Lotion Recipes
Wondering how to make lotion? I've got dozens of recipes, so you'll never have to buy it again!
My How-to Video
Want to see lotion making happen before your eyes? Check out my video tutorial!
What are emulsifying waxes and are they all the same?
All lotions need an emulsifier, and my recipes call for emulsifying waxes. Learn about the three most popular kinds and how they effect your final product!
A Quick Guide to Preservatives
Because all lotions have water in them, they’ll mold sooner rather than later without a broad spectrum preservative. Here’s a quick guide!
Ice Palace Body Glow Lotion
We're continuing our Ice Palace theme today with this lovely Ice Palace Body Glow Lotion! This one is really neat in the skin feel/consistency department. In regards to viscosity and absorption speed, it's more like a mid-weight lotion—but the richness is closer to...
Hemp & Shea Hand and Body Lotion
This silky Hemp & Shea Hand and Body Lotion is another Bee Better project, riffing on and updating the Healing Herbal Hemp & Shea Lotion I shared back in October 2014. This version keeps many of the same ingredients and very much riffs on the same themes of...
Nourishing Hand Rescue Lotion
This gorgeous Nourishing Hand Rescue Lotion is another "riff" project—taking inspiration from April's much-loved Intense Hand Rescue Cream with the aim of creating something similar, but lighter and more pump-top/squeeze tube friendly. I positively adore April's...
Passionfruit Coconut Conditioning Body Lotion + Hair Conditioner
Today's DIY is a beautiful Passionfruit Coconut Conditioning Body Lotion. This rich emulsion is not only a great hand and body lotion, but it also makes a fantastic hair conditioner! Depending on your hair (and how much you use), it can be anything from a hair mask to...
Summer Glow Body Lotion
Today's DIY is another Bee Better project—an update of the Summer Shimmer Body Lotion I shared back in 2015 (over five years ago!). This lotion is lightweight and packs a serious shimmery punch to leave you glowing like a summer sunset. You can easily customize the...
Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion
Today we're going back to the basics with a Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion. I pared down the ingredients as much as I could, so this lotion just features five (5!) inexpensive ingredients that can be easily modified to suit what you have, or what you prefer. If...
Intense Hand Rescue Cream
This decadent Intense Hand Rescue Cream became an instant favourite of mine while it was still warm in the beaker. It's thick and rich, with a very luxurious skin feel and stunning slip. It's also loaded with all kinds of great-for-skin goodies like colloidal oatmeal,...
Watermelon Mint Hand & Body Lotion
This powder-pink Watermelon Mint Hand & Body Lotion is a bit of a departure from the heavier designed-for-winter lotions I've shared lately (I might be dreaming about warmer weather!). It's lightweight, with gorgeous slip and fast dry-down, and it's pump-bottle...
Lavender Aloe Lotion
We're continuing our Lavender Aloe theme today with a dusty purple lotion with a gorgeous powdery finish. It smells softly of lavender and quickly vanishes into your skin, leaving it feeling richly moisturized with no greasiness. Featuring soothing aloe vera juice,...
Little E’s Lemon Shea Hand Lotion
Today's lotion is one I created at the request of some friends. Their daughter (Little E) had painfully dry, cracked hands through the winter, and she really didn't like to use lotion as most of it stung and hurt. That really resonated with me as that's what my hands...
Moisturizing Repair Cream
Welcome to our first formulation of 2020—a beautiful Moisturizing Repair Cream! I am so excited about this rich, nourishing hand cream. It's positively perfect for this time of year, helping protect skin against the winter dry and cold. Our two power ingredients are...
White Chocolate Peppermint Foot Cream
Mint and foot cream = a fabulous match. Mint and chocolate = also fabulous. Mint + chocolate + foot cream = amazingness! Decadent, refreshing, tingly, tootsie-treating goodness, all bundled up in a rich and silky White Chocolate Peppermint Foot Cream. This one has a...
Creamy Autumn Grounding Lotion
Last month I shared a Creamy Autumn Grounding Salve, starring an intoxicating blend of essential oils—patchouli, lavender, benzoin, and ylang-ylang. I'd intended for the salve to be a one-off, but after sniffing away at it for a few weeks I knew I needed to use that...
Rich Shealoe Butter Cream
This decadent Rich Shealoe Butter Cream is the first project I'm tackling in my Bee Better series; it's an update of the Homemade Shealoe Butter Cream I shared back in February 2014. The idea was to create my own shealoe butter type product, inspired by the plethora...
Rosé Moisturizing Body Cream
If you love body-butter-esque creams, this one is for you. This Rosé Moisturizing Body Cream has a consistency that makes me want to dollop it on a big slice of pie, or perhaps eat it out of an artisanal waffle cone. It smells fantastic and is loaded with ingredients...
Sweetgrass Hand Lotion
Today we're whipping up a softly scented Sweetgrass Hand Lotion as a continuation of our sweetgrass series. In keeping with the theme, this creamy lotion is entirely scented by stunning sweetgrass hydrosol, which reminds me of sunshine on dry prairie grass and honey,...
Mango Mango Body Lotion
Today we are continuing my quest to MANGO ALL THE THINGS with this juicy Mango Mango Body Lotion. It's a pretty simple lotion, designed to showcase mango love without too many fancy ingredients. It's lightweight and moisturizing, bright orange, and smells like beaches...
Pemberley Hand Lotion
I'm really excited to share this formula with you guys—this Pemberley Hand Lotion was my Formula Botanica final project, and I received a mark of 100% for it! The project was to create a product for a specific customer. I designed this gorgeous hand lotion for...
Rose Aloe Body Cream
Today's recipe is for a rich, fragrant body cream designed to soothe, soften, and hydrate dry and irritated winter skin. It is super thick and creamy (definitely not pumpable!), making it incredibly decadent to use. You'll scoop up a silky dollop of this Rose Aloe...
Christmas Tree Hand & Body Lotion
This sweetly scented Christmas Tree Hand & Body Lotion is just the thing for dry winter skin. It has a wonderful rich consistency, but is surprisingly light. It's packed with humectants and soothing ingredients to help tame dry, itchy skin, leaving it soft and...
Soothing Aloe Aftershave Cream
Today's recipe comes from a recipe request from Felipe; he was looking for an "aftershave balm that is easily absorbed on the skin and helps the skin recover after the shave". He also included a link to a product he liked, and a quick look at the ingredients showed...
Lightweight French Lavender Hand Lotion
One of the first products I ever really wanted to dupe was a lavender scented hand lotion from L'Occitane. The scent was the first thing that drew me in—a soft, powdery lavender with hints of citrus and vanilla. It was also a wonderfully light lotion, but still...
Mom’s Creamsicle Hand and Body Lotion
I thought I'd do something a little different for Mother's Day this year. Instead of sharing recipes your moms might like, I'm sharing a recipe I made with my mom, based on what she likes! My parents live on the coast, where it's much more humid, so when my mom visits...
Sleepy Time Lavender Benzoin Lotion
This soft, sweet Sleepy Time Lavender Benzoin Lotion has become a fast favourite of mine. I look forward to smoothing it down my arms and legs before tucking into bed and drifting off with sweet vanilla-frosted lavender floating around me. I also find the oats in the...
