Enjoy making your own homemade Body Lotion

Massaging lotions onto your skin has the added benefit of toning your muscles.

Most of us have a ritual of daily showers or baths, which keep us clean and sweet smelling but may actually rob our skin of valuable natural oils and moisture. Our skin compensates for this by producing more oils which can lead to enlarged pores and other cosmetic problems. Additionally, when the skin loses too much moisture, it also loses the ability to store water and nutrients. To prevent loss of oil and moisture take the time to apply a body lotion everyday that is moisturizing and light. Smooth lotion onto your skin when it is slightly damp, thus allowing it to blend with the water and be more easily drawn into the skin. This helps to seal in the water that was absorbed during the bath or shower. Once or twice a week, enhance the effect by giving yourself a dry brush massage before applying the lotion. This will slough off dead skin cells, stimulate blood flow and open pores.

For the best Body Lotion that works naturally to firm, nourish and protect your skin, make your own.

Tip: Anhydrous lanolin, one of the ingredients in the homemade body lotion, is simply lanolin with the water removed.

Daily Ritual Tip: Exfoliating your skin helps it better absorb the beneficial ingredients in body lotion. Mix 5 tbsp. of fine sea salt with 3 tbsp. of olive oil until the salt is entirely coated with oil. Apply the mixture to your damp skin and massage it thoroughly in gentle, circular motions. Rinse off the salt with warm water; then apply body lotion.

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Body Lotion Recipe:

For oily skin

1/4 cup jojoba oil
1 tsp. beeswax
1 tbsp. anhydrous lanolin ("wool fat")
1/3 cup witch-hazel extract
1/2 tsp. borax powder

For normal skin

1/4 cup apricot-kernel oil
1 tsp. beeswax
1 tbsp. anhydrous lanolin
1/3 cup distilled water
1/2 tsp. borax powder

For dry skin

1/4 cup avocado oil
1 tsp. beeswax
1 tsp. anhydrous lanolin
1/3 cup aloe-vera juice
1/2 tsp. borax powder

1. Slowly heat the oil, beeswax and lanolin in a double boiler until liquefied; remove from heat. (The beeswax and lanolin give lotion a creamy consistency.)
2. Heat the witch-hazel extract, distilled water or the aloe-vera juice and borax over low heat, until the borax is dissolved; add the oil, beeswax and lanolin blend, stirring constantly with a whisk until a creamy emulsion forms. Remove from heat.
3. Cool and then pour it into clean bottles.

Take Care!

Homemade water-based lotions have a short shelf life, so use your lotion within 2 months. Additional bottles, however, will keep, refrigerated, for about 4 months.

For Extra Dry Skin

2 tbsp. avocado oil
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. beeswax
2 tsp. shea butter
5 tbsp. distilled water
1 tbsp. Echinacea tincture
1/2 tsp. borax powder
8 drops helichrysum essential oil
5 drops benzoin essential oil
4 drops frankincense essential oil
4 drops neroli essential oil

For sensitive skin

2 tbsp. sweet-almond oil
2 tbsp. St. John's-wort oil
2 tsp. beeswax
2 tsp. shea butter
3 tbsp. distilled water
1 tbsp. Echinacea tincture
1/2 tsp. borax powder
8 drops chamomile essential oil
8 drops helichrysum essential oil

1. In a double boiler, heat the two oils with the beeswax and shea butter to about 140ºF, until all of the ingredients have melted. Remove from heat.
2. In another pot, heat the distilled water and the Echinacea tincture to 140ºF. Stir in the borax powder until it's fully dissolved. Remove from heat.
3. Add the mixture of oil, beeswax and shea butter to the mixture of distilled water, Echinacea tincture and borax powder until it has a creamy consistency.
4. Cool the mixture until it's warm enough to touch. Then mix in the appropriate essential oils. Transfer to a lotion bottle. It will keep for about 2 months (or up to 4 months, if refrigerated).

A Light Moisturizer

1/2 cup distilled water
3 tsp. glycerin
5 drops lemon essential oil

Pour the ingredients into a storage or spritz bottle and
shake vigorously. Apply with a cotton ball or spray lightly.

Other Applications

These body lotions can provide excellent protection from outdoor activities, such as skiing, when your face is exposed to wind, sun and extreme environmental conditions. They can be used for healing diaper rash and chapped skin, as well.

Application:

Make your own homemade body lotion and apply it after a shower or bath. Starting with your feet and moving upward, massage your body with clockwise, circular motions. The lotion will hydrate your skin while the massage helps tone tissue, promoting muscle relaxation and increasing circulation.

Ingredient Benefits:

Witch-hazel extract for skin problems: A diluted extract of witch-hazel leaves and twigs will alleviate skin inflammation and acne. Witch-hazel has an anti-inflammatory effect and acts as a disinfectant, which enables it to provide relief of painful and slow-to-heal pustules. Witch-hazel is also mildly astringent, and will reduce and constrict your pores, making them appear smaller.

Jojoba oil for oily skin: Oily skin that tends to develop blemishes often has an imbalance of acid and alkaline, usually because of the use of harsh astringents and cleaners. The skin, therefore, can't adequately protect itself from bacteria. To restore balance to the skin's protective coating, use a body lotion which contains jojoba oil. It will help to ease inflammation and encourage skin flora to normalize. Plus, jojoba oil is highly penetrative and will not further clog your pores.

Apricot-kernel oil for skin: Apricot-kernel oil is a nurturing, conditioning treatment for normal skin. The oil's fine consistency allows it to quickly penetrate, giving your skin a naturally fresh and soft luster. It is also recognized as one of the most delicate oils, making it a good ingredient for use in homemade lotions. Apricot-kernel oil is an excellent basic massage oil, as well.

Nourishing herbal oils for dry skin: Thick, pale-green avocado oil conditions and regenerates dry, lackluster skin and supplies it with essential fatty acids. Olive oil provides vitamins and makes the skin soft and smooth.

Soothing oils for sensitive skin: Sweet-almond oil is quickly absorbed into the skin, providing it with nutrients and essential fatty acids. Aromatic St. John's-wort oil soothes dry skin and helps heal irritations, reddening and dry, scaly patches caused by rashes.

Echinacea for inflamed skin: Echinacea has antibacterial properties and restores inflamed connective tissue. Note: The alcohol in echinacea tincture evaporates when it is heated, leaving behind the herb's potent healing properties.

Natural thickeners: Beeswax and shea butter provide body lotions with a creamy consistency. Borax powder, is a gentle mineral emulsifier that gives the lotion some stability.

Storage: Since body lotions contain water, it has a rather short shelf life of only two months or so. However, if it's stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for up to four months.

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