Homemade Body Butter, Lotion with beeswax, free recipe

                            Homemade Chamomile Body Butter

UPDATED NOTE 2/25/15:   Please take note that this body butter recipe does not list

a preservative. Any product with water in it is a potential breeding ground for bacteria,

with serious complications.  This recipe is not intended for resale products, but as a

way for you to make a homemade body butter without chemicals. Please follow 

sterilization procedures if you try this awesome and fun project.

And remember to make an amount that can be used up within a couple weeks or please
add a preservative.

I was inspired by Louisa Shafia's post from lucidfood.com, to try my hand at homemade lotion.
This in itself is not a novel enterprise I know, but the fact that this lotion is made without any added stearic acid or emulsifying wax or preservative caught my eye.  Very easy, frugal to make this
gorgeous lotion at home.

Beeswax acts as an emulsifying (turning the oils and water into a combined product) agent.  No other emulsifier is needed.   It worked like a charm.  It came out the consistency of a beautiful body butter. Creamy, luxurious.  A very pleasing lotion with no chemicals or fillers.

My recipe is made with freshly brewed chamomile tea. The scent of the body butter is gorgeous. Not strong,  subtle and natural.  Very nice.  This recipe is SO creamy, absolutely lovely.  I've made this same recipe with plain, distilled water, with no tea, and added almond biscotti fragrance,  it was so warm and compfy, also made it with peppermint and loved it.  Just add your favorite essential oil and enjoy your own trademark lotion. If you make this with tea rather than distilled water it will have a shorter shelf life.

With no added preservative this will only keep a few weeks, longer if refrigerated.  I spritzed my containers with alcohol before filling them to get rid of any bacteria, and I used distilled water.  If I were going to sell this I would use a preservative in it, as any time you are dealing with water in a homemade natural product you are potentially dealing with bacteria and a preservative is a must. Optiphen is a good one, it is paraben, formaldahyde free.  Brambleberry sells it.


RECIPE:  Can be made in a blender or with a stick blender.  This recipe makes about 2 cups.

• 1 cup tea made with distilled water  (or just water if you don't want tea)
• 3/4 cup liquid oil: like almond, olive, grapeseed etc.  (I used 2/4 cup almond & 1/4 cup grapeseed oil)
• 3 Tablespoons beeswax  (if using solid bar beeswax, grate it)
• Optional :  Vit E for a longer shelf life: 1-2 capsules or 1 tsp
• Optional: an essential oil for scent at your desired strength

1) Spritz all your utensils, blender, and lotion containers with alcohol.
2)  Make tea, or have distilled water ready if not using tea.
3)  Melt beeswax and oil together in microwave or double boiler. Allow to cool a few minutes.
4)  Pour tea or distilled water and essential oil (if using) into blender, or into bowl if using
    a stick blender.
5) Turn on blender, (medium) slowly pour in your oil/beeswax thru the stopper lid. It thickens
     fast.  It's done when no more water is on top. If you still have water, turn up the speed of
     of the blender.
6) Scoop out and put in jars, keep uncovered until cool. Will thicken more as it cools.

Made with Almond biscotti scent, warm and yummy

Made with homemade rosewater and peppermint tea, fresh and natural

Made with Chamomile tea, subtle

                                                                                               

Enjoy, ..................Anna

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