Green tea is an increasingly popular ingredient in body products, so I thought I’d join in. Though I decided to use Oolong tea instead of green, mostly because I had a wee bit of some Citron Oolong from DavidsTea that was begging to be finished off in something cool. Lotion sounded just right.
Continuing with the idea of tea, I used camellia seed oil, the oil of the seed of the tea plant, as the primary oil in the lotion. Since the tea smells quite lovely on its own, I didn’t add any essential oils, though a bit of lemongrass essential oil would be nice if you’re feeling so inclined.
The resulting lotion is beautifully light and gentle. It sinks in quickly and smells lightly of lemon myrtle and grass. It leaves the skin smooth and refreshed, and if you store it in the fridge, it makes a beautiful after sun lotion.
Please don’t make this recipe. It’s an old one, and no longer lives up to my quality standards. If you want a beautiful lotion, check out this recipe!
Citron Oolong Lotion
20g emulsifying wax
20g camellia seed oil
4g Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada)
6g jojoba oil (USA / Canada)146g steeped Citron Oolong tea (any green or oolong tea will do)
4g vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada)Broad spectrum preservative of choice (why?)
Combine the emulsifying wax with the camellia seed oil, Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada), and jojoba oil (USA / Canada) in a small saucepan and melt over medium heat.
While the oils are melting, combine tea with the vegetable glycerine (USA / Canada) and silk peptides in a small measuring cup and gently warm through.
Once the oils have melted, add the tea mixture. Heat through to ensure everything is melted before removing the pan from the heat. Whisk the mixture as it cools—it will thicken into a nice white cream (the thickening may take a few days if you are using a different emulsifying wax than emulsimulse).
Whisk in the essential oils and preservative and decant the mixture to a pump-top bottle.
New to lotion making? Watch my basic lotion how to video!
I made a lotion with neem oil, that feels so good and soaks right in but because of the neem oil, it stinks horribly, do you have any ideas on how to help make it smell better?
Kate—Are you using the neem oil for its various lauded uses, like to treat eczema? If not, I’d highly recommend ditching it if the smell really bothers you. Neem oil is legendary for its stench, lol, and generally only recommended at uses up to 10% because of that. I’ve read that its great for repelling ants and other various house and garden pests, and it also makes a great insect repellent (which would be a great use for your lotion, by the sounds of it).
I’m not personally familiar with the scent (the less-than-glowing reviews of its stench have always dissuaded me from ordering it, haha), but you could try complimenting it to improve the scent. Something earthy like patchouli might help it.
I’ve also read that neem oil is quite oily, and takes a while to absorb into the skin. So, if you switch to something like grapeseed or safflower oil, you’ll probably notice your lotion soaks in even faster!
Kate—Are you using the neem oil for its various lauded uses, like to treat eczema? If not, I’d highly recommend ditching it if the smell really bothers you. Neem oil is legendary for its stench, lol, and generally only recommended at uses up to 10% because of that. I’ve read that its great for repelling ants and other various house and garden pests, and it also makes a great insect repellent (which would be a great use for your lotion, by the sounds of it).
I’m not personally familiar with the scent (the less-than-glowing reviews of its stench have always dissuaded me from ordering it, haha), but you could try complimenting it to improve the scent. Something earthy like patchouli might help it.
I’ve also read that neem oil is quite oily, and takes a while to absorb into the skin. So, if you switch to something like grapeseed or safflower oil, you’ll probably notice your lotion soaks in even faster!
The smell of neem isn’t that bad – it’s like a combination of garlic and peanut butter. It’s just that it’s more savory than most people would want to smell of.
Thanks for the input, Heather! I’ve never bought neem oil, so all I’ve got it memories of scent samplings at my local health food store. You make it sound like it smells like the one BBQ sauce my mom used to make, haha.
Hi Marie! I just found your website a few weeks ago and I love it so much! You are a great resource for all things homemade! Now that I’ve got the butt kissing out of the way :), I wanted to ask if it is okay to use beeswax instead of emulsifying wax? This is what I have on hand
Hi Kristen—thanks for reading! So, sadly, you cannot use beeswax instead of emulsifying wax—that would kind of be like using cornstarch instead of baking powder (which I have done… and it does not work at all…). Emulsifying wax isn’t a typical wax like beeswax or carnauba—those waxes just thicken/make things hard. Emulsifying wax is a waxy-type substance that makes emulsions fool proof, which is totally necessary for a lotion. It’s super cheap, so I’d definitely recommend ordering some or picking some up at your local DIY store.
Hi Marie and Kate! If you have animals the neem oil will come in handy. Rub it on their skin, especially in places where the skin is dry or irritated. Is good for eczema that dogs and cat get, also as a minor bug repellant! Love your posts, Marie. I have been making skin care products on and off since 1997 and love it! Thanks!
My first bottle of neem oil just arrived, and I was pleasantly surprised to find it smells more like a BBQ sauce or some kind of savory food that something horrid, which is what the rest of the internet seems to think, haha. I can’t wait to start playing with it, especially with the mosquitoes starting to come out in full force. Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me!
I’m taking this moment to say, “I told you so!” 🙂
Yup! I’ll be happy to spread the word a bit more widely as well, it’s a pity it’s stanky reputation seems to be wholly undeserved… though I can understand that not everyone wants to smell like BBQ sauce 😛
Marie,
This sounded great…is great. I wanted to make it right away because I was out of lotion and a couple of friends are always waiting on samples of my latest experiments. I decided I was ‘confident’ enough to make one big batch. Four times the recipe. I don’t know if I copied an amount wrong or it was matter of ratios but it would not completely emulsify. GRRRRR! So I let it alone for about 24hrs. Then I gently heated up to temp and added a little bit more emulsifier. This time it worked great. I could be a little thinner so it will come out of lotion bottles easier;-) But it’s luscious feeling, sinks in fast. It did have a bit of a tea scent also – very faint. Even my husband likes it and he doesn’t care for anything scented, normally! I did note amounts I used and everything I did.
Thanks!
How odd that it took 24 hours and some extra massaging to emulsify! What e-wax did you use? I have found that some take 3 or so days to come to their full thickness, so you may find your lotion sets up by the end of the week 🙂
Glad you’re loving it!
The e-wax I used is NDA’s Self Emulsifying Wax N. After a few days it did thicken A LOT! Too much 😉 But I am going to make it again, single batch, because even thick it has this incredible feel on my hands and arms. There is still a slight tea scent to it even.
Is there a different type of emulsify wax that you used?
Interesting , huh?
Liz
I’m always amazed at the differences in performances between different kinds of e-waxes. It’s so strange! I usually use emulsimulse from Saffire Blue—I love it because it thickens about 90% immediately, so there’s no waiting period. For this lotion, though, I think I used Polawax, and that, too, takes a few days to thicken up properly.
It’s ALL so very weird… and frustrating. But if you can make it to the end product without going loopy it is worth it – I guess!
Liz
If nothing else, I find it an interesting motivation to learn more about chemistry 🙂
Hi Marie!
You see, I’m a 15-year-old high school student who is looking for an idea for her investigatory project. I actually have this weird idea of making skin lotions with fruits that are rich in Vit-C. After a lot of back-aching research, I suddenly stumbled upon your website and I can already tell by the comments of your readers that your website is pretty great!
You’re actually quite good at giving tips and tricks on how to make homemade products. But may I ask… Is there any way that vit.C-rich fruits can be mixed/added into the lotion?
Hey Ghenesa!
There’s a few things to consider here. The first is that vitamin C is quite unstable (very prone to oxidization) and not easily absorbed into the skin.
The second is that incorporating food into body products makes them extremely prone to spoilage, even with the inclusion of a broad spectrum preservative.
So… yes, you can do it. You could puree a fruit and use it as part of the water phase of the lotion. Unfortunately, you are going to have a mouldy mess on your hands in a day or two, and you are unlikely to reap the benefits of the vitamin C. Also, please don’t use citrus fruits! They are photosensitizing.
Sorry to be a bummer :/ You might want to look at something like a face mask instead 🙂