It’s the season for everyone’s favorite autumnal spices. Crisp fall scents and flavors are in our lattes, our pastries, our diffusers, our perfumes, and more. They’re also in one of my favorite Mountain Rose Herbs lotion recipes! Although I love thicker creams and body butters for everyday moisturizing, I like to keep lotion in a pump bottle by the sink to use after hand-washing. This DIY lotion recipe is so easy to make, which means it’s simple to switch up the scent to match the seasons or my current mood. This time of year, it’s all about the satisfying aromas of autumn.
Let’s talk for a moment about shelf life. Although this is a fun and easy way to make lotion, it does not have a preservative and includes water in the form of chamomile hydrosol. This means it’s going to have a shorter shelf life than a product that includes preservatives. Water breeds life, including microbial life, so mold and other bacterial spoilage can become an issue with any formulation that includes water, hydrosols, witch hazel, aloe vera juice, flower waters, milk, etc. Without a broad-spectrum preservative, water-containing emulsions like lotions, hair rinses, room and linen sprays, and cleaning products all need to be made and stored properly to achieve their longest shelf life. Here are our guidelines for working safely and successfully without preservatives:
- Make smaller quantities, approximately what you will use in 3 months. .
- Make sure you only use absolutely clean equipment, utensils, and storage bottles.
- Take out only as much lotion as you will use in the next week and always store the rest in the refrigerator. If properly made and stored, the back-stock will last 3-4 months.
- Don’t dip your fingers in your lotion container because you can introduce contaminants that will make it go bad sooner. Instead, always use a sterile spoon or spatula to transfer the lotion from the back-stock container to your daily use container. Similarly, either use a spoon to scoop out lotion for daily use or keep it in a pump bottle.
- Store your daily-use container away from direct sunlight and heat.
- If the lotion separates or smells off, discard it and make new.
These steps not only extend shelf life, they ensure that you’re using the freshest ingredients on your body.
One last quick note before we jump to the recipe: an immersion blender will make your lotion-formulating life much easier. A hand mixer will also work, but they are constructed to beat air into a batter, which is not what you want to do when making lotion. We have a work-around for that if you don’t have an immersion blender (see directions).
DIY Lotion Recipe to Celebrate Fall
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Ingredients
Directions
- Arrange a double boiler with water in the bottom. Set over medium heat.
- Combine hydrosol, oil, shea or mango butter, emulsifying wax, stearic acid, vegetable glycerine, and citric acid in the top of the double boiler.
- Heat mixture, stirring regularly with a rubber spatula, whisk, or other non-reactive tool, until everything is completely melted and combined. You want to make sure there are no remaining bits of wax, etc. Mixture will heat to about 170°F. It's okay if it gets a little hotter, but do not let the mixture come to a boil!
- When everything is melted and incorporated in the double boiler, pour into a medium (3-4 cups) bowl and let cool to about 160°F.
- Use an immersion blender or hand mixer at approximately medium speed to blend (they are all different, so do what makes the most sense for your model). Make sure the beater is submerged deeply in the mixture so you don’t create a lot of bubbles and foam. Blend for 1-2 minutes. Then use a clean rubber spatula or wooden spoon to vigorously stir down any resulting bubbles or foam and reincorporate them into the mix. Scrape down the sides.
- Use the immersion blender again, fully submerged, for another couple of minutes. Repeat the stirring-down process with the spatula or spoon.
- Test the temperature of your mix. When it has cooled to about 110°F, add vitamin E and essential oils.
- Repeat the immersion blender and hand-stirring process a few times, until you have achieved a thickened lotion consistency, about 5 minutes. You should be able to lift the blender or spoon and the lotion will fold over and leave a track (as opposed to being so liquid that it reincorporates smoothly into the lotion), but it should not be so thick that you can create peaks. It will thicken more as it cools.
- Pour your lotion back-stock into a sterile container with an airtight lid, label it with the name of the lotion and the date made, and store in refrigerator. Take out only as much lotion as you will use in the next week and put into a small, sterile bottle with a pump top. Label, and store in a cool place away from direct light and heat fluctuations for easy day-to-day use. Always store the rest in the refrigerator. If properly made and stored, the back-stock will last 3-4 months.
Pro Tips
- You can use distilled water in place of the hydrosol. Tap water varies significantly, which can throw off the pH in lotions, so I avoid using it.
- To make a heavier body lotion, use olive oil or avocado oil in place of almond or jojoba oil.
Want to pair this recipe with some seasonal soap?
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