Never made lotion before?
If you’re brand new to lotion making, start with my Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion.
What are emulsifying waxes and are they all the same?
All lotions need an emulsifier, and my formulations call for a variety of different emulsifiers. Learn more about them (and substitutions!) in the Humblebee & Me DIY Encyclopedia.
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!
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...
Eucalyptus Mint Foot Cream
I can't believe that in all the posts I've shared here (upwards of 1000 now!), I've yet to share a foot cream! There's a much-loved foot butter and a relaxing foot soak or two, but no foot cream—until today. This Eucalyptus Mint Foot Cream is a continuation of...
Lightweight Lavender Spruce Silk Lotion
January is our cold, dry month. It’s that month where the holidays have passed, the solstice is behind us, and it well and truly feels like we’ve settled into winter proper. Of course a chinook can always show up to toss aside the chill for a few days or a week at a...
Snowflake Body Lotion
This decadent, whippy lotion is in perfect keeping with our snowflake theme; it’s light and fluffy, but with the most wonderful rich, creamy consistency that feels incredibly luxurious. The scent is softly herbal, and even though it's really thick it's delightfully...
Ultra Rich Meadowfoam Body Cream
It's officially that time of year again—the time of year when my skin practically screams for lotion after I climb out of a bath or shower. When I'm slathering it all over there never seems to be enough lotion in my (usually sizeable) stash, so I decided to be sort-of...
Ginger Silk Summer Lotion
I've been experimenting recently with lighter lotions that are suitable for pump bottles and summery weather, and I am loving the results of these experiments. My first experiment was my Lemon Chiffon Body and Hand Lotion, and I was honestly surprised by just how much...
Heavenly Cocoa Lotion
This divine, lightweight, Heavenly Cocoa Lotion went straight into my purse, and that is high praise. Jasper requested a "simple yet effective facial moisturiser. Something a little bit like the LUSH Celestial Moisturiser... I worked for the company a while back as a...
Lemon Chiffon Body and Hand Lotion
I was just going to call this something like "citrus body lotion", but then I made it, and I tried it. And oh my. That dull name was nowhere near good enough. This beautiful, silky lotion is unbelievably smooth and lightweight, leaving skin touchably soft and lightly...
Winter Wonderland Body Lotion
Ok, so you know how some people get "hangry"? They get all kinds of cranky and irritable when they're hungry, sometimes leading their loved ones to carry around granola bars to avoid their low blood sugar induced wrath. I think there is a dry skin version of "hangry"....
Moraine Lake Body Lotion
I love few things more than the scent of the forest floor in the sun in the Canadian Rockies. A few weeks ago we took a trip out to Moraine Lake—one of the most famous lakes in the world. You might not know it by name, but you know the view; it's incredibly famous....
White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Lotion
To me, macadamia nuts will forever evoke memories of Hawaii. I was last there with my family when I was seventeen, and I remember picking up a bag of some chocolate covered macadamia nuts in the airport on our way home. Those nuggets of chocolatey goodness were...
Silken Rose and Green Tea Lotion
I've had this Silken Rose and Green Tea lotion on my to-make list for ages, and thought it was high time I moved it from the "to-do" list to the "done" list! Everything about it seemed like a good idea; healing aloe, moisturizing silk and honey, calming rose, and...
Lady London Fog Body Lotion
This silky soft Lady London Fog Body Lotion is inspired by the London Fog latte—Earl Grey tea steamed with vanilla syrup and milk. This lovely lotion has notes of tea, bergamot, and vanilla, with an added note of rose for a slightly sweeter, more delicate experience....
Rose Cardamom Body Lotion
This pretty pink rose cardamom body lotion is light as a feather but leaves skin unbelievably soft and hydrated. A blend of nourishing oils, fragrant rose wax, luxurious silk, and hydrating rose water comes together easily, leaving you with a decadent pot of...
Fir, Cypress, and Silk Body Lotion
There's been a line that reads "fir and cypress body lotion with sweet undertones (vanilla, floral?)" in my long list of project ideas for quite some time. It's been there for long enough that I'm not entirely certain where the idea came from. Perhaps I tried a hand...
Winter Shimmer Body Lotion
It seems hard (to me, at least) to think of New Year’s Eve without thinking of New York City. I fell thoroughly in love with New York in May of 2014, and I would love to be there on New Year’s Eve. Last summer I read Bill Bryson’s One Summer: America 1927 and I was...
Gold, Frankincense, & Myrrh Lotion
The age-old tale says three wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the baby Jesus, so one might say this sparkling Gold, Frankincense, & Myrrh Lotion is fit for a king. A base of honey and silk infused water is emulsified with [sv...
Pumpkin Spice Body Lotion
Allow me to continue to earn my keep on the fairground ride we call "PUMPKIN SPICE ALL THE THINGS!" with this decadent, pumpkin-y pumpkin spice body lotion. You'll smell a bit like a pie and your skin will be soft and happy—I think you'll like it. Don't blame me if...
Oktoberfest Oat Stout Lotion
This beer inspired lotion will leave your skin soft and won’t leave you smelling like beer—I promise. Its base of moisturizing, soothing oat milk and anti-inflammatory hops is great for skin that’s already missing summer. Want to watch this project instead of read it?...