Do you ever have the feeling that you’re a detective whenever you sift through body lotion product labels before making a purchase?
Most commercial body lotions have questionable ingredients – this even applies to those that claim to be natural and organic?
Making your own shea butter body lotion gives you control over the ingredients, plus it is fun! To learn how to make body lotion with shea butter, keep reading.
Body lotion is a big part of your daily routine, and it’s one thing you do every day. Most store-shelf lotions are loaded with chemicals, additives, and other suspect ingredients.
However, making your own shea butter body lotion gives you control over the ingredients, and you can choose quality.
Here’s a basic recipe for homemade lotion made with shea butter.
How To Make Body Lotion With Shea Butter
Before you begin making your own body lotion, gather together the ingredients and tools you’ll need. You can find all of this stuff at your local health food store, and online at Amazon.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Shea butter ( pure and unrefined Shea butter)
- Virgin coconut oil
- Essential oil of your choice (optional)
- Aloe vera gel (optional)
Read: How do you make homemade body cream?
Tools You Will Need:
- A double boiler Microwave
- A hand mixer or stand mixer, either one will work well.
- Glass mixing bowls (one large and one small)
- Some kind of storage container for your finished body lotion, you can recycle old containers if they’re clean.
- Stainless steel spoons for mixing
How To Make Body Lotion With Shea Butter: The Steps
Making your own shea butter body lotion is easy. It’s like making pesto or some other herb sauce that calls for simple ingredients and blends them together in the right proportions.
Read: Whipped shea butter for hair
Here Are The Steps Involved:
Step 1: Melt the Shea Butter and Coconut Oil
Start by melting the shea butter and coconut oil in your double boiler or microwave. If you’re using a microwave, just turn it on for about 45 seconds on half-power.
The trick with the microwave is to heat it for just a few seconds and stir everything together between heating sessions.
If you opt to use a double boiler, place the shea butter or coconut oil in the top pan and melt them slowly.
You can add a little water to your double boiler while you’re melting the oils, just don’t let it touch the bottom of the top pan, or you’ll be making soup instead of body lotion.
Shea butter melts at about 100 degrees F. In contrast; coconut oil melts at a lower temperature of anywhere from 75 to 90 degrees F.
You don’t have to be very precise with the temperatures or timing – just do it until it looks good and melted. Then mix them together in your glass bowl.
Step 2: Add the Essential Oils and Aloe Vera Gel
This is optional but highly recommended if you want a body lotion with shea butter that is super moisturizing. You can also skip this step if you want something more subtle scented, or unscented altogether.
Add your essential oils or aloe vera gel to the two oils in your glass bowl. If you’re using aloe vera, just pour it straight in since it’s mostly water anyway.
Aloe is optional, but if you do include it, keep in mind that about 1 to 2 teaspoons is all you need for one batch of homemade body lotion with shea butter.
Your essential oils are where you can get creative. You can use lavender, tea tree oil, or any other essential oils you like.
Just make sure they’re 100 percent pure and don’t contain alcohol.
Step 3: Mix and Cool the Body Lotion
Once you’ve combined your ingredients, stir everything together with a hand mixer or stand mixer on medium speed.
You can do it by hand with a sturdy spoon if that’s what you have, but the mixture won’t be as smooth if you don’t use a mixer.
Once everything is blended together smoothly, give it another stir and let it cool down for about 30 minutes.
If it’s summertime, speed up the cooling by placing your glass bowl in the refrigerator or freezer for about 5 to 10 minutes until the oils have solidified again.
Step 4: Transfer and Store Your Body Lotion
Once your lotion is solid, you can transfer it to a glass container. Use a spoon to pour the mixture into another clean bowl or measuring cup with a pouring spout,
then get every last bit of that body lotion out by scraping the sides of the glass bowl with a spoon. Then just pour it into your storage container.
Don’t worry if there are little chunks of lotion in your liquid body cream with shea butter. These can be broken up later on when you scoop the lotion out for use.
Just make sure to close the lid tightly and store it in a cool, dry place like your bathroom or bedroom.
Frequently Asked Questions about Making Body Lotion
Can I Add Shea Butter To My Body Lotion?
Absolutely. Shea butter is an excellent moisturizer for dry skin, plus it can also treat stretch marks and eczema. Add it to your lotion recipe to give your homemade lotion with shea butter an extra boost of moisture and nourishment.
How Long Does It Take For Body Lotion With Shea Butter To Set?
It can take anywhere from 30 minutes to several hours, depending on what other ingredients you’ve added. If it’s just coconut oil, then your homemade body lotion should be ready in an hour or two at the most. It can take longer if you include aloe vera gel or essential oils.
How Long Will Body Lotion With Shea Butter Last?
If you’ve used vitamin E oil to preserve the homemade cream, then your shea butter lotion should last at least 6 months, depending on how many ingredients are in it. You might find mold growing on your body lotion if you don’t include preservatives since water-based products tend to spoil faster.
Whether you’re using it as a moisturizer, cleanser, or makeover remover, body lotion with shea butter is an essential part of your natural beauty routine.
Now that you know how to make homemade lotion with shea butter, are you ready to try this easy recipe? It’s the easiest way to keep your skin smooth, supple, and healthy all year round.