Homemade Lavender Body Lotion
December 16th, 2011 by Roxanne | Filed under Eco Living, Grain-Free & Gluten-Free, Holistic Lifestyle, Natural Beauty, Ways to Save Money.
Body lotions and oils are great for the winter. Cold weather, indoor heat, hot showers all dry out skin and it’s great to have lotions or oils on hand to soothe skin. The problem is that natural chemical free and gluten free lotions are very expensive to buy. Also, a lot of the so-called natural body products still have some undesirable ingredients in them. Sometimes I am amazed at the lengthy list of ingredients and the number of ingredients that look like chemical names in products that say natural on the label. I have never found a lotion in the store that meets all my standards and also is a reasonable cost. This is why I decided to start making my own lotion. This is how I make my lotion:
Lavender Body Lotion
- 3/4 cup pure oil – olive oil, sweet almond oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, etc.
- 3/4 cup distilled water
- 2 tbsp shaved bees wax
- 30 drops lavender essential oil
- tea tree oil or grapefruit seed extract
- glass mason jars
to store lotion
Tools needed: I have separate tools just for lotion making
- Blender
- glass pyrex measuring cup
- rubber spatula
Instructions:
- Sterilize all tools by using the dishwasher or boiling water.
- Pour the distilled water into the blender and set aside.
- Pour the oil or combination of oils into the glass measuring cup
- Shave off the bees wax with a knife or vegetable peeler (it usually comes in a block), measure and put into the measuring cup with the oil.
- Heat water in a pot and create a double boiler with the glass measuring cup to melt the bees wax into the oil.
- When the bees wax is melted remove the measuring cup from the double boiler and let sit for 2 minutes.
- Turn on the blender with the water already in it and slowly pour the oil into the blender creating an emulsion
- Once the oil and water are fully combined, add your essential oils for scent. (I like Young Living oils best)
- Add some tea tree oil or grapefruit seed extract to act as a “preservative”
- Blend until combined.
- Transfer into mason jars to store.
This is what the finished product looks like…
This recipe has worked well for me and it makes 2-3 small jars of lotion. The lotion is very soothing and seems like a luxurious expensive creme which is why I love it. The lavender scent is also very calming. You can make changes to the recipe to get the lotion you like the best – change the different oils that you use or you can use herbal infused oil which adds a nice touch. One of my favorite infused oils is calendula infused oil – I use this to make diaper rash creme for my daughter which has worked great.
Do you make your own lotion? Do you have any tips or tricks to share? What are you favorite oils or herbs to use in lotions?
Tags: homeade lotion, homemade, lavender, mountain rose herbs, natural body care, young living
Thank you so for this post and so quickly as I only mentioned it yesterday. Your blog is FANTASTIC and so informative……I only wished you lived in the most southern part of NJ so you could offer classes.
Hi Lucea,
I do hope to start offering classes in the future! I am so glad you like my site!
Roxanne
I soooo need to make this!
you’ll love it, it’s so much better then lotion that you would buy in the store…simpler is usually better with that kind of thing…
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I have been making lotions and creams for over 10years. I love lavender and find it very soothing. While your formula is a nice one, I have to remind you this needs to be refrigerated because the tea tree does have some preservative value, but you’d have to use an awful lot of it and would seriously compromise the lavender scent. grapefruit seed extract is in fact NOT a preservative, but an anti oxidant. As careful as you have advised in the recipe ( which was excellent!) bacteria can still get in, especially when it is used. Please keep making the lotions, just be sure to refrigerate and then chuck it out after 2 months, maximum. I cannot imagine my life without my lotions and creams (or soaps, for that mater!) not only are they fun to make, but far superior to what I find in the stores both in quality and price.
I was complemented on my very soft skin just before surgery by my nurse. I explained it was because of my soap and years of lotion making. I’m 57 years old and really don’t look it!
Thanks for this important info Barbara!
I was going to ask about how long this lasts, so I appreciate that the information about refrigerating and 2 months was provided in the comments. I have been making coconut oil based butters/creams, but they just weren’t working for me and I think it was because they didn’t contain any water. Even though I was applying the butters right out of the shower, in a steamy bathroom, my skin was miserably dry by the end of every day and started cracking. I was planning on researching how to incorporate water and what natural preservatives I could add, due to that addition. Was thinking about adding mineral oil to do a better job sealing in the water. But, then someone posted this on FB. So, think I’ll be trying this recipe! Thanks!!
I’m assuming that’s 3/4 a CUP of oil (the first ingredient). You didn’t specify…And wouldn’t an addition of vitamin E be a good preservative? I would think with lavender, tea tree& vit. E it would be shelf stable for several months…
Yes that is correct! Vit E can act as a preservative.
Roxanne, vitamin E is definitely not a preservative! It is an anti-oxidant that delays rancidity when added to oils, it does nothing to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria. Lotions that are not preserved properly can and will grow bacteria, which can cause someone to get a bacterial infection. That can be quite serious, even life-threatening. It would be better if you changed your recipe to either include a real preservative or give instructions to refrigerate the lotion and discard after a maximum of 2 weeks. Any lotion that contains water is a potential breeding ground for bacteria, especially when someone puts their hands or fingers into the container.
so it’s the water that causes the problem? If no water is add what is the shelf life? I also make my own bath scrub and water gets in from the shower. Thanks, Lisa
Body butters which are basically made from only oils (no water) have a longer shelf life. In my personal experience I have had spoilage on any homemade lotion or body butter.
Just saw this recipe on Pinterest and it looks amazing. Can’t wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing!
I made this today! Mine came out a little to liquidy I don’t think I added enough bees wax. Is there any way I can thicken it now?
It may thicken up as it sits! Try putting it in the fridge for a little while. It will get a little thicker in a day or two.
Where do you find the supplies…the beeswax and different oils?
Hi Debbie,
I have gotten bees wax here on amazon
The best essential oils I have found are Young Living. The base oils (like olive oil) I have gotten all over the place, mostly from a grocery store or health food store or Mountain Rose Herbs.
Hope that helps!!
Made this was amazing did make a few changes in the oil i added vitamin E oil this is a preservative i also added 1 extra TBSP of beesewax and it turned out awesome thank you for posting
Mountain Rose Herbs do very good essential oils. Young Living oils are incredibly expensive and as you are using a bog standard Lavender there is no need to pay exorbitant prices for it.
I have found young living to have really good quality. I’m sure MRH oils are good as well
Thank you!
I have been making and selling my own lotion with a similar recipe, but a bit different, for the past 2.5 years. I find that with the use of water, even distilled, bacteria are introduced and so they tend to keep only 2-4 months before I might get some mold growth. Honestly that doesn’t really bother me; I just skim off the mold and use what is underneath. I do find that I can only sell the freshly made lotions though.
Can aloe vera gel be used in place of the distilled water or even witch hazel?
I have not tried those options…most lotions contain water. I don’t know if an emulsion will occur with aloe.
Where can I find vitamin E ? A better brand to recommand?
Thanks
I get mine from Mountain Rose Herbs
My lotion got very, very thick and the water separated from the other ingredients. How can I get this to not separate?
Hmmm, that is weird. That hasn’t happened to me. I have read on other blogs of people switching around the pouring and pour the water into the oil instead of my method and it worked better for them. Personally this method has always worked for me and have not had any problems. That is frustrating I’m sorry that happened to you!!
Some water also separated from mine too. Glad to know this was a fluke and should not happen! I think I added the oils too quickly to the water. I’ll try alternating oil and water with the next batch, which I’ll be making soon as I’m nearly out of this fantastic lotion! I had no problem with mold and did not refrigerate, though it was used up within about a month.
It was a luxurious, whipped butter consistency at first, then settled into a thicker lotion with pockets of water in it.
I used coconut oil and loved the result! I’m wondering how these proportions hold up in warmer weather since I’d like it to remain emulsified and not melt during the summer. Would I just use a bit more beeswax to keep it from melting? I also don’t really want it to become a lotion bar. Any advice?
Thanks so much for this fantastic recipe! If a newbie like me can make it, everyone can and should!
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How much tea tree oil is used?
How long does this lotion stay good for? Thank you!