Up until recently, I wasn’t interested in creating my own bath and body products. I like to keep things really simple, and over the past couple of years I’ve only used regular coconut or olive oil for all of my skin care needs. Olive oil works wonders as a makeup remover!
However, oil can have a drying affect on the skin, so it’s not always the best moisturizer on its own. Yes, as strange as it sounds, oils can actually dry-out your skin! So, I started looking into other all-natural options and discovered the moisturizing capabilities of pure shea butter, which for some reason, I had been previously intimidated to try.
I’m so glad I got over that.
Initially, I tried sticking to my usual routine with the raw shea butter, using it straight-up as a lotion. It has a soft, putty-like texture that melts in your hands, but it was almost too putty-like and left a heavy feeling on my skin. Hence, why I finally decided to try making a lotion with it.
Keeping things as simple as possible, I paired the raw shea butter with pure olive oil, which is a good source of vitamins A and E. The result is a rich and buttery cream that keeps my skin healthy and supple. I use this cream daily after washing my face, and love how it makes my skin feel!
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My Favorite 2-Ingredient Lotion
Makes about 5 ounces
Ingredients:
4 ounces raw shea butter (I ordered this brand in ivory)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Gently melt the shea butter over the stove using a double boiler. (I just fill a 2-quart saucepan with a couple inches of water, then fit one of my oven-safe serving bowls over the top to create a make-shift double boiler.)
Tip: If you don’t have a food scale to measure the shea butter, simply cut the one-pound block into roughly 4 evenly-sized pieces. They’ll each be about 4 ounces.
Stir the olive oil into the melted butter, then place the mixture in the fridge to cool for 30 to 40 minutes, until it’s at least half-way solidified again. Then all you have to do is use a hand mixer to beat the mix until the lotion has a creamy texture, which takes about 5 minutes. (I tried stirring it with a spatula first, but the hand mixer makes the texture MUCH better!)
Transfer the lotion into a glass jar, and use as often as desired! It should last for at least 6 months, if not longer.
Notes:
- You’ll notice that many store-bought lotions contain water as one of the first ingredients, which gives them a thinner and more liquid-like texture. If you want a moisturizer similar to that, you’ll need to add a preservative to the mix, as adding water will make the lotion spoil quickly without it. I didn’t want to work with preservatives, which is why I stuck to this easy 2-ingredient formula.
- If you’d like your lotion to have a scent, you can add one or more of your favorite essential oils to the mix.
Enjoy!
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Reader Feedback: Have you ever made your own lotion before?
I have been using organic grass fed tallow to make a simular cream. I also use olive oil but, I infuse it with some herbs. I have been whipping it as well. I get the feeling you don’t use much animal products and realize that this might sound totally yucky to you! It works great though! The animals amino acids are simular to ours so, when you apply it to your skin, your body know how to use it. Thanks for all you do Megan! xoxox
I made this today just as the recipe is. It was amazing how it creamed up when it was whipped! And it felt like putting a combo of butter and silk on my skin. I was using my shea butter as is, but this is so silky and nice! And it is still quite simple and natural which is great! Thanks for posting this recipe!
IN LOVE!!!! This is the third homemade lotion recipe I’ve tried. It’s so simple and just luxurious! I actually used mango butter and avocado oil (bc I ran out of shea butter). It goes on so smooth and creamy and thick. It’s a tad oily upon first applying but that dissipates pretty quickly. Thank you so very much for this recipe. I’m so excited about this find!!!
I agree that this is a good recipe but “oil can have a drying affect on the skin”… Come on, you are kidding… right?
I use coconut oil and other oils for absolutely everything exclusively and have never had such moisturized skin and hair (and am not missing the parabens and other cancer causing ingredients. I have replaced all lotion with: baobab beauty oil for my face (doesn’t clog pores but moisturizes great), a combo of coconut and almond oil for body and heated coconut oil for hot oil treatment for my hair and coconut/almond on ends of hair as a texturizer/leave in conditioner, as well as a castile soap which contains several different oils as well.
PLEASE do some research before you blog about specific facts like that that are clearly untrue.
Oil *can* have a drying effect since all they do is form a layer on the skin that prevents water loss.
I suggest you do some research also before you publish your opinions and/or comments.
🙂
I agree with you, Kirsten. Susie is wrong. I’ve been using coconut oil on my body exclusively for a year, and if I accidentally miss a spot, I realize my skin is REALLY dry under there. I just whipped up this recipe with shea butter (used coconut instead of olive oil, though) because I need more real moisturizing this cold winter. Fingers crossed!
Susie, we all have our own opinions and experiences. Why be rude? Megan is trying to be helpful. You could have simply stated your experience & left a nicer impression on us all. Chill!
this is in reply to those who think that oil cannot be drying. Everyone’s skin is different. Just because a certain oil wont dry out your skin does not mean it wont dry out someones else’s skin. Coconut oil by itself will leave my skin very dry so I MUST combine it with something else. Please be more considerate and yes, do some research before posting your opinions.
Mine turned hard. Nothing creamy about it. It was creamy when I whipped it and it is at room temp. Wondering if I can remelt and somehow fix this but it seems others had the same problem. ?
Mine was only hard when I used shea butter from a store instead of the “Better Shea Butter” that she recommended.
Megan
Any suggestions on a facial cleanser
thanks
Jo
Love this! I just made my own lavender vanilla lotion and am excited to see how it turns out. It took a bit more than 2 ingredients, so I will have to try yours once mine is finished:)
Hi there , can exchange mango butter for Shea butter, with same results, or only Shea butter is as ‘creamy’ ?
Thanks
I’ve never tried mango butter before! If it has the same creamy qualities as shea butter, I imagine it would work, too.
I made this cream but mine has gone back to a solid form just like the original shea butter. Should I add more olive oil? Or did I do something wrong?
It should go back to a semi-solid form, like a thick cream, but it shouldn’t be as firm as the original shea butter. You can add more oil to it if you’d like it to be softer, but I find that mine melts easily in my hands when I apply it to my face– just be sure to rub it in really well, like you’re giving yourself a little facial massage. Adding water is what makes store-bought lotions so creamy, but then you also have to add a preservative, which I prefer to avoid.
It’s much more solid than a thick cream. It is like the solid Shea butter block. I have to dig out pieces. I will try adding a little more oil. Thank you for your reply!
Love the recipe! This is exactly what I used to make lotions, sometimes I would include coconut oil, but there is nothing quite like shea. I don’t have time to make lotion anymore, thankfully I found a lotion that only has two ingredients, ozone layer hand and body lotion, which is very similar in texture to my homemade recipe, except it pumps which I really like. They use rosemary extract which apparently keeps it fresh, but other than than it’s pure shea butter.
Works great! I’m a 19 year old black (light skin) male that’s is good looking and has a great sense of style and what is cool lol. I’m just saying that this is the new wave (trend) that’s gonna come up in the youth. All natural products and veganism/seganism. Mark my words. Great recipe though btw! Best lotion I’ve ever used.
Boy, bye. Light skinned or not, you still get ashy like every black person out there. It’s a post about lotion, no one cares about your ‘light skinnedness’
Can I use grape seed oil instead of olive oil?
Can I use jojoba oil instead of olive oil?
CAN I USE ALMOND OIL IN THIS RECIPE?
where can i download the whole book? for lotion ?
How much essential oil should you add and at what point in the process?! 🙂 Thanks!
Do you have a homemade all over body lotion that you use? Or do you use the same one? Thanks, Christy
This is what I use as an all-over lotion, but I only apply it to wet skin right after taking a shower to lock-in moisture. Otherwise I think it’s too thick as a body lotion on dry skin.
Is this very oily? Most DIY body butters don’t work for mw as they are too oily and I find they dry out my hands.
Thanks a lot ..I love this post ..and i love allways natural creams only .
Did you know Geranium essential oil has great skin softening properties?
Is it possible to replace the shea butter with mango butter? I’ve never used the latter before.
How many drops of essential oil do you recommend for this quantity of cream?
I made this lotion yesterday and as yet haven’t used it. My question is, it went back to a more solid consitancy like butter. Is it supposed to be like that, or is it possible that i whipped it too long?
It does become more solid, like a butter. That’s why I usually apply it to wet skin, to help it distribute further. Store-bought lotions have quite a bit of water added to them, and that’s why they have to add preservatives to help keep everything from spoiling to fast from the added moisture.
How do you get the final product sink white when you started off with yellow items? Also, why olive oil. nearly 99 percent of all olive oil sold in USA Is fake. It’s so hard to find olive oil to eat, that you most likely got nut oil, very dangerous to anyone with nut allergies, like me.