TUTORIAL: How to Make Natural Lotion at Home

**Despite the popularity of this post, i have decided to remove it. You can find my basic recipe below, but please visit my new blog, Pocket Pause for an updated tutorial or refer to Rosemary Gladstar's recipes, which can also be found adapted at BrightHub.com. **

Don't feel like making it yourself? Support your friendly blogger and benefit from my years of experience in lotion and soap making: Shop GoNudeSoap.com to buy our Everywhere Cream!

How to make all natural body and hand cream at home:

Equipment and ingredients needed:

• Blender
• Spatula
• Thermometer (meat)
• Double boiler or pot with a measuring pyrex or bowl suspended in the water
• Clean jars
• Coconut oil (can also use jojoba or sweet almond)
• Olive oil
• Beeswax (100% pure)
• Distilled or purified water
• Borax
• Essential oils
• Optional aloe vera gel and vitamin E

I make my lotion with half olive and half coconut oil. This results in a thick and intensely moisturizing lotion. Coconut oil is only solid until 76 degrees, so it will become a softer lotion in warmer temps, and melts into skin really nicely. The beeswax acts as an emulsifier and also protects skin from the elements. The borax helps the water to emulsify with the oils. Oil and water do not like to become one, so the trick in making lotion is to get the oils and the water to similar temps, between 90 and 115 seems ideal, and to pour the water directly in the center of the blending oil in a thin and constant stream, similar to making mayonnaise.  Do some research and choose oils that you like.  Olive oil is heavy and smells olive oily, but i like that. Almond oil is an excellent choice and very good for massage because it doesn't absorb into the skin as rapidly. You can also mix in some hemp seed or shea butter to your mix. In my next batch i plan on steeping some Calendula petals and other soothing herbs into the water for an even more healing lotion. My recipe is as follows:

• 1 ounce beeswax, shredded or pastilles
• 4 ounces olive oil (or sunflower oil)- (sub some almond, hemp, shea, or jojoba into this portion)
• 4 ounces coconut oil
• 3/4 to 1 cup water with 1/4 tsp borax mixed in