I've had sensitive skin forever and a day. I still have eczema, though it's less severe than when I was a child, thank god, and growing up I suffered from a tremendous amount of allergies. A few years ago, when I started falling into the yoga scene and learning what organic meant, I started to get interested in a more natural approach to my skin care, cosmetics, and housecleaning. This essentially led to me spending an insane amount of money on boutique organic brands of all manner of products, and then years later realizing I couldn't afford it and then going to back to good ol' reliable Dove and Clorox.
Although I knew there was an alternative to that, I think it was a healthy combination of intimidation and laziness that kept me from exploring it - homemade!
Yes, I know DIY is so five-years-ago. (Or maybe ten) But sometimes I'm slow to catch on.
My older sister paved the way for me when she started exploring homemade recipes for lotion and household cleaning products a few years ago. This makes sense, especially considering she used to be a chef so she has no fear of trying a new recipe, whatever it might be for. With the arrival of the babies, she became even more concerned about the quality of ingredients she uses in essentially everything in her house.
Sadly, I think what finally tipped me over the edge to trying it was money related! It has to be cheaper to buy your own and make your own stuff then to keep paying $15 every time you need more lotion, right?
Using the power of Google to find good recipes, the power of Amazon.com to buy ingredients in bulk, and essential oils, which I'm also starting to dip my toes into, I have finally, after years of curiosity, jumped on board and have made my first homemade beauty products. Hooray for me!
I'm excited to see the effects of cleansing my face with the mix of castor and sunflower oil (with a tiny bit of tea tree, Vitamin E, and jojoba), skipping moisturizer, and my homemade lotion on my perpetually dry, pesky skin. It's super easy and fun to make, and pretty easy to correct if you feel like you've screwed up.
Below is a recipe my sister used that we've both adapted with extra touches here and there from the blog WellnessMama - she calls it her Luxurious Homemade Lotion Recipe. You can find the full post and more from her here.
Ingredients
- ½ cup almond or olive oil (can infuse with herbs first if desired)
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- ¼ cup beeswax
- Optional: 1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
- Optional: 2 tablespoons Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter
- Optional: Essential Oils, Vanilla Extract or other natural extracts to suit your preference
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a pint sized or larger glass jar. I have a mason jar that I keep just for making lotions and lotion bars, or you can even reuse a glass jar from pickles, olives or other foods.
- Fill a medium saucepan with a couple inches of water and place over medium heat.
- Put a lid on the jar loosely and place in the pan with the water.
- As the water heats, the ingredients in the jar will start to melt. Shake or stir occasionally to incorporate. When all ingredients are completely melted, pour into whatever jar or tin you will use for storage. Small mason jars (8 ounce) are great for this. It will not pump well in a lotion pump!
- Use as you would regular lotion. This has a longer shelf life than some homemade lotion recipes since all ingredients are already shelf stable and not water is added. Use within 6 months for best moisturizing benefits.
Notes
A little goes a long way! This lotion is incredibly nourishing and is also great for diaper rash on baby, for eczema and for preventing stretch marks!
