Thursday, March 10, 2011

HOMEMADE HAND LOTION vs STORE BOUGHT


Now that you have figured out which dispenser works best for you. You know, the one that gets every last drop out of the bottle. Let’s make some super cheap and super rich lotion for your bottle.

You could mix this directly in your bottle that you will be using, but you are dealing with hot oil and hot water and I always mix in a glass mixing cup just to keep from melting anything.

Here’s what you need:


Two Glass mixing cups that hold at least 2 cups each
¼ cut olive oil
¼ cup emulsifying wax, cosmetic grade
1 ¼ cup hot water
1 Vitamin E capsule and pin to puncture the capsule
10-15 drops essential oil, cosmetic grade, scent of your choice
Wooden skewer to stir
Glass container (wide mouth jar) for cooling lotion
Dispensing container.

Here’s how you do it:

Heat water in glass mixing cup to almost boiling, very hot.
Mix wax and oil in a separate glass mixing cup.
Heat wax/oil mixture in microwave, 30 seconds in my microwave is enough, but watch carefully because the wax melts fast.
Pour hot water into hot wax/oil mixture. Mixture will turn creamy white.

Puncture capsule of Vitamin E and squeeze into hot mixture.
If you would like a scent to your lotion, now is the time to add 10-15 drops of essential oil to the mixture. I prefer the unscented because I have a sensitive nose.
Let mixture cool for a few minutes.
Stir with you wooden skewer, just to make sure vitamin E is mixed.
Pour into a glass jar so you can cap it to let it cool gradually overnight.

It’s not necessary to stir any more but I do. It helps with the cooling process.
The next day your lotion should be set and you can transfer it to a container of your choice.
I have a pump dispenser that I keep on the counter in my bathroom that was salvaged from a store bought bottle of lotion and the dispensing tube gets just about all of the lotion from the bottle. You don't have to wait overnight if your container will hold all of the mixture. You can go ahead and pour it in your dispenser. But sometimes you get lumps that will clog the pump so I just mix and then put in my dispenser. You can also put the lotion in an old cold cream type jar or any recycled wide mouth jar if you want to just dip your fingers in each time.

That’s it. You are done. You have made lotion.

Want to know how much you saved?
This cost analysis is based on what I paid for my supplies. The cost may vary in your area and I did not include the cost of shipping for the emulsifying wax because I ordered more than the emulsifying wax.


¼ cup olive oil – 2 oz   $.12
¼ cup emulsifying wax – 1 oz.  $.15
Vitamin E – 1 capsule $.08
Water – free

Total cost is $0.35 for 14 ounces, that’s 2 1/2 cents per ounce for your lotion!! The last time I priced lotion in Wal-Mart it was from $6-9 per 16 ounce bottle. That’s $.38 to 56 per ounce, plus all those chemicals.

Nothing but natural ingredients in your lotion. Check your store bought stuff and see if you can pronounce all of the ingredients. Then check the cost.

I have been using this mixture for a while now and it works better than the store bought stuff. Not greasy at all and no I don’t smell like olive oil. The lotion really has no smell to me. But the cat does like to lick my arms for some reason!!

You need to use this lotion within 6 months or it will get rancid. After all it is made of olive oil. But, trust me; you will be making another batch before 6 months rolls around.

I’m the only one who uses this lotion and it lasts me about 4-6 weeks and I use it every day on my arms, legs and face. Because of the cost, I don't worry about how much I use each time. I just use as much as I need.

You can substitute almond oil for the olive oil but I really can’t tell the difference, except in cost. (Almond oil is about $10.00 for 8 ounces and it spoils more rapidly than olive oil). I read somewhere once that Jackie Kennedy used almond oil on her face to keep it young looking. I think she could have afforded almost any kind of lotion at any price but she must have known the secrets about natural almond oil.

This recipe is a variation of several I have found on the internet. You can search and find many, many different recipes. There are some that don't use the wax and whip the oil and water. I have never had luck with those. Some are like this one nice and thick and creamy. I like this one just fine. Nice and simple.

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