You know the old saying—that oil and water don't mix? Well, they're wrong. This silky smooth lotion is a combination of moisturizing oils, gentle floral hydrosols, and a smidge of beeswax.

Perfect for face, body, or anywhere else you might need extra moisture, this versatile recipe is so simple you'll wonder why you haven't been making your own all along. Oh, and did I mention you can make lotion right in your blender or food processor—or even with a stick blender?

Tips for Making Your Own Lotion

Cold weather and handwashing take their toll on hands during the fall and winter months. So, now is the perfect time to switch up your hand soap to something more gentle. And then it’s time for lotion, lotion, lotion.

This lotion works well on my face (it's an awesome face cream), legs, elbows, and anything else that feels dry. But don't stop there. You can get creative and use it on dry cuticles, to seal frizzy locks, or to soothe chapped lips. Trust me when I say that it's so gentle, you can use it on practically anything.

Choose a carrier oil.

First up, pick your carrier oil. Light oils like sunflower, grapeseed, or sweet almond work best. And if your hands need serious TLC, infuse the oil with calendula and/or lavender essential oils first. Lavender soothes redness and inflammation [source], while calendula promotes healing [source].

Choose a liquid.

Next, decide which liquid you want to use. I used lavender hydrosol because it smells fabulous. Plus, I like to apply lotion right before bed, and its scent is calming and relaxing.

If you don't have a hydrosol, distilled water works just fine. You can also combine different hydrosols (like rose or chamomile) or use half hydrosol and half water.

Just keep your amounts to a 1:1 ratio of oil to water.

Select your add-ins.

If you have any skin bugaboos, things like shea butter, aloe vera, raw honey, vitamin E oil, and essential oils can do wonders for your skin. A little bit goes a long way, so start with 1–2 teaspoons of your selected add-in (or 5–10 drops of essential oil). Then see how your skin responds.

How to Make Lotion at Home

The trickiest part of this recipe comes when you combine the oil and water. Beeswax is not a true emulsifier, according to Formula Botanica [source]. You can add borax to the water to assist with the oil and water blending [source] or buy an emulsifying wax like this one to use instead of beeswax.

I'm not a big fan of buying specialty ingredients, so I went the easiest route with beeswax and a lot of blending. The oil and water need to be roughly the same temperature for this to work and the ingredients to blend together.

Supplies

4-½ ounces sweet almond oil
½ ounce beeswax (or carnauba wax if vegan)
4 ounces lavender hydrosol
Double boiler (I used a small saucepan and a heat-proof measuring cup)
Immersion blender (can also use a blender or food processor)
8-ounce jar with lid

Instructions

Fill a small saucepan with 1–2 inches of water. Put a heat-safe measuring cup in the pan so the water reaches roughly halfway up the sides. If you don't have a measuring cup, you can put a heat-proof glass bowl on top of the saucepan.

Pour your carrier oil into the measuring cup. If infusing the carrier oil, place your herbs in the oil and simmer for 30–60 minutes. Strain out the herbs, and return the oil to the bowl.

Add the beeswax, and heat on low until the beeswax has just melted. You don't want the oils to get hot, just warm enough to melt the beeswax. To speed things along, stir occasionally with a spoon or wooden skewer.

Once the beeswax melts, remove it from the heat and pour the oil mixture into a clean bowl. Let the oil and beeswax mixture cool to room temperature.

It will begin to turn cloudy and thicken as it cools, so you'll want to stir as needed to prevent it from hardening and keep the beeswax mixed in. If you're in a rush, place the bowl in the refrigerator and check on it every 5 minutes or so until it feels cool to the touch and the mixture has thickened a bit.

Measure out your lavender hydrosol, and with the immersion blender running and submerged in the oil, slowly drizzle the hydrosol into the oil mixture. Pause the blender every now and then to scrape down the sides and reincorporate the oils. Continue blending until the oil and hydrosol are fully combined and your lotion has the consistency of icing.

Note: You don't need to add all the hydrosol if you don't want to. Once you've reached the ideal consistency for you, stop adding liquid.

At this stage, you can add any of your add-ins, like aloe vera or essential oils. Then blend again, so they incorporate evenly.

Before transferring the lotion to the bottle, spritz your container with rubbing alcohol and turn it upside down to let the alcohol run out. This will keep bacteria at bay and ensure your lotion lasts longer.

Use a funnel to transfer your lotion to the bottle. Since the lotion can be a bit runny, a pump bottle works best.

Troubleshooting:

If your ingredients aren't coming together into a creamy lotion, it's probably because the temperature is off. Just let the mixture sit in the blender or bowl until everything reaches room temperature, and then blend again.

If you use floral hydrosols, your lotion should last about 6 months without needing refrigeration. If you use regular tap water, store your lotion in the refrigerator for 1–2 months.

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