by Jan Berry
2 oz (56 g) mango butter
1 oz (30 ml) dandelion-infused sweet almond oil (see here for how to infuse oil)
20 to 30 drops essential oil, for scent (optional)
⅛ to ¼ tsp arrowroot powder (optional)
Place the mango butter in a heatproof jar or container. Set the jar down into a saucepan containing a few inches (7 cm) of water. Place the pan over a medium-low burner just until the mango butter melts. Overheating the mango butter may cause graininess, so remove it promptly once melted. Stir in the dandelion-infused oil.
Pour the melted butter and oil into a small mixing bowl and place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes or until it starts to firm up. Using a handheld mixer, beat for several minutes until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl several times.
Add the essential oil and arrowroot powder, then beat for another minute. Arrowroot or cornstarch are sometimes added to body butters to help cut some of the oily feel they have, but it’s completely optional and okay to leave out if you don’t have any or prefer not to use it.
Store the finished butter in a cool, dark area away from high heat and direct sunlight. Shelf life should be around 6 months.
Tip: If you live in a warm climate, you may want to slightly increase the mango butter or add a small amount of a harder butter, such a cocoa or kokum, so this recipe won’t melt too easily between uses. During winter, or if you live in a cool climate, increase the amount of oil a bit if needed, so that the body butter isn’t too stiff to apply.
Mint Cocoa Body Butter
Use a high-quality unrefined cocoa butter to create this deliciously decadent body butter that smells just like a peppermint patty! In this recipe, I use refined shea butter so that its normally strong, raw smell doesn’t compete with the chocolate-scented cocoa butter and mint. If you prefer, though, unrefined shea will work just as well. Creamy cocoa and shea butters serve to protect and soothe skin while light and easily absorbed grapeseed oil helps offset the otherwise heavy richness of this recipe.
YIELD: FILLS 2 (4-OUNCE [112-ML]) JARS
1 oz (28 g) unrefined cocoa butter
1 oz (28 g) refined shea butter
2 oz (60 ml) mint-infused grapeseed oil (see here for how to infuse oil)
10 to 20 drops peppermint essential oil
⅛ to ¼ tsp arrowroot powder (optional)
Place the cocoa and shea butters in a heatproof jar or container. Set the jar down into a saucepan containing a few inches (7 cm) of water to form a makeshift double boiler. Place the pan over a medium-low burner until the butters have melted. Remove the pan from heat and add the mint-infused grapeseed oil.
Pour the melted butters and oil into a small mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator for about 45 minutes or until it starts to firm up. Using a handheld or stand mixer, beat for several minutes or until light and fluffy, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl several times.
Add the peppermint essential oil and arrowroot powder, then beat for another minute. A little bit of arrowroot powder or cornstarch added to body butters will help cut some of the oily feel they sometimes have, but it’s an optional ingredient.
Store the finished butter in a glass jar in a cool, dark area away from high heat and direct sunlight. Shelf life should be around 6 months. If the butter gets too warm, it may melt. That’s perfectly fine; just chill and whip it again. If you live in a cooler climate and find the butter is too hard, you may want to use more oil in the recipe.
Calendula Whipped Coconut Oil
Calendula flowers are a wonderful addition to skin care recipes because of their regenerating and healing properties. Coconut oil is antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and helps moisturize and protect skin. This simple recipe combines those two powerful ingredients, creating a great all-over body moisturizer that’s perfect for use during winter and the cooler months of the year. In hot weather and climates, it will tend to melt into a liquid, so you might want to consider making Calendula Whipped Coconut Butter on the following page instead.
YIELD: 4 OUNCES (120 ML)
¼ cup (2 g) dried calendula flowers
½ cup (100 g) coconut oil
Place the dried flowers in a heatproof canning jar or container. Set the jar on a digital scale and weigh the coconut oil into it.
Gently set the jar down into a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water, then place the pan over a burner set to low. Keep the pan on the heat for around 1 to 2 hours or until the oil has taken on a yellow hue from the calendula flowers. Remove from heat and strain into a small mixing bowl.
Set the bowl in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes or until it starts firming up. Remove from the refrigerator and beat the chilled oil with a handheld mixer until it’s light and fluffy. This may take up to 5 minutes. Scoop the coconut oil into a jar and store in a cool area that stays under 76°F (24°C), the melting point of coconut oil.
Variation: Dandelion flowers are another good choice for this recipe and will result in a similarly effective moisturizer.
Calendula Whipped Coconut Butter
While coconut oil on its own is a fabulous moisturizer for some skin types, it tends to turn into a liquid mess in warm weather. This body butter combines the calendula-infused coconut oil from the previous recipe with skin-nourishing shea butter, to make a still light and airy, yet more shelf-stable, end product. I like to scent this with just a few drops of sweet orange essential oil, but other good options include peppermint, lavender, rose, lime and litsea cubeba.
YIELD: 8 OUNCES (240 ML)
½ cup (100 g) calendula-infused coconut oil (see previous recipe)
¼ cup (54 g) shea butter
Few drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)
Add the calendula-infused coconut oil and the shea butter to a heatproof canning jar or container. Set the jar down into a saucepan containing a few inches (7 cm) of water to form a makeshift double boiler. Place the pan over a medium-low burner and heat just until the shea butter is melted, then remove it promptly from the heat source to prevent it from overheating and becoming grainy.
Pour the hot mixture into a small mixing bowl. Cool in the refrigerator for around 30 minutes or until it starts firming up. Using a hand mixer, beat until it’s light and fluffy. Add a few drops of essential oil for scent, if you’d like, then whip a few seconds longer.
Spoon into jars and store in a cool location, out of direct heat and sunlight. Shelf life of body butters is usually around 6 months.
Sunflower Lotion Bars
Lotion bars are convenient little items, perfect for rubbing over cracked, dry hands or other areas in need of softening. Tucked in a tin, they become more portable than lotions or creams, but are similarly effective at relieving chapped or sun-parched skin conditions. This lotion bar recipe contains nourishing shea butter and is boosted with skin-smoothing sunflower petals. If sunflowers aren’t available, try dandelion or calendula flowers for a similar effect.
YIELD: ABOUT 10 SMALL LOTION BARS, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF YOUR MOLD
1 oz (28 g) shea butter
0.7 oz (20 g) beeswax
0.85 oz (24 g) sunflower-infused olive oil (see here for how to infuse oil)
Place the shea butter, beeswax and infused oil in a heatproof canning jar or container. You can also use an empty, unlined tin can for easy cleanup. Set the jar or can down into a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water. Place the pan over a medium-low burner until the beeswax is melted. Remove from heat, stir and pour into molds. You can use any type and size of candy or silicone mold that you’d like, as long as it’s heatproof. Small one-inch (2.5-cm) candy molds will yield around 10 lotion bars while larger ones will yield less.
Once they’re completely cool, unmold the lotion bars and store in a cool area, out of direct heat and sunlight. You can choose to store in individual tins or stack in a wide-mouth jar, with wax paper separating each layer.
To use, rub over your hands, elbows, knees a
nd other dry skin areas. The heat from your body will quickly melt the lotion bar and leave a thin protective layer on your skin. For extremely dry and cracked hands in desperate need of relief, try using one lotion bar each night as you watch your favorite TV show. You should see significant improvement within a few days of consistent use.
Tip: To make these by volume, you can use 2 tbsp (30 ml) shea butter, 2 tbsp (30 ml) beeswax and 2 tbsp (30 ml) oil.
Violet Leaf Lotion Bars
Soothing and moisturizing violet leaf combines with rich and creamy mango butter in these handy little lotion bars. French green clay adds subtle color and helps to absorb the extra oiliness that lotion bars can sometimes leave behind, but if your skin is extremely dry, you may want to skip the clay. Use at least once daily on rough, dry spots in need of moisture. Lotion bars are especially effective for quickly getting winter-neglected feet into sandal-ready condition. Try rubbing one all over your feet before bedtime, paying special attention to your heels, then cover with a pair of socks. Get a good night’s sleep and wake up to softer soles!
YIELD: 8 TO 10 SMALL LOTION BARS, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF YOUR MOLD
0.8 oz (23 g) mango butter
0.6 oz (17 g) beeswax
0.6 oz (17 g) violet leaf infused coconut oil (see here for how to infuse oil)
½ tsp French green clay (optional)
Place the mango butter, beeswax, infused oil and French green clay in a heatproof jar or container. Set the jar down into a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water. Place the pan over a medium-low burner until the beeswax is melted. Remove from heat, stir and pour into molds. You can use any type and size of candy or silicone mold, as long as it’s heatproof. Small one-inch (2.5-cm) candy molds will yield around 8 to 10 lotion bars while larger ones will yield fewer.
Once they’re set up and completely cool, unmold the lotion bars and store in a cool, dark place. To use, rub over your hands, elbows, knees and other dry skin areas. The heat from your body will quickly melt the lotion bar and leave a thin protective layer on your skin.
Variation: If you’re allergic or don’t want to use coconut oil, try babassu, sweet almond, sunflower, olive, jojoba, rice bran, apricot kernel, argan or avocado oil instead.
Cocoa Rose Lotion Bars
Creamy cocoa butter and rose-infused sweet almond oil make up these luscious lotion bars. Rose petals were chosen for this recipe because they’re soothing and help tame inflamed skin conditions. Sweet almond oil is exceptional for its softening and conditioning properties and works well for most skin types, but if you’re allergic to tree nuts, try avocado oil or sunflower oil instead. Rose kaolin clay adds an optional hint of color and helps minimize the oily feel that lotion bars sometimes have.
YIELD: 8 TO 10 SMALL LOTION BARS
0.85 oz (24 g) cocoa butter
0.5 oz (15 g) beeswax
0.8 oz (23 g) rose-infused sweet almond oil (see here for how to infuse oil)
½ tsp rose kaolin clay (optional)
3 to 4 drops of geranium or rose essential oil (optional)
Place the cocoa butter, beeswax, infused oil and rose kaolin clay in a heatproof jar or container. Set the jar down into a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water. Place the pan over a medium-low burner until the cocoa butter and beeswax are melted. Remove from heat. If you’d like your lotion bars to be scented, stir in a few drops of essential oil at this time. Pour into molds. You can use any type and size of candy or silicone mold that you’d like as long as it’s heatproof. Small one-inch (2.5-cm) candy molds will yield around 8 to 10 lotion bars while larger ones will yield fewer.
Once they’ve set up and are completely firm, unmold the lotion bars and store in a cool, dark place. To use, rub over your hands, elbows, knees and other dry skin areas. The heat from your body will slightly melt the outside layer of the lotion bar and leave it behind on your skin to moisturize and protect.
Tip: Cocoa butter comes in two forms, refined and unrefined. A high-quality unrefined cocoa butter will smell so deliciously of chocolate, you’ll want to take a bite of it! A few people find this scent unpleasant, though, so if you’re one of those, use refined, unscented cocoa butter or similar acting kokum butter instead.
Easy, All-Natural Creams & Lotions
Many people feel uncomfortable with the long list of synthetic chemicals printed on the bottle of lotion they slather on daily, but it seems too complicated a product to try to duplicate at home. I hope this chapter helps put that thought to rest!
With the use of a basic vegetable-derived emulsifying wax, you can quickly and easily put together a lotion that’s custom-made for your skin type. Because emulsifying wax allows you to incorporate more water into a recipe than beeswax does, you should find these lotions to be light, moisturizing and easily absorbed.
Since I also know that some people prefer the use and feel of beeswax, I’ve included a few beeswax-only recipes as well, with the caveat that they’re a little fussier to make, but worth the effort once mastered. Because beeswax can’t support the amount of water that emulsifying wax can, those recipes will feel richer, heavier and more cream-like.
Homemade creams and lotions lack the preservatives that their store-bought counterparts contain, so they’ll spoil more easily. Keep them in your refrigerator and use them up within two weeks or add a natural preservative. See here for more information on preserving and extending the shelf life of your handmade creations.
Basic Calendula Lotion
This simple lotion, featuring healing calendula flowers and skin-softening sweet almond oil, is gentle enough for everyone in the family to use. The basic recipe can also be used as a formula to help you branch out and create your own individualized variations. You can substitute calendula with your favorite herb or flower, use any type of liquid carrier oil that you like and substitute all or part of the water with witch hazel or aloe instead. Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil for scent and you will have your very own personalized lotion!
YIELD: 3½ OUNCES (100 ML)
1½ tbsp (22 ml) calendula-infused sweet almond oil (see here for how to infuse oil)
3 tsp (6 g) emulsifying wax NF
5 tbsp (75 ml) distilled water
Natural preservative (optional)
Add the infused oil and emulsifying wax to a heatproof jar. You can also use an empty, unlined tin can for easier cleanup. Measure out the water in a separate half-pint (250 ml) canning jar.
Place both containers down into a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water, then set the pan over a medium-low burner. Keep both containers in the pan for around 10 minutes to allow the wax to melt and the water to heat up to a nearly matching temperature of around 150°F (66°C).
Pour the oil and wax mixture along with the hot water into a heatproof mixing bowl or measuring pitcher. As they’re poured together, the separate mixtures will begin to emulsify upon contact and turn a milky white color.
Using a fork or small whisk, stir the lotion briskly for 30 seconds, then set it aside to cool down for around 5 minutes. To speed up the cooling process, place your mixing container into a bowl partially filled with ice cubes and water. Stir occasionally, for around 30 seconds at a time, as the lotion cools and thickens.
If you’re adding a natural preservative, check the temperature to see if it’s the proper time to do so. Recommended temperature will vary according to type, but preservatives are usually added when the lotion is cooling.
Pour the lotion into a pump-top or squeeze bottle while it’s still slightly warm and runny, or wait until it fully sets up and spoon into a jar. Depending on how much air you whipped in while stirring, it should almost fill a 4-ounce (120-ml) jar. Your lotion may still need an occasional shake or stir throughout the first day to complete the thickening phase. Keep tops and lids off of your lotion container until it’s completely cool, to prevent condensation from building up on the lid. If you didn’t add a preservative, store your lotion in the ref
rigerator and use it within 2 weeks.
Tip: This recipe is designed for use with emulsifying wax NF only. If you try to substitute beeswax or another type of wax, the lotion could potentially fail.
Aloe Mint After-Sun Lotion
The menthol in mint makes this lotion especially cooling, while aloe helps soothe overheated, inflamed skin tissue. Sunflower oil was chosen for this recipe since it’s particularly effective at healing damaged skin. A few drops of peppermint essential oil contributes a heightened chilling effect along with a dash of mild pain relief. Apply this lotion as often as needed to help ease the discomfort of sunburn and other hot, flushed skin conditions. Don’t feel that it’s limited to sunburn relief though, it’s perfect for helping you keep your cool every day during the summer months as well!
YIELD: 4 OUNCES (120 ML)
4 tsp (20 ml) mint-infused sunflower oil (see here for how to infuse oil)
3 tsp (6 g) emulsifying wax NF
4 tbsp (60 ml) distilled water
2 tbsp (30 ml) aloe vera gel
2 to 3 drops peppermint essential oil
Natural preservative (optional)
Add the oil and wax to a heatproof jar or upcycled tin can. Measure out the water and aloe in a separate small half-pint (250 ml) canning jar.
Place both containers into a saucepan containing 1 to 2 inches (2.5 to 5 cm) of water, then set the pan over a medium-low burner. Keep both containers in the pan for around 10 minutes to allow the wax to fully melt and the water to reach a nearly matching hot temperature of around 150°F (66°C). Remove from heat.
Pour the hot water/aloe and oil/wax mixtures into a heatproof mixing bowl or measuring pitcher. As they’re poured together, the separate mixtures will begin to emulsify upon contact and turn a milky white color.
