The first time I ever created a lotion or cream, I was dazzled by how incredibly easy it was. As an avid cook, I quickly realized it was quite similar to making mayonnaise or a sauce or dressing – and the results are nutrition for the skin! High quality and luxurious skin lotions can be incredibly expensive and we may not know if all the ingredients are safe and non-toxic. Fortunately, since it is so easy to make our own, we can choose the best ingredients for a fraction of the price and concoct soothing masterpieces!
I created this rose-infused lotion from ingredients I love and that work well with my skin: Grapeseed oil because I love the silky texture and it works well with other oils to help the skin absorb, Coconut oil because it helps to retain moisture and won't irritate, Cocoa butter because of the creaminess and the deep cocoa aroma, and the Rosehip Seed and Vitamin E oils because my skin (like me) is a little, uh, seasoned and these oils add extra nourishment.
Aloe Vera gel is a so good for those of us who spend a fair amount of time in the outdoors. Since I garden so much, I believe it helps heal scratches and scrapes, as well as soothe after a bit too much sun.
This particular recipe is all about the skin rejuvenating properties of rose – utilizing our wonderfully floral Rose Hydrosol and Aphrodite aroma oil for an intoxicating and spirit-lifting aromatherapy, but you could easily try different scents like lavender or citrus or even a woodsy aroma might be more your style! This particular lotion works quite nicely as a face and body lotion since it absorbs into the skin quickly and leaves a soft, silky sensation.
Feel free to use this recipe as a guide and experiment or make substitutions to create a face and body lotion to suit your preferences and needs, or make it as-is for a silky, luxurious face and body lotion…
Silky Rose Face and Body Lotion
Ingredients
½ cup Grapeseed oil
½ cup organic Coconut oil, refined or unrefined
6 organic Cocoa Butter wafers or 1/2 ounce cocoa butter
1 Tablespoon organic Rosehip Seed oil
1 Tablespoon Vitamin E oil
3 Tablespoons Beeswax pastilles or 1 ounce Beeswax*
¼ cup Aloe Vera gel
¼ cup organic Rose Hydrosol
1-2 teaspoons Aphrodite aroma oil
10 drops Peru Balsam essential oil
Directions
In a glass Pyrex bowl or large glass Pyrex measuring cup (at least 4 cup size), combine the Grapeseed oil, Coconut oil, Cocoa Butter wafers, Rosehip Seed oil, Vitamin E oil, and Beeswax pastilles. Heat over boiling water until melted and mixed together. Remove from heat and allow to cool for about a half hour. You may be able to speed up the cooling process by setting the bowl in the fridge or freezer for several minutes.
Meanwhile, measure the Aloe Vera gel and Rose Hydrosol and combine. Now that the oils have cooled a bit, it is time to mix! I have tried this using a hand mixer, an immersion blender, and a traditional blender and they all work just fine. It really depends on your preference and what you have. If you are using a traditional blender, pour the melted oils and beeswax into the blender pitcher and turn on medium, gradually add the Aloe Vera/Rose Hydrosol mix in a slow steady stream. If you are using a hand mixer or hand immersion blender, you will do the same thing only hold the mixer/blender with one hand and do the pouring with your other hand.
Depending on the temperature of your ingredients, the mixing until thick and creamy may take anywhere from a few minutes to 5 or 10 minutes. Don't get discouraged. The texture will be like a medium thick pudding when it is ready. At the very last, add the Aphrodite aroma oil and the Peru Balsam essential oil. The Peru Balsam serves as a great base note and fixative for the rose scents. It combines well with the other scents and I think it brings out the softness of the rose. It also lends additional medicinal qualities to the lotion. You can, however, leave it out or make a substitution (Lavender essential oil would also be nice.)
Pour the finished lotion into containers and allow to cool completely before putting on the lids. This recipe makes enough for about 2-3 cups of lotion (we filled three 4-ounce jars). If kept in a cool place, out of direct sunlight, the lotion should last just fine for several months, although you will likely use it up long before then!
*If you would like to make a thinner lotion, use 1 Tablespoon of beeswax, melted with the oils in the first step.
I only have an 8 oz container of cocoa butter-not the wafers. How much does 6 cocoa butter wafers come out to so I can measure out the right amount? I can’t wait to try the recipe out!
Hi E.R.~ The weight of the cocoa butter is 1/2 ounce. Good luck and I hope you like the lotion! ~Kori
I am allergic to coconut oil and grape seed oil, what could I use to replace them? I would really like to make this, it looks amazing.
Hi Erica~Thank you so much for reading our blog. Let’s see, you could certainly experiment with other butters and oils~perhaps shea, mango or kokum butter would be of interest? And there are so many wonderful oils with different properties that could be substituted for grapeseed oil. They might behave differently in the recipe so it could take an experimental spirit. There are also many other recipes for lotions and creams and we even have books available on natural and herbal body care that might inspire the creation of your own signature recipe. Good luck! ~Kori
I love the recipes you guys offer. A good selling point would be to implement a bundle price for your recipe ingredients to try them out. Just an idea =)
Hi Renee! As you know, we don’t currently have the ability to bundle or group items together, but this is a great idea! I will send your request along to the rest of our team. We always appreciate hearing your suggestions and thanks so much for reading the blog! ~Kori
Is a preservative needed since water will be added through the hydrosol?
Hi Renee~Thank you for your question! The essential oils and beeswax do help with shelf-life a bit. I did not use any sort of preservative and we have had the lotion sitting out at room temperature for a couple months (and we’ve been using it daily). If you were striving to make it last for several months, you might want to keep it in the refrigerator. I hope this answers your question and thank you so much for reading the blog! ~Kori
IS there any substitute for the rose Hydrosol? I have all ingredients except for that– thanks for advising!
Hi there Cheryl, You could easily replace the hydrosol with distilled water and some essential oils of your choice, I would suggest rose but your favorite will do! I hope that helps! ~Alieta
[…] Rose Body Lotion […]
I have read recent findings that show bacterial growth after 12 hours in homemade lotions which incorporate purified/distilled water, hydrosols and/or Aloe Vera gel. Suggestions have been to use witch hazel extract in place of these ingredients. I’m just wondering if you have heard of these findings and if you agree bacterial contamination could occur in this particular recipe after 12 hours. Thank you!
Hi Rhonda~Thank you for your questions. While I have not read those particular articles or findings, it is always possible for bacteria to be introduced into lotions since they can be less shelf-stable than salves or alcohol infusions. Many folks choose to keep their lotions in the refrigerator to help prolong the shelf-life. I have found that homemade lotions with some essential oils last just fine for a few months if kept out of direct sunlight or temperature fluctuations and I have never had an issue. Good luck with your project! ~Kori
Lovely recipe but I was curious about how one might incorporate your citric acids into similar recipes. Would that act as a preservative?
Hi Paula~Thank you for reading the blog! You could certainly add citric acid to a recipe and would likely help with preservation. While I have never used it before, I believe the ratio is important and it shouldn’t make up more than 0.5% of the total recipe: https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/citric-acid/profile Good luck on your project! ~Kori
Hello! Wonderful recipe! I’m actually going to be gathering supplies so I can try it out. I’m wondering if the recipe has to be thinned out by adding less beeswax, to be used in a pump bottle? If I make it as is, with the 3 tbsp of beeswax, will it be too thick for a pump bottle?
Thanks!
Hi Aideen~Thank you for checking in with us and for your interest in giving this recipe a try! Both the cocoa butter and the beeswax help to make this a thicker lotion. You could omit the cocoa butter or substitute with another oil (or a little more of one of the other oils in the recipe) and decreasing the amount of beeswax–maybe by a third? I do hope this helps a bit and be sure to let us know how it works out for you. Good luck! ~Kori
Hi Kori, Thank you for the quick response and the advice! One more quick question, do you have any substitutions for the Aphrodite oil?
Hi Aideen~The Aphrodite Oil is what really gives it the rose scent, as well as adding extra oil goodness with Jajoba and Grapeseed oils. You could use Rose Aboslute essential oil for the rosy scent, but that is a bit more expensive. Of course, you could substitute one of the other aroma oil blends, or a combination of other essential oils that you might want to use. I do hope this answers your question. Thanks again! ~Kori
Hello Kori,
I tried the lotion recipe, it was my very first one and was (I would consider) mostly a success! I’m wondering if I can bend your ear for some thoughts on a few problems I had.
I made a half recipe because I didn’t want to experiment with too much of the ingredients because some of them aren’t cheap. Because I made a half recipe I think my biggest rookie mistake was leaving the oil mixture to cool for half an hour, instead of a halved time period. I think as a result of the oil mixture being too cool the lotion didn’t ever thicken. I didn’t put the oil mixture into a cold bowl, I took the glass pyrex that I mixed in and put it off to the side. Here are my questions:
-should I be mixing the aloe mix into the oil mixture while the oil mixture is still clear and warm? Or should the oil mixture have started to solidify at all?
-Because the oil mixture was mostly cool by the time I got to it I don’t believe it was possible for it to thicken up. Is the heat a factor in its ability to thicken and become creamy?
-I found that the aloe mixture was still quite thick so that it mostly dropped into the oil mix instead of being a steady stream, do you find that it’s usually a runny or thick mixture?
-the Peru Balsam oil also did not mix into the lotion, at the end it was room temperature. Is this also a heat thing?
-my lotion is quite yellow, where yours in the picture is quite white, what might cause this difference?
I should mention that I don’t have an electric or hand blender of any kind, so I was doing this the old fashioned way with arm power. I thought that it might just take twice as long, but might this also have been a factor in my inability to achieve a thick lotion?
All that being said, I’m pretty pleased with my first attempt. The lotion is definitely a bit more on the oily side than I’m used to, but I find already that my dry irritated hands are loving it. The rest of the skin on my body feels really lovely and moisturized. I haven’t tried it on my face yet, but it’s so gentle that I’m thinking it should work out well.
I just wanted to say thank you for posting this recipe, it has been a great first step for me into the world of lotion making, and I’m already buzzing with lots of ideas for what I can do next.
Thank you so much for any feedback you can provide!
Aideen
Hi Aideen~Thank you for sharing your questions and for giving this recipe a try! First of all, I have never tried to make a lotion by hand, so I imagine it would take a VERY long time and I imagine it definitely affected the thickness of the lotion. Also, since you were working with smaller amounts, the measurements might have affected the outcomes and it would have cooled faster as well. When I mix this up, I allow the oils to cool down for a bit, but they are still warm when mixing commences. It is sort of like making a mayonnaise. Once you have the melted, but not at all solidified oils in your bowl or blender, you gradually add the aloe and hydrosol, a little at a time or in a slow stream, as it mixes. I’m thinking the challenges with getting the essential oil to fully incorporate probably had something to do with mixing it by hand as well. You might want to consider making a facial serum and/or a salve for your skin care since you won’t need a blender or mixer to achieve great results and it will be a lot less work
http://mountainroseblog.com/indulgent-facials-home/ Thanks again and we so appreciate your interest and support! ~Kori
Hi Aideen & Kori! I just made this recipe, also my first go at creating a lotion, and also did all the mixing by hand. Everything firmed up very quickly and became the 'pudding' within about 5 minutes or so of whipping. Perfect texture! The EO's were added at the end of the whipping and blended in seamlessly. Ended up subbing shea butter for cocoa butter, calendula infused coconut oil for the plain coconut oil and using a rose + lavender decoction instead of hydrosol (which so far seems OK!), so mine is also yellow, but lovely!! Thanks for sharing this recipe!!
Hi- What a wonderful detailed recipe.
What would you recommend in place of the cocoa butter wafers? I have mango butter, shea butter, shea nut oil, grapeseed oil, apricot kernal oil and am looking for something that would add to the moisture. The cooler weather is chapping my hands.
Thanks so much for such great ideas. Rachael
Hi Rachael~Thank you for reading the blog! You will want to use another butter of similar consistency for the cocoa butter, so mango or shea butter would be good substitutes. The consistency might be a bit different, however. Good luck! ~Kori
Hi there!
Thanks for the lovely recipe. Two questions: any trouble with the hydrosol and AV separating? And if I use a blender, how to clean it after?
Thanks ever so!
Hi L.K. ~Thank you for sharing your questions. If you blend well, the hydrosol and vinegar should combine nicely. Over time, oils and other liquids can separate a bit in lotions and cream, but you can always give them a good stir to recombine
As for cleaning the blender, dish soap, hot water and taking the pieces apart to clean them works well for me. Good luck! ~Kori
Nope, wait, thought of one more: someone else mentioned adding witch hazel. What would that look like in this formulation?
Hi again, L.K.~If I was going to add witch hazel to this recipe, I would probably add it as half of the aloe vera or the rose hydrosol so that the non-oil liquids kept the same ratio to the oils. For example, I might alter the recipe to be 1/8 cup aloe vera and then 1/2 cup witch hazel. I hope this answers your question. Thanks so very much! ~Kori
Hi,
I'd like to try the silky rose face & body lotion recipe. I see you are out of Rosehip Seed Oil and Peru Balsam essential oil. Do you recommend a substitute for either one?
Hi Tami~Thanks for reading the blog and sharing your questions! We do have the Rosehip Seed Oil back in stock
but as for the Peru Balsam essential oil, I use it as a bit of a stabilizer here so other essential oils would work like Rosemary, Geranium, and Lavender. I was going for something with a nice middle note fragrance and complimentary properties. I do hope this helps and good luck with your lotion! ~Kori
When I make lotions and creams I add Grapefruit Seed Extract as a preservative. As I am sensitive to Rose oils I use Frankinsence which is also preserving in larger amounts than just to scent it.
Hello Kori,
What could you use in place of the vitamin E oil? I'm placing an order because I'd like to try the Silky Rose Face and Body Lotion, but I can't find the vitamin E oil in your product list. I appreciate your response, thank you.
Hi Rosy~Thank you so much for checking in with us and for your interest. You can find our Vitamin E oil on our website here: https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/vitamin-e-oil/profile If you want to leave the Vitamin E oil out of the recipe, you certainly can, but it does help a bit with preservation and extra skin soothing goodness. Good luck! ~Kori
Kori, thank you so much !! I don't know why I didn't see the oil the first time… I'm placing my order right away, I'm very excited to try it !! I will let you know how it turns out : )
I‘d like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas. I hope it brings you peace and joy.
Happy Holidays : )
Happy Holidays to you, too, Rosy! ~Kori
Kori, Just tried the recipe and I think it was a total success for my first attempt at creating homemade lotion! I used the same ingredients and followed the recipe exactly. After melting the oils, I placed my Pyrex bowl in the frig for 30 mins. I allowed it to get softly solidified and then dumped it into a chilled mixing bowl for my stand mixer. I slowly added the aloe vera gel/rose hydrosol mix using medium speed and mixed for about 5 mins. The lotion was definitely thick and almost white in color. I ended up fully filling one 8 oz glass jar and then about 3/4 of another 8 oz jar too. Buying all of the ingredients unfront may have been a little steep in cost, but I still have enough supplies left over to make another batch of lotion. Overall, I'm so excited to use this rose lotion from head to toe!!! Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe! Happy New Year to you and everyone else over at Mountain Rose Herbs!
Oh, Ali! I’m so glad to hear it worked out well for you. I am not particularly handy with the cosmetics myself and I was pretty pleased with this recipe so I truly appreciate your feedback. Enjoy and Happy New Year to you
~Kori
I would like to try this recipe,; however, can I substitute aloe vera from a leaf, instead of aloe vera gel. I have a big leaf from the farmers market I would like to use.
Hi Katrina~Thank you for reading the blog and sharing your question. You could certainly give the fresh leaf a try. I have never worked with fresh leaf in a recipe like this, so I’m not sure how it would behave. However, since our Aloe Vera Gel is extracted from the inner leaf, it might work fine. You’ll have to let us know how it works for you! Cheers ~Kori
I, too, am anxious to try this recipe. My seasoned skin takes a beating this time of year.
MRH is currently out of stock on the Grapeseed oil, so I will need to use a substitute. I currently have in stock Sweet Almond Oil, Kukui Nut Oil, and Sunflower Oil. Would any of those make a better substitute than the other? Or would you suggest another? I appreciate your assistance.
Hi Donna~Thanks for checking in with us. You can really substitute any oil that you like and all of those sound like wonderful substitutions. You can even do a combination of oils, if you want to try a few. As long as the total measurement stays the same, the recipe should turn out just fine. You’ll have to let us know how it works for you! Good luck ~Kori
Hello!
I made this lotion and absolutely adore it!
My face has been much more dry than usual this winter, and this lotion is still not strong enough. Honestly nothing I have found yet has been able to hydrate my face. Can I swap out the 1/2 cup coconut oil for shea butter? Will that clog my pores or will it be ok?
Thanks!
Hi Leah, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the Rose Face and Body Lotion! You know, nothing hydrates my skin like a serum and we recently published Erin’s super hydrating blend (http://mountainroseblog.com/diy-tamanu-skin-serum). A serum is simply a mixture of carrier oils and essential oils, and feels so good when applied at morning and night. I’ve used Shea Butter in a number of recipes that I have applied to my face and I have never experienced issues with pores because of it, so it is definitely worth a shot if you think your skin would prefer it.
Your final mixture might be a slightly creamier. Best of luck, let us know how it goes. ~Alieta
Hi! I've been buying supplies like crazy on your website and have enjoyed making body butters! I made body lotion once, it was a recipe online. That was before I saw this recipe blog. It whipped up nicely, but after about 15 minutes, it still looked like it was whipped, but it soon hardened. Does your recipe have the consistancy of "lotion"? We all want to have these natural ingredients on our skin (our largest organ!), but it seems like home made lotions, really are not "lotiony", they are get greasy and thick. Any thoughts?
Thanks so much! I absolutely love your products!
Hi Colleen~Thank you for sharing your feedback and questions! When I made this lotion, it had the consistency of a soft cream. It definitely wasn’t firm, but it wasnt’ liquid-like either. It also melts almost immediately as I begin to rub it into my skin. It then feels a little soft and oily, but it absorbs (at least on my skin) within a minute or so. As I mention in the recipe, however, if you use only 1 Tablespoon of beeswax, you will get thinner lotion–one that would work well in a container with a pump. I do hope this answers your questions and I wish you the best of luck on your creation! ~Kori
Can i use emulsifying wax instead of beeswax? I heard that emulsifying wax binds oil & water together better. Also, that beeswax is more for thickening lotions than creating emulsions. What are your thought? Thanks!
-april
Hi April~Thank you for reading the blog and sharing your question. You could surely give emulsifying wax a try. I have not used it myself for this recipe, but my understanding is that one would use 3-5% of the emulsifying wax in a recipe: https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/emulsifying-wax/profile You’ll have to let us know how it works for you! ~Kori
How to preserve it. Mine starts getting bad after 2 weeks. Any solution ?
Hi Rachana~We appreciate your question. With the hydrosol and the aloe vera gel, this lotion doesn’t have a terribly long shelf-life and it will also depend on the temperature, humidity, light, etc. where it is stored. You could add a little more Vitamin E oil to see if that help with the preservation and you can store it in the fridge to help with extending the shelf life. I had some on my desk for about 6 months, but the room was rather on the cool side and it was in a dark-ish place under my monitor stand. I do hope this helps a bit and thank you for trying the recipe! ~Kori
Hi Kori; Is it possible to make this lotion or some other one,without any of the things with aroma? I have a friend to whom I would like to give some lotion, but she is truly alregic to scents of all kinds. Some stronger ones actually make her pass out.. No Joke. Thanks! This is my first visit to your blog, I am impressed, and I intend to make some lotion for myself, but with some variations, as I also have sensivities to some scents. Oma O
Hi Oma~We so appreciate you reading the blog and sharing your questions. You could adjust this recipe and leave out the aroma oil and essential oils and substitute distilled water for the Rose hydrosol. You can also try this recipe for a Whipped Body Butter and leave out the Sandalwood aroma oil or essential oil. I do hope this points you in the right direction but we also carry many wonderful books on natural body care: https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/home-goods/books/body Wishing you the best! ~Kori
I just made the lotion, minus the hydrosol. I used 1oz fresh beeswax. It’s way too thin….how can I thicken it a bit?
Hi there Dana, Thank you for enjoying the post. Since this recipe is based around the emulsion of the oils/butters/wax being combined with a water ingredient, the hydosol, it is difficult to know exactly what is going on with your recipe. This recipe calls for three additional TBSPs of Beeswax, if you replaced your hydrosol part with water, it could be that you didn’t use enough beeswax. You might want to check out our body butter recipe for ideas on how to thicken it up, as the process of making a body butter is simply cooling off your butters/oils and whipping up. Melting your mixture down with some added butter, could allow it to whip up easily upon cool off. I hope this helps, best of luck with your lotion. ~Alieta
I have made this many times and keep it in the fridge because it always spoils if left out and even in the fridge it separates very quickly. What can be done to stop the spoilage and the separation? What if there was no hydro and aloe? Would citric acid help? If so, how much?
Thanks a bunch.
Hi Bird! Thank you for sharing your feedback. Hmmm…I haven’t had trouble with this lotion separating, so I can only guess at some possible solutions. You will want to make sure that your oils and the aloe very and hydrosol are the same temperature when you combine them. You could try substituting distilled water for the hydrosol. You could also try adding some Emulsifying Wax along with the beeswax as this may help to keep all the ingredients combined. I do hope this helps and I thank you for giving this recipe a try! ~Kori
Ah. The temps may have been different as I keep the aloe and hydros in the fridge, so I will change that. If I decide to try emol wax, how much is substituted for bees wax. And what about the spoilage? The hydro I make still retains some EOs plus I add EOs to my recipe, but still it spoils. Citric acid? How much if so? Thanks so much for your response
Hi Bird~Thank you for sharing your additional questions. Honestly, I have never made this with emulsifying wax, nor have I added Citric Acid, so I don’t know what the exact substitutions or the new recipe would be. You might need to experiment with your adjustments and substitutions to find what works best for you. I do wish you the very best of luck and you’ll have to let us know how it works out! ~Kori
I'm interested in making a woodsy body lotion. What substitutions should I make?
Hi Alex~Thank you for stopping by to share your question. There are myriad possibilities for substitutions depending on what you like and the properties you would like to add to your lotion. You could start by substituting the Sandalwood or Spirit aroma oils for the Aphrodite. Some of my favorite “woodsy” essential oils are: Black Sprice, Cedarwood, Cinnomon, Clary Sage, Cypress, Douglas Fir, Eucalyptus, Fir Needle, Ginger, Ho Wood, Juniper Berry, Myrrh, Myrtle, Oak Moss, Nutmeg, Palo Santo, Rosemary, Sage, Scotch Pin, Spruce, and Vetiver. But there may be others that you like: https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/catalog/aromatherapy/essential-oils Good luck with your project! ~Kori
First I have to say I love your blog and all the great information you can find there. I would like to make a face and body lotion like yours with Lavender Essential Oil. Can I still use the Rosehip Hydrosol or would it be better to use the Lavender Hydrosol? Then I would like to use some of the oils I have at home which would be Neroli EO or Lemongrass EO. What would I need to use instead of the Aphrodite Aroma Oil, Rosehip Seed Oil? Thank you
Hi there Ruby, Thanks for enjoying the post. You can use any hydrosol you prefer, or water instead of the rose hydrosol. The Lavender Hydrosol will do just fine. The Aphrodite Aroma Oil is a blend of carrier oils and essential oils, so you can replace that with an equal amount of any carrier oil you prefer, Rosehip Seed Oil is just fine! Best of luck, let us know how it goes! ~Alieta
I've recently came across articles regarding diy emulsions products health hazards when no preservatives are used in the recipes. I was thinking in getting some grapefruit seed extract, rosemary extract and licithin to preserve it? Will this then last up to 3 to 6 mths? At what % should i use them? Some other articles simply said that they are all antioxidants which do not prevent bacteria growth. Any recommendation please?
HI Catarina, Thank you for reaching out. You are welcome to experiment with natural preservatives, Rosemary Antioxidant Extract is preferred by many natural crafters. Typically this natural preservative is used at ratios of .1% – .5% of recipe, that would be 1-3 drops per oz. The most important part of keeping your recipes safe and healthy is to keep them clean, starting out with clean tools, distilled water and new materials, you should only apply lotions with clean hands and never store open. I always keep mine out of direct sunlight, and try to keep them cool. You can also store in the refrigerator to help extend the life. It is true that all natural ingredients and products, that are chemical free, will have some bacteria growth over time — this is completely natural. We practice conservative production, making only what we need and using it up before it has a chance to get bad. I hope this helps, best of luck in your herbal adventures. ~Alieta
Hi, this sounds like a really great recipe. I don't have the Aphrodite Aroma Oil but other essential oils and carrier oils I could use. How many drops of essential oils and how much of the carrier oil I should mix together to get kind a same blend like in the AAO? I think it's best to make it as close as possible. Thank you.
Hi Silke~Thank you for sharing your question here on the blog and for your interest in this recipe. Honestly, I do not have the exact recipe for our Aphrodite Aroma Oil and it is a bit of a trade secret
You can see the ingredients here: https://www.mountainroseherbs.com/products/aphrodite-aroma-oil/profile I used the Aphrodite Aroma oil in this recipe because it was a very affordable way to include all those wonderful essential oils and oils, but you are welcome to create your own version or adapt this recipe to suit your needs. I do hope this helps and we thank you for your support! ~Kori
I've been making body butters for a few years but I've stayed away from lotions because I didn't want to use any chemicals. I have Rheumatoid arthritis and because of the disease and the medicines I get I don't really have any immune system. I wouldn’t dare to use a lotion I had made without preservatives because it could make me really ill.
But I found a preservative called NeoDefend. NeoDefend’s ingredients are accepted by ECOCERT as preservatives in certified organic cosmetics.
Have you ever used it? Do you know if there are other alternatives?
Hi Lena~Thank you for sharing your feedback and questions. I have never used NeoDefend, but have done a little research and it looks to have some limitations and cautions, like other preservatives. There is no one right recipe, product or process for everyone and part of the journey is figuring out what works best for you, your health, and your needs. It is definitely alright if you decide lotions are not for you!
We do have a blog post on preservatives and considerations for handcrafted bodycare products that might be helpful to you: http://mountainroseblog.com/5-tips-preserving-handcrafted-natural-bodycare-products/ I do hope this points you in the right direction and we wish you the very best! ~Kori
[…] via The Mountain Rose Blog […]
Good information. Lucky me I recently found your blog by accident (stumbleupon).
I have saved as a favorite for later!
What size container is best to store this cream?
Kori
I made this recipe and it's more like a thick oil than a lotion. Any suggestions on how to thicken it up? Thank you in advance! This is my first go at making a lotion with essiental oils!!
Kelley
Hi there Kelley, Thanks for trying out the recipe. It sounds like the emulsion didn’t take place. Next time you may want to take extra precaution during the emulsion process (adding the water part to the oil butter). This process is the most important step, as the water part must be added slow/fast enough with constant mixing in order to incorporate air/water/oil and become a stable mixture. If this doesn’t happen — you will have a thick oil. You could try melting it down and mixing in some sort of emulsifier, such as our soy lecithin when it is cool (starting to thicken). I hope this helps. Warmest regards. ~Alieta
Hi…any suggestions for curing keratosis piloris on the face. Its real bad.
Hello, and much gratitude for this delicious recipe! One question- should I have my pyrex bowl in the water to melt the oils or should I set the pot in another pot over the boiling water? I'm doing the latter and it's taking a while for the beeswax to melt. Working on not getting antsy!!
Hi Kat, Thank you for reaching out. I always use the double boiler method you mentioned, it does take some time but you can always prep other ingredients or your containers while you wait. I hope this is helpful. Warmest, Alieta
Aloe vera tends to irritate my skin. Is there a substitue or should I just use water with the hydrodol?
Thanks for your help.
Hi there Jan, Thank you for reaching out. You are correct, you can simply replace the ingredient with another water based product such as water itself, or hydrosol. I hope this helps! Warmest. ~Alieta
Im so excited to try this out! I ordered the rest of the supplies I needed the other day and am waiting, kind of patiently. I could really use a good moisturizer for my face! I have loved everything I have ever purchased from you guys and it has inspired me to start aromatherapy and natural body care classes this fall! I finally found where I belong!
Hi,
Is there a substitue for Aphrodite aroma oil or can I leave it out all together?
Thank you.
Hello Trang,
The Aphrodite aroma oil is what gives the lotion its rosy scent, but you are welcome to leave it out or substitute it with 20 drops of an essential oil of your choice.
Thank you Erin!
I am going to give this recipe a try today!
What a beautiful lotion – the nicest one I have made so far. It is rich but not greasy like many body butters that are heavy on the coconut oil. I substituted the Grapeseed oil for Camelia Oil as I didn't have Grapeseed and it turned out fine. I didn't have the EO's in the recipe so used Rose EO instead. A little of this goes a very long way. I love it and will definitely make this for gifts for friends and family.
[…] diluted in a carrier oil or incorporated into finished products like aroma sprays, massage oils, lotions, or bath salts. When diluting essential oils, it is customary that the essential oil should only […]