Today’s facial mist recipe was inspired by a recipe request and a cult favourite herb-spiked super-hydrating face spritz. Anuradha requested “a facial spritzer… something calming [and] refreshing,” and the product she linked to featured aloe vera and a selection of herbal extracts and humectants for all kinds of soothing, hydrating goodness, and it sounded both divine and utterly DIY-able!

How to make Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist

Want to watch this project instead of read it?

Watch Now

The bulk of the mist is water, aloe vera juice, and chamomile hydrosol. Aloe vera is moisturizing and soothing, while the chamomile hydrosol contributes its beautiful scent and helps with minor skin irritations.

How to make Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist

How to make Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist

Propanedio and vegetable glycerin are fantastic humectants, though both at low amounts so your skin doesn’t feel sticky when you use it. Panthenol is amazeballs. From Lotion Crafter: “Studies have shown D-Panthenol promotes stimulation of epithelization, granulation, mitigation of itching and has an anti-inflammatory effect… Further, its moisturizing properties improve stratum corneum hydration, reducing transepidermal water loss and maintaining skin elasticity and softness.” As of this writing there is a world-wide shortage of panthenol (sob), so if you don’t have & can’t get any I have listed some suitable substitutions after the recipe.

How to make Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist

How to make Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist

Now, my stash of herbal extracts isn’t very extensive, so I’ve just used calendula extract here for its anti-inflammatory properties. If you have some other herbal extracts you could definitely include them at 0.5% each—just take care not to go overboard as too much of much of anything can give a mist like this a tacky after feel.

How to make Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist

How to make Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist

The end product is softly scented and heavy on the soothing-hydrating-anti-inflammatory goodness. It works well towards the end of your skin care routine before any heavier things, and throughout the day to refresh your dewy glow. Enjoy!

Want to watch this project instead of read it?

Watch Now

Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist

16.8g | 56% distilled water
6g | 20% aloe vera juice
6g | 20% chamomile hydrosol
0.3g | 1% Propanediol 1,3 (USA / Canada)
0.3g | 1% vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada)
0.3g | 1% panthenol powder (vitamin B5) (USA / Canada)
0.15g | 0.5% calendula extract
0.15g | 0.5% Liquid Germall Plus™ (USA / Canada)

Weigh the all the ingredients into a small heat-resistant glass measuring cup. Stir to combine.

Once the solution is uniform, transfer it to a 30mL (1 fl oz) bottle with a mister top. You’re done!

To use, mist your face whenever it’s feeling dry.

Shelf Life & Storage

Because this facial mist contains water, you must include a broad-spectrum preservative to ward off microbial growth. This is non-optional. Even with a preservative this project is likely to eventually spoil as our kitchens are not sterile laboratories, so in the event you notice any change in colour, scent, or texture, chuck it out and make a fresh batch.

Substitutions

As always, be aware that making substitutions will change the final product. While these swaps won’t break the recipe, you will get a different final product than I did.

  • As I’ve provided this recipe in percentages as well as grams you can easily calculate it to any size using a simple spreadsheet as I’ve explained in this post. As written in grams this recipe will make 30g.
  • You can use a different hydrosol if you prefer; I’d recommend sticking with something in the soothing category like lavender
  • Sodium lactate or sodium PCA will work in place of vegetable glycerine, propanediol 1,3, and/or panthenol
  • If you have a concentrated aloe vera powder (100x or 200x, that sort of thing), I recommend making an aloe vera stock with it for recipes like this. For 100x that would be 1% 100x aloe vera powder, 0.5% liquid germall plus, and water to 100%. For 200x powder you’d need 0.5% 200x aloe vera powder, 0.5% liquid germall plus, and water to 100%.

How to make Hydrating Aloe Facial Mist