Homemade Ultra Moisturizing Lotion (Without Coconut Oil)

This recipe is used as a lotion, hence the name. The final product is technically a body butter– a thick moisturizing cream versus a pumpable lotion. Both body butters and lotions are used to moisturize the skin.

Our skin changes and goes through seasons. I wouldn’t advise anyone to eat a grass-fed burger, daily, over the course of two years. Although it would be super tempting. Our bodies need diversity in the food we eat. Same with skincare. Our skin often needs different ingredients for various stages and seasons of life. My skin was clearly letting me know it needed a change from the daily coconut oil applications. After looking into my options for DIY products, I developed this simple homemade lotion recipe. An ultra-moisturizing lotion that does not use coconut oil.

Please hear me out, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with coconut oil or my coconut oil recipe (it’s fabulous). I simply needed a skincare change during this season of life.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup shea butter (4 oz)
• 2 TB nourishing oil such as: jojoba, avocado, apricot, sweet almond oil, or grapeseed oil. This can even be coconut or olive oil. Almond oil is my recommendation since it feels the best on the skin for most people.
• 10 drops lavender essential oil optional*
• 5 drops rosemary essential oil optional*
• 3 drops carrot seed essential oil optional*
• 3 drops tea tree essential oil optional*

Instructions:

1. In a double boiler (a glass bowl over a pot filled 1/4 the way full with water), over medium-low heat, melt the shea butter. Add in the nourishing skin oil. Turn off the heat.
2. Pour into a bowl (I use my Kitchen-Aid bowl). Place in the fridge or freezer and allow to cool and return to a solid (not hard) form. This takes about 15-20 minutes, depending on location.
3. Once opaque and slightly firm, remove the bowl from the freezer. Add in the essential oils. Using the whisk attachment on your mixer, whip the mixture. You can also use a whisk or fork versus a mixer. This takes just just a few seconds. Don't over-whip. Scoop into a jar and store at room temp. Apply to both body and face as desired.

NOTES:

• *The essential oils listed are what I originally played around with and used. Feel free to use other skin-friendly essential oils--either just one or a combo--for a total of around 26 drops (or less). You can also make this lotion without using any essential oils.
• Feeling Greasy? Some folks find that body butter is a bit too greasy to apply all over the body. The good news is that there’s a simple solution for this issue…arrowroot flour/starch. A small amount of arrowroot flour/starch may be added to the liquid oil before pouring the oil into the melted butter(s). If you're interested in adding arrowroot, I'd try adding 1 teaspoon to this recipe.
• Modification Possibilities: Try skipping the melting stage in this particular recipe. Simply whip the nourishing oil and shea butter together, adding more oil if needed. I’ve done this before when I didn’t have any time to melt and cool the ingredients.