Homemade Skin Moisturizer

Home > Home Remedies > Homemade Skin Moisturizer

No more spending your hard-earned dollars on lotions and creams whose list of ingredients reads like an advanced chemistry textbook. You can make your own moisturizers in your kitchen for just pennies and you’ll know what all of the ingredients are, too. Most of these recipes call for carrier oil. There are many types of carrier oils and they have different properties.

A carrier oil is simply the base, or the medium for carrying the moisture and other ingredients to your skin. Borax powder, beeswax, liquid lecithin, Vitamin E oil, essential oils and distilled water are some of the unusual ingredients called for in these recipes. These items can be found at your local health food store. If you don’t have a health food store close by, they can be ordered from various companies through the Internet.

Carrier Oils and Their Properties

Sweet Almond: Light-medium weight, protein rich, penetrating

Apricot: Lightweight, high in Vitamin A and B, helps heal and regenerate skin cells

Canola: Very light weight, absorbs easily

Evening Primrose: Anti-oxidant, great for aging skin of all types (use in a 10% dilution with other carrier oils)

Grape seed: Light weight, penetrates quickly BUT is comedogenic (don’t use on areas prone to acne or blackheads)

Safflower: Light-medium weight, skin softener and odorless

Sesame: Light weight, high in Vitamin E, minerals, protein and lecithin, speeds healing, softens and contains a natural SPF 4

Sunflower: Medium weight, high in lecithin and Vitamin E, slight scent

Vitamin E: Use in 2% dilution in another oil, acts as a preservative, helps scars and aging skin

Flower water, flower vinegar and flower tea are all made by steeping flower petals in water or vinegar. This infuses the water or vinegar with the essence of the flower, including the essential oils. If you use essential oils instead of, or in addition to, the waters and vinegars, make sure it is pure essential oil and not scent oil. There is a difference! Essential oil is natural and derived from the plant source. Scent or fragrance oils are man-made and contain none of the therapeutic value of natural essential oils. Also, it is advised to use distilled water rather than tap water to avoid putting unwanted minerals into your lotion or cream. Often, distilled water can be bought at a supermarket in gallon jugs.

You will need a hand mixer or food processor to mix the ingredients properly. Lotions and creams are all basically made the same. You add oil to water and beat to the consistency you desire. You may want to purchase some containers for your lotions and creams or start saving your empty ones to refill them with your homemade creations.

Rose Lavender Lotion – Makes about 16 ounces

1 cup of sweet almond or apricot oil (carrier oil)

1 cup of rose or lavender water (you can buy rose or lavender water already bottled)

2 teaspoons of liquid lecithin

1 tablespoon of Vitamin E oil (you can buy a small bottle or puncture a couple of gel caps with a pin and squeeze out the oil)

Rose and lavender essential oils, to scent as desired

Warm carrier oil and water in separate pans or bowls to approximately the same temperature, 95 – 100 degrees is good. Pour the oil and lecithin slowly into the water and beat continuously with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in the Vitamin E oil and the essential oils. Bottle and keep in a cool place or refrigerate. This makes a slightly runny lotion and you should shake well before using. The healing and natural moisturizing properties of lavender and rose make this a nice general-purpose hand and body lotion.

Love in a Mist Lotion – Makes about 8 ounces

1/8 teaspoon of borax powder

¼ cup of distilled water

1 tablespoon of Nigella seeds, crushed

¼ cup of sweet almond oil

¼ cup of grape seed oil

1 tablespoon of grated beeswax

Essential Oil to Scent, if desired

Nigella is a flower more commonly known as Love in a Mist – The seeds can be bought at a garden center if you don’t grow these in your garden. The essential oil extracted from the steeping process has anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, anti-itch and anti-aging properties. Combine the borax and water and heat just to a boil. Pour over the seeds and let them steep for 15 – 20 minutes, until cool. In a separate pot, mix oils and beeswax and heat to melt. Strain the seeds from the water and heat to about the same temperature as the oils. Pour the oil into a food processor and turn it on, slowly add the strained water and mix on high until a thick lotion forms. Add essential oils for scent, if desired and mix well. Pour into lotion container and allow it to cool. Shake well before using.

Three C's Lotion – Makes about 16 ounces

Note: It will take 2 weeks to make the flower vinegar

½ cup of distilled water

½ cup of apple cider vinegar

8 ounces of mixed chamomile, calendula and comfrey flower petals (if you don’t grow these plants, you can find the flowers at a health food market or online)

¼ ounce of beeswax

1 cup of carrier oil (sweet almond, apricot or sesame)

Essential oils to scent as desired

Put vinegar and flower petals in a clear jar with a lid and set in a warm place. Shake daily for 2 weeks. Strain and store any extra vinegar in the refrigerator for future use. Warm the oil in a double boiler. Add the beeswax and heat until melted. Put the distilled water in a bowl and add ½ cup of the flower vinegar, stirring to mix. Float this bowl in a larger bowl filled with ice water. Add half of the oil slowly and beat with an electric mixer on medium. Add the rest of the oil slowly and beat on low. Add essential oils to scent, if desired, and mix well. Bottle and sore any extra in the refrigerator. The flowers used in this lotion are known for their skin healing and nourishing value. Chamomile is calming and restorative to skin. Calendula has high skin healing properties. Comfrey is rejuvenating and healing to the skin.

Sleeping Beauty Cream – Makes about 4 ounces

1 tablespoon of grated beeswax

1 teaspoon of Vitamin E oil

¼ cup of light sesame oil

¼ cup of orange or lavender flower water

A pinch of borax powder

Melt the wax and oils gently. Combine the water and borax in another pot and heat until very warm. Pour the water into the oil and blend with an electric mixer or in a food processor for about one minute. Blend in essential oil for scent, if desired. Package in a jar or bottle and allow it to cool. Store in a cool, dry place. This cream is thicker than lotion and has a wonderful, relaxing scent and great moisturizing benefits.

Lavender Velvet Cream – Makes about 6 ounces

½ cup of all vegetable shortening (yes, Crisco is okay)

1 teaspoon of beeswax

3 tablespoons of distilled water or rose water, chamomile or lavender tea

1 teaspoon of borax

15 drops each of lavender and rose essential oil

3 drops of spearmint essential oil (optional)

In a small pan, heat the shortening and wax over very low heat until the beeswax is just melted. Remove the pan from the heat. In another small pan, warm the water or tea and dissolve the borax in it and remove it from the heat. When both are cool and at about the same temperature, set the oil/beeswax mixture over a bowl of ice cubes and add in the essential oils. Drizzle the water into the oil, stirring quickly with a whisk. The cream should set up fairly quickly with the look and feel of fluffy cake icing. Package the cream in a jar and store away from heat and light. It will keep well for 3 – 4 months at room temperature or in the refrigerator up to one year.

This is a thick, luxurious cream. Slather on feet at night, put on socks and you’ll awaken with feet of velvet. Use this cream wherever you have dry skin. It absorbs quickly, is non-greasy and makes skin super soft. Whether it’s a lightweight lotion or a rich cream you prefer, you can now make your own natural homemade moisturizers right in your kitchen.