3-ingredient homemade body lotion

 

I’ve had a few people request this recipe over the past few weeks, and I’ll be talking about it on my upcoming Pure Green Magazine podcast, so I thought I’d publish it again here where people can find it!

It’s dead-simple, natural, and an absolutely delicious replacement for store-bought lotions. My skin has never felt smoother, and it uses just three ingredients! So, let’s cut the jibber-jabber and get down to business.

Ingredients

3 1/2 Tbsp grated beeswax
3/4 cup olive oil
1 cup water

 

Preparation

1. Gently warm the olive oil over medium heat in a small saucepan.

2. Add the grated beeswax and stir until just dissolved, then remove from heat.

3. Add water to a medium-sized mixing bowl, and start mixing with a whisk attachment (using a blender or immersion blender will also work, I’ve used all three, but a hand mixer seems to create the least mess).

4. While mixing, sloooowwwwly add the olive oil/beeswax to the water. It will look very strange at the beginning – some parts will be clumpy and yellow and others will be watery, and you will probably think you have ruined everything. You haven’t! Don’t worry! Just keep mixing and keep adding the oil reeeeally slowly. Maintaining a consistently slow pour will allow the oil and water to emulsify, and that’s the goal.

5. After a few minutes the mixture will begin to have a creamy mayonnaise-like texture. Mix for a few more minutes and then transfer the lotion into a sterile glass jar and refrigerate for an hour or so to let it set.

Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil for fragrance if you like (I love lavender, bergamot, or mint).

Boom! Done! You will be hooked, I swear.

 

I originally discovered this recipe from Annalea Magana, and I’ve made it a few times now and made a few modifications as I’ve gone. I like lotion that’s a little more rich and creamy- almost more of a body butter consistency – so I upped the grated beeswax to 3.5 tablespoons. I use the fine side of my cheese grater, and press it into the measuring spoon fairly firmly before adding to the olive oil, resulting in a thicker lotion.

I think the hardest part of this recipe is actually just tracking down some beeswax – typically Farmer’s Markets or health food stores will be your best bet – anywhere they sell fresh honey. And although it’s an easy process, there’s a fair bit of cleanup involved so I usually make a double batch because I keep giving little jars away to family and friends so I go through it fairly quickly.

I hope you like it!