One of my favorite ways to get together with friends is to have a few gals over to make something crafty together. You can have fun chatting and sipping on coffee or even munching on donuts, while you’re making whatever you’re making. You’re also being productive at the same time.
I already mentioned how I like to have friends over for homemade soap making parties. This morning I had a couple friends over to make homemade body lotion (well, technically, we made whipped body recipe) together. We used the recipe for whipped body butter on the Pine Meadows website (www.pinemeadows.com). This is where I buy a lot of my soap and lotion making supplies. They have great products, and good recipes on their site as well.
The ingredients necessary for making whipped body are:
100 grams shea butter
100 grams cocoa butter
160 grams coconut oil
20 grams stearic acid
60 grams emulsifying wax
620 grams distilled water
40 grams liquid glycerin
7 grams Germaben II (a natural preservative)
15-20 grams fragrance oil
Here are some step-by-step pictures of our body butter making process:
First, you need to have two separate, microwavable mixing containers. Each should hold about two quarts. In one container, weigh the first five ingredients—the shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, stearic acid and emulsifying wax . Use a digital scale with a tare feature to do your weighing.
One all five of the ingredients are in container #1, melt the mixture down in the microwave, in one minute increments, stirring after each minute.
In the second container, weigh out the water and liquid glycerin. Put this container in the microwave for two minutes to warm it.
Next, pour the water and glycerin mixture into the first container with all the butters and oils.
Get out a stick blender and blend until the mixture is thickened (like softened butter). The recipe on the Pine Meadows site said this would take 10 minutes, but it took us closer to 25 minutes to thicken.
Once the mixture is thickened, add the germaben II and fragrance oil. Blend these all together so that you have a very smooth and consistent whipped body butter.
Transfer the finished body butter into small cosmetic jars.
This recipe makes approximately 10 4-oz. jars.
You can buy all of your supplies for lotion making on the Pine Meadows website, as well as other soap supply websites. You can also find a nice selection of cosmetic jars at the Container Store; that’s where I got mine.
Lotion making is a fun activity to share with friends. I also think that having some homemade lotions to share with friends is fun too…and another way to show hospitality!
Happy lotion making!
~Becky
used this recipe yesterday for our daughters 12th Birthday party - very helpful, thank you. The stick blender was pretty overworked, and I wondered if a processor would be more efficient? Plan to try the hand cream soon, and am hoping that you have a recipe for a good face cream?
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel,
ReplyDeleteI posted another lotion recipe a few weeks ago. This one does not need to be blended until thickened. You just mix it for 10-15 minutes, and then refrigerate it, and that thickens it. This is actually my favorite of the two lotion recipes--a little "cleaner" feeling.
I was trying to make this recipe and it just wont thicken...it is really watery...im not sure what I did wrong. I have been mixing for over 30 minutes.
ReplyDeleteIt thickens slightly while you're mixing. Then let it set (either out in the open at room temperature or in the fridge if you want it to set faster) and that'll thicken it up the rest of the way.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't need to thicken completely while you're mixing...maybe only slightly. Once the mixture seems slightly thickened, then you pour it into containers and let it set out at room temperature (or in the fridge a while to speed up the process) and it'll thicken the rest of the way.
ReplyDeleteOk, it did eventually set, but a lot of water separated out...I think I may have to try this one again. Thanks!
Delete