Making homemade lotion

I haven't gotten to write to my blog almost all summer but now that it is getting colder and our skin is starting to dry out, I wanted to share how I make my homemade lotion.

If you haven't discovered the amazing difference between store bought lotions and lotion made with all pure moisturizing ingredients, I'd encourage you to give it a try.

I get most of my raw materials online because I also sell this lotion on etsy so I am making more than just for our family, but you should be able to find the ingredients at your local health food store.  I have seen them at Vitamin Cottage here in Colorado.

Today I made a whipped shea coconut butter with a mandarin flavored essential oil. This recipe will make approximately 6- 4oz tubs of a whipped lotion

What you need:

8 oz by weight of shea butter

1/2 cup by volume coconut oil

3/8 cup carrier oil; you can select grape seed oil, jojoba oil, almond oil, etc.  I prefer to use almond oil

Essential oil (scent) of your choice

A double boiler set up (I use a glass bowl sitting on a pot of water)

A stand mixer with the whipping attachment

First:

Measure out your shea butter by weight.  I would recommend when buying shea butter, get  'unrefined' shea butter. It is more yellow in appearance but retains all the good vitamins that are lost during the refinement process.   Once you have measured it out, put the shea butter into your double boiler.

Second: 

Measure out your 1/2 cup of coconut oil and your 3/8 cup of almond oil.  The coconut oil is usually solid at room temperature so you may have to microwave it for 20 seconds to get it to melt enough to measure it

Measuring the coconut oil and the almond oil.  The total amount is 7/8 cup 

Put the coconut oil and shea butter into your double boiler.  Now let everything melt, stirring 

often.

My double boiler set up, with all the ingredients melting

The Shea will take longest to melt

When everything is completely melted, transfer to your stand mixer to whip.

The process of whipping introduces air into the lotion while it cools.  Since there is no water added, if you don't whip then you will end up with a solid body butter.  There's nothing wrong with this of course, and you can just stop right here, add your essential oil, put it in a tub and you will have great lotion, but I have found most people prefer the whipped kind.

So to whip your lotion....

You should whip on almost high speed with the whisk attachment. speed 8 on my kitchenaid.

Whip for 10 minutes.  

Add your scent. if it is essential oil, I'd recommend at least 30 drops. if it is an artificial 'scent' oil you will need a lot less.

Whip for another 10 minutes.

Then put your lotion in the fridge for 3 minutes, 

then whip for 15, 

then fridge for 5 minutes, 

whip for 15... 

then fridge for 5, and repeat the 15 min 5 min process until the lotion has cooled and starts to whip up like a meringue.

I can't tell you exactly how long this takes because for me it depends on the day and how hot my house is but I would say roughly an hour of whipping.

This is what it will look like when it is done

Package it up and you will have an amazing moisturizing lotion to use all winter long.  

Hope you enjoy!!! 

And if you read this and say 'oh wow this looks like too much work'  check out my etsy page Bright Star Botanicals :)