People have approached me to create a lotion for soothing dry skin. As I began to research, I found a lot of ideas about moisturizing. As I read on, I also sensed the need people had to boost mineral stores, particularly magnesium. I decided to create a homemade lotion which was both rich in moisturizing oils plus minerals to boost the immune system. Plus, it really smells great; just like a peppermint patty, and I don’t even normally go for chocolate and mint.
Here is the story about the pure ingredients in the lotion, how I concocted the recipe, and the fabulous results. I hope it will inspire you to try to create something like it for you and your friends.
Developing the Recipe
Winter conditions and cleansers dry out our skin. Consequently, our skin craves nutrients to replenish and revitalize, not only the moisture but also the nutrients we lose. From my research, most lotions provide the moisture but not the nutrients. Plus, commercial lotions add chemicals, preservatives, colorants, etc. to moisturize. My goal is to avoid those ingredients on my skin. Nourishing and repairing the skin is the preference rather than covering things up.
I began to analyze the potential list of ingredients. Artisans are creating lotions using a combination of coconut oil, beeswax and butters (mango, cocoa or shea). This seemed to be a good base. Now, I need to add the nourishment. Vitamin D, Zinc and Magnesium have significant benefits to your skin’s health and they absorb well through the skin. Since this was an experiment, I used vitamin E instead, which also has positive skin benefits. Lastly, I grow my own aloe and included that too, since the benefits of aloe are well-documented.
Once I had the ingredient list, I analyzed multiple recipes to determine amounts, ratios, and yield. I wanted to yield about 15 ounces, so I worked backward from there. The ratios told me I needed a cup of magnesium flakes and zinc mixed with a 1/2 cup of distilled water to end up with about 12 ounces of liquid. My calculations for the oils was based on the liquid amount and totaled up to 8.5 ounces. This ends up being a faulty calculation on my part, which I will detail in a couple of paragraphs.
Recipe
Ingredients
2.5 oz Cocoa Butter
3.0 oz Coconut Oil
2.0 oz Beeswax
0.5 oz Vitamin E oil
0.5 oz Aloe
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4 oz Distilled Water
6 oz Magnesium Flakes
2 oz Powdered Zinc
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20 drops Peppermint essential oil
Directions
1. Bring distilled water to boil.
2. Stir in magnesium and zinc and dissolve.
3. Lower heat to low and add oils.
4. Once all oils are melted, remove from heat.
5. Cool to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
6. Blend with beater. Add essential oils.
Viscosity Breakdown
I ended up with four, 4-ounce cosmetic jars of lotion. I have used the lotion and it is extremely thick and moisturizing. The peppermint scent combined with the cocoa butter base leaves your skin with a delicious aroma. The effects of the lotion stay on your skin until washed off. I didn’t shower one day and it was still on there. So far, I have been sleeping well. Not sure if that is from the magnesium or I have just been lucky.
In addition, I have several people experimenting with using the lotion for skin reactions, usability, benefits and improvements. I will update this post with findings from those experiments.
Things I learned and will alter next time:
This gets really oily. Cleaning the equipment was crazy challenging. It required lots of hot water and Dawn.
The magnesium and zinc did not dissolve completely when added to the boiling water. I think this is normal.
I miscalculated the liquid to oil. Mine was 1.4 part liquid to 1 part oil. It needs to be closer to 1:1. As a consequence, my mixture kept separating. I eventually poured off several ounces of the separated liquid and blended again. Perfect. Next time, I will go with a 1:1 ratio.
User Reviews
I love the lotion and I will be making it again. I think I will be making adjustments based on the learnings above. I provided samples to 4 very discerning reviewers to use and report back results. They have all provided feedback that the lotion:
- Reduces inflammation and muscle tightness. Not overnight, but over the 24-48 hours after applying the lotion.
- Moisturizes extremely well. Not just when applied but it continues for at least 12 hours. The thickness of the blend and the natural oils deeply penetrate the skin and they stay there for a long time.
- Smells fantastic. Everyone loves the smell. The combination of cocoa butter and peppermint essence is clearly a winner.
I will definitely be making more of this lotion when my current supply runs out. I hope you will give this a try and comment back on your results or add to my pin on my Pinterest page. Good luck!