How to Make Homemade Lotions: Recipe, Cost, Variations & Cremes

Homemade lotions are a luxurious way to soften your skin without paying a fortune at the stores. Making your own lotions is also the best method to be guaranteed that what is in the product is natural and not harmful. Nobody likes to find out afterwards that you are allergic to a lotion containing a certain fragrance or ingredient.

Also, making your own lotions is as easy as being able to press a few buttons on your microwave. When the base is prepared, you just add a few fragrances or essential oils that you like, and then pour your creation into pretty bottles to cool. Once it cools and thickens after a few hours, it is ready for use. Pretty simple, huh? You'll be wondering why everyone doesn't do this!

Once you understand the A-B-C's of basic balm and lotion making, you are ready to make bases for other bath products. Becoming an expert at making lotion is probably the most rewarding of all bath products. Not only is it the most popular of women's products but also making your own lotions is the most economical. Have you just looked at the price of commercial lotions on the market today? It's inconceivable that manufacturers are charging $10-$20 for something that will cost you $2 to make at home. Then there is the gift-giving season when homemade lotions will make your friends light up and ask for more.

Basic Lotion Recipe

First of all, you may want to select containers with colored caps that remind you of the scent you made or else label each bottle. Discount stores carry empty travel bottles with different colored caps. Purple cap to lavender lotion.

Heat up 3/4 Cup of Oil of Your Choice in the microwave with 2 teaspoons of Steric Acid and 1 teaspoon of Emulsifying Wax until melted. In a separate plastic bowl with a pour spout preferably, heat up 1/2 cup of water of your choice (such as rainwater or distilled) in the microwave with a 1/2 teaspoon of Borax (the Mule Team laundry soap is what I use-nice and cheap) until boiling hot.

Then use the same plastic pour mouth bowl you boiled the water in and slowly whip in the oil mixture with a hand blender. Keep mixing until fairly cool. At this time, you can add vitamin e oil, a little color, fragrance; whatever you believe your kind of lotion should smell like! When the lotion seems well mixed, funnel into pretty plastic lotion bottles. If you were going to take longer than a month to use this, put a touch of Germaben II to the body products. They tend to form black little microbes after a few months if the Germaben II isn't added. Vitamin e is a natural preservative and may help.

I would suggest that the bowls, measuring spoons and cups that you use for your lotions and crèmes be reserved only for that and not for making dinner. This way you are assured that, during cleaning, a little wax didn't get left behind before making that family meatloaf!

Cost?

3/4 cup of the most expensive oils cannot be more than $2. This recipe makes 12 ounces.

Variations:

Once you get this down to a fine art, the choices are only as secluded as your imagination. You can use green tea instead of water or rainwater, or water infused with whatever herb you like. On the oil side, you can soak the oils in elements such as bee pollen, strain and then use for the oil part. The possibilities are endless and these variations also apply to the Crèmes that are listed below. If you have Eczema or Psoriasis, never fear, add 10% of pine tar at the mixing stage and it will help tremendously. In that case, I would use Castor oil as my oil of choice. You can offset the smell of pine tar with cinnamon or nutmeg.

Crèmes:

In making crèmes, you can increase the oil to 90% and the water to 10% of the mixture and add a bit of beeswax to the oil part when heating. You will also need the Emulsifying wax and steric acid as described in the oil lotion section as well as the Borax in the water portion because it's these items that make oil mix with water. Beeswax is not necessary but does help to get a frothy crème. As stated above, if you are going to take longer than a month to use the final product, I recommend putting a touch of Germaben II to body products or they tend to form black little microbes after a few months. Vitamin e is a natural preservative and may help.

There are so many reasons for making your own lotions and crèmes. Homemade lotions and crèmes also make great gifts and who knows, possibly a nice side business for those so inclined. Not to mention the fact that it will save you money and it's possibly the healthiest thing that you could make for yourself. I should know, it is the only thing that touches my own skin!