Rich DIY Body Lotion for Cheap

These cold, gray, winter days make for chalky, dry skin and painful, chapped lips.  Do you know the solution for both problems may already be in your kitchen?

I've been pretty open about my odd habit of holding onto a hodgepodge of glass jars.  After a zip through the dishwasher, they are added to my stash.

First step in this project is choosing a jar.  I want one that allows my fingers inside so I can scoop out my rich, healing potion.  This time, the winning glass container is a short and wide four ouncer, perfect for the size of my hand.  

Next step is cruising my kitchen cabinets.

Olive Oil, Almond Oil, and Coconut Oil are all frequently used in cooking.  Out they come.

(If those are all the ingredients you have, that's a wonderfully healing combination.  Just add fragrance of your choice.)

From my soap making supplies I also grab Cocoa Butter and Bees Wax Pellets.  These act as sealants, keeping my skin protected and supple.  Citrus always smells refreshing and is one of my perennial favorites, so I also picked up Orange Essential Oil.

 Here's the recipe:

Rich DIY Body Lotion

1 ounce Olive Oil

1 ounce Almond Oil

1 ounce Coconut Oil

1 ounce Cocoa Butter

1 teaspoon Bees Wax Pellets

a few drops Orange Essential Oil

Place olive and almond oil in the jar and warm in the microwave for 30 seconds.  Spoon in coconut oil and return to the microwave for another 30 seconds.  Swirl gently.  Cocoa butter melts at body temperature.  Gently add the cocoa butter and give it a couple of minutes to melt.  Once the cocoa butter is incorporated, in go the bees wax pellets.  Microwave one last time at 30 seconds.  Rest for a couple of minutes before adding the essential oil for fragrance.

When this wonderful potion cools, it is the consistency of cake frosting.  Scoop out a bit with the tips of your fingers.  Rubbing this luxury between your hands will quickly melt it and you can smooth the rich DIY body lotion wherever you need a little extra attention.

Tips:

Cocoa butter has a subtle chocolate fragrance and, of course, coconut oil smells like coconuts.  When adding fragrance, remember to choose options that compliment chocolate and coconut.

I like to warm the ingredients just enough to melt and blend the solids, but keeping it cool enough to handle the jar.

Microwaves vary.  Yours may need a little more or less time.  None of these ingredients will need to be boiled.

I don't like stirring this recipe because cocoa butter and especially bees wax are both very difficult to clean from anything they touch.  If I decide to stir, I use something I can throw away.

Maybe holding onto random jars isn't such a silly thing after all!