Hand and Body Lotion

I’m almost out of lotion.  With a winter like the one we’ve been having, this is a big problem!  Since I knew I wanted to try making lotion when my stock got low, I’ve been looking all over the web for weeks looking for a recipe that didn’t contain lotion as an ingredient (seriously?), contain ingredients I wasn’t comfortable with, and ideally one that I could make plastic free.  And I found it!  This recipe is from muffindiaries.com, but the author says it came originally from a book called Making It: Radical Home Ec for a Post-Consumer World (Which I now must find because the preview on Amazon made it look like a great resource!).

You will need

¾ cup olive oil ($2.99/lb, .36lb x $2.99 = $1.08)

¼ cup coconut oil ($9.99 per 14 fl oz, $9.99/14oz = $.71 x 2oz = $1.43)

1 oz beeswax ($7.19 per 5oz, $7.19/5oz = $1.44)

1 cup water at room temp (free)

Simple ingredients.  Bulk olive oil is nice and cheap!

Before putting it over heat.

Bring a few inches of water to a simmer.  Put the olive oil, coconut oil, and beeswax in a pyrex measuring cup (or wide mouth mason jar if you don’t have one), and place the measuring cup in the pot of water.  Leave the cup there until all the coconut oil and beeswax have melted.

Wax half melted.  If I make this again I'll chop the wax, it took forever!

While your oil is melting, fill a blender halfway with hot water so the blender will be warm.  When everything has melted, pour the water out of the blender, dump in the hot oil, put the top on, and blend on the lowest setting to start.  In a slow constant stream, add the room temperature water to the oil, scraping the sides of blender as needed.  Add as much or as little water as you like to reach a consistency that works for you, but keep in mind that your mixture is warm, and will become less runny as it cools.  Store in a wide mouth jar.

If you would like to add an essential oil, you can add 10 drops after taking the oil off the stove, before you put it in the blender.  I skipped this because in case you haven’t heard me say it 1,000 times yet, I am very smell sensitive and prefer unscented lotion (plus I’m cheap like that).  Without any essential oil the lotion has a really pleasant and mild honey scent that I very much enjoy!

Big crazy mess of a blender! 

 

Finished!

Try It

$3.95 for 16fl.oz, or $.25/fl.oz

Buy It

I currently use Aveeno and Kiss My Face lotions, Aveeno is $6.99 for 12fl.oz, or $.58/fl.oz.

Verdict

I like it okay, and I know my reasons for Trying were mostly about packaging, not a displeasure with my current lotion, so it makes it hard to switch.  I’ve given it a solid 4 days.  I like the light honey scent, and I like that it’s chemical free, but it’s just really greasy!  (I know, I combined wax and oil, what did I expect?)  I'm really on the fence.  I’ll use it up, but until I find a recipe I like better, I’ll have to Buy It, but I don’t feel good about it.  Also- the most difficult part of this project was cleaning the blender.  I think if I do try this again I’ll do it in the food processor which comes apart more for cleaning.  It is really difficult to get the wax out from under the blender blades!