I just love a great body lotion. The right recipe leaves skin feeling happy and moisturized without being overly greasy or slimy. In my experience, a lotion is only as good as its ingredients. This gives hand crafted lotions a huge advantage over their typical store-bought counterparts. Handmade lotions can be packed with skin-loving natural ingredients like nourishing carrier oils, moisturizing vegetable butters, and delicate hydrosols. This Chia Coconut Body Lotion, for example, is good to the very last drop.

We used a blend of our Organic Virgin Chia Seed Oil, Cupuacu Butter, and Organic Virgin Coconut Oil for the oil phase of this recipe. This simple, three-ingredient blend gives the lotion a light texture that absorbs into the skin quickly but delivers an impressive dose of moisture. A touch of glycerin helps the lotion retain that moisture, giving skin a long-lasting reprieve from dryness.

 

Lemon Balm Hydrosol adds a cheerful herbal note to the aroma of the finished lotion, though the scent of spearmint and chamomile are most prevalent. You can easily customize this recipe by swapping out the Hydrosol and Essential Oils for any blend you prefer.

We used a combination of two of our newest natural preservatives to help stabilize this recipe. LactoCoconut Extract and Lactobacillus Ferment work together in this recipe to help provide protection from microbes, yeast, and mold. If you prefer using a different type of preservative, simply swap out these two ingredients and add your preferred preservative at its own recommended usage rate.

You may also choose to omit these ingredients if you prefer to make a preservative-free recipe. In that case, we recommend storing the finished lotion in the refrigerator to help keep it fresh. Un-preserved lotions generally last for 1-2 weeks, but that shelf life can vary.

 

Chia Coconut Body Lotion
Makes about 2 2-ounce jars (Total 120 ml by volume)

Ingredients

Oil Phase

• 12 grams Organic Virgin Chia Seed Oil
• 12 grams Cupuacu Butter
• 12 grams Organic Virgin Coconut Oil
• 10 grams Emulsifying Wax
• 2 grams Stearic Acid

Water Phase

• 35 grams Lemon Balm Hydrosol
• 35 grams distilled water
• 2 grams Palm-Free Organic Glycerin

Additives

• 30 drops Roman Chamomile Essential Oil
• 10 drops Spearmint Essential Oil
• 2.4 grams LactoCoconut Extract Preservative
• 2.4 grams Lactobacillus Ferment Water Soluble Preservative

Directions

1. Heat ingredients for oil phase (chia seed oil, cupuacu butter, coconut oil, emulsifying wax, and stearic acid) in a double boiler until solids are fully melted.
2. In a separate vessel, warm ingredients for water phase (hydrosol, distilled water, and glycerin). Ingredients should be heated until they are piping hot, but should not be allowed to boil.
3. Remove the oil phase from heat, and whisk continuously as water phase ingredients are slowly drizzled into the mixture. Take your time and make sure to whisk vigorously during this step.
4. The mixture should become opaque as the emulsion forms. Continue to whisk mixture for at least 10 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick and creamy with a texture similar to pudding or sour cream.
5. Whisk the essential oils and preservatives into the cream and whip well to ensure ingredients have been well blended.
6. Transfer cream to sterilized jars or pump bottles.

Usage & Packaging

• Coconut Chia Body Lotions looks great in our 2-ounce Flint Jars. You can also try packaging this formula in a 4 ounce Pump Bottle.
• This recipe should last for at least three months if packaged and handled with care. However, this shelf life is an estimation as this formulation has not been challenge tested.

Back to blog.