Got Dry Skin? Calendula Lavender Lotion Could Be the Answer!

Back in December, I wrote a post about how to make a healing salve using calendula and and lavender infused olive oil. Both calendula and lavender are great for the skin, and if you happen to have any herbal infused oil left over from making a salve, you can make some lotion with it too.  Two projects for the price of one!  Score! 

When I made this lotion, I wanted to make something myself by which I could recognize all of the ingredients.  I have decided that I am done buying commercial lotions that contain who knows what chemicals, or buying products that don’t really work that well anyway.  My skin is also pretty sensitive to a lot of synthetic ingredients, and I really don’t want to add any unnecessary toxins to my body if I can help it.

This was my first experiment with making my own lotion, and I’m really glad that I tried it.  I also made some lotion bars awhile back, but this time I wanted to make something that was actually more, you know, lotion-like.

For the ingredients, I used calendula and lavender infused olive oil as the oil base for this process, and then I also added shea butter, coconut oil, vitamin E oil, beeswax, and lavender essential oil.  Simple, recognizable ingredients.  Just the way I like it.  If you would like more information on how to make an herbal infused oil, please check out these two posts.

This lotion does have a somewhat oily texture to it, resembling a little like an ointment.  However, once it absorbs, your skin is left very soft and moisturized.  And, you don’t need very much of this lotion to get the job done.  A little bit goes a very long way!

Where I live, we have had a number of days lately when temperatures have dipped below zero degrees (F).  Thank goodness that I’ve had my trusty homemade lotion to keep my skin in excellent shape!  My hands usually have a tendency to get very chapped during the cold winters here, but thanks to this lotion, they are staying very soft and well moisturized.

The one thing that I would caution with this lotion is the container that you store it in.  I made the unfortunate mistake of putting my first batch of lotion into plastic bottles (after everything had cooled).  Not only does this lotion not flow out of the plastic bottle cap like a typical commercial lotion does, it is somewhat difficult to get out of the bottle in general.  I did make a second batch of the same lotion, and used small glass mason jelly jars to give the lotion as gifts at Christmastime.  Success!  Just make sure that whatever sort of container that you store your homemade lotion in has a wide mouth so that you can easily reach in and get some out. 

You could certainly make this lotion with any number of herbal infused oils, but I still think that calendula and lavender are two of the very best herbs for skin.  The bottom line here is that you will know the ingredients that your lotion contains and what you or your loved ones are putting on your skin.  Just be aware that if you make this with infused olive oil, your lotion will likely have a green color.

The people that received the lotion as gifts have just loved it.  I bet that you will too!

Calendula Lavender Lotion

Ingredients:

• ½ cup calendula and lavender infused olive oil (or olive oil infused with other herb(s) of your choice)
• ¼ cup coconut oil
• ¼ cup beeswax
• 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
• 2 tablespoons Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter
• Essential oils of your choice (I used lavender)

Instructions:

1.  Place all ingredients except the essential oils and vitamin E oil into a glass jar.  Pint sized mason jars are ideal, but you could also reuse any other type of glass jar that you have on hand (such as from spaghetti sauce).

2.  Place your glass jar into a medium sized saucepan that is filled with a few inches of water, turn on the heat to medium, and loosely put a lid on your jar to cover.

3.  After heating for a little while, the ingredients in your jar will slowly begin to melt.  Stir or shake to mix the ingredients together as everything melts.  Typically, the beeswax will take a lot longer to melt than the rest of the ingredients.

4.  Once everything is melted and mixed, turn off the heat but leave the jar in the water so that everything stays warm.  Add the Vitamin E oil, as well as the essential oil(s) drop by drop according to your scent preference.  Mix again. 

5.  Pour the liquid into whatever containers you will be using, and let it cool.  Small glass mason jelly jars work well for this, as well as small metal tins.  Remember that this lotion does not dispense well from plastic bottles!  

6.  Use like regular lotion.  

 

 

This post is shared at Healthy, Happy, Green & Natural Party Hop