I grew up using only Nivea (the classic one in the blue tin) on my face. That is pretty much what every man, woman and child uses in Chile. I had never bought or used any other brand until I was 26 years old when a friend introduced me to Clinique. There began my love affair with moisturizers and I branched out to other beauty products.
A few weeks ago I found an image of homemade moisturizer on Pinterest and jumped out of my seat with excitement. "I need to make this!" I said to Little M. He just glanced over and said "Okay mami".
The recipe was posted on Boho Mama's blog and I was surprised to see most of the ingredients were already in my kitchen cupboard and that it took less than 30 minutes to make. I have made this two times, the first time I added too much water and it was runny, the second batch was perfect and I use it on Little M's dry skin every night.
Hi, I'm Megan from Boho Mama. I live in Portland, Oregon with my husband and our six month old twin daughters Ruthie and Afton, born last July. I write about our adventures, travels, and day-to-day life as a twin mama. There is never a dull moment!
I phased out most of my scented lotions and creams a few years ago, when I became very sensitive to their smells. This lotion has a great consistency, completely natural ingredients, and you can keep it unscented if you're sensitive...or add a little essential oil or vanilla extract. I've been very happy with the way it has made my hands feel, and I haven't seen any dry cracks on my fingers yet, as I usually do during winter. It's fun to make too!
So here's what you need to make this yourself - I have amended it slightly after playing around with it:
* 3 Tbsp of beeswax (I bought a 100% natural beeswax candle at Whole Foods)
* 3/4 cup of olive, almond or coconut oil (use one or a combination)
* 1 cup of rose water or chamomile tea (I made one batch with rose water and another with tea)
* 1/2 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract or almond extract
* 2 teaspoons of Vitamin E (helps lotion last longer and great for your skin)
* Clean containers for storing
Now for the fun part!
1. Fill a large pan or pot with water and bring to boil
2. In a separate heat safe bowl combine your oils, beeswax and half a cup of your chosen water
3. Place that bowl in the pot/pan (double boiler, see image 3) and boil until wax is completely melted
2. In a separate heat safe bowl combine your oils, beeswax and half a cup of your chosen water
3. Place that bowl in the pot/pan (double boiler, see image 3) and boil until wax is completely melted
4. Remove from heat and let cool for 5 minutes
5. In a blender pour the remaining water and very slowly add the oil mixture - it will begin to congeal and look creamy
6. Continue to blend and with a spatula push down the cream on the sides of the blender
7. Once done remove into clean containers. Do not cover until cool
8. That's it! MOISTURIZE!
Storage and usage:
8. That's it! MOISTURIZE!
Storage and usage:
You can store it in the refrigerator if you have made too much, but lotion lasts 3-4 weeks. I took an old honey container (the bear one) and filled it with lotion and labeled it for Little M. You can also use old soap dispensers or old lotion containers to keep your moisturizer.
It smells absolutely delicious and after a week of using it, my skins feels amazing and I'm even happier knowing there are no nasties in it! Besides, how cool is it to say "Yeah, I made my own moisturizer".
I am going to start a homemade beauty series so please do check back in. Let me know if you have any questions.
Now off you go to lather up!
