A Homemade Liquid Lotion Recipe

Want an easy to make, all-natural lotion that quickly absorbs into the skin?

While we all love thick body butters, sometimes you need something you can quickly slap on before getting into your day. 

This pumpable, DIY natural lotion is wonderful for  the body and can be made with 4 simple ingredients. Here's my favorite, all natural homemade liquid lotion recipe.

How to Make this Homemade Liquid Lotion Recipe

Making your own lotion only requires a few ingredients. And it's even easier to turn them into a liquid lotion! Let me walk you through the ingredients and supplies you'll need to make a pumpable, DIY natural lotion!

Note: this recipe was adapted from “The Boreal Herbal” by Beverley Gray. She shares some amazing skincare recipes in her book and I highly recommend it for all my northern readers!

Ingredient 1: A Liquid Carrier Oil

To make your own lotion, you'll need a liquid carrier oil for the base. I prefer to use a thinner, less sticky oil in my recipes. Often I use food-grade avocado oil (you can source it at your local grocery store). If you have very sensitive skin, apricot kernel oil is an excellent choice (this bottle will make you one batch of lotion).

Because it's so good for the skin, I'll occasionally add a bit of jojoba oil to the mix.

Ingredient 2: Unrefined Beeswax

In this recipe, beeswax acts as a natural thickener. You should be able to source 1 lb (454 gm) bars through your local beekeeper. If so, you'll need either a knife or a stainless steel cheese grater dedicated to the sticky task of shaving off bits of wax. I prefer the grater, primarily because grated beeswax melts the fastest!

If local beekeepers aren't an option and if you don't want to deal with beeswax bars, you can get natural, unrefined beeswax pellets here. If you use pellets, you'll have to measure them by weight, which means you need to use a small, kitchen scale whenever you make your skincare products!

Ingredient 3: Unrefined Shea Butter

Shea butter is a thick, sticky substance created from the nuts of the shea tree. I like to add just a wee bit to my liquid lotion because it helps with the texture and also adds extra nourishment to the skin.

You can get 1 lb of unrefined Ghana shea butter here!

Ingredient 4: Distilled Water

Last but not least, you need distilled water to make your lotion recipe! But wait. There's a myth floating around out there about water in lotion recipes. And I want to take a moment to address it!

Many people will tell you that if you add water to a skincare product, you also have to add preservatives to keep things from molding.

This is true of recipes with very high water content. But in this particular lotion, water content is low and the oil content is so high, so the oil acts as a natural preservative all on it's own.

Trust me on this one. I've kept bottles of liquid lotion on the shelf for over 4 years and I've never had issues with mold or any other "growth" in the lotion.

So don't be afraid to use water!

 

Equipment for Making Homemade Liquid Lotion

To make this recipe, you need 2 basic pieces of equipment. Don't worry! It's not complicated and chances are, you already have these things on hand!

The first thing you need a double boiler for melting wax and shea butter. You can make your own by setting a tin bowl on top of a small pot of water.  Or you can purchase this small double boiler that rests on top of any pot so you can gently melt the goods.

Don't try melting beeswax over direct heat, because it may catch on fire.

And the second piece of equipment you'll need? A kitchen blender! To create this lotion, you have to whirl the ingredients together at high speed to emulsify the water and oils.

Note: I have not tried making this recipe with an immersion blender, but I do think it would work. If you try, please let me know how to went in the comments below!

A Natural Homemade Liquid Lotion Recipe

To make your own homemade liquid lotion, measure out the following ingredients or grab the printable recipe at the end of this blog post. 

You'll need:

• 1 C of liquid oil
• 1 Tablespoon of shea butter
• 0.20 oz (5.6 g) grated beeswax or pellets
• ¼ C distilled water
• optional: 15-20 drops of your favorite, skin-supporting essential oil (frankincense, anyone?)

Step by Step Direction for Making Liquid Lotion

Add water to the bottom portion of your double boiler, filling it 3/4 full. Place it on the stove top. Turn the stove top burner to medium-high. You don't want the water to boil; just keep it hot.

Grate beeswax if using a bar and loosely measure out 2 1/2 tablespoons. Gently tap the wax down as you go or better yet, go ahead and weigh out 0.2 ounces or 5.6 grams.

If you're using pellets, weigh your wax. Add it to the top portion of your double boiler.

Also measure out and add 1 tablespoon of shea butter. Place the double boiler on top of the pot of water and leave things to melt.

After the wax and shea butter have melted, measure out your liquid oil and also add it to the top of the double boiler. The wax will partially set up, but don't worry! It'll soon melt again.

When everything has once again turned to liquid and is still warm, pour the contents of the double boiler into your kitchen blender.

Make sure the lid is firmly secured, turn the blender on and measure out ¼ C distilled water. Slowly pour water in through the lid's funnel. After all the water has been added, let the machine run for 15-20 seconds.

Turn off. Use a spatula to scrape down the lid and sides of the blender. If using frankincense essential oil, now is the time to add it! After doing so, give your lotion another 15-20 second whirl and presto! By following this natural homemade liquid lotion recipe, you just made your own healthy skin moisturizer!

Bottling and Storing Your Pumpable DIY Natural Lotion

I recommend keeping this lotion in a pump bottle, both to preserve it's life and to make things easier on yourself! You can use an old pump you have on hand or purchase one online. 

Pour the warm lotion into your bottle and let it cool without a lid so it doesn't condensate. Seal and store for 1-2 years.

Directions for Using this Natural Homemade Liquid Lotion

Because this lotion is primarily made of oils, a little bit goes a long way! When apply it to the skin, you only need a light layer, just enough to make the skin feel moist. Because it is light and natural, it can be successfully used on the body and face.