A Luxurious Lotion Recipe

Dry Hand Destruction Time!

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Our so-called spring weather has been a little in the lackluster department, and my poor vitamin D deprived integumentary system, especially the phalanges containing portion, is at threat level Sahara on the moisture containing scale. A normal person would have just said they were suffering from dry skin, but obvious statement is obvious.

That said, I don't like overly scented lotions. When I walk into a department store that is running an olfactory system competition, I usually start tearing up like I am an an onion slicing exhibition. Too much scent is just never a good thing. The less is more approach that I favor tends to bleed through in the ingredient department too, any time I see a product with multi-syllabic ingredients, I pause for a minute in phonetic mourning before moving on to a less complex formulation. However, it seems the less complex the ingredients in a lotion, the more costly the product. Paying ten dollars for something that is mostly hydrosol really chaps my beeswax lip balm. So, in the vein of frugal homesteady folks across the globe, I just decided to whip up my own formula.

As with all of my recipes, I never go out and by ingredients just for an idea I have. Rather, I go rummaging through my abode's alcoves to see what is available to craft my inspiration with. I had a bottle of aloe gel, some coconut oil, sweet almond oil, rice bran oil, beeswax pastilles, and some orange EO. Bonus!

Lotions are just an emulsion, like mayonnaise, so throwing one together is pretty simple. One thing to be mindful of is that simple doesn't always mean quick. You do need some time to let your lotion cool down before finishing it, so give yourself at least a couple hour block from start to finish. You won't be working on the creamy skin happiness potion throughout that time, so if you are like me, you could totally work on the millions of other to do's that you have going on while you wait for your oil phase to cool! Yay!

The lotion crafting party started with the construction of my super-fancy improvised double boiler. I put water into a little stainless steel pot and placed a larger stainless steel pot onto of it. Double boiler in a pinch success!

Into the pot I plunked the legend that is coconut oil. Is something even worth making if it isn't composed of coconut oil? At this point in my Internet education I am seriously considering that it's not. (Sorry, the rain is making me slightly more sardonic than normal.)

Next, I added some beeswax. Now, beeswax is not a true emulsifier, but you know what? I like the smell and end result of many of the formulations that I make with it, so I continue to use it. I totally mind my own beeswax.

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The last bits of oil that I added were rice bran oil and sweet almond oil. I love both of these oils for pretty much the same reason, my skin adores their presence! Sweet almond oil especially is a favored fat of mine. Sigh.

Now, an important lotion making tip to note is to fully melt your oils in the double boiler. Do not remove your oils from the heat until every bit of beeswax is fully melted! You do not want chunks in your lotion.

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Once your oils are fully melted, pour them into a blender. I use a hand held immersion blender for homemade cosmetic production, so I always place my melted oils into the mixing cup that the blender came with. Then I can randomly giggle as I walk by the cooling oils as the concoction looks like a urine sample ready for analysis. Heh. You want to let you oils cool to room temperature, at least 90 minutes or so. I let mine cool for a full two hours.

Once cool, it's time to add the aloe gel, essential oils if you want them, and a preservative. Then it's blend, baby, blend time! After whipping the mixture for a bit I end up with this creamy, dreamy emulsion of skin moisturizing dreams!

And no water-based emulsion post would be complete without a note on preservatives. Any water based cosmetic has to have a preservative. Something that inhibits the growth of bacteria, yeasts, and mold. You've safely got about 72 hours to use your water based cosmetic before it needs to be tossed if you don't preserve it. There are preservatives out there for every life-philosophy. I have had a lot of luck so far with Leucidal SF, a lacto-bacteria derived from radishes preservative. Most preservatives are added at a rate of 2-4%. It's worth noting again, just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. It is not good to be slathering yourself in cultured bacteria, mold, and yeast. Another thing that helps your lotions last longer is to dispense not dig. Pour or squeeze your lotion out, don't stick your fingers in the jar. Inhibit the little beasties as much as you can!

Aloe And Coconut Oil Lotion

1 cup aloe vera gel
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 Tablespoon rice bran oil
1 Tablespoon sweet almond oil
1.5 Tablespoons beeswax pastilles
5-8 drops of orange (or your choice) essential oil (optional)
preservative added at the recommended rate

Fully melt oils and beeswax in a double boiler.

Pour melted oils into a blender or bowl and let fully cool to room temperature. This usually takes a minimum of 90-120 minutes.

Add aloe, essential oils if using, and preservative. Blend until mixture emulsifies and thickens. This usually only takes a minute or so.

Store lotion in an airtight container.

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And that my friends is all there is to making a formulation that makes my skin sing like it is prancing around in an emollient shower of aloe happiness. Oh, and this lotion will thicken slightly over time as the aloe evaporates! Enjoy:o)

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And as always, all of the images in this post were taken on the author's fully moisturized iPhone.

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