Make Your Own Lotion - Tutorial

We were in some serious need of good lotion here in this house due to the winter heat drying effect so Jennifer took on this task bright and early Monday morning.

I've made lotion in the past with ok results, but this recipe is a real gem. I discovered the basic recipe here with some minor adjustments mentioned here and then of course I adjusted it a bit more. I recommend you go check out both of the above links if you are inclined to make your own so you can decide your preference.

Here is how I made it:

RECIPE
(modified from Jennifer Adler's recipe)
2 heaping tbsp grated beeswax
3 oz Sweet Almond Oil
1 oz Jojoba Oil
2 tsp Coconut Oil
4 tbsp Water
6 Drops Essential Oil

Step 1 - Gather your supplies: including the above listed ingredients, some measuring spoons, a metal pan and glass jar for melting (pictured below), a scale for weighing, a grater or knife for grating the beeswax and some jars to put your lotion in.

Step 2 - Melt grated beeswax in glass jar in metal pan filled with water. (acts as a double boiler) Heat over medium-high heat to get the water boiling, then medium heat will suffice.

Step 3 - Measure out the sweet almond and jojoba oils on your scale using the tare feature.

Step 4 - Measure out your water and your coconut oil. I just added my teaspoons of coconut oil to my bowl of sweet almond and jojoba in preparation for addition to the beeswax.

Step 5 - Add your oils to your melted beeswax. Continue to heat until the beeswax is just remelted. (Some of it firms again upon the addition of your other oils.)

Step 6 - Remove your oil/beeswax mixture from the heat and stir well. If you own a hand held stick mixer you can use that as well.

Step 7 - Add your water slowly as well as any essential oils you might want. Continue to stir.

Step 8 - After a few minutes of good stirring, let your mixture continue to cool. Every 10-15 minutes give your lotion another good stir.

As your lotion cools, it will begin to change color and look more like lotion.

Step 9 - Once your lotion is completely cool, put it in jars and enjoy!

Now note that our lotion is more like a body butter. I added 2 super heaping tablespoons of beeswax. If you want yours less thick, add less beeswax. If you want it thicker, add more. Our lotion is currently stored in clear jars because we will use it quickly. Amber colored jars would be a better choice (for longer life) and you can see in the photos I had some old extract jars I thought I might use, but with our thicker consistency I decided on the wider mouthed jars. Remember this lotion has no preservatives so it works best in small batches. This lotion works in to the skin super well and has long lasting power.

We both highly recommend this recipe. Let us know if you try it or any of the variations and your thoughts.