How To Make Beeswax Lotion

When the weather gets chilly and I’m stuck indoors is when I feel the need to craft and make/bake things. Last year, I made beeswax candles (& paleo chocolate chip cookies…hmmm) when I got restless. This year, I wanted to make something I’ve never made before but didn’t want to spend a fortune on ingredients, so I choose to make beeswax lotion. The ingredients are inexpensive, and some might even already be in your cupboard. I was truly shocked at how easy it was to make this lotion!

You’ll need:

• Beeswax- white or yellow, your preference
• Olive oil
• Coconut oil
• Vitamin E oil– make sure it’s the kind that’s suitable to skin contact
• Essential oil of your choice if you’d like to enhance the scent (I loveeee rosemary)- make sure it’s the kind that’s suitable for skin contact
• Shea butter 
• Mason jars- size of your choice, just make sure they’re new or cleaned very well. I used these 4 oz jars.

The How

Now comes the easy part.

1. Add all of your ingredients together in the jars, EXCEPT the essential oil.
2. Put the lid on the jars but not all the way tight so any air can escape.
3. Fill a pot with just enough water to be below the jar lids and put your burner on low.
4. Place the jars in the pot until all the components are melted.
5. Remove the jars, let cool for 3-5 minutes, then add your essential oil and stir.
6. Now you can either put the lid back on and let cool all the way to allow it to solidify to a balm texture or you can stir every 5 or so minutes to create a more whipped, soft lotion texture.

I’m not going to give you exact measurements for this, and I’ll tell you why. Because there are a million different sized jars, and the ratio of each item is entirely dependent on the space you have in your jars. I will try to give you some ratios to go off of though. Thankfully, it’s not an exact science, and there’s a little wiggle room for error.

• 1/3 olive oil
• 1/4 coconut oil
• 1/4 beeswax – the more beeswax you add, the thicker/harder your consistency will be.
• Tablespoon shea butter
• Teaspoon vitamin e oil
• 15-20 drops essential oil
• I also added ground up dehydrated fresh rosemary to my jars while everything was still liquified to give it a little texture and interest.

This lotion makes a great homemade gift that isn’t cheesy or “too homemade!” The Viatmin E oil helps give the lotion a longer shelf life, about 6 months as far as I understand. I made 12 jars of it for Christmas gifts this year, and I’m hoping I end up having one extra for myself. It smells so good and leaves your hands as soft as butter!