Homemade Lotion
Making your own lotion might be something you've never thought to do before, but it is a great way to save money and have a product that doesn't have the long list of ingredients. A 16 oz bottle of homemade lotion costs around $1.50 to make, and it is comparable to boutique, high end products. Within minutes you'll have a product that you'll fall in love with!
Cost $1.50
Equipment
- Double boiler Glass bowl
- Scale Optional
- Bottles with or without a pump
- Milk frother or whisk
Ingredients
- 260 grams distilled water (approx 1 cup)
- 120 grams jojoba oil (approx 2/3 cup)
- 16 grams emulsifying wax (approx 2 teaspoons)
- 4 grams vegetable glycerin (approx 4 teaspoons)
- Cosmetic preservative (Each preservative states the amount needed and its between 0.5-1% of total weight)
- Optional Vitamin E (Amount depends on potency of vitamin E: pure or with carrier oil)
Optional Essential Oil Blend
- 2 teaspoons lavender
- 1/2 teaspoon cedarwood
- 1/4 teaspoon grapefruit
- 1/4 teaspoon balsam fir
Instructions
- Note Before You Start: Because you are a making a cosmetic product that will be applied to your skin you should work with clean and sterilized tools. (Avoiding possible bacteria contamination goes for cooking as well.) While your double boiler water is boiling you could boil spoons or whisks in the water. Rinsing your other bowls with boiling water also is an easy way to sterilize. Putting your tools into the dishwasher prior to use and using a heat or sterilize setting is also an easy method.
- Prepare the double boiler by bringing the water in it to a simmer. Measure the jojoba and emulsifying wax into a glass bowl and place over double boiler. Once the wax has melted, remove from double boiler. Do not microwave to melt the wax, because that will damage the oil.
- While the oil and wax is heating, heat the distilled water to around 130°F. Once both water and oils are heated, carefully pour the water into the oil and mix using a milk frother or small whisk. The color will be an off-white and opaque. It only needs to be mixed for 30-60 seconds.
- Leave mixture in the glass dish on the counter for 15 minutes. Stir a few times then leave on the counter for another 15 minutes. Mix in the preservative, vegetable glycerin, and optional oil blend and vitamin E. Pour the lotion blend into your glass bottle or jar at this time, cover, and let cool at room temperature for an hour before use. It will thicken into lotion consistency as it cools. If using a plastic bottle or jar you should allow it to cool further before transferring.
- Use it often and enjoy and play around with scents! See notes for more information.
Notes
The best bottles for your lotion are glass and dark colored. UV light damages the oils and break down the natural chemical structures. UV light also makes scents less potent and can change the texture of the lotion mixture. Glass is reusable indefinitely and won't leach chemicals into your lotion like plastic does.
The amount of essential oils used really depends on the potency on the oils you are using. The blend in the recipe is based on standard potency oils and it has a lot of scent but it isn't overpowering. If you want a strong smelling lotion you can double the amounts.