Alright ladies and gentlemen (if there’s any testosterone out there checking this blog), I’m ready to post the Lotion Post
I have to say, once I found the recipes that I liked and got all of my ingredients ordered the process it self was pretty simple and fun. I doubt I’ll ever buy soap or lotion again. It’s been a bit empowering actually. The responses I got from christmas were better than expected too! The lotion recipe is from a wonderful blog called the Herbwife’s Kitchen. She is a wealth of info, here’s the direct link. I ended up adding Calendula powder at the end of the blending process as well as some Bergamot and Chamomile essential oil. Oh and I made another batch in which I substituted the coconut & grapeseed oil for apricot oil, shea butter and mango butter. You still want the same portions so the mixture is right, but you can get creative. In the end I ended up combining my 2 different batches to make what I named a super healing cream. The results have been amazing. My skin soaks it up and I’m left with ridiculously smooth moisture drenched skin that isn’t too sticky or oily. I found it very important to blend the oils and water well, perhaps 5-7 minutes so that it was whipped together well. My first attempt I was so worried about over blending that the oils and waters didn’t merge well enough and the next morning there was a layer of water on the top of the cream. Calendula is my favorite flower and herb, it’s simple and healing used for topical purposes as well as being digestable. The smell is refreshing and clean. I really liked how the cream turned out, and I’ve had good responses from my cream recipients. My mother in law even said it helped heal a skin rash that wouldn’t heal with the doctor perscribed topical ointment! Woohoo!
The process in pictures
Beeswax before shaved
melting oils
Green tea & Oat water
Soaking up the lotion
A few things I learned
- Use GOOD ingredients and you get a GOOD product!
- let the wax and water cool completely
- While blending make sure to keep the lid on it or end up with lotion on the ceiling…
- invest in equipment specifically for lotion & soap making. Using the blender for a smoothie after making lotion left a beeswaxy after taste.
- follow portion sizes as best you can, otherwise lotion ends up too watery or too cakey
- do small batches so you dont waste ingredients in large amounts if you mess up!
Phew…. I’m worn out! I’ll get to the soap post tomorrow!
