In 2016 I was preparing for recovery from a surgery that would be more major than I realized going into it and would leave a scar stretching from one side of my body to the other. The surgeon recommended I have some good lotion on hand.

He told me- “Don’t go out and buy an expensive scar cream. There is no evidence that those work at all. Just find something with shea butter and vitamin E and rub it in for 5 minutes every day.”

I remember combing the aisles looking at lotions, scouring for something that had both. As I turned them around and read ingredients I couldn’t pronounce that had names that sounded like one form of plastic or another, I started having flashbacks.

I started having flashbacks

Flashbacks came to mind of studying all the toxic chemicals that go into our personal care products with my students years ago as they prepared to bring their infants into a world and into a home that would be as toxic free as they could make it.

I turned and began looking at the more “natural” options. They were mighty expensive and still none of them were exactly what the doctor ordered or what I felt comfortable rubbing onto a very deep wound that would be absorbing whatever I lathered onto it.

But I Can’t Make it Myself

I went home empty-handed. I couldn’t buy any of that stuff. Maybe I should just research it more. There had to be a different way.

Somehow I had the strange belief that things like lotions, shampoos, deodorants and facial cleansers contained ingredients that I could never access and put them together in ways I could not do without a factory. It was out of the question that I could actually make them myself.

However, when I looked up lotion + shea butter + vitamin E, what did I find?

Low and behold, recipes.

But surely that was just quack, hippie kind of stuff- to make your own lotion?!

I paid a good $12 for my lotions from the store regularly to get what was out of my hands to make the right way.

Yet, in curiosity, I turned that bottle around and read what was in it. I researched the ingredients that I was rubbing onto the largest organ of my body. One that would absorb what I put on it and take it further into my body.

None of those things were things I would want rubbed onto any of my other organs. They were not things I’d want in my body at all.

I flipped back to the recipes on my phone and started taking a serious look.

Making Lotion is Easy and Inexpensive

I do have to say that I did not have on hand some of the ingredients for the lotion I made, so I had to order them. This was probably the most inconvenient part of the whole ordeal. Lucky for me, there were some great easy options and I was on my way once they arrived.

Putting them together was so easy. Measure, measure, put in mason jar. Put jar in pot of boiling water. Stir ingredients till melted. Add some final things and done.

Super easy. Much more inexpensive than buying lotion.

Want the recipe that I use each time?

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Homemade Natural Lotion Recipe

Ingredients for a Small Amount (About 10 oz or 1 1/4 cup)

• 1/2 cup Almond Oil
• 1/4 cup Coconut oil
• 1/4 cup Beeswax Pellets
• 1/4 cup Shea Butter
• 1 tsp Vitamin E
• Essential oils

Ingredients to Mostly Fill a Quart Mason Jar

• 1.5 cups Almond Oil
• 3/4 cup Coconut oil
• 3/4 cup Beeswax Pellets
• 3/4 cup Shea Butter
• 3 tsp Vitamin E
• Essential oils

Instructions

1. Put all ingredients except the Vitamin E and essential oils into the jar.
2. Put the jar in a pot of boiling water.
3. Stir until everything melts together well. Be especially sure the beeswax is good and melted.
4. Remove from the boiling water.
5. Add Vitamin E and Essential oils and stir.

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Never Going Back

Now that I use this lotion, I’m never going back.

Be Warned:

It is pretty shiny on the skin for a while. This is not because your skin cannot absorb it. Your skin will absorb it soon enough, and it will lose its gleam. This lotion does not contain water with alcohol to help evaporate the water. It’s just good oils. And your skin will drink them up. It will just be shiny a little longer than lotions with alcohol in them.

Opened A Door

Making this lotion really opened a door for me. I realized through this that making my own products was entirely doable. I tried everything from shampoo and conditioner to deodorant, and I found which things I like to make and use and which things I’ll pay a little bit more to get someone else to make it for me.

I also found soon after that I could make a lot of food products that before had seemed unattainable- like cheese, yogurt, kefir, special breads, pickles, and more. It started me down a path of research and discovery, and I believe my family is all the more healthy because of it.

Which Essential Oils?

Everyone likes different fragrances and has different skin types with different needs. I just like ylang ylang, and it’s great for the skin, so I use about 10 drops in the recipe above for the Small Amount. Then, I add about 6 drops of Sweet Orange and 4 drops of Myrrh, which is also great for the skin. These three fragrances blend together nicely. You can just up the amount for the larger recipe.

If I am dealing with a sore or something that might scar, I use lavender or frankincense.

Did You Try It?

Did you try it and like it? If so, please like this post and share it!

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