About this time last year, I whipped up my first batch of body butter, hoping to combat dry, itchy winter skin as well as stretch marks* on my growing body. Looking back, I realize I only wrote about my intention to make homemade body butter, not the results.
The rest of the story . . .
After failing to find local sources for cocoa butter and shea butter, I went online and purchased those two items, as well as jojoba oil and sweet almond oil. For my first recipe, I basically followed the “body butter cream” recipe here.
The results were pretty good, and once I used my first batch, I made a second batch, with a few tweaks [that I failed to record]. The second batch lasted until The Dude came along, after which point I didn’t have time to apply body butter, much less make it.
With the relatively mild temps so far, my skin is faring well this winter (knock on wood!), but I still have my dry spots. After lots of good intentions, and much perusing recipes, I finally got around to trying my hand at lotion. (I decided to make lotion, which differs from the body butter in that it contains water. The body butter worked well, but it’s solid at normal room temperature, which made it a bit inconvenient for regular use.)
Basic body lotion (inspired by this recipe)
Ingredients
4 T. (1.6 oz, by weight) solid oil, i.e., shea or cocoa butter
8 oz. (liquid measure) liquid oil
4 t. (0.5 oz, by weight) coconut oil
1/2 c. water
few drops of vegetable glycerin**
Directions
Place solid oils, including coconut oil in a large glass measuring cup or bowl. I used half shea butter and half cocoa butter for my solid fats. Microwave on high for a minute. Stir. Alternate microwaving for short periods with stirring, until fat is almost all melted.
In a separate glass measuring cup, gently heat the liquid oils in the microwave. I used a blend of jojoba, sweet almond, and olive oils. You don’t want to get these hot, just slightly warm, so the cocoa and shea butters don’t start to resolidify.
Combine melted/warmed oils and blend with an immersion blender (I suppose you could use a regular blender here, but clean-up would be more difficult). After oils are combined, drizzle in the water WHILE the blender is running. It’s important to go slowly here to ensure the fat and water don’t separate later.
Blend for one minute, adding a few drops of glycerin, if you have it. Blend intermittently as it cools — you can stick it in the fridge to speed the process. The final product is a thick, creamy lotion. Place in glass jars and store in the refrigerator***.
Apply anytime, but it’s especially good right after bathing. A little goes a long way!
Closing thoughts
I really like how this came out. Compared to the body butter, it goes on very easily and feels very light. I’m experimenting with using at as a hair conditioner, too.
*In case you were wondering, I somehow did NOT get any stretch marks while I was pregnant. Since I have stretch marks on my thighs from a high school growth spurt, I am not one of those lucky people who just doesn’t get stretch marks. I fully expected to add to the collection while pregnant, so I was quite pleasantly surprised with the lack of evidence on my very-stretched-out belly. Perhaps I should market my body butter as an amazing stretch mark prevention potion.
**Glycerin is a humectant, used here to help draw water into the skin.
***Refrigeration is necessary because the lotion is preservative-free.
Her Green Life 
Wow! I’m so impressed. I pretty much gave up lotion entirely because of skin problems and allergies to the fragrances and additives. Maybe someday I’ll undertake making my own.
In the meantime, I have great results with plain jojoba oil. I’m a soak in a hot tub kind of girl as opposed to a quick shower person, so I generally just squirt a little into the bath water and for the most part it keeps my skin nice and soft.
BTW – Every time you refer to your son as “the dude” I have myself a little chuckle picturing him as Jeff Bridges in “The Big Lebowski.”
Yes, I gave up trying to find a store-bought lotion that was anywhere near reasonably priced without those offending ingredients, which is why I started making my own. If your way works for you though, it sounds a lot simpler!
The Dude abides 😉
With skin allergies. I also gave up on store bought. And why must they include alcohol?
And what about dry skin? It needs to be moisturized!
Missouri candle and wax company is where I go to get my lotion ingredients and even some cleaning supplies. I looked into online shops and didn’t wantvto pay shipping. They also have essential oils.
I’ll have to check them out. I’m still using up the ingredients I bought to make the original batch three years ago (the solid oils — cocoa butter and shea butter — are just fine; the jojoba and sweet almond oils are maybe a touch rancid, but they’re fine in the lotion). I ordered my current ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs — don’t remember whether or not there was a way to get free shipping.