DIY: Shea Butter Body Lotion |
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DIY: Shea Butter Body Lotion

Katie April 10, 2013

Written by Katie Stanley

Water, Glycerin, Petrolatum, Cetyl Alcohol, Ceteryl Alcohol, Dimethicone, Fragrance (Parfum), Ceteareth-20, Butyrspermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Simmondsia Chinesis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Lavandula Angusifolia (Lavender) Extract, Macadamia Ternifolia Seed Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E Acetate), Isododecane, Carbomer, Neopentyl Glycol Diheptanoate, Tetrasodium EDTA, Sodium hydroxide, Disodium EDTA, BHT, Diazolidinyl Urea, Methylparaben, Benzyl Alcohol, Propylparaben, Citral, Limonene, Linalool, Red 33, Blue 1

What’s all this, you might ask? Just your basic everyday lotion. Oh ya, I want to rub that stuff all over my body. Sure, there are a few redeeming ingredients – shea butter, jojoba seed oil, lavender extract, and water but that’s about it. Natural, pronounceable ingredients are the only things I would even consider rubbing on my skin. As many of you know, parabens are bad news, as are dyes, perfume, petrolatum, and basically everything else on this list.

Petrolatum is just another other word for petroleum the byproduct that comes from drilling crude oil. Yes, a definite winner… Needless to say, I try my best to prevent exposure to that many toxins. Our skin is our body’s largest organ.

Did you know you can make a luxurious lotion with only a few simple ingredients? While I have never specifically used the four ingredients mentioned above do use a similar combination. This lotion will soothe, hydrate, and heal your skin, just like it was meant to without the harmful ingredients.

Shea Butter Body Lotion

This DIY recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups of lotion.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup shea butter
  • 1/2 cup coconut oil
  • 1 cup distilled water
  • 1/4 cup grated beeswax
  • 10 drops grapefruit seed extract (optional)
  • 30 drops essential oils (optional)

Directions:

Step 1: Place the shea butter, coconut oil, and beeswax in a small heavy sauce pot. Gently melt on low heat.

Step 2: Pour the oil into a blender and allow to cool to room temperature. Add essential oils and grapefruit seed extract if desired.

Step 3: Blend the oil on high until it forms a vortex. Slowly pour the water into the blender. Continue to blend on high until emulsified.

Step 4: Pour into a glass jar for storage.

Note: You will notice that the lotion will thicken after a few hours. It should stay shelf-stable for at least six months. If it is above 80ºF inside or you want to save it for over six months, store it in the refrigerator.

If you’ve ever made homemade lotion, how did you make it?

This is the writings of:

Katie
Katie is a dorm “mama” to 16 amazing girls ages 5 to 18 at a home and school for the Deaf in Baja California, Mexico. She is happiest in the kitchen creating nourishing meals and home remedies or outside with at least one of her girls at her side. She grew up using herbal supplements but didn’t discover the joy of making her own until 2008. Katie is passionate about real food, herbs and simple living. You can find her blogging about all these things and more on her blog, Mexican Wildflower where she is living simply by God’s grace.MexicanWildflower
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  1. This sounds like a great recipe. I have all the ingredients except the grapefruit seed extract. Two questions:
    1. What does the GF Seed extract contribute?
    2. Can I halve the recipe? (I don’t see why I couldn’t unless it wouldn’t blend properly or something w/ the smaller amount)

    Reply

  2. […] Join me at Modern Alternative Health to learn how to make your own shea butter lotion! […]

    Reply

  3. i just made a cream…but this lotion looks perfect for my shea butter I have left! Will give i a go Katie!!

    Reply

  4. Love how this turned out! I had no beeswax, but the mixture is so soft and creamy and not hard at room temp, which is what I wanted! Thx you!

    Reply

  5. Hi this is lovely but after a few hours I have noticed the water has started to seperate and settle on top is this normal. Also with the water would I need a preservative?

    Reply

  6. I don’t have a traditional blender. I have either a food processor or a nutribullet. Will this emulsify in the food processor? I can’t pour a stream into the nutribullet, so I’d have to add small amounts, blend, then add more and blend again. Or do you have a recipe that doesn’t need a blender?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  7. I”ll try a few things and let you know what works. I make my mayo in the food processor – so maybe it will work.

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Kate.  I love medical freedom, sharing natural remedies, developing real food recipes, and gentle parenting. My goal is to teach you how to live your life free from Big Pharma, Big Food, and Big Government by learning about herbs, cooking, and sustainable practices.

I’m the author of Natural Remedies for Kids and the owner and lead herbalist at EarthleyI hope you’ll join me on the journey to a free and healthy life!

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