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Homemade Lotion Recipes
Make your own natural skin moisturizers for happy, healthy skin
Making your own homemade lotion is a fabulous way to take care of yourself, save money
and have fun all at the same time.
These healthy homemade lotion recipes use natural ingredients to nourish, support and heal your skin.
(If your skin is extra dry or cracked, check out the
lotion bar recipes - they're super nourishing!)
60% of what you put on your skin is absorbed into your body, so putting only wholesome, natural ingredients into your homemade body lotion
really does help improve your health.
You'll see your skin become clearer, brighter and smoother as you use homemade lotion recipes to
break away from harmful synthetic products.
Plus, essential oils do more than just support your skin - they also lift your mood, calm your nerves and
strengthen your immune system. Not to mention, you smell wonderful!
We start with a basic unscented formulation you'll use as the base for your homemade body lotion, followed by recommendations for carrier oils
and essential oils so you can customize to suit your specific skin type or problem.
For SPF, check out this homemade sunscreen recipe.
Basic Homemade Lotion Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 to 2 tablespoons (3 to 8g) Emulsifying wax
(depending on how thick you want it)
- 1/3 cup (75ml) Carrier Oil (see below for suggestions)
- 1/2 cup (125ml) distilled Water
- 1 teaspoon (5ml) Vitamin E
- 10 drops Grapefruit Seed extract
- Optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons (25ml) Vegetable Glycerin
- Optional: 10 to 20 drops Essential Oil (see below)
Directions
- Stir together the oil, emulsifying wax and glycerin in the top part of a double boiler, warming slowly over a low heat until the wax is melted.
Remove from heat and pour in the Vitamin E.
- In a separate pot on the stove or in the microwave, gently warm the water just until lukewarm.
Do NOT skip this step - your homemade lotion will separate later if the water is too cold.
- Slowly pour the water into the oil, stirring briskly with a whisk until the mixture is a uniform color.
- Stir in the essential oils and the grapefruit seed extract.
Pour the homemade body lotion into a clean, sterilized 8oz (250ml)
dark glass or PET plastic bottle and allow it to cool before putting the lid on.
- The oil and water components of the lotion will separate as it cools. Shake the bottle every 10 to 20 minutes to re-mix them.
Once the lotion has cooled completely, they will stay mixed.
- Store in a cool, dark place.
This recipe makes approximately 8oz (250ml) homemade body lotion.
Storing Homemade Lotion Recipes - Important!
I have found that whenever my homemade lotions, moisturizers or sunscreens get too hot they separate.
Because they don't have the same chemicals as commercial products, these natural skin moisturizers really do need to be
stored in a cool location.
Carrier Oils for your Homemade Lotion Recipes
The table below outlines the best aromatherapy carrier oils for each skin type. Use one or a combination of oils
to create the best mix for your skin.
Oils marked with an asterisk should only comprise up to 10% of a recipe - in this case, about 1 tablespoon of the total amount of oil.
For example: for acne skin you would put 1 tablespoon of Neem oil into your measuring cup, then top up to 1/3 of a cup with grapeseed oil.
Take a look at the aromatherapy carrier oils page for details on each type of oil.
| Oily, Acne-prone |
Grapeseed, jojoba, neem* |
| Dry, Aging, Damaged |
Sweet almond, avocado*, borage*, calendula, jojoba, kukui nut, olive, rosehip*, sea buckthorn*, St. John's wort |
| Normal, Combination |
Sweet almond, apricot kernel, jojoba, sunflower |
| Sensitive |
Apricot kernel, avocado*, calendula, grapeseed, kukui nut, rice bran |
| Eczema, Psoriasis |
Calendula, sweet almond, avocado*, castor, evening primrose*, jojoba, kukui nut, neem*, olive, rosehip*, sea buckthorn* |
| Scars, Stretch Marks |
Calendula, castor, jojoba, kukui nut, rosehip*, sea buckthorn* |
Essential Oils for your Homemade Lotion Recipes
The table below shows the best essential oils for each skin type. Choose a few essential oils and mix to a
maximum of 20 drops per recipe. If you're using dōTERRA essential oils,
only use up to 10 drops - less if you're sensitive - they're strong!
Caution: Do not use citrus essential oils (bergamot, grapefruit, lemon or orange)
in a homemade body lotion you'll be applying before going out in the sunshine. Citrus oils can increase your risk of sunburn.
| Oily, Acne-prone |
Bergamot, cedarwood, geranium, grapefruit, jasmine, juniper, lemon, lemongrass, orange, patchouli, petitgrain,
sandalwood, tea tree, ylang ylang |
| Dry, Aging, Damaged |
Chamomile, frankincense, helichrysum, palmarosa, patchouli, peppermint, rose, sandalwood, ylang ylang |
| Normal, Combination |
Geranium, jasmine, lavender, neroli, palmarosa, rose, ylang-ylang |
| Sensitive |
Chamomile, helichrysum, jasmine, lavender, neroli, palmarosa, rose |
| Eczema, Psoriasis |
Chamomile, frankincense, helichrysum, jasmine, lavender, palmarosa, patchouli, rose, sandalwood |
| Scars, Stretch Marks |
Helichrysum, lavender, neroli, patchouli, rose geranium, rosemary |
Essential Oil Blends for your Homemade Lotion Recipes
Remember, if you're using dōTERRA essential oils,
reduce the number of drops by at least half, and use even less if you're sensitive - they're powerful!
| Oily, Acne-prone |
10 drops petitgrain, 5 drops lemongrass, 3 drops tea tree, 1 drop each rose geranium and ylang ylang |
| Dry, Aging, Damaged |
4 drops each helichrysum, frankincense, patchouli & sandalwood, 2 drops rose or ylang ylang |
| Normal, Combination |
14 dops lavender, 2 drops each rose geranium & palmarosa, 2 drops jasmine OR neroli, rose or ylang ylang |
| Sensitive |
12 drops lavender, 2 drops each chamomile, helichrysum & palmarosa, 2 drops jasmine OR neroli or rose |
| Eczema, Psoriasis |
4 drops each helichrysum, frankincense, lavender & sandalwood, 2 drops chamomile, 2 drops rose OR jasmine |
| Scars, Stretch Marks |
5 drops each helichrysum, lavender and patchouli, 2 drops each neroli & rose geranium |
Customizing your Homemade Lotion Recipes
For a thicker consistency (more like a cream) add a little more emulsifying wax
(up to a tablespoon more for a thick cream.) For a thinner consistency, add a little less.
You can also reduce the strength of the scent by decreasing the number of drops of essential oils.
Do not increase the essential oils, however, since they should only be a certain percentage of your total homemade lotion recipes.
Instead of using water, power up the healing properties of your homemade lotion recipes by replacing it with
lavender,
chamomile (my favorite) or
sandalwood hydrosol.
Hydrosols are made when plants are steam distilled to create essential oils. They contain not only the sweet scent of the flowers but also
the same properties as the essential oil, in a milder (and often less expensive) form.
This is a great way to enjoy the sweet scent (and good-for-you skin properties) of roses without breaking the bank. Try
rose hydrosol
if your skin is anything but oily.
My final word of advice: Play around with the body lotion recipe. Try it one way the first time, then try something else the next.
(Also, I definitely recommend taking notes - I always forget what I wanted to change by the time I'm ready for more.)
Buying Organic Moisturizers
If you're looking for organic moisturizers that deeply nourish, support and heal your skin, you really should check out the ones made by
Just Natural Organic Care. They're packed with exceptional ingredients - take a look!
What Next?
Take a look at some other yummy homemade lotion recipes to see which one you like best.
Or visit the Lotion Making Help page if you have more questions about making your own homemade body lotion.
Lavender Lotion
Peppermint Lotion
Sandalwood Spice Lotion
Vanilla Cream Lotion Bar
Shea Butter Lotion Bar
Homemade Sunscreen
Lotion Recipes Main Page
Aromatherapy Recipes Homepage from Homemade Lotion Recipes
Want to find more recipes for your skin type? Use the search box below.
For example, type in "dry skin" (without the quotes) and hit Search.
Every page on this website that includes the words Dry Skin will pop up.
Poke through them and decide what recipe to try next.
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- SPF 20, broad UVA/UVB protection
- Made with green tea, jojoba oil, shea butter & zinc oxide
- Antioxidant rich herbal skin rejuvenation
- Chemical free, safe for sensitive skin
Here's what the good folks at Mountain Rose have to say...
"Previously known as "Secret Skin Oil" this is the much revered formula for those dry-spell moments that our skin periodically endures.
It's what the 40+ age group here have been using when we run into problems with dry and other "lizardy" or "leathery" skin.
As Oregon gardeners, herbalists and hikers we all have some needy skin areas which this
superb skin oil fixes right up!
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