This winter my daughter’s hands have been so dry and cracked. Her skin is so sensitive that every lotion we have tried stings and burns her–even baby lotion (which, bizarrely, has more different types of alcohol in it than regular lotion! Why is there alcohol in lotion at all…)
So I have tried to make my own lotion for her. I just made it last night and haven’t convinced her to try using it yet, but I’m really hopeful since it has made my own dry hands feel so soft and smooth already.
I wanted to make my own lotion so that I would know exactly what was in it–no petroleum jelly, which seems to irritate my daughter’s skin the most, and definitely no alcohol. I had some chunks of raw beeswax that my parents had given me, so I based the lotion off of that, following the ingredients, ratio, and process in this recipe:
http://www.asonomagarden.com/2011/09/19/how-to-make-an-easy-beeswax-lotion/
Easy Beeswax Lotion Cream
Ingredients:
- 1/4 heaping cup raw beeswax (I used a cheese grater and pressed it firmly into the measuring cup)
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup coconut oil (I used slightly less)
- 1/4 tsp Vitamin E oil
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Recipe:
In a pint-sized wide-mouth Ball jar, mix the beeswax, EVOO, and coconut oil with a fork. Fill a medium-sized pot with water around the jar until it reaches about 3/4 up the side of the jar. Be sure no water gets into the jar–in my research I have read that water decreases the shelf life of homemade lotions.
Heat the pot with the jar in it on medium-low heat, stirring the mixture every few minutes. The beeswax will slowly melt into the oils. I think it took about half an hour or a little longer. Once it has melted completely, remove the jar and set it out to cool, again stirring vigorously every few minutes to mix it all up. It will solidify into a creamy texture as it cools. Once it gets close to room temperature, mix in the Vitamin E and cornstarch.
Tip: Cleaning the beeswax off the cheese grater proved to be a challenge! We tried a mixture of baking soda and dish soap in hot water, and scraped a good amount off with fingernails, but eventually pouring boiling water over it and scrubbing the remainder off with a paper towel did the trick.
In the comments made on the original recipe linked above, people have said the shelf life of this lotion is 6 to 12 months. A little goes a long way when putting it on your skin! It is a bit oily when you first apply it (as it is made with three oils!) but it does soak in quickly.
Enjoy! I hope this works as well on your hands (and my daughter’s!) as well as it works on mine.
Please feel free to sell the lotion you’ve made and/or share this recipe, but please credit Crafty Reason and link back to the recipe here if you do so. Also, leave me a comment if you notice anything wrong with the recipe or have any suggestions for improvements.
~Crafty Reba