Homemade Non-Greasy Lotion

I've had this little DIY project in the works for a while, but I'm just getting around to posting it now! Who knows why I stalled on posting this tutorial for so long, but I'm glad to be posting it now because we have been loving this cream in my house! In February, we made a major move towards eliminating toxins from our house. We are definitely not toxin free, but we have done our best to eliminate where we can! This cream was part of that movement. We tried many homemade creams and this is the one we love the most!

Many homemade creams that we tried were greasy as can be. I mean I would put lotion on after my shower and then get stuck in the bathroom because I couldn't turn the doorknob. And yes, in hindsight that is pretty funny but I was on the look out for a less greasy cream and this one fit the bill! This lotion is still hydrating an luxurious feeling, but it soaks in just like real cream from the store! The recipe is from Frugally Sustainable. You can find the original HERE.

Start by adding 1 Tablespoon of shea butter, 3/4 ounces of beeswax and 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil to a glass measuring dish. Nest the glass measuring dish in a pot full of boiling water to create a sort of double boiler. Leave the oils to melt over medium heat, checking in on the every so often. When the oils are melted together, set them aside to cool to room temperature. This step is crucial! The oils must be at room temperature before you can combine them with the other ingredients.

While the oils are cooling, combine 1 teaspoon of Vitamin E oil, 1 cup of aloe vera gel and 14 drops of essential oils in a medium mixing bowl.

A couple of things to note about this step - First, I used the green aloe vera gel, so in the end I have green cream. It's not the end of the world, but I just picked up some clear aloe to use in the future. Second, the original recipe calls for 10 drops of essential oil. I prefer the cream to be a little more fragrant so I use 7 drops of lime essential oil and 7 drops of geranium essential oil. You can use any essential oil combination that you like the smell of. And I recommend using somewhere between 10-14 drops.

The the melted oils are at room temperature, use an electric mixer to combine the oils with the aloe mixture. You'll want to gradually add the aloe mixture to the melted oils as you are mixing. The smooth should become smooth and resemble store bought cream.

When the cream is well combined, pour it into a sterilized jar. We used canning jars to store the lotion. The original recipe recommends storing the lotion in the fridge, where it will keep for 6 weeks. We opted to keep our cream in the bathroom cupboard, just so not to be putting on cold lotion and it seems to last just fine. A single recipe never lasts us 6 weeks, so I don't know exactly how long it will keep but we were okay after 3 1/2 weeks.

I mentioned above that I love that this cream is not greasy but there a couple other things I love about it - It is great for after sun! We bought this lotion to the beach with and after a day in the sun, it is so soothing! It is also much less expensive to make than other homemade lotions. The ingredients are easy to find and relatively inexpensive!

HOMEMADE NON-GREASY LOTION

ingredients
1 cup Aloe Vera gel
1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil
3/4 ounces Beeswax
1/2 cup Grapeseed oil or Almond oil (I used Grapeseed)
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Butter or Shea Butter (I used Shea Butter)
10-14 drops essential oils (I like mixing geranium and lime)

directions
1. Add the beeswax, the grapeseed oil and the shea butter to a glass measuring dish. Nest the glass measuring dish in a pot of boiling water to form a sort of double boiler. Leave the oils to melt together over medium heat, checking on them every so often.
2. When the oils are completely melted, set them aside to cool to room temperature. This step is crucial. The melted oils must be a room temperature before you can mix them.
3. While the oils are cooling, combine the aloe vera, vitamin E and essential oils in a medium mixing bowl.
4. Once the oils are at room temperature, gradually add the aloe vera mixture to the oils while mixing with an electric mixer. Continue mixing until the lotion is well combined, smooth and resembles a store bought lotion.
5. Store the lotion in an air tight sterilized container. We use canning jars to store our cream.

As I right this the Bean is downstairs baking allergen safe brownies and the smell fabulous! I'm trying to coax her into posting the recipe, maybe there will be a post from her soon!