Calendula-Rose Handmade Lotion Recipe
In this tutorial for real handmade lotion made with rose hydrosol and calendula infused oil, we are going a step beyond butters (like this beautiful whipped pumpkin body butter) and beautiful handmade balms, like these hard lotion bars. This recipe is for an honest to goodness moisturizing, yet non-greasy body cream, which requires emulsifying water and oil portions.
You’re going to really love this recipe, especially if like me, you’re tired of body butters making you feel like a greased pig.
Don’t get me wrong! I do love my butters and oils, and there is certainly a time and place for them. Like in the dead of winter when you’re battling ultra dry, ashy, and chalky skin. Or when you need some deep help to make your skin more supple.
But for day-to-day use, I (like many others) prefer a body lotion or a cream.
Real lotions contain both a water portion and an oil portion, and since water and oil don’t mix, they need to be emulsified together with an emulsifier of sorts. You’ll also need a natural preservative, which I explain below, as anything with water grows potentially dangerous microbes.
I see all these whipped body butter or “lotion” recipes all over the internet and Pinterest, and in reality, they are simply a variety of oils mixed together. I have been so frustrated because these (although lovely) are greasy and don’t soak into your skin real well.
I have a solution for you!
Here is a recipe for a non-greasy body cream that is highly moisturizing, contains skin loving ingredients such as roses and calendula, and is so easy to make. It makes a great gift for friends, too! And…it’s an actual, real lotion, or body cream….not a body butter.
You can find out more about my favorite oils to use in your handmade skincare products in this article. Any of these can be combined with a water to make a handmade lotion; and you can also combine them to make a body butter.
Now, find out how to make a real lotion that combines the skin-loving goodness of roses and calendula.
FTC Disclosure: There are affiliate links scattered throughout this article. If you click through and make any kind of purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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Here’s a handmade body lotion recipe that is so moisturizing and good for your skin. This natural, toxin free body cream is silky smooth and feels SO good on your skin. It’s healthy. It’s inexpensive. It’s easy to make. Why not try making your own lotion with this amazing recipe today? #handmade #bodylotion #recipe #bodycream #natural #skincare #healingharvesthomestead
So…how do you get oils and water elements to mix?
There are just a couple special steps and ingredients you need to take, and luckily they are SO simple.
You’ll need some kind of emulsifier, first of all. An emulsifier makes sure the oils and waters really do mix together. And the other special ingredient is a preservative of some sort.
I know preservatives have gotten a bad rap in recent years, and for good reason. Most of them are terribly toxic. However, if you are making your own handmade body cream, there are relatively natural preservatives you can use that do a fabulous job keeping those nasty microbes out of your handmade lotions.
A BIG NOTE about bacteria and fungus in your handmade lotions: This recipe is for using yourself or gifting to friends, NOT for selling. Selling lotions and creams requires a lot more compliance with FDA cosmetic standards to keep the public safe, so be sure you are familiar with these first.
AND, this is why I do whole heartedly recommend using a preservative any time you’re using water in a skincare product. I’ve done a LOT of research on this, and trust me….you don’t want that stuff growing sight unseen in your creams.
So, in this tutorial, I’m going to share a wonderful skin-loving recipe for handmade lotion with you. You can also watch it on YouTube (please subscribe to my channel if you do love YouTube) right here if you like video better:
Ready to get started?
Here goes!
How to Make Rose-Calendula Handmade Lotion and Body Cream
There are three “phases” to making handmade lotions. There is an oil phase, a water phase, and a cool down phase. This is kind of similar to making handmade soap! With soap making, you have an oil mixture, a lye solution, and your additives.
If you make handmade soap, then making your own lotion is going to be a snap! If you don’t make soap yet, what are you waiting for? ;-)
Seriously, though….they are both wonderfully easy to make once you get started…and it’s addicting! Best of all, you’re reducing the toxic load going into your body, and you are saving a TON of money on higher quality product than you can buy in the stores.
Alrighty….I’m off my soap box…. (Get it? lol)
Here are the ingredients you’ll need for each phase. I’ll have the steps up next.
The Oil Phase Ingredients
1.62 ounces Calendula infused oil (If you don’t have herb infused oil, you can use plain oil of choice, such as olive oil or almond oil)
0.25 ounces emulsifying wax (necessary to make sure the oil and water mixes up properly)
The Water Phase Ingredients
4.66 ounces Rose Hydrosol (You can certainly make your own hydrosol, but for this recipe, I purchased mine from Starwest Botanicals.)
**NOTE: Also, if you want, you can just use plain distilled water.
The Cool-Down Phase Ingredients
1.5 tsp (approximately) Leucidal preservative
About 25-50 drops essential oil of choice. I’ve made this recipe with and without essential oils. I happen to love the scent of the rose hydrosol alone because it comes through beautifully and not too strong.
If you want more of a scent, I like to add a combination of Rose Geranium and Patchouli. So pretty! Don’t worry about the scent of the patchouli, if you don’t like it…it helps balance the strength of the Geranium scent. Both of these essential oils are good for your skin, too.
You could certainly use essential oils of your choice, too!
Basic Directions for Making Handmade Lotion
Step One:
Using a digital kitchen scale (a MUST), weigh out your wax, oil, and water by weight.
Step Two:
Combine your emulsifying wax and your infused oil in an 8 ounce jelly jar. Pour your water or rose hydrosol into a second 8 ounce jelly jar.
Step Three:
Get a double boiler system set up on your stove, and place both the jars into the pan. Set the heat to low. Place a cover (the mason jar lid works fine) over the water jar to reduce evaporation of the water. Now heat gently until the emulsifying wax is completely melted into the oil.
Remove both jars from the double boiler set up.
Step Four:
Gently combine the oil mixture and the water phase in another bowl. Take the temperature with a digital thermometer or candy thermometer. Or, you can just “feel” it when it gets to around body temperature or a little above. I do use a digital thermometer, and I like the temperature to be around 100 degrees, give or take.
The reason you use a thermometer is because for some of the preservatives, heat can destroy the preservative power. So be sure you have a lower temperature, and don’t add your preservative to the lotion mixture right out of the double boiler. It will be too hot.
Add your preservative when the temperature is low enough.
Step Five:
Continue to stir the mixture with a very clean (sanitized) fork. Some lotion makers will use an immersion blender or a milk frother to get a good mixture. So far, in my lotion making efforts, stirring with a fork is all I’ve needed to do. However, this may change. I’m just telling you about my experiences so far.
After 15 to 30 minutes, you’ll notice your lotion thickening up nicely, as it cools down even more. To speed things up a little bit, you could even put your bowl into an ice bath, but I’ve found this isn’t completely necessary for this recipe.
Step Six:
Pour your lotion into the container you plan to use.
I like these squeeze bottles you can buy on Amazon, or even better, to avoid the plastic (which I am NOT a fan of), I will simply use a 4 ounce or 8 ounce Mason jelly jar. These work fine. Other pretty jars are potential containers too!
Be sure to sanitize them with isopropyl alcohol first. I’ve heard this is not necessary, and I’ve also researched that it is. SO…since I tend to err on the side of conservatism, I do like to at the very least wash my containers in SUPER hot water with dish soap and use a few drops of rubbing alcohol afterward.
Step Seven:
Your lotion will continue to thicken somewhat over the next day or so. If you’re using a squeeze bottle, you may need to give it a good shake.
Rub it on your skin and enjoy! :-)
Final Thoughts on Making Handmade Lotion in General and This Recipe in Particular
I hope you’ll give making your own home and body care products a try! Stay tuned, as I am getting ready to create a “Greening and Cleaning Your Home” series soon!
This recipe is one of my favorites that I’ve tried so far. I really love substituting rose hydrosol for the distilled water because the gentle scent is just so lovely. AND the hydrosol is exceptionally good for your skin. Also, I love any skincare product made with either dandelion or calendula infused oil.
They are both proven effective for your skin health!
I’ve made this lotion recipe several times, now, and mixed it up a little each time. It has always turned out! So, if you give it a try, let me know in the comments below! If you happen to have any questions, I’d love to answer them for you, also in the comments below.
And…if you’re interested in getting into homemade body care, consider joining my OFF social media, completely private community, the Healing Harvest Homestead Natural Living Community. There are several topic areas for self-reliant and natural living, and you can choose which areas to follow.
Best of all….you’ll make some new like-minded friends! Be sure to download the app and put it next to your Facebook app. You’ll love this group WAY more than Facebook, I promise!
That’s all for now, and thanks for reading to the end!
You might also enjoy these related articles:
How to Make Your Own Handmade Soap (A Picture Tutorial)
Cocoa Tangerine Lotion Bars (Hard Lotion)
The Best Essential Oils for Wrinkles and Scars
Cedar & Pine Handmade Natural Deodorant
And there are a TON more over on the blog!
Hugs, Health, and Self-Reliance,
Heidi
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Here’s a handmade body lotion recipe that is so moisturizing and good for your skin. Best of all? It’s NOT greasy and soaks right in. This natural, toxin free body cream is silky smooth and feels SO good. It’s healthy. It’s inexpensive. It’s easy to make. How to make lotion! Click through for the recipe! #lotion #homemade #sheabutter #essentialoil #diy #homemadebody #baby #sensitiveskin #healingharvesthomestead
Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor or an aesthetician. In no manner, stated or implied, is this recipe meant to treat, cure, diagnose, or prevent any disease or illness. Please be sure to seek advice from your medical professional before using herbs or essential oils. These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA.