate is tasty, but you might not want to smell like it 😉 You can certainly sub Shea butter, but it might be a tad “greasier”
Mango butter is a good sub too.
What if you don't have a mixer? Can this be stirred by hand? Also what is another way to melt the cocoa butter since I don't have a double boiler?
It needs to be whipped really hard, might be difficult to do by hand. But you can sure try it! You can melt the coco butter in a metal bowl placed over a pot of boiling water
I’ve read that heating the cocoa butter compromises the quality I’m assuming the same applies to the Shea as well
You could try a hand mixer, like you’d mix up a brownie mix. Most come with a whisk attachment that would work well.
I mixed up this cream and like it very much but is it supposed to be rock solid hard? It was creamy after whipping. I know that the coconut oil will be hard in it's solid state but I was hoping it would stay softer to make it easier for smoothing.
No it stays creamy. You might need to whip it more
Could I use Shea butter (which I recently bought 🙂 instead of cocoa butter?
Thanks a lot 🙂
You sure can 🙂
i have an almond allergy! What can I use instead of almond oil, as I’m afraid it will break me out!
you can just omit it and sub more jojoba oil in its place
What are the biggest uses for the jojoba oil and the sweet almond oil? Are they necessary? I only ask because I don’t have those two ingredients and I want to make this as soon as possible!
Emily, I listed why they are important at the top of the post. You can sub other oils if you’d like though, whatever you have on hand. 🙂
Is the “coolness” the only reason your refrigerate it? If you don’t want it in the fridge, will it be ok? I have all those ingredients, and plan to make some tomorrow. I don’t have frankincense, though….are there any others you would recommend? I have several others.
I have all the ingredients on hand! I think this would be wonderful for gifts for others. Do you think it would keep for several weeks without refrigeration…or should one add a bit of Vit E oil? Also about how long did you actually whip the cream? That would help as a gauge when I go to make it myself. Thanks!
It will definitely last for several weeks without being in the fridge, I keep it in my medicine cabinet right now and its just fine. You could certainly add a little Vit E to help. I whip the cream different lengths every time. Depends on how warm it is in your house. I just keep whipping, then scraping the sides of the bowl, then whipping again until its really creamy and fluffy. You will know — see the image in my post, it should look like that. Its fun to make 🙂
Hello! I’m trying to make this cream but it’s very hard after coming out of the fridge. How did you get yours to be so fluffy? Thanks!
Whip it, scrape the sides of the bowl down, whip it some more, scrape, etc … until its nice and fluffy
I don’t think fractionated would work Ami 🙁
I was making this at 10pm last night, and messed up the recipe. I did half a recipe for everything EXCEPT the cocoa butter. 🙁 Is it possible for me to melt some coconut oil, add the jojoba and almond oil, wait for it to harden in the fridge and then whip it again? I'm frustrated at myself b/c it was such a waste.
Just made this today! Super creamy consistency & very easy. Can’t wait to see how if works with my skin
Awesome, you will love it! 🙂
I made the face cream but the next day the oils separated. What did I do wrong?
I have had it separate once, and it was because I let it sit in a hot camper (now I keep it in the fridge when we camp). Did you leave it near a heat source? No worries though because you can simply whip it up again, remember to let it harden in the fridge before whipping.
I AM ADDING A SMALL AMOUNT HYALURONIC ACID
I’m having trouble getting mine to whip up, it’s staying liquid?
I waited til it was cloudy and starting to thicken.
Any suggestions? Thank you!
Hey Amy, put it back in the fridge longer. Sometimes it takes many many cycles of whip, scrape, whip, scrape until it gets really whipped. The secret is to chilling it and whipping a lot
Hello! I love this recipe, do you think I can add emulsifying wax and a dash or vegetable glycerine to make it more creamy texture? X
Hi Kate-
I added all the ingredients before I read to add the Frankincense after it cooled. Oops. I thought the heat may hurt/destroy the EO, so I added 20 more drops as I was whipping it up. Can that much Frankincense be toxic? or be damaging to my skin?
Thanx!
Nope, it just gets better with more Frank 🙂
I want to make this, but coconut oil breaks my face out. (I have very dry, sensitive skin.). The very expensive cream I currently use has a Shea butter base. Do you think that would be okay to sub the cocoa butter and coconut oil in this recipe?
That should work, it might be heavier though. It will still be great for your skin 🙂
I love the smell but I can’t get it to whip up as much as yours…I wanted really fluffy…any helps?
Make sure that you chilled it long enough. Then you just have to whip, and scrape the sides, whip, and scrape the sides, whip, etc. Sometimes it takes longer than previous batches.
I get dry skin in the winter. Will this do the trick or would I need to add something extra?
This is great for dry skin!
I have dry skin so I need to make this for myself. How much did you sell your Frankencense Face Cream since you don’t sell it any longer? Frankencense is expensive.
I used to sell it for $28/jar plus shipping 🙂
What do you recommended to replace the jojoba oil? It makes me break out. Would Avocado oil work?
Sure, any liquid oil would work in place of jojoba
What are the benefits of the Frankincense oil for a face cream…is it toning for wrinkles, an astringent for oil, moisturizing…?
It improves the appearance of healthy skin. If you do a search online you will find all sorts of reasons why it’s helpful for your skin. I know my skin has been glowing ever since I added it to my daily routine!
I love it! Thank You Kate for all the coaching ?
About how long do you put it in the refrigerator for?
Until is hardens, about an hour or so
Hi Kate. I love essential oils especially frankincense oil. However in this recipe do you buy the cocoa butter in solid (brick) form and shrewd it. If so, how do you shred it? Then yo u melt the 1/2 cups of the shredded cocoa butter?
Hi Sandy, I do buy the cocoa butter in a brick. I put it into a plastic bag and hit it with my meat tenderizer: https://amzn.to/21sEfLv. Sounds weird, but it works. Then I melt down the smaller pieces and measure is when its melted 🙂
I have a small crock pot for making stuff like this…would it work for this recipe? Can’t wait to try it!
I have not tried it in a crock pot, but on a low setting I would think it could work. Let me know how it goes 🙂
I just made it. I had to put it back into the fridge 4 times. It just would whip up. Finally it did and it look beautiful just like yours. I don’t know what I was thinking but I also added 5 drops of lavender, now I am wondering if I should discard it or if it is ok to use it. Help!?
Hi Enma, nope it should be just fine. Lavender is a wonderful oil and will only enhance the cream. Glad you got it to whip up well 🙂
Just wanted to know which Frankincense you used – carterii, frereana, omani/sacra, or serrata?
Thanks
Does it matter which Frank?
They are all great for skin
Can you use this in the eye area or do you have another recipes for eye moisturizing?
You can use it around your eyes. I do have a caffeine eye serum recipe: https://realfoodrn.com/diy-caffeine-eye-serum/
I made this this past weekend. I think I need to whip more as its clumpy.
How long after using did you see results?
So far I like it.
I was seeing results about 1-2 weeks after using it!
Any suggestions for a face wash to use this with?
I’ve used this cream for a month and love it. I had some dry patches on my face and they are gone. It doesn’t leave my skin super greasy. Thank you for sharing it.
Hi,
First I love this stuff! I made my second batch, the right way this time;) The first batch I didn’t get it whipped and I don’t think I stored it right. It got a couple very small black spots in it. I tried to removed those as best as I could, then I did get it whipped. Would it be ok to keep using it or do suggest to toss it?
I think it should be okay, just watch for any black spots to return. If mold does grow, I would toss it.
This sounds like a great face cream. Any thoughts on substituting Rosehip oil for the Almond oil?
I have not tried rosehip oil, but you certainly could try. Let me know how it works out! 🙂
Hi…thanks for sharing your recipe. However I get atopy from using different oils that I was wondering if I can use a hypoallergenic cream base and just add a few drops of frankincense to it?
Hi Mima,
You certainly can do that! I do all the time.
I made this tonight and am thinking I may have not whipped it enough. It very quickly hardened like butter. I thought I had whipped it too much so I added a little bit more almond oil. Should I expect it to harden? Is that when I would scrape and whip some more?
It shouldn’t harden, it stays like a nice whipped salve-like face cream.
I’ve been using this in place of my usual day and night cream for about 3 weeks and my skin looks and feels amazing! I absolutely love this recipe! It’s so easy to make and one batch lasts forever. Thanks so much for sharing it!
That’s so awesome Carol! Thanks for letting me know. I LOVE it too 🙂
How much product does this make?
When I make a batch it typically gets me four 2oz containers
can İ use a stickblender instead of the countertop blender? İdont have one….
You can try, I am not sure that it will get as fluffy though
Hi my cream turned out quite thick can I remelt and maybe add a bit more oil would this take the effects away fr the frankenscense i also added some vit e oil Thks
You can remelt it, just do it over low heat.
Super Thks so much fingers crossed cheers!
hi kate, I love how this face cream sounds and i wanted to make some for my friends this year for Christmas. i dont want to do this last minute and i wonder whats the best way to keep it safe and when when i gift it should i tell them to keep in fridge. do you think it could get moldy when they open it? it would be the worst!!
Thanks
I keep them in the fridge, they last a long time in there.
Does Half a batch of the Frankincense Face Cream work well to make? If I make a full batch to sell half, how much do you suggest I sell a half batch of the cream? (I don’t gift exchange with this person , I already gift her things and I ‘m on a tight budget )
No a half batch is hard to make in the mixer, because it needs a full batch to whip up well. You could sell it on Etsy!
Can you use this cream on your face during pregnancy? Is it safe with the essential oils added? Thanks
I did, there is only a small amount of essential oil in the cream
Frankincense Face Cream
Isn’t it possible to get “Organic” oils for the recipe? I notice the Amazon links are not to “organic” Sweet Almond Oil, nor Coco Butter, ???
Kate, I am very interested in making a batch of the Frankincense Facial Cream but am interested in knowing about how many 2 ounce jars does a single batch of the cream fill. I was about to order some jars and I don’t think I saw how many jars it would take to hold all of the moisturing cream that the recipe makes.
a single batch makes 3-4
Can’t wait to try this recipe. Do you melt the coconut oil too or do you let it melt in the residual heat of the cocoa butter? Thanks
I melt it in the residual heat
I made the cream yesterday and it was creamy, however this morning was rock hard. Do I whip it all up agan
it hardens in cooler temperatures
Is there a way to keep the cream soft
Can you tell me how to keep cream soft. I made it, it was fluffy and rich.set it on the counter and it got hard
Keep it in an area with a moderate temp that does not fluctuate. The melting and hardening makes it harder
Is this good to use as an all over body moisturizer as well as face?
Definitely!
What is your recipe for hand lotion? I have terrible dry cracked winter hands?
I don’t have a recipe for handcream, but I love this non-toxic hand cream: https://realfoodrn.com/BCmimosahandcream. Otherwise I have a lotion bar recipe too: https://realfoodrn.com/antibacterial-moisturizing-lotion-bars/
I’ve been seeing where you can mix minerals foundation with lotion to make a cream foundation. With this work for that?
Sure, I would mix it with this mineral makeup (its the one I use): https://realfoodrn.com/savvy-minerals-foundation-powder/
Hello.
Could you please tell me if i could add a little bees wax to the Frankincense face cream.
Also is it ok to just use coconut oil & jojoba oil
Thank you kindly.
Sarah
Sure, just not too much beeswax or you will end up with a very firm cream
What’s the best way to measure out the cocoa butter? Do you just use a grater? I have the block of it. Thanks!
Okay so I whipped and scraped and whipped And scraped and whipped and scraped and when I was done it was creamy and looked like your picture so I put it in a jar. Now three hours later it is clumpy again. Why????
Hmm. I have not had that happen, could there have been temperature variations that would have made it more liquid again and then back to more solid?
Hey quick question. Is it supposed to turn to oily butter when put on skin mine looks great and thenjust turns to oil as soon as it makes contact with skin??? I havnt added the frankincense yet just in case I don’t want to waste it. Would that make a difference? Thank you darlin
It does look oily when you first put it on, because there are so many amazing skin oils and creams in it. It does soak in though, and I have never had issues with it clogging pores or anything.
Love this! I can’t wait to try this recipe out! Im actually going to splurge and use it as a whole body cream!
I stay in a warm climate so although I made this it melts and becomes a liquid sludge if I don’t store it in the refrigerator. Is there any way to harden it and increase the shelf life? I want to retain the creamy soft texture.
You could try adding more beeswax
Hi I’m making the face cream and I accidently put in 1 cup cocoa butter instead of half I’m so bummed hoping it will still work what do you think
you could double the rest of the ingredients
My bookclub read Crimes Against a Book Club by Kathy Cooperman and I made jars of this face cream to give out to our members. You”ll have to read the book to find out how it relates to the hilarious story. Anyway, I followed the directions to a “T” because I really wanted it to work. It whipped up well and looked just like the picture. Putting it in the jars was a delight because the texture looked just like face cream. Once the jars sat for a while at room temperature, though, the mixture turned from creamy to liquid-y. After then storing it in the refrigerator, it solidified but was very grainy. I would love to know what to do now. What did I do wrong?
Hmm, was it really warm where you live? You can always melt it again and re-whip it.
Pop-ups are extremely annoying, seems like they come up every few seconds. Just fyi.
Sorry about that, I will let my tech team know. I think they are annoying too!
Could I use Shea butter as a substitute?
sure!
Hi Kate! Thank you for sharing your skin care recipes. This post has been going strong for a few years! ???? I’m gathering ingredients to make your regime now. Yay!
QUESTION: I love using organic virgin coconut oil on my skin and in cooking, but believe my face reacts poorly to it. What would you think about substituting HEMP OIL for the coconut oil in your recipes?
Hi Mary, you could certainly try! It might not whip up as light, but that’s okay
Is it fractionated coconut oil that you use?
Nope, regular coconut oil
Mine turned out more like a butter than a cream. Is that normal?
It can be, especially if you live in a warmer area
I was wondering if i could use Shea Butter instead of Cocoa Butter?
Definitely!
hi, I’m looking for a good *body* lotion to make. Do you have any recipes for that too?
My friend Heather makes a great body butter: https://www.oilyrockstars.com/2014/11/silky-whipped-body-butter.html
Hi Kate. I love, love, love your recipes. I’m just new to EOs and living clean so forgive me if this is a silly question. I find that all these oils are greasy when applied, even in small amounts. My absorption rate must be slower than most because I don’t see too many complaints about it. Is there any benefit to adding a tablespoon of arrowroot powder to this recipe? Thanks for your great posts.
Hi Mimi, I am not sure that adding arrowroot would help, might turn it into a paste. Maybe try using a very small amount when applying
Can I add Rosehip to this recipe?
Sure!
Hi,
Thanks for sharing this great recibe,
I made it and my cream is solid. I live in a could place. Do you think I whiped too much or is because of the temperature? I still love it, it melts as soon it touches my skin, but still wondering.
Thanks.
Hello! It is probably a temperature thing. you could store it on top of something warm to keep is softer.
It’s whipping as I type. Keeping my fingers cross for my face is oily. I hope this does not make it oilier.
It won’t make your skin oilier. How did it turn out? It takes a lot of whipping
Hi I’ve just made this, and its so oily!!! I thought it was going to be like a cream 🙁 I’m soo worried now
Did you chill it and whip it really well? It can go on appearing oily, but it absorbs well.
What is the shelf life for this recipe?
it lasts for months
May I add Lavender to this? Thank You
Sure!