When I make lotion for our family, I definitely use the weight method (as opposed to volume). I also use coconut oil. It makes a wonderful moisturizer and also has many other health benefits besides in skin care. I usually buy a gallon tub from Mountain Rose Herbs and although it has a shelf life of 2 years, I still manage to use it all (for cooking as well as skin care). As our commenter Diana mentioned, coconut oil has anti-fungal properties and can be used instead of olive oil in the diaper rash cream recipe. And when a friend of mine was pregnant, she used to add a dollup of coconut oil to her shakes for that extra boost of healthy saturated fats.
For the water base in many of my recipes, I like to use glycerin. Glycerin is a humectant that draws in moisture, leaving your skin soft and hydrated. In this recipe, the water base is made up of 2 parts water to 1 part glycerin.
Mountain Rose Herbs is one of only a handful of online shops where I like to purchase my ingredients. I simply like the company and their commitment to organic agriculture and sustainable practices. And they have a friendly staff ready to answer all my annoying questions. You can purchase all the ingredients for this lotion at Mountain Rose Herbs.
- Shopping list for at least 2 years worth of lotion for our family of four plus friends and relatives: ~$70
- 1 gal coconut oil (2 yrs shelf life) $22 (refined) or $41 (unrefined) – split it amongst your friends or keep up with my blog for future posts with ideas on how to use up this wonderful stuff. We never reach the shelf life!
- Two 1 lb bag of emulsifying wax (2 yrs max shelf life) $11.80
- 1 gal glycerin (2-3 yrs shelf life) $33. Glycerin also has many uses and we never reach its shelf life either.
- Ingredients for a 30 oz batch:
- 4.5 oz coconut oil
- 1.5 oz emulsifying wax
- 16 oz water (boiled)
- 8 oz glycerin
Follow the instructions here.
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