How to Make Lotion ~ A Photo Tutorial
My parents are visiting for a couple days and we're taking time off our usual routine (I'd like to know what our usual routine is exactly). Which means I could spend the morning in the kitchen whipping up, quite literally, body lotion and lip balm. Our supply was dwindling very low and I wanted to send some home with my parents.
I usually make my soap and body care products after supper, when all my other work of the day is done, which means I don't take photos of the process. Photographing under fluorescent kitchen lighting is just nasty. But today since I had natural light I thought I'd share it all with you so you can whip up a batch (or two) for yourself.
Recipe
A version of my basic recipe.
(Having trouble reading the ingredients in this photo? Click on photo, then click original beneath the photo to see larger version.)
Gather supplies
Sterilize
All your equipment and jars. Very easy to do, just put stuff in a pot of boiling water, remove from heat and drain water. Pour the drained hot water over a plate to set all your tools on once they are sterile. This step is not critical but helps deter bacterial growth.
Measure
Melt
While your oils are melting over low heat mix water with borax (in a separate bowl). Oils will melt in a couple minutes, remove from heat and add water/borax mixture. As you stir them together they will look something like this:
Whisk until well combined. Add your optional ingredients (see recipe photo above), whisk to combine.
Pour
Today's recipe is double the amount of the recipe above. It makes this many jars of lotion (as pictured below). I re-used the empty cocoa butter container that held the cocoa butter I used in the lotion.
One recipe will probably last a family for 6 months or more. Store extra jars in the fridge till needed.
I also made lip balm. But you'll have to see this post for the instructions.
Related Posts
Trackback URL for this post:
Saturday doings
from FIMBY on Sun, 2009-10-11 03:02Tomorrow we go hiking to a favorite spot of mine, a little mountain right on the ocean. Sea, sky and autumn foliage, I can't wait. A day of being together outdoors. But today was a work-at-home day, a day of doing. I spent most of it in the kitchen but
you are awesome. I am
you are awesome. I am bookmarking this for sure. Where do you your ingredients?
Regular grocery store for
Regular grocery store for some oils and a health food store for the rest.
ooh this looks so
ooh this looks so good!
thanks for sharing : )
luscious. just the sort of
luscious. just the sort of thing i need to be making. (along with soap!) i have such sensitive skin and eczema breakouts are what have lead to my staph infections!
nicola
http://whichname.blogspot.com
nicola's last blog post... the 10-minute ipod case tutorial
Once again you and your
Once again you and your family are amazing Renee!
Please let Laurent know I'm looking forward to starting a knitting project on those lovely needles he made! I'm starting to get the itch as the weather cools off here :)
Great recipe! Thanks for
Great recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy your visit with your parents.
Fantastic! I can't wait to
Fantastic! I can't wait to give it a try. It's so dry here that my plain old coconut oil alone isn't working so well. Thank you!
Ellen's last blog post... Taking shape
Oh, I just might have to
Oh, I just might have to torture my relatives with handmade lotion this year! So is this just for hands and body or do you use it on your face too? It looks (and actually smells) quite wonderful through the computer screen :)
I use it for everything. I'm
I use it for everything. I'm very simple when it comes to skin care. One product for everything.
Awesome! I'll have to try it
Awesome! I'll have to try it one day when I get time. Is the borax liquid or powdered?
Barb J.'s last blog post... Nature Valley giveway
borax is powdered and the
borax is powdered and the brand I buy is 20 Mule Team - I use it for making my own laundry soap and dishwasher soap.
Pingback
[...] without parabens and such, but it is pretty pricey. So, when I saw that Renee of FIMBY had posted her lotion recipe and tutorial I thought that might be a perfect solution — safe and cost [...]
Pingback
[...] her blog for other tutorials on making different types of homemade soap and body care products. How to Make Lotion- A Photo Tutorial made it so much easier than I thought it would be. Basically, you sterilize the equipment by just [...]
I am so excited to try making
I am so excited to try making this! Just waiting on my beeswax (had to order that, can you believe it???) and I'm hoping to get started this weekend! Just the thing for my mom's approaching birthday :)
BTW would you recommend a scale rather than measuring cups? I don't have one of those but could borrow one.
Wherever you see oz. listed
Wherever you see oz. listed in my directions those are measured with a scale. I would recommend using a scale because measuring cups measure volume not weight.
Just made this delicious
Just made this delicious lotion! My kids are hovering..."what are you making? It smells like honnnnneeeeey" (that means they think it smells really, really good)
Now, while it's cooling, I tried some on my hands. Does it always leave this sort of shiny film? It's not necessarily bothersome, I'm just curious.
I think when I make it for myself, I'm going to skip the cocoa butter - I think the smell of the coconut oil with shea butter is going to be intoxicating! Right now I'm a little overwhelmed with the cocoa butter scent, and I just used 1 oz of that.
What's your favorite combination? Can I just say how thrilled I am you inspired me to do this? It's wonderful! :)
I find that handmade lotion
I find that handmade lotion is greasier. If I need to touch someone with really clean hands (ie: a photo or my glass lens) I don't put lotion on my hands first. But it will soak into your skin or rub off (not sure exactly what happens) and leave your skin feeling great - at least that is my experience.
I'm so glad you gave it a go. The smell of my hand crafted lotion is one of the things I love best about using it. The last 2 batches I've made have been cocoa-peppermint. Good enough to eat...
With permission, I've taken
With permission, I've taken this quote from Amanda's blog regarding her experience making lotion:
My lotion didn’t quite turn out how I expected. I loved how it smelled (so did the boys!) but it isn’t quite runny enough to call lotion – I have been calling it body butter, but it might also be called salve – I have to use a spoon to get mine out of my jar. Once I do a thorough job of massaging it into my skin, it does feel really nice!
However, next time I think I will add some liquid oil instead of some of the solid fats I used. I didn’t use any essential oils because I liked how it smelled as it was. I do love the smell of coconut oil, and would love some lotion that smells just like that – so I may try to concoct something for summer using that.
Just something to keep in mind, if you use all solid fats to make your lotion it will end up being quite solid. In which case you can call it "body butter" (I like that Amanda).
Post new comment