Since most lotions contain coconut derivatives (to see a list of coconut derivatives, go here, thanks to Becky at the Allergic to Coconut? blog), and the one that I found that didn’t have any, had two ingredients that turned out to be forms of pesticide, I decided I needed to make my own if I was getting off the coconut bandwagon.
I used a recipe from FIMBY, but modified it to make myself a body lotion and then modified it again to make a facial moisturizer.
Denise’s Body Lotion
First of all, you can sub out any essential oil scent you want. I tend to use citrus and vanilla type scents because anything floral makes me sneeze. (Yes, I have a whole host of respiratory allergies too, aren’t I lucky?) The reason I use this as body lotion is that cocoa butter is comedogenic so I’m not putting it on my face.
- 1 1/2 ounces cocoa butter
- 1 ounce avocado oil
- 1 ounce apricot kernel oil
- 1/2 ounce extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 ounce beeswax
- 4 ounces distilled water
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 30 drops grapefruit seed extract
- 10 drops grapefruit essential oil
Weigh out the oils and beeswax, and place in a double boiler. Melt the wax and oils over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture is fully melted, remove from the stove and add the water and baking soda. Mix with hand blender or mixer until creamy & thick. Stir in grapefruit seed extract and essential oil.
Denise’s Facial Lotion
I don’t put any essential oil in this because I don’t want any scents on my face, although you could probably use tea tree essential oil with good result. Shea butter is non-comedogenic, so I subbed that out for the cocoa butter. A little of this goes a long, long way, so don’t put a lot on or you’ll be using a tissue to wipe it off.
- 1 1/2 ounces shea butter
- 1 ounce avocado oil
- 1 ounce apricot kernel oil
- 1/2 ounce extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 ounce beeswax
- 4 ounces distilled water
- 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
- 30 drops grapefruit seed extract
Weigh out the oils and beeswax, and place in a double boiler. Melt the wax and oils over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the mixture is fully melted, remove from the stove and add the water and baking soda. Mix with hand blender or mixer until creamy & thick. Stir in grapefruit seed extract.
I also tried making lotion bars from Smockityfrocks.com, which are wonderful especially on your heels and feet. I don’t think I’ll be having any problems with dry or cracked heels this winter. I did modify the recipe slightly, by adding a little Eucalyptus Citriodora (Lemon Eucalyptus) essential oil, and by only doing a quarter of the recipe (which still makes 3 lotion bars by the way). You could sub out the Eucalyptus Citriodora for any other essential oil that you would prefer as well.
Modified Lotion Bars (1/4 Recipe with Essential Oil)
- 1/4 cup of Shea Butter
- 1/4 cup of beeswax
- 1/4 cup of Avocado Oil
- 1/4 teaspoon of Vitamin E Oil
- 5 drops of Eucalyptus Citriodora (Lemon Eucalyptus) essential oil
Measure out shea butter and beeswax and place in a double boiler over medium heat to melt the shea butter and beeswax. Once the shea butter and beeswax have melted, Stir in the avocado oil, vitamin E oil, and essential oil. Pour into some molds (Yes, it was around Halloween when I bought my molds), tins, or lotion bar tubes. Allow to cool.
The best thing about all of the lotion and lotion bar recipes is that they take about 15 minutes to make. I made each of these recipes well over a month ago and I still have tons left. You may wish to put some of the lotions in the refrigerator. Some of the water separated out of mine after two weeks but it still works wonders compared to commercial lotions.
Also, I ordered most of the materials to make the lotions from Majestic Mountain Sage. Their prices are extremely reasonable, but their shipping is less so, so if you order from them, make the order worth the shipping. (No affiliation, just a satisfied customer.)
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