hey man, how'd you make that lotion?

November 26, 2007 11:43 AM

Need advice on making the ultimate moisturizer.

I suffer dry skin and worse, sandal foot. You know, when you live in sandals and have chapped, rough, non-fetishizable feet. The rest of my body suffers winter skin. So, I was thinking of making my own cream using unrefined shea butter, coconut oil, cocoa butter and almond oil. First, which suppliers would you suggest; second, anyone with advice who has done this?

I know that there are many lotions out there but I want to have control and no petroleum products in my lotion/creme. I prefer organic and unrefined. Any advice, comments and sources welcome.

posted by jadepearl to Clothing, Beauty, & Fashion (6 answers total)

Here's a metachat post where I describe my concoction, which kicks ass. And kicks any flaky skin on ass, too. It's a fantastic daily moisturizer, and is especially good for feet. A few people have made it and all liked it quite a bit. MeFi's Own taz loves it and uses it and has gifted people with it, too! You can add a drop or two of any scented oil to that as well. Tropical Traditions and Wilderness Family both make great CO - I've bought from both online and they're both very good, but you can find their equivalent at most health food stores. It keeps forever too, so it seems. I made a batch over two years ago that's still fine, at room temperature.
posted by iconomy at 11:55 AM on November 26, 2007

don't forget to exfoliate, too. you can't moisturize dead skin. soak your feet in warm water for about fifteen minutes, then go to town with a pumice. when it hurts, stop. ideally, stop a little bit before that happens.

barely pat dry, then slather on a rich moisturizer (i like aquaphor and eucerin). be sure to rub it in well. put on cotton socks and go to bed. in the morning your feet will be nice and smooth.
posted by thinkingwoman at 12:23 PM on November 26, 2007

What about honey or honeycomb as an ingredient? Slightly off-topic, but in addition to being useful as an antibiotic, honey was used as an emulsifier in medicine for the last few centuries and is great, natural, and exceptionally good for you. I found a few recipes for moisturizers that use honey here, here and here. Good luck!
posted by arnicae at 12:33 PM on November 26, 2007

I've made whipped shea butter using variations on these recipes. I buy my butters and oils locally at health food stores.
posted by oneirodynia at 12:36 PM on November 26, 2007

This stuff is safe for babies to eat, and does a fantastic job of fixing up cracked heels.

As for suppliers for the ingredients you mentioned: any "Bulk Barn"-type bulk foods store would be my first choice.
posted by kmennie at 1:56 PM on November 26, 2007

Shea butter rocks! i would avoid coconut oil though, it is known to clog the skin. i used to make a body butter that was pretty solid at room temp, but once you started heating it up with your body/hands, it absorbed really well. i don't have the recipe handy, but i believe it had about 40% shea butter, about 25% almond oil, and 15% cocoa butter. Lavendar essential oil was my favorite, not only its scent but for its skin benefits (just a couple of drops per container)

This supplier has shea butter & some good info, tins too i think. This forum has heaps of info (look/search the cosmetics, bath & body section)

Also, shea butter tends to get grainy from melting & the fats re-crystallizing. Its not a problem for the skin, it just feels nicer to have a smoother butter. Just heat it for about 15 minutes, and then cool it quickly once your goods are ready (containers that have been in the freezer, then stick the finished products in the fridge).
posted by hazel at 2:13 PM on November 26, 2007