I have been on the quest for a nice thin lotion that is easy to make and doesn’t involve lots of ingredients. I didn’t want to use a preservative or have to refrigerate it between uses.
I also wanted a lotion that was not greasy – that I can put on and go. This one is real close.
1 cup of distilled water
3/4 cup of oil
1 Tablespoon of cocoa butter
1 Tablespoon of beeswax
Vitamin E
Essential or fragrance oil (optional)
So let’s get started.
Pour water into blender. This could also be made in a bowl with a stick blender.
Next combine the oil, cocoa butter and beeswax in a glass container and melt in the microwave. Or you could melt this in a double boiler which is what I usually do.
After melted, add Vitamin E. I have liquid and used 10 to 15 drops. If you have capsules, add several.
Next, turn on the blender and pour this oil mixture slowly into the water.
Blend until completely mixed. It doesn’t take long and you will have lotion. If you are adding fragrance or essential oil, add it now. Since I didn’t want this scented, I left this out. As far as how much to add, it depends on how strong of a smell you want. Add fragrance, blend and test until you get the scent strength you want.
Pour into your containers.
Add lids and you have your new lotion.
But WAIT! I found that those containers didn’t work real well for this thin lotion. You could use a spoon to dip it out and use, but I really prefer to squirt it out a bottle so I moved my batch to lotion bottles. Much better.
This recipe is really flexible since you can add any liquid oil you want to. For my liquid oils I used rice bran and fractionated coconut oils, but you could use olive oil or other oils you might have around the house.
I like making this small batch. When I made the Dreamsicle lotion I had to use preservatives and I made too big of a batch. By the end of the second bottle I was tired of the scent! Since I will probably use this batch up in the next month, I’m not concerned about it going bad. Also, each of the oils have shelf life of a year.
I love the feel of this lotion and I like the fact I can whip a batch up in a hurry.
I see more experimenting in the future. This would be a perfect lotion to use my calendula infused oil. Unfortunately I didn’t have any infused for this batch. And talking about calendula, we are going to grow it this year. (I’ve been purchasing dried online.) If you want to read about growing it, check out Frugally Sustainable, where she is discussing this healing flower.
Please make sure that when you are making this or any other body care product that you take care that your containers and measuring spoons, etc. are sterilized. Do not introduce water into this product. If it at all looks funky, throw it out. If you want to be extra safe, either refrigerate or add a preservative.
Do you have an easy lotion recipe you’d like to share? I’d love to hear about it. And if you try this, please let me know how it works for you. Have a great weekend.
Lynda, You frighten me with this one! You could be growing all kinds of “natural” things within a few days– such as bacteria, yeast and mold. All they need is a few molecules of water. I’d like to see a culture of this after a week or two. Please be safe!
Lucia, I understand what you are saying and I am concerned. I’ve researched this and researched this and I’m real careful not to introduce anything into what I make. Water should not get in this especially since it’s in a squeeze bottle and I’m not dipping my hands into the jar. I made this two weeks ago. It would be interesting to have a culture done. Making products with water has always scared me because of the possibility of bacteria. I have several books that are “natural’ product books that use water when making lotion and don’t even mention preservatives if making small amounts. I’ve always questioned that and haven’t felt comfortable about making any until now. I guess more investigation is necessary or I could put it in the refrigerator. Thanks for commenting.
Hi !
What about using Stearic Acid ? Vitamin E is also a preservative, right ?
Marianne,
Stearic Acid is a thickener and supposedly extends the life of the oils. I used it in my Dreamsicle lotion. Vitamin E does some preserving but isn’t really a preservative. If you want to be safe with this, just put it in the refrigerator or use up in a month or so.
Very interesting, Lynda! I read that when you’re not using preservatives it should be used up within two weeks. I would say since you are so careful when making it it should be fine for 2-3 weeks. Personally, I guess I would add preservatives (but I’m easily scared by stuff like that 😉 ).
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Kristina, I’ve read anywhere from two weeks to two months! So confusing but I’ll probably go back to using the preservative.
Hi Lynda
I have been making creams and lotions (as well as soaps etc) from scratch for over 10 years and have researched this issue pretty thoroughly, including the various types of preservatives. The truth is, unless you have a totally sterile lab, you will unintentionally expose your lotion to what ever ‘goodies’ in the air. You did well to use distilled water and to keep things as clean as humanly possible. I’m sure you sterilized the bottles too. Your formula is a good one and a great place to start! You can keep it in the fridge and it’ll keep for 2 weeks. So make small amounts and only for yourself and you should be OK. If you want to sell it, be sure to add a preservative of your choice and according to the manufacturer’s instructions. BTW, there are labs where you can get your formula tested for safety. It’s pretty eye-opening to discover that by having water in your formula and by the time you can actually see there is a problem growing in your lotion, it’s been capable of making you sick for a long time! All that said, keep up the good work. I hope others are inspired to discover how much fun this is and how inexpensive it is to make your own!
Boiling the water before use will also help kill some of the nasties.
Where’s the “like” button?? Barbara G said just what I wanted to say but it sounded so much nicer!
If it at all looks funky, throw it out. If you want to be extra safe, either refrigerate or add a preservative. So would a preservative be something like ROA ( rosemary Oleoresin Estracct) and does that have a scent?
Maria, It would be Liquid Germall Plus, Germaben II or a similar preservative. They don’t have a scent. Check out my Dreamsicle face lotion https://lyndaheines.blog/2010/04/dreamsicle-face-lotion/
Hi, I’m confused about the water part. The recipe still calls for water distilled or not, what difference does it make?
Thank you so much!
Vanessa, You really need to use distilled due to safety issues. Also, if you are going to make this without a preservative like I did, make sure to keep it refrigerated and use up in a month or try my Dreamsicle lotion that includes a preservative. Thanks for dropping by.
Wanted to let you know that I made your lotion tonight and am in love with it! It feels so good. Bye bye store bought 🙂
Lori,
Please do keep it refrigerated and use up in a couple of weeks. Thanks.
This was so great! I used evening primrose oil with added vitamin E, coconut oil and a little olive oil and it turned out great! Thank you!
Abi, Great! Just be sure if you don’t use a preservative, use it up in two weeks or so and keep in the refrigerator. You are so welcome!