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A natural night cream has hands down been the best addition to my evening skincare routine. Thereโ€™s no excuse not to use a homemade night cream, I think!

Homemade night cream for glowing skin.
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Using a night cream means your skin will feel supple, smooth, refreshed, and have that youthful glow we all crave as soon as you wake up. 

Iโ€™m sharing my natural night cream recipe in this post. I love using it every night, and even after the first application, my skin looked brighter and felt smoother.

Thanks to the essential oils, it also smells fantastic and is packed full of natural, therapeutic ingredients that nourish and nurture the skin while you sleep.

The best thing is that you can alter the recipe depending on your skin type. So whether you have oily, dry, or combination skin, thereโ€™s a set of ingredients to suit you.

Before we get into the recipe, Iโ€™ll answer the questions: What is night cream? Why use night cream? And how best to apply night cream for glowing skin?

Natural homemade night cream in a shallow glass jar with flowers on white marble.

What does night cream do?

Your night cream should do what you want your day cream to do in some ways, but with more intensity. 

So weโ€™re talking moisturizing and hydrating, to begin with. 

Every night cream should tackle skin dryness after your skinโ€™s had a hard day exposed to pollutants, sunlight, wind, and all the other elements it encounters (kids included!) 

A night cream should also smooth fine lines and wrinkles by boosting the amount of collagen in the skin, which gradually decreases as we age. 

Further night cream benefits include helping your skin repair itself, which it naturally does while youโ€™re asleep. But with the help of a good night cream, the skin will have extra support to maintain its condition and improve its appearance. 

By being thicker in texture than a day cream, a night cream should last throughout the night, helping boost the skinโ€™s hydration levels, leaving it refreshed and ready for the day ahead. 

How to apply night cream

From an anti-aging perspective, itโ€™s best to massage a face cream by using long, upward strokes. 

So, take a small amount of cream on your fingertips, warming it slightly in your hands. 

Then gently dab the cream on your cheeks, forehead, chin and nose. Finally, massage the cream upwards, covering your whole face and neck. 

Be very gentle so as to not pull your skin while you massage the cream in, as this may cause redness or risk damage.

I like to use my night cream as part of a little calming ritual before going to sleep, so I take my time and give myself a mini face massage simultaneously; though those days are few and far between.

If time permits, I really enjoy using an eye mask to help firm and tighten the delicate skin under my eyes. This pampering treatment leaves me feeling refreshed and rejuvenated the following morning!

Find my top ten anti-aging tips right here.

Night cream for whitening skin on a wooden board with decorative flowers.

Can you use night cream during the day?

Nothing stops you from using a night cream during the day, but it will feel sticky and heavy when youโ€™re out and about due to its thicker texture. 

Also, your makeup may not sit as well with it, feeling clammy and not lasting as long. Essentially the opposite effect of a setting spray

Another consideration is that night cream doesnโ€™t contain SPF (sun protection), so youโ€™d need to add this on top of the night cream, adding another layer of stickiness.

My best advice is to use night cream as itโ€™s intended – for nighttime only. Then, stick to a lighter day cream for best results during the daytime. 

Vitamin E night cream

Vitamin E has long been known for its skin healing properties (which is why itโ€™s one of the ingredients in the natural night cream recipe below!)

Itโ€™s an antioxidant, which fights harmful free radicals that cause stress to the skin and accelerate the aging process.  

Itโ€™s also wonderfully moisturizing and helps repair and restore skin, being particularly efficient when we sleep at night.ย ย 

You can use vitamin E oil on its own, but on the face, I recommend using it as shown in the recipe – blended as a cream-based product to avoid feeling heavy and greasy on the skin. 

Night cream for glowing skin homemade in a small glass jar on marble vanity.

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How to make night cream at home

You need a few key ingredients and a mason jar to make homemade night cream, all of which you can get online or at your local beauty supply store.

Remember to check the different substitutions on the ingredients below, based on your skin type (greasy, dry, oily, sensitive skin substitutesโ€ฆ etc.)

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp black castor oil
  • 1 tbsp rosehip oil 
  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoons beeswax
  • 1 tablespoon mango butter
  • 5 drops of vitamin E oil 
  • 3 drops geranium (optional) 
  • 1 drop of sandalwood (optional) 
  • Mason jar

Instructions:

  1. Add all the ingredients (except the vitamin E oil and essential oils) to a small, wide-mouth mason jar.
  2. Place the mason jar in a small saucepan of water. Melt over low heat.
  3. Once the ingredients are melted, remove them from the heat.
  4. Allow the ingredients to cool slightly, then add in the vitamin E oil and essential oils.
  5. Stir until well combined.
  6. Once cool, secure the lid and store it in a cool, dry place.
A DIY night cream, whipped with natural ingredients and green leaves in the background.

Homemade night cream variations:

Night cream for oily/greasy skin 

If you have oily skin, you can make a few adjustments to the recipe to hone in on your specific skin type. All of the substitutions below can be made using the same measurements as the original recipe.

  • Use Argan oil to replace black castor oil
  • Use grapeseed oil to replace rosehip oil
  • Use shea butter to replace mango butter
  • Optional: add 3-4 drops of rosemary essential oil
  • Optional: add 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder

Night cream for glowing skin 

Having a night cream is essential for glowing skin to give you that refreshed, ready-to-go look in the morning. See substitutions listed below.

  • Use jojoba oil to replace black castor oil
  • Use cocoa butter to replace mango butter
  • Optional: add 3-4 drops total of clary sage and/or lavender essential oils

Tip for how to thicken the cream / whipped night cream

Once the night cream has set, use a hand mixer to whip it to a thicker consistency. This may take several minutes.

I hope you enjoy giving this natural night cream recipe a try. Let me know what you think, and share this post if you like it!

For more great beauty care recipes, check out some of my most popular ones below!

4.33 from 46 votes

Homemade Night Cream

Prep: 5 minutes
Active: 10 minutes
Additional Time: 5 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Yield: 1 Jar
The perfect night cream recipe for brightening or whitening the skin.
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Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • Add all ingredients (except vitamin E oil and the essential oils) to the glass jar.
  • Place the jar in a small saucepan with about an inch of water and melt over low heat.
  • Once the ingredients are melted, remove them from the heat.
  • Allow the ingredients to cool slightly, then stir in the vitamin E oil and essential oils.
  • Once completely cooled, secure the lid and store it in a cool, dry place.

Notes

Stored in a cool dry place, it should keep for up to 6 months.
Tried this recipe?Mention @our_oily_house or tag #ouroilyhouse!
This recipe is for your own viewing pleasure and is not meant for healing purposes. Readers must perform their own research and tests before making any recipe.

About Laura

Welcome to Our Oily House, Iโ€™m so glad youโ€™re here! Explore DIY cleaners, homemade soaps, skincare and hair care recipes, fragrance-free solutions, and sustainable laundry tips for a naturally inspired home.

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4.33 from 46 votes (43 ratings without comment)

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22 Comments

  1. Al says:

    5 stars
    This is by far my favorite night cream. It feels great on my skin and the fragrance is amazing!

    1. Susan says:

      After adding vit e oil,are we supposed to blend/whip ingredients. Instructions just say to put lid on when cool. Thank you . Love your recipes.