Pretty much since high school I have had permanent dark circles under my eyes. No amount of sleep or moisturizer can help them. The only thing that really helps is concealer. So I decided to try to make an eye cream recipe that was designed to help with dark circles.
Now I’m not saying this cream is a miracle worker. I do think it’s made a small difference on my dark under-eyes in the few weeks since I’ve been using it. The best part about this cream, however, is how refreshing it is to put on in the morning. I just love it. So even if it can’t completely fix my dark circles, it does help with puffiness and preventing wrinkles.
This recipe makes about 2 ounces. For eye cream, that really goes a long way. I can’t foresee running out of it in the near future. And it only costs $1.45 to make! If you’re used to buying eye cream, you know that is a steal!
Each of the ingredients were selected to make this cream great for dark circles, moisturizing, and preventing wrinkles:
- Almond oil: Deep moisturizer, soothes irritation, reduces dark circles
- Shea butter: Natural moisturizer, non-comedogenic, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory
- Green tea: Full of antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, reduces development of wrinkles, helps with rosacea
- Beeswax: Locks in moisture, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory
- Vitamin E oil: Antioxidant, natural moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, helps preserve shelf life of lotion
- Peppermint essential oil: Adds the refreshing cool feeling, smells great
And don’t worry, it’s really nice and easy to make.
Homemade Green Tea Eye Cream
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons almond oil
- 1 tablespoon shea butter
- 3/4 teaspoon beeswax
- 1 bag green tea
- 1-2 drops vitamin E oil
- 5 drops peppermint essential oil (optional)
Directions:
- Melt the almond oil, shea butter, vitamin E oil, and beeswax in a double boiler
- Once the oils are melted, open the green tea bag and pour it into the melted oils
- Let the tea seep for 20 minutes over low heat on the double boiler
- After 20 minutes, pour the oil mix through a strainer to remove the green tea bits
- Mix in the peppermint essential oil
- Pour into a tight lidded container, and let it return to room temperature over several hours
- To use: apply using your ring finger by tapping lightly under and around your eyes
Like I said before, this stuff is SUPER refreshing. The peppermint just wakes you right up. It takes a around a half hour to sink in, so don’t worry if the area around your eyes looks oily right when you put it on. It will absorb.
I just can’t get enough. And luckily I won’t have to because it will last me such a long time. Isn’t it amazing what green tea can do?
Let me know how making your own eye cream works for you!
supplies used in this post
If you love this cream and spoiling your skin, you should also check out my aloe vera moisturizer!
And not to mention my anti-inflammatory Aloe Vera Face Wash!
Kim says
Interesting recipe. I have a friend who complains all the time about her dark circles. She’s tried everything. I will pass this along!
Christie @ Practical Princess Diaries says
I pinned this so I can make this. I think this will make great Christmas gifts too. Thanks for sharing this. I am connecting from the Learn to Blog Facebook group.
Yvonne says
Hi. Great recipe n easy to make. Ive just made it but yet to try out. I dont hv almond oil. So i replaced it wil eveing prim rose oil. Yours is white n mine is green. I hope d color don stain on my skin. How can you get that write milky color?
Susie says
Mine has a green tint to it as well- it may not show up in the photos. It is probably a different color because of the oil substitution and whatever type of green tea you used. Different brands have different strengths and will give different tints. It’s nothing to worry about. If you want it to be a milky white color you would have to leave out the green tea because that’s what gives the green tint.
Iris says
How long restists this cream?
Susie says
It lasts anywhere between 2-6 months, depending on how you store it. If you use an airtight container it cold even last longer.
Iris says
I asked you because I made it a month before and it was mold. :(
Susie says
Oh no! I’ve had mine for several months and it’s been fine. Did you make sure the container you used was clean and sterile? Or is it possible that you might have had some contamination at some point? Those are the main reasons I think it could have grown mold.
Iris says
I don’t know,I stored it in a glass jar and it was sterile,but I’ll try again. Thank you!
Yvonne says
Hi, I have the same issue too… it started to mole after 2 mths… ive stored it in my room and there are no direct sunlight. The containers were all new. i didn’t knw why too :(
Susie says
Sorry Yvonne! I don’t know why that is happening for you both. Mine has lasted for four months and is still fine. Did you use vitamin E and essential oils? Those are both anti bacterial and can reduce the chance of mold.
Kimberly says
Hi, this looks like a great eye cream!
I’m wondering about the use of peppermint oil so close to your eyes. Obviously it is diluted a lot but I would be afraid it would still burn.
Susie says
You can easily omit the oil. Once in a while I have gotten it into my eyes and it bugs a little but goes away quickly. If you’re worried just leave it out. It does give it a nice refreshing feeling.
Kimberly says
Thanks Susie! Essential oils near my eyes just make me nervous, but I like the idea of the refreshing feel. Thanks for sharing your experience – it makes me less hesitant to give it a try :)
Dee says
i made some feb16 mine did not mold
Anna says
Dear Susie!
Nice cream.
But there is something that you could replace…any essential oil is not allowed for around eye area. You could use mint hydrolate instead if you want to keep this refreshing feeling, it is much more safe
Moe says
Is there an oil that you would recommend as a replacement for the almond? What I have on hand is hemp, apricot, jojoba and grape seed :/ TIA! :-)
Susie says
Jojoba is my favorite, and I also love grape seed. Any of those would work.
Micki says
Hey, I’ve just come across your blog but having read through a number of posts already I needed to say how excited I am to try your recipes. I love that you’ve found a way to make many of them from the same core ingredients so I don’t have to spend a fortune on random ingredients I will only use for one product. Please keep doing what you’re doing! It makes a difference. Thank you again!!
Katie says
I just wanted to add that a contributing factor to mold (specifically for these ingredients) could be heat or humidity. As you’ve mentioned, a sterile air-tight container is essential. But so is making sure you store it in a cool, dry place. If you keep it in your bathroom make sure it’s in a cupboard so steam won’t affect the container. Also keep it away from too much natural light. If you want to be extra careful, keeping it in your fridge is a great idea, the coolness also makes for a wonderful refreshing feeling. I hope this helps :)
Jeralyn Ostrowski says
Hello. I am going to try this recipe. I was wondering of I can use lavender oil instead of peppermint because it’ll relax for bedtime? Thanks,
Susie says
Sure, just remember to be careful not to get it in your eyes (with any essential oils, not just lavender).
Jeealyn says
Can i use green matcha tea instead so i dont have to strain it? Thanks
Susie says
I haven’t tried it myself but I imagine it would work
Adriana says
I made this the other day with Matcha tea instead of green tea bags as it a stronger form of green tea and all I have to say is WOW.
I was searching for remedies for the severe dryness under my eyes caused by eczema and came across this recipe – it has healed my dryness so significantly better than the cream my doctor perscribed.
Thank you so much!!
Susie says
You made my day! So glad it helped you!
Adriana says
You are so welcome! I am totally in love with this cream its been amazing for my eyes :)
Anna says
Hi Susie, thanks for posting this wonderful recipe! I’ve made it with apricot kernel oil and love it. I love how smooth it feels, and I also sometimes use it for my entire face when I feel like giving myself a treat :) I posted the recipe on my blog, linking to your page: https://sewannaf.wordpress.com/2016/02/10/green-tea-velvety-eye-salve-recipe/
Thanks & happy crafting & creating!
Simi says
Can i use green tea extract instead of green tea bag. Do you the shelf life of green tea extract?
Instead of vitamin E oil can i use vitamin E cream?
Susie says
I’ve never dealt with green tea extract, but I know you can use green tea powder instead of a teabag. The vitamin E oil I use is 100% vitamin E oil. My assumption is that a vitamin E cream isn’t 100% vitamin E, so I don’t know if it would be an appropriate replacement.
MerdleTurtle says
My Mom and I really like it but after about a week it got ‘grainy.’ Must be the beeswax pastilles. We are still using it but I wonder if there’s an alternative.
Susie says
You can use different waxes- I know some people like carnauba wax but it is harder than beeswax so you would use less.
Jane Shirley says
Hi! Is beeswax really needed or can I omit it totally?
Susie says
You could try omitting it, but the texture would be more liquidy. I haven’t tried it myself so I’m not sure what the final product would be.
Liz Kozloski says
I am going to try this recipe only I am going to replace the tea bag and use 1 teaspoon of matcha tea. Can’t wait to try.
Susie says
Great! I would start with 1/4 tsp of matcha powder and work your way up if you want more, it goes a lot farther than you think!
Christine says
Hi!
Thanks for sharing a great recipe. I made this a week ago, and after just one day the texture changed from being smooth to kind of grainy. And I do keep it in a tight-lidded glass container. Do you know if this is normal or?
BR,
Christine
Susie says
That could be from the shea butter. Different shea butters have different consistencies and some people find it somewhat grainy. I haven’t found this to be a problem in my eye creams, but I did have an issue with it once in a lip balm I made.
Marche D. says
I made yesterday and it hasn’t fully solidified. Where did I go wrong? I also made mine it 1/4 tsp of Matcha green tea.
Susie says
It could be a lot of things- especially if the temperature is warm wherever you store it. To make it solidify you should increase the amount of beeswax and/or shea butter.
Beverly says
I will definitely make this green tea eye cream. I was thinking about adding arnica Montana tea to it. I’m pretty sure that my dark blue under eye circles are due to vascular issues. Do you think the arnica tea might help? BTW I’ve already made your aloe vera cleanser and moisturizer and I love them. Thank you for sharing.
Susie says
It’s worth a try!
Sasha says
Hello! I am very anxious to try this eye cream but i need to know about how much this recipe makes or what size jar you used.
Susie says
It makes about 1 ounce of cream- I used a 1 ounce jar.