It's Really That Good! - Homemade Lotion

Over the holidays there were so many great ideas being thrown around I got overwhelmed, but I did take notes.  Often when I see something that looks too good to be true, half of  me wants to give it a try and half of me goes skeptical.  The dichotomy usually results in me putting the web ideas to the test.  That was the case when I saw this post about making your own lotion.

I'm trying to cut as much chemical stuff out of our household as I can and this idea of making my own lotion seemed like the perfect idea,  if it would work.  I make my own laundry soap and it works great.  I  make my own candles and people love them.


I love the idea of knowing what is in my lotion and am often annoyed when reading the ingredients of commercial lotions.  Why do they put drying agents like alcohol in a substance that is supposed to be hydrating my skin?  And what is all that other stuff in my lotion.  I took to purchasing a natural line of lotions a while back, but they can get pretty expensive.  When I read that I could make my own lotion with four ingredients, three of which were in my house already, I was hooked.  So, I ordered a natural emulsifying wax to use with olive oil, water and essential oils to make my own lotion.

A Sonoma Garden does a great job with her lotion directions.  I followed them to the letter including monitoring the temperatures and the result was a great, thick, creamy lotion in about ten minutes.  I used lavender essential oil and only 20 drops (to the recommended 24-36 drops).  The fragrance is very light and I have no qualms about using it on my skin or GBaby's delicate toddler skin.  It soaks in well and doesn't sit on your skin.  I am so excited about this and can't wait to use up all those other random bottles of lotion that are around my house!

I've read that the shelf life of homemade lotions can vary depending on how you package them.  Since I just made mine this week, I can't speak to that yet.  I'm going to be making small batches frequently.  It took less than ten minutes to mix this up, so replenishing frequently is not a big hardship of time.  When I made about 12 ounces of natural lotion for less than $2.  That totally works for me!

Updated 1/30/2013: We've been using this lotion for the last two years and it's great.  I've only had "shelf life" issues with one batch that I substituted coconut oil for the olive oil over the summer.  Other batches with this substitute were fine.  I wrote it off as a fluke and have been through lots and lots of this great stuff!