In this post, I will show you how to make a lotion with only 6 inexpensive ingredients, and explain why each is used. From there, I will go more in-depth on all the parts of making lotion and how you can expand this formula to make it your own. Whenever you are learning how to make something new, it is best to start out with a very basic formula and expand on it as you get more comfortable.
Table of Contents
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The parts of lotion
Water- Lotions will typically contain between 70-80% water. Part of the water can be substituted for ingredients like aloe, vegetable glycerin and hydrosols. It is important that you are always using distilled water in your recipe.
Aloe is known for its moisturizing benefits along with being soothing for our skin.
Hydrosols are the leftover water from the steam distillation process when making essential oils. They typically are scented and have some of the plant benefits.
Vegetable Glycerin is a humectant, that attracts water from the air and holds it on to our skin.
Emulsifiers–
The emulsifier works because it has two parts, one that loves water and one that loves oil. Basically, it grabs on to a bit of oil and a bit of water and holds it together. We are making an Oil in Water (O/W) emulsion, where the emulsifier surrounds the oil droplet with water.
Oils – The oils include liquid carrier oils as well as solid butters. Each oil is going to bring it’s own qualities to your lotion. There are light oils, think fractionated coconut oils and oils that are heavy, such as olive oil. Butters will thicken up your lotion and add a protective layer over your skin that holds in moisture.
Unlike water that absorbs into our skin, the oils and butters fill the outer skin layer’s gaps to create a barrier and seal in the moisture. Again, the oils that you choose will make a huge impact on the final product. Do a bit of research on the benefits of the oil that you are using. Keep an eye on how light or heavy it is, if it clogs pores, and the way it leaves your skin feeling (greasy, sticky, smooth). You will want to choose oils that have a long shelf life.
Preservative – Anytime you are using water in a formula, you have to use a preservative or you will end up growing bacteria.
Why do we want an emulsion?
An emulsion is how we get oil and water, which normally repel one another, to blend together. The addition of water make a huge difference. If you have ever used a body butter that is made without water, you will notice that they tend to be a bit greasy and heavy. Adding water (and other ingredients) allows you to make a lighter, fast absorbing lotion.
Why we use an immersion blender
When we are creating an emulsion, we need to oil droplets to be as small and as even in size as possible. The higher the shear mixing, the smaller the droplets are. If you were to make the exact same lotion and mix it with a hand mixer, you would not get as good of an emulsion.
Making Lotion
Water Phase – Put the water phase ingredients (Distilled Water and Vegetable Glycerin) into a heat safe container and place it on the double boiler.
Oil Phase– Place the oil phase ingredients (Fractionated Coconut Oil and Emulsifying Wax NF) into a heat safe container and place it on the double boiler until it is completely melted.
Combing the Phases – We need to make sure that our oils and water are roughly the same temperature in order to create an emulsion. Pour the heated water phase into a mixing container.
Mixing – Pour the heated oil phase into the mixing container with the water phase. Blend well with your immersion blender.
Preservative- Germall Plus Liquid Preservative cannot be added until the lotion has cooled down to 122°F of lower. Using an infrared thermometer, verify that you are below that temperature and then add your preservative.
Fragrance oil – At the same time add Oatmeal Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil and mix well with the immersion blender.
Packaging – Once your lotion is mixed well, pour it into your container.
Be sure not to put the lid on until after the lotion has cooled to room temperature. The reason why we have to wait is if you put it on while it is warm, it can cause condensation inside the bottle.
Making Lotion: Only 6 Ingredients
Equipment
- Scale
Ingredients
Water Phase
- 6.97 ounce | 77.4% Distilled Water
- 0.72 ounce | 8% Vegetable Glycerin
Oil Phase
- 0.81 ounce | 9% Fractionated Coconut Oil
- 0.27 ounce | 3% Emulsifying Wax NF
Cool Down
- 0.04 ounce | .4% Germall Plus Liquid Preservative
- 0.20 ounce | 2.2% Oatmeal Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil
Instructions
- Water Phase – Put the water phase ingredients (Distilled Water and Vegetable Glycerin) into a heat safe container and place it on the double boiler.
- Oil Phase– Place the oil phase ingredients (Fractionated Coconut Oil and Emulsifying Wax NF) into a heat safe container and place it on the double boiler until it is completely melted.
- Combing the Phases – We need to make sure that our oils and water are roughly the same temperature in order to create an emulsion. Pour the heated water phase into a mixing container.
- Mixing – Pour the heated oil phase into the mixing container with the water phase. Blend well with your immersion blender.
- Preservative- Germall Plus Liquid Preservative cannot be added until the lotion has cooled down to 122°F of lower. Using an infrared thermometer, verify that you are below that temperature and then add your preservative.
- Fragrance oil – At the same time add Oatmeal Milk & Honey Fragrance Oil and mix well with the immersion blender.
- Packaging – Once your lotion is mixed well, pour it into your container. Be sure not to put the lid on until after the lotion has cooled to room temperature. The reason why we have to wait is if you put it on while it is warm, it can cause condensation inside the bottle.