As discussed in my last post, I recently – and sorta accidentally – made the most delicious hand and body lotion.
By accidentally, I mean that I was trying to make a face cleansing balm, and I was failing. One of the “failures” was so liquidy that I ended up pouring it into a pump bottle, putting it in my bathroom cabinet and forgetting about it until a few days later.
But when I found it… it was love. It was the lotion I’ve been trying to create for years.
Someone asked if I’d be willing to share the formula, and yes I am. It’s just TOO GOOD not to share!
What’s so great about this lotion?
• More liquid in form, making it a pump-able lotion that many people believe is more sanitary than creams stored in jars (no fingers dipping in), not to mention the convenience factor.
• Free from any preservatives, stabilizers and emulsifiers. Which makes it great for all ages and all skin types, even the more sensitive and reactive skin.
• 100% natural – and 100% organic as long as you make it with organic ingredients.
• Also low in polyunsaturated fats (low PUFA) as long as you stick with low-pufa oils.
• Totally customizable to your preferences – you can infuse it with any botanicals you love, you can choose your favorite skin oils and hydrosol, and you can add your favorite essential oils for your favorite scent.
• Just luxurious to experience! Silky and smooth, this lotion glides onto the skin and is quickly absorbed.
• Unlike other liquid lotions, this one does not contain mostly water. It does contain some water in the form of hydrosol (distilled water from botanicals) and aloe vera gel, but compared to other lotions, this one is much more rich without feeling heavy at all. You’ll need less of it for the same effect.
• Multi-tasking, it works beautifully for hands, the whole body, and even the face. I love dabbing it around my eye area.
• Chock full of beneficial skin properties and protection. I mean, just look at the ingredient list below! Many of my favorite oils + some amazing wildcrafted botanicals + plus pure hydrosols + aloe vera gel + local beeswax = hell yes.
• And of course it is deeply hydrating for the skin. As I always say, hydrated skin is healthy skin. And healthy skin contributes to an overall healthy mind and body.
• It may help fade scars and stretch marks on the skin too. I mention this only because I’m experiencing it personally. And a friend proudly showed me her hands. I gifted her a bottle, and after a week or two of use, the hyper pigmentation on her hands is noticeably better.
What you’ll need to make this lotion
* For all ingredients, I recommend organic, raw, unfiltered, virgin, untreated varieties. And if possible, local! I’ll just say this now instead of belaboring the point for every ingredient description below.
Jojoba Oil – closely imitates our skin’s own natural sebum, making it a perfect moisturizer for improving skin elasticity and suppleness. It comes from a desert shrub and has long been used by Native Americans for its many benefits: long-lasting hydration, full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, anti-aging, non-greasy, easily absorbable, gentle, soothing, anti-microbial and non-acnegenic.
Olive Oil – High in antioxidants and squalane, olive oil has been used since ancient times to fight free radical damage and hydrate skin. Recent studies show that olive oil protects from photo-aging and sun damage too. Historically, olive oil has been used by the medical industry to treat wounds and skin issues. Over time, using pure virgin olive oil can reduce wrinkles, eliminate scars, reverse UV damage, lighten freckles and erase skin pigmentation.
Avocado Oil – full of nutrients and monounsaturated fats, avocado oil is highly anti-inflammatory making it a natural choice for anyone with eczema, acne, seborrheic dermatitis, or psoriasis. It even benefits the overall metabolic activity within the skin’s mitochondria, increasing energy production and therefore cell renewal. The emollient properties are also impressive, helping to moisturize and really soften skin.
Botanicals of choice to be infused in the oil. For my first batch I used wildcrafted Yarrow, Comfrey, Calendula, Plantain and Marshmallow Root. For my second batch, I used wildcrafted Dandelion, Violet and Elderflower (and called it a Spring Blossoming Body Lotion). But there are so many options – and obviously each plant contributes its own unique properties and benefits, so choose accordingly! For more ideas on infusing botanicals into skincare oils, check my post on making infused oils. Or check out our Ingredient Spotlight series, where we explore plants individually.
Shea Butter – excellent moisturizing and emollient properties. With a phenolic profile similar to that of green tea, shea butter is loaded with skin-healing vitamins A and E as well as skin-loving saturated fats. Heals chapped lips and skin, helps reduce acne scars. Anti-microbial properties to fight off infections. Anti-inflammatory properties of cinnamic acid. Vitamins E and A strengthen and repair the skin. Provides slight UV protection (about SPF 6), due to caffeic acid. Linoleic acid helps seal in moisture.
Beeswax – forms a natural defense barrier, protecting skin from free radical damage and locking in essential moisture. Beeswax attracts moisture and allows skin to absorb essential water molecules, keeping skin fresh and hydrated. Like honey, beeswax contains antibacterial properties and it can help in keeping your skin clean, but beeswax offers some extra protection as well.
Coconut Oil – not only moisturizing, but also anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. Full of saturated fats, which the skin loves and needs to stay hydrated and smooth, including lauric acid. Lauric acid can replace the lipid component in skin cells, making it supple again, and treat a variety of skin conditions, most notably psoriasis. Virgin coconut oil cleanses, repairs skin and even boosts the body’s immune system.
Tamanu Oil – anti-microbial, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory oil, tamanu’s unique chemical makeup of fatty acids, coumarins and xanthones are able to penetrate deep into the skin where they have been proven to reduce swelling and chronic irritation. Antibiotic compounds, such as lactone, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria while anti-inflammatory and skin-regenerating compounds heal the skin. This feature of tamanu oil makes it a powerful wrinkle fighter and an ideal choice for aging or irritated skin.
Hydrosol of choice – I used Blue Chamomile hydrosol in the first batch, and Rose hydrosol in the second batch. You can whatever you love or already have on hand! Hydrosols are filled with nutrients to support your skin. Depending on which you choose, they can be highly anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and rich in antioxidants! Plus they contribute a subtle scent.
Aloe Vera Gel – a brilliant moisturizing and healing agent due to polysaccharides (sugars) that form a strong meshed structure to penetrate and moisturize skin deeply. Also also contains antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins A, E and C, and it is highly anti-inflammatory. It can help treat burns, acne, scars, dry skin and much more. May also slow signs of aging by making skin more elastic and supple.
Essential Oils (optional) – not only to give your lotion a lovely scent, but essential oils can also contribute some very important, powerful properties. My rule of thumb with essential oils is to use the least amount possible. Maybe it’s just a personal preference, but I like for the whole natural ingredient – particularly the wildcrafted herbs and botanicals I use in my products – to be the focus. And for essential oils to play a lesser role.
Yes, it is quite a few ingredients. And the process will require quite a few steps, but I promise the result will be worth it!
So let’s get to it.
Wyld Hand & Body Lotion
You’ll need:
- 60 ml jojoba oil + 60 ml olive oil + 60 avocado oil = a total of 180 ml of oil
- Dried botanicals of choice (dried medicinal flowers, roots, herbs, berries, leaves, etc). For the Spring Blossoming version, I used dried dandelions, violets and elderflowers – a good handful of each. But you can infuse your oil with chamomile or calendula, juniper berries or sea buckthorn berries, maybe rosehips, comfrey, plantain or yarrow, red clover blossoms, roses, etc.)
- 21 grams coconut oil
- 15 grams beeswax
- 15 grams shea butter
- 1-2 tablespoons tamanu oil
- 60 ml aloe vera gel
- 80 ml hydrosol of choice
- 25-30 drops essential oils of choice
STEP 1: Make your infused oil. To do this, combine the jojoba, olive and avocado oils together in a glass jar and add your dried botanicals. Make sure your botanicals are completely covered with or immersed in the oil. Now you have 2 options for infusing the plant material into the oils – a quick method using heat, or a solar method requiring more time. To keep things simple here, I will refer you to my previous post, Making Your Own Infused Oils, which breaks down both methods in greater detail.
If you choose the quicker heat method, you’ll set your glass jar of oil and botanicals in a water bath and let it infuse for a couple of hours on super low heat. If you choose the slower yet simpler process, you’ll simply place your jar of oil and botanicals in a sunny spot for a couple of weeks. Then strain out the solids using a fine mesh strainer or thin cotton cloth, and voila, you have an infused oil!
Once your infused oil is done, you’re ready to start formulating the lotion.
(Note: you don’t have to infuse your oils. If you want to skip this step, omit the dried botanicals and step 1. You’ll begin at step 2.)
STEP 2: Using a bain-marie (water bath), melt together the beeswax, coconut oil and shea butter on low heat. Let this happen low and slow.
STEP 3: When everything is melted, quickly stir in the infused olive, avocado and jojoba oils, as well as the tamanu oil. I usually do this while it’s still in the warm water bath, otherwise the mixture seizes up and hardens in little pellets. If it does begin to harden, then re-heat just enough to melt everything again.
STEP 4: Put in the fridge to cool down. Alternatively, you can set aside on the counter to cool down. Takes longer but works fine.
STEP 5: When the mixture begins to look waxy and not translucent anymore, it is time to add the water components. I use an immersion (stick) blender for this. I believe a standing electric mixer might work fine as well. But with an immersion blender I start blending on medium speed and then slowly add the aloe vera gel WHILE blending. Then, still blending, I slowly add the hydrosol water. It might take a few minutes for the mixture to fully emulsify. Keep blending until it turns super creamy. Mine stays rather thin – like a liquid lotion that can be pumped out in a bottle. But although it’s thin, it will still thicken into a creamy consistency. If the texture is too thick, you can add a bit more aloe vera or hydrosol, just one tablespoon at a time, until you achieve a thinner consistency.
STEP 6: Once you’re happy with the texture, add the essential oils and quickly blend again to incorporate. Transfer the mixture into bottles (or jars if you prefer). Label and enjoy!
I hope these instructions all make sense. Feel like I need to make a video of the process, as it really it simple if you take it step by step. The most time-consuming part is making the infused oil, but it’s also the most magical part! But if you don’t want to go through the process of making an infused oil, you can just skip it and use the plain oils. It will still be great.
Leave me a comment if you have any questions. And of course I’d love to hear from anyone who makes it!
xx
