Many of you have asked me if you can ditch the emulsifying wax in my other DIY cream recipes and use beeswax instead. With quite the know-it-all stance, I quickly assured you that beeswax would not properly bind oil and water. I had tried this method in my early days of experimenting with DIYs and created the most greasy, non-cohesive “cream”. It was super gross and I reluctantly had to throw away a lot of wasted ingredients. However, I have landed on a recipe for a DIY beeswax lotion that I’m very happy with!
I don’t know what got into me this morning but I decided to give it another try. Instead of using water, I used aloe vera gel. Aloe is still a water based ingredient but it offers a healing element as well as being very hydrating. I chose coconut oil for it’s healing, anti bacterial and anti fungal abilities and added some lavender and roman chamomile to further the soothing abilities of my new cream.
This cream started out perfect as you can see from my pictures! Within a few hours it became too hard to be creamy BUT even a few days later is still smooth and mostly emulsified. Even though this recipe isn’t a perfect lotion, I’m sharing it with you anyway because I actually love it.
Making a legit cream takes a lot of time and mess. This took me probably 10 minutes. It soaks into my skin quickly and leaves me so soft!! This is a huge victory. The con is the texture. Beeswax is simply not the same as emulsifying wax. Beeswax reacts differently to waters and oils and is not really meant to make a creamy, soft lotion.
The good thing about using beeswax is that it is actually nourishing for your skin. It comes from nature where as emulsifying wax is man made and very unnatural.
If you are looking to make a cream like what you would buy at a store, check out my moisturizer recipes like THIS, THIS and THIS. These recipes are as natural as I can get when having to use emulsifying wax and a preservative. This recipe is much more natural and when made in small amounts, no preservative is necessary.
So, let’s dig right in.
DIY Lotion Tips & Tricks:
- Do not put your mixture in the fridge. It will not whip or mix if it’s cold!
- Do not let your beeswax and coconut oil mixture get too hot. Heat will ruin the qualities of the coconut oil.
- Use HIGH QUALITY aloe vera gel and HIGH QUALITY coconut oil for best results.
- If you choose to not use a preservative, only make enough cream to last you only 2 weeks. Do not keep after 2 weeks. Bacteria will be an issue and just because it looks and smells ok, that doesn’t mean it’s not filled with bacteria!
DIY Beeswax Lotion
- 2 TBSP. Aloe Vera Gel (find it HERE)
- 2 TBSP. Coconut Oil (find it HERE) Seriously the BEST coconut oil!! (makes a difference with texture)
- 1/2 TBSP. Beeswax (find it HERE)
- 1/8 tsp. NeoDefend (find it HERE) OPTIONAL **I would only use a preservative if you plan to double or triple this recipe.**
- 15 drops Lavender Essential Oil (find it HERE)
- 10 drops of Roman Chamomile (find it HERE)
**This recipe makes about 2 ounces which is just enough to use all over for 2 weeks!**
- Fill a medium sized pot 1/2 way full with water.
- Place a glass pyrex measuring bowl into the water and turn heat to medium.
- OPTIONAL-If you choose to use a preservative mix it into your aloe vera gel so it can dissolve.
- Add coconut oil and beeswax to the pot and allow to slowly melt.
- Remove mixture from heat and add aloe vera into pyrex bowl.
- Using a hand held mixer, whip your mixture until it’s light and fluffy.
- Set aside until cool. (about an 30 minutes to an hour)
- OPTIONAL-Add essential oils.
- Whip again, making sure to get a smooth, creamy consistency. (if mixture is lumpy, it might have gotten too cold. Reheat and start process over)
- Transfer lotion to a glass jar and ENJOY!
Unfortunately, this lotion does not retain that beautiful creaminess in these pictures. Like I mentioned above, it does harden and if you try to mix with a spoon, while it still feels great, it just isn’t as creamy feeling! I will continue to make this type of lotion due to the time and the fact that it is much more pure then my other lotion recipes.
So there you have it! I am using it all over my 3 year old, hoping to combat a rash that I believe is fungal (coconut oil and essential oils are anti fungal!!). It has helped considerably with the itch and is for sure soothing her skin!
I have been also putting this lotion on me and hugely on my heels. My feet already look better-If you were to gauge my age by just looking at my heels, you’d probably guess I was about 100!
This DIY beeswax lotion is a must for the whole family!!
xx, Jenni
