This homemade non-greasy lotion moisturizes the skin leaving it smooth and silky. Enhanced with nettles this light homemade face moisturizer nourishes and promotes healthy skin and helps with skin irritations.
As much as I like to use body butter in the winter as it is nutritious for my dry skin, with warmer weather I prefer lighter cream or homemade non-greasy lotion that doesn’t leave oily residue on my skin. If you want to achieve a moisturizing and light formula with a silky feeling, making lotion is the best option.
DIY lotion
homemade face lotion has a higher content of water than creams, which make it lighter and non greasy. While creams have a ratio of water and oil 50-50, DIY lotion on the other hand is dispersion of oil droplets in water with oil base about 20-30 percent and water 60-70 percent. That makes homemade face lotion very suitable for normal to slightly dry skin. Moreover, the water base in DIY lotion allows you to add other water-soluble substances like herbal infusions or witch hazel that have great advantages for the skin
Making your own lotion ingredients
Water part
I used an herbal infusion made of nettle leaves. Nettle infusion is full of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes that are beneficial for the skin. But feel free to use other herbs that will suit your needs. Alternatively, using distilled water that is also great for making lotions.
Other herbal infusions you can consider:
Calendula (Calendula Officinalis) – is a great moisturizer, that heals burns, and sunburns and is also a great healer when it comes to eczema or acne.
Roses (Rosa canina) reduces redness, have a toning effect, balance the skin pH, and are also recommended for the treatment of psoriasis, eczema, and acne.
Comfrey (Symphytum Officinale) has anti-inflamatory properties and promotes skin healing. It works well on acne-prone skin and for spot-treating pimples.
Oily part
Similarly, you can adjust the oily part. I used nettle oil which I made by infusing dried nettle leaves in extra virgin olive oil. Based on the characteristics and properties of various oils you can decide which oils you want to use. Whether you want to infuse them with herbs or use just basic oil. Every time I want to make a cream, salve, or body butter I take into consideration the skin type of person the formula is made for and its purpose.
How to make nettle infused oils. I use dried nettle leaves that I grind between my fingers before mixing them with oil. Add small pieces of dried nettle leaves into a sterilized jar and pour over extra virgin oil so the leaves are completely covered. Place the jar into a double boiler and bring it to simmer. Simmer for 5 hours but make sure you don’t exceed the temperature of 50 C (122 F). Strain the herbal macerate with cheesecloth and your nettle infused oil is ready to be used in this lotion. Mineral-rich nettle oil helps with skin irritations
Similarly, you can make infused other herbs and make other herbal infusions such as dandelion oil, violet oil or plantain oil.
organic emulsifying wax
As I said homemade face lotion consists of The aqueous phase and oily phase. And we know that water and oil don’t mix together and separate. Unless there is something that binds them together. That we call emulsifying agent. Its role is to lower the surface tension between the two phases.
They are various emulsifiers and I selected emulsifying wax for our project as it is suitable for oil in water emulsions. This plant-based emulsifier made from wheat straw is suitable for lotions with a ratio of oil within 30 %
When we emulsify both water and oily base they need to have the same temperature, ideally at 60-80°C.
When making your own lotion with a large portion of water in it we will be adding preservatives into the formula.
natural preservatives for lotion
While I want this lotion to be as natural as possible I want also it to be safe with a lovely smell. When I make salves or body butter that doesn’t contain any water I can make them preservatives free and they will last refrigerated for up to one year.
Body lotion homemade requires the use of preservatives. The water part that we are adding into homemade non greasy lotion makes them actually less greasy but another hand can create a cozy place for mold and bacteria.
Thus the need for a natural preservative that will make our homemade face lotion safe and long-lasting.
One of the preservatives I have a very good experience with is a naturally derived preservative called Leucidal Liquid SF – – Leucidal Liquid SF. Derived from lactobacillus ferment, this preservative is water-soluble and needs to dissolve in the water base before the emulsification process. If you are interested in other preservatives and why this particular Leucidal is rated high you can find more info in this interesting article from Nerdy Farm wife.
natural colorant
As I read positive feedback on chlorella I have used it in this formula for the first time. To highlight the presence of nettle I thought the Body lotion homemade will resonate in green. But it is not the only color Chlorella is popular for. It is loaded with B vitamins, magnesium, and zinc that calm skin inflammation and promote healthy functioning.
essential oils
Use of essential oil – I like to use some essential oil that is potent and can multiply herbal benefits however if you intend to use this DIY face lotion for children I suggest avoiding using the essential oil and sticking with infused oils only. Essential oils can penetrate the skin of small children and cause some potential risks.
Tools for making DIY lotion
- use tubes with a pump top to store the homemade face moisturizer instead of jars to limit microbial contamination.
- Double boiler
- Hand mixer
making your own lotion
First step
Clean all utensils to avoid any microbial contamination
Second step
Start with the aqueous part. Make herbal tea of your choice or use distilled water that you will need to warm up to 70 – 80C (160-170 F). In order to successfully emulsify both oily and water parts the temperatures needs to be same or very similar.
Third step
Use a double boiler to slowly dissolve beeswax, coconut oil, and emulsifying wax, stirring occasionally. Once fully dissolved remove from the heat and add nettle infused oil. MIx it well. Again check the temperature of the mixture and aim for 70 C (160 F).
Fourth step
With a hand mixer in one hand and warm water mixture in another hand slowly pour water part in the oily part while whisking. While the mixture cools the lotion will get thicker. Don’t be discouraged if you will feel the lotion is still very loose, you can always heat the mixture again and repeat the emulsification process. I like to wait till the lotion is cool to see the consistency.
Fifth step
Allow the mixture to cool slightly. You can add essential oil at this stage, mix it well and fill it into a sterilized glass jar with a pump
homemade lotion for a pump bottle
Each batch of this DIY face lotion pour into sanitized jars and allow to cool before capping. (This study demonstrates that jars are less than ideal for storing lotions; go with pump tops or flip caps instead.)
DIY lotion uses
When the nettle is applied to the skin in the form of salve or oil it helps suppress inflammation and relieve inflammatory diseases such as arthritis , dermatitis or psoriasis.
If you want your portion to be thicker you can always adjust its consistency with an increased amount of emulsifier. Or add more beeswax.
You’d cut down on the wax, and the oil. More herbal infusion or distilled water = runnier lotion
This looks like the lotion is not emulsified properly. Either you need to add more emulsifying agents or the temperature between two bases – water and oil weren’t the same. Don’t worry you can always warm and melt the lotion and add more emulsifier, mix it well and see the result.
DIY lotion: homemade face moisturizer
This homemade non greasy lotion moisturizes the skin leaving it smooth and silky. Enhanced with nettles this light homemade face moisturizer nourishes and promotes healthy skin and helps with skin irritations.
Materials
28 ml (0.9 oz) nettle tea
- 1 tablespoon dried nettle
- 28 ml (0.9 oz) boiled water
30 ml (1 oz) nettle oil
Tools
- double boiler
- hand blender
Instructions
- Start with the aqueous part. Make nettle tea or use distilled water that you will need to warm up to 70 - 80C (160-170 F). (In order to successfully emulsify both oily and water parts, the temperatures need to be the same or very similar.)
- Now comes the oily part. Use a double boiler to slowly dissolve beeswax, coconut oil, and lanolin, stirring occasionally. Once fully dissolved remove from the heat, let it cool a little bit, and add nettle infused oil.
- Mix it well. Again check the temperature of the mixture and aim for 70 C (160 F).
- With a hand blender in one hand and a warm water mixture in another hand slowly pour water part in the oily part while whisking. While the mixture cools the lotion will get thicker. Don’t be discouraged if you will feel the lotion is still very loose, you can always heat the mixture again and repeat the emulsification process. I like to wait till the lotion is cool to see the consistency.
- Allow the mixture to cool slightly
- add Leucidal and chlorella
- You can add essential oil at this stage,
- mix it well and fill it into a sterilized glass jar
- label and date your containers
Notes
keep in the fridge for up to 6 months
Recommended Products
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Double Boiler with Silicone Spatula, 600ml Stainless Steel Melting Pot with Heat Resistant Handle for Melting Chocolate, Candy, Candle, Soap and Wax
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Braun MQ5025 Hand Blender Multiquick Vario, MQ5025, Black
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Thank you for sharing your precious knowledge and experience!
Great recipe,
I just love Nettles, I want to make this cream.
But I want to know, how can I substitute the lanolin? It could ir be with olivem 1000, for example?
And how about leucidal?
Could be cosgard?
Thank you very much
Hi Daniela,
I wrote an article about natural emulsifiers where all your questions are answered. https://simplybeyondherbs.com/natural-emulsifiers/