Skin Hydrating Homemade Lotion Recipe with Dandelion Flowers
In this article, I share one of my favorite recipes for homemade lotion made with dandelion flowers and infused herbal oil with you. I guarantee you’ll just love this beautiful handmade cream recipe made with the lovely yellow dandelion flower.
Dandelions are often thought of as being a noxious weed, but in reality, this sunshiny little wonder flower and useful plant have many helpful properties ranging from internal (liver, kidneys, digestion, nutritive, and more) to external for incredible skin health. Dandelion has many benefits for the skin when used topically in skincare creams! Here is an easy dandelion lotion recipe you’re going to love!
The coolness of this late spring and early summer made our little dandelion crop just outstanding this year!
My dandelion infused oil is finished, so I thought I’d experiment with a brand new lotion recipe with it. This dandelion body cream is rich, creamy, and soaks right into your skin, leaving very little grease or oily feel. It’s just perfect for summertime use, being a lightweight hydrous formulation (combination of oil and water elements).
Dandelion flowers are helpful for a wide range of skin issues, including acne, eczema, and even sensitive skin. Although it’s highly moisturizing, it is helpful for acne or oily skin because it helps detoxify the surface of the skin while it works.
A quick caveat though: There are many dandelion look-a-likes out there! Be sure you know if you are really picking a true dandelion. Here is how to properly identify, forage, and harvest dandelions.
Here are some of the properties of dandelion that make it so beneficial as a skincare herb:
It’s filled with helpful constituents such as antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals:
Dandelions are high in Vitamin A, C, and B6, all of which provide excellent benefits for your skin. The flowers contain high levels of beta carotene and lutein. Dandelion is high in magnesium, calcium, and potassium as well.
All of these constituents provide support to the skin by helping with moisture retention and supporting skin function.
Anti-fungal and Antibacterial:
The sap of the dandelion helps your body manage fungal issues and bacterial intrusions. If you get a cut or scrape, applying some dandelion cream can be quite helpful!
Emollient, Moisturizing and Pain-Relieving:
Dandelion lotion and creams soak quickly into the skin, especially when used with appropriate carrier oils. In this case, I used olive oil, which is a bit heavy, and this lotion still soaks in beautifully. If you want an even lighter lotion, try grape seed oil.
Dandelion is very good for oily skin, even with some acne, while also being moisturizing without being greasy. It also has mild analgesic properties which help with any surface pain, which is great for chapped hands and skin, a pimply area that needs moisture, yet is painful, or cracks in your cuticles.
NOTE: If you have severe cracks and damage to your skin, you’ll want to use a dandelion salve, which you can find out how to make here. It’s much better and more powerful for this kind of skin issue.
For a video on YouTube showing how to make lotion through the entire emulsification process, just scroll down below! I’ve embedded it in this article. Or, you can click here to watch it on YouTube if you prefer. It’s a different recipe, but the steps are the same, so you can see them.
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Dandelion Body Cream
Dandelion Infused Lotion and Body Cream Recipe
I just know you’re going to love this recipe! Here is how to make your own summer time body cream with this lovely sunshiny flower, the dandelion:
Ingredients:
** 5.6 ounces of distilled water
** 0.24 ounces of stearic acid
** 0.4 ounces emulsifying wax
** 1.76 ounces dandelion infused oil (see this article for instructions on making an herb infused oil)
** 0.4 ounces preservative (I used Leucidal)
** Essential oil of choice (optional) I used a combination of Love Vanilla by Plant Therapy and Patchouli to ground the scent. However, Lavender would be a wonderful complementary essential oil for this lotion too, because of its skin loving properties.
NOTE: I used 100 drops for my own lotion, which I calculated as being an approximate 5% dilution. If you’d prefer a 2% dilution, use around 40 drops. Be aware that if you are wanting a scent, a bit of a higher dilution is ok as long as you are using skin safe essential oils and only using the lotion on small areas of the body. For whole body use, stick with a 1% to 2% dilution.
You can find out more about essential oil dilution and safety in my Ultimate Essential Oil Reference Guide.
Simple ingredients….
Take a look at the School of Botanical Arts & Sciences by Healing Harvest Homestead—-There’s something for you inside!
Directions for the Recipe:
Step 1) Get a double boiler set up that will hold two small containers, like 8 ounce jelly jars. I simply use a wide pan, place a washcloth at the bottom, and fill with about an inch to two inches of water. This pan should hold two of the jars.
Step 2) Measure out your water using a digital kitchen scale into one of the small jars.
Step 3) Measure out your oil, stearic acid, and emulsifying wax using the kitchen scale and place these into a separate small jar. **IMPORTANT NOTE: Be sure to cover the water jar with a lid to prevent water from escaping through evaporation.
Step 4) Place both jars into the pan, and heat gently on low until the oil mixture is completely melted together.
Step 5) Remove the jars from the pan, and allow to cool to about 110 degrees.
Step 6) Pour your water into the oil mixture, and add your preservative and essential oils.
Step 7) Stir these together well, quickly, with a fork. As it cools, you’ll see the mixture emulsify, or come together and start turning into a lovely cream.
NOTE: To speed up the emulsifying process, get a small bowl filled with ice cubes and put the jar in the middle, surrounded by the cubes. Stir quickly. This will cause the liquids to turn to your lotion much more quickly.
**You can also watch a video of lotion making on my YouTube channel. Just click this link.
Are you wondering what emulsification is and why you need an emulsifier?
Emulsification (or the process of emulsifying) is when oil and water are able to mix and remain stable. The reason you need the emulsifying wax, and to an extent the stearic acid in this recipe is to allow the oil and water to mix together and become a lotion or cream.
Anytime water is involved in your body care products, it’s likely you will need a method of emulsification.
8) Pour your cream or lotion into small jars. You can use four inch jelly jars (this will yield two of them), a larger 8 ounce jar, or you can use amber or blue squeeze bottles as well.
9) If your lotion tries to separate, just mix it up good again. As it cools to room temperature, it will stop doing this.
10) Enjoy!
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Dandelion Body Lotion
Here’s the video I told you about above. It’s a different (but wonderful) recipe, and you’ll be able to see all the steps of the emulsification process. I hope you’ll subscribe to my channel!
Final Thoughts About Dandelions and Dandelion Body Cream
I love this body cream recipe, and it has quickly become my summer time go-to. It’s not really thick or heavy enough for the cold temperatures of winter time (stay tuned for that recipe), but it’s perfect for dry summer skin, ashiness, and helping heal up chapped skin. It’s also good for people with acne, as they still need moisturizing while helping the acne.
It’s really easy to make your own body lotions and creams. I hope you’ll give this one a go, and let us know how it goes for you in the comments! Also, if you have questions, please let me know!
Here are some other articles you may enjoy:
How to Identify, Forage, and Uses of Dandelion (All Plant Parts)
18 Necessities We Never Buy from the Store Anymore and What We Do Instead
Which is Better? Salt Scrub or Sugar Scrub?
Foraging Poplar Buds and Making Balm of Gilead Salve
And there are lots more natural skincare articles over on the blog! Be sure to visit the home page and explore!
Love, Health, and Self-Reliance,
Heidi
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Here is a natural, homemade DANDELION INFUSED body lotion recipe you’re going to love! This body cream can make a great gift for friends or for yourself. EXCELLENT for sensitive skin, acne-prone skin, healing dry skin, and bringing nutrients to your skin. It’s also easy and fast to make! #dandelion #benefits #recipe #skincare #dandelionlotion #handmade #lotion #bodycream #natural #howtomake #homemade #dandelion #healingharvesthomestead
References:
https://thebestorganicskincare.com/amazing-benefits-of-dandelion-for-the-skin/
Young, D.; The Backyard Herbal Apothecary. Page Street Publishing, 2019. p. 72