Monday, March 10, 2014

Simply Perfect Body Lotion


Recently I have been experimenting with all things to do with personal body care.  It occurred to me the other day that I had no idea what any of the ingredients were on my shampoo other than aqua.  That is a sad state of affairs!  I make every effort to provide my family meals made with whole foods (as much as possible) so it would stand to reason that I would make the same effort with personal care products as well.  I have dabbled in homemade care products for years, however, until now, I have never jumped in with both feet.

I have been experimenting with body butters, sugar scrubs and homemade bag balm, but this week's project was body lotion.  The recipe I discovered has only 3 ingredients, but I have to tell you - it makes my skin so soft that I can hardly believe it!  My husband is especially thrilled with the results.  I find myself slathering lotion on at every available opportunity.

The first lotion I made I scented with Lavender essential oil.  Lavender is so earthy and soothing and is perfect for sore muscles.  Miss Serenity pulled a muscle in her back while we were working on the log deck and after the day's work was done she treated herself to a hot lavender bath and asked me to rub lavender lotion on her back after she was finished.  It helped her so much that she had me put lotion on her several more times over the next few days to facilitate the healing of her pulled muscle.

Grated beeswax

Coconut oil and beeswax

Melting over low heat

Completely melted

Cooled and ready to whip

Creamy lotion - ready to bottle

With such success with the lavender lotion, I decided to make something a little more "manly" for the men in my life.  Shuffling through the cupboard I came up with Fir Needle Balsam essential oil.  Oh, it smells so good!  Spicy and earthy and eminently masculine!  I added just enough to the lotion to produce a wonderful, heady scent without being overpowering.  I have to admit, even though I made the Fir Needle Balsam for the guys, we girls are pretty mad about it as well.

When you work with your hands, water, inclement weather and hard work take their toll.  If you are anything like me, deep fissures can develop if you don't take time to care for these hardworking members of your body.  I do really enjoy using a lotion that I can make in my own kitchen and am pleased by the fact that I know what every ingredient is and where it came from.   There is something comforting about that!

If you want to try your hand at making homemade body lotion, I highly recommend this recipe.  Use any essential oil that smells good to you - you can even make every member of your family their own scent.  Lotion take moments to make but the rewards are much longer lasting.

Simply Perfect Body Lotion
1/2 C coconut oil
3 T beeswax
5 drops of Essential oil (or more or less, depending on preference)

In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil and beeswax over low heat.  I grate my beeswax with a cheese grater. It melts faster and is very easy to measure.

Remove from heat, add essential oil.  Allow to cool, stirring occasionally.  

When cool, use a stand mixer or hand mixture to mix to a creamy consistency.  Pour into containers and label.  



You can add extra beeswax if you want a more solid consistency or less for a very liquid lotion - it's up to you.

This lotion is somewhat oily going on, but quickly absorbs into the skin, leaving it impossibly soft and smooth.  It is rather addicting!

If you value knowing what you are putting on your skin, this is the lotion for you.  Enjoy!

10 comments:

  1. Where would one get bees wax if you don't have bees?

    DixieChick in SoCal

    ReplyDelete
  2. how long will this keep and is cosmetic 'grade' beeswax good?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you Enola - it does seem it would be greasy but I love its simplicity. Do you use it on your face?

    NancyLee

    ReplyDelete
  4. I do not like the smell of coconut. Does the lotion smell like coconut or is the smell from whatever oil you use?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Enola,
    You have a terrific blog. I am delighted to find you. Additionally, your posts on suffering were so right on. Hard work, responsibility and accountability are underrated these days. And bring the blessings of joy and great satisfaction!
    Off to do some more perusing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. DixieChick,
    Lots of places online to find bees wax. Prices vary so shop around. I get mine from local bee keepers. Check farmers markets in season.
    Terry
    Fla.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Craft stores also have beeswax. The scent of the essential oil covers up the faint coconut smell of the coconut oil.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is my cup of tea! I have quite the collection of lotions and shampoos that I can't use, as they cause flare-ups of whatever allergy/autoimmune is affecting me. My current lotion is organic coconut oil, but with my favorite essential oil being lavender, I think I can whip this up and give it a try. Where I currently live, the windy arid climate has done a good job of drying me out, and coupled with hands often in water, some feminine moisturizing is in tall order.
    Thank you, AGAIN, Enola for sharing.
    sidetracksusie

    ReplyDelete
  9. Thank you, Enola! I will pass this on to a friend who has multiple allergies and cannot use most "natural" products because so many of them contain chamomile. She is allergic to ragweed and chamomile is in the same plant family, so it causes her to react.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Enola,
    I make my own soap and use the bar to wash my hair. I refuse to go back to shampoo or any store bought detergent they call soap. I started soaping back in 2002 and have never looked back. There are recipes online for poo bars as they are fondly called by soapmakers, but I just use my regular soap for my hair.

    ReplyDelete