Friday, April 6, 2012

Cocoa + Apricot and Shea Butter Lotion for Dry Skin and Eczema

I'm so excited to share this lotion with all of you!  It's incredible in terms of healing.  I've been using it on Ethan's skin for about 5 days and his dry eczema patches have nearly disappeared, and the rest of his skin feels like velvet.  My poor son has awful seasonal allergies and this exacerbates his eczema.  So during this time of the year I keep his immune system strong and keep him lubed up with healing lotion.  I am also using this lotion on my legs and back (where I tend to get dry this time of year).  I'm just really impressed with cocoa butter...and it's fun to smell like chocolate. Oh, and I'm also using it as lip balm.  So fun!  If you're searching for a healing lotion for your dry, itchy skin, this one might be for you!  I've included links below if you're interested in making it.  I can't stress how easy it is to make your own lotion.  I'm saving so much money; comes out to about $2.50 per jar (I was paying $10 - $15) for similar store bought lotions.   
 Cocoa + Apricot and Shea Butter Lotion  

Ingredients:
-2.5 ounces organic cocoa butter here or here  
-3.5 ounces raw organic unrefined shea butter here or here 
-3 tablespoons apricot oil*
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
-1/2 teaspoon vegetable glycerin

Get the 4 ounce amber jars HERE

How To:
1.  Weigh the butters
2.  Shave the cocoa butter
3.  Add some water to a small sauce pan (about half full).  Add in a glass Pyrex and put the shaved cocoa butter into the glass Pyrex. Stir until the cocoa butter is melted.  It should not be super hot, you want this to remain raw.
4.  Add shea butter to food processor, pulse few times to smooth.  Then with the food processor running, add in the cocoa butter.
5.  Then slowly drizzle in the apricot oil, vanilla, and vegetable glycerin.  *In place of the apricot oil, you can use use jojoba oil, almond oil, or avocado oil.
6.  Blend until well incorporated and velvety smooth.
7.  Transfer lotion mixture to glass jars.  The lotion will be soft, then it will harden as it cools.  It will last for MONTHS at room temp. Store leftover shea and cocoa butter in fridge and bring to room temp before working with it again. Yields about 12 ounces.
Enjoy friends! 
*
Raw cocoa butter 


Here is the cocoa and shea to food processor, it looks a bit lumpy because in this batch I did not melt the cocoa butter. 

Mmmmm, looks good and smells outrageous
I make two jars at a time. 
One for our room and one for Ethan's.  
The small jar holds 4 ounces  
The large jar holds 8 ounces 
*
Other homemade lotions from The Tasty Alternative

2.  Coconut Shea Butter Lotion 
3.  Shea Cocoa Avocado Oil Body Butter
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{This post contains affiliate links}
Shared on: Fat Tuesdays , Simple Lives Thursday, Frugal Food Thursday, It's a Keeper Thursday , Healthy 2nd Wednesday 

24 comments:

  1. This body butter looks wonderful. How much oil did you use? Or do you just pour in slowly until it becomes smooth? Also, instead of vegetable glycerin could you use Coconut oil?

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    Replies
    1. Hi There Ina,

      Thank you so much!

      Little oversight on my part there. I just added the info above. Thanks for the heads up. :-)

      And I'm sure coconut oil would be fine in place of vegetable glycerine (or just leave this ingredient out, it's only 1/2 teaspoon). I added the glycerine in there because it has a ton of healing properties and makes the lotion very silky and smooth. But yes, play around with different ingredients. And if you can, drop me a message here with your modifications. Always fun to read what others come up with!

      Be Well,
      --Amber

      Delete
    2. Hi Amber,
      Thanx for your wonderful recipe. One question.., should the lotion be stored in glass containers only?? If yes, why?

      Delete
  • I want to make this!!! I have eczema that comes and goes on my fingers/hands/wrists, legs, feet, and the back of my neck. It's so annoying and irritating! :( I'm going to look into where I can buy what I need! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello There,

      I'm sorry to hear about your struggles with eczema! My husband gets eczema soooo bad on his hands! That's a difficult place to get it too, as our hands are always in water and exposed to the elements. When it gets really bad, my husband finds it helpful to lather on my homemade lotion before bed and wear cotton gloves all night. :-)

      Delete
  • Tessa Domestic DivaApril 7, 2012 at 6:07 AM

    Two questions my dear so i can make this.....how much should I expect to pay for shea butter? And what are some other 'healing' oil I could try in place of the jojoba?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Tessa,

      Great questions.

      Check back up in the ingredients, there's a link to where I buy the shea butter. :-)

      Other healing lotions, good for inflammation include:

      -Calendula Oil (one of my absolute favorites)
      -Almond Oil (use caution with nut allergies)
      -Coconut Oil (you'll have to melt)
      -Olive Oil (the best you can find)
      -Witch Hazel Oil
      -100% pure aloe vera would also work
      -Emuo Oil

      More on Emuo oil (which can be found online):
      Emu oil is one of the best and most promising eczema home remedies you can find, because it has many potent natural antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties that are perfect for eczema symptoms. The oil is soothing and will not clog your pores, and it provides fast relief for inflammation, itching, cracked and burning skin.

      Delete
    2. Tessa Domestic DivaApril 16, 2012 at 9:46 AM

      this was SO much fun to make! So creamy you want to taste it! I used coconutoil instead of veg glycerin, and I used half emu oil, and half of another soothing baby oil we had on hand (a mixture of several healing oils and essential oils too). i am not sure I want to share it with anyone!!

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  • This is something that I really have to try. It sounds wonderfully soothing and from what you have said it's very effective. This is my first visit to your site, but after spending some time browsing through your earlier posts I can tell you it will not be my last. I hope you have a great day. Blessings...Mary

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mary!

      Let me know if you try it. It's super fun to make your own lotions. Fun to give as gifts too!

      Delete
  • Adrienne @ Whole New MomApril 7, 2012 at 11:28 AM

    I can't wait to try this. I have the hardest time w/ dry lips. I've been using straight shea and a mix, but I've been meaning to make my own. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Adrienne,

      It's quite lovely as a lip balm! Hope you enjoy it. It's really working wonders for our skin.

      Hugs

      Delete
  • Thanks so much for this AWESOME recipe! I stumbled upon your site looking for a recipe for homemade body spray (love that one too!) and just finished making two batches of the lotion. My 4 year old daughter helped me put it together and we slathered her up before her nap. What fun to make lotion together! She has mild eczema patches which appear every winter and are so hard to get rid of (as does my 2 year old). Just last week I started to notice those patches coming back. :( I'm anxious to see the effects of this lotion. I have been looking for a more natural lotion that doesn't cost a fortune and I've found a yummy one! Thanks for your post and your blog! :)

    ReplyDelete
  • Hi Emily,

    Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a message. I appreciate feedback from readers. :-)

    I hope the lotion works for you! Everyone responds differently. It works well on my son and husband (especially on my husband's cracked, bleeding hands). Throughout the year I change up the lotions. In my latest batch I used avocado oil. I find that with eczema, lotion rotation is very important.

    Thanks again, Emily. So nice to hear from you, and I hope this lotion works well for your family. I feel that cocoa butter is incredibly healing and does a great job soothing dry, irritated skin.

    Be Well,
    --Amber

    ReplyDelete
  • Amber,
    It is fabulous! We love it! My 2 and 4 year olds' skin was SO soft and those red patches disappeared after 1 application, which has never happened before! Usually I begin treating them with lotion (I've tried tons) and the eczema gets worse before I can get it under control (sometimes it's months before I get it under control). Just a quick question - I've got some lumps, which it looks like might be normal based upon your photos. :) Is there any way to make the lotion more smooth so you don't get any clumps? I tried gently warming the cocoa butter b/c I think it's the culprit, but I'm not sure that helped all that much. Thanks again for your blog and this recipe! Love it!

    ReplyDelete
  • Hi Emily,

    Thank you so much for checking in and sharing your experience with the lotion. So wonderful that is working for your children. Hooray!

    So, about the lumps...

    I've found a way to get most the lumps out (the lumps are the cocoa butter). Before hand I shave the coconut butter with a knife. I shave it and shave it until it's very fine. The next thing I do is when everything is mixed in the food processor, I let it run for a while. The friction creates a little warmth (but nothing hot) - just warm enough to melt everything together nicely. If I have any lumps in the lotion, they are very, very small.

    I hope this helps. Give it a go with your next batch and let me know if you can melt some of the lumps out.

    Thanks again for checking in. It warms my heart that your little ones are benefiting from the lotion.

    Be Well,
    --Amber

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know this post is a little old, but wanted to help with the lumps.. If you use a double boiler method and warm all liquid to the same temp melting the butters, then mix, the lotion will be nice and smooth.. Just warm them, do not boil or over heat.. Keep mixing periodically as the lotion cools.

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    2. Hi Leanna,

      Thanks for your comment. I did change the directions a while back to help folks with the lumps...and yes, you're right on! Heat (off of direct heat) to keep the cocoa butter raw. It melts nicely. Thanks so much!

      Delete
  • This sounds wonderful...my 5 year old has eczema and i have been searching for a good recipe to try on her. if i were to add colloidal oatmeal to this recipe, how much do you recommend? thank you so much for sharing.. :) Emily

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi There Emily,

      I would add about 1 teaspoon to start and see if it helps with the itching. Add in a little more if it's not helping. You will need to dump everything in a food processor again to mix in the oatmeal if you need to add more. And be careful not to add too much, as it will have a drying affect, and negate the anti-itching. Hope this helps. Thanks and good luck!

      Delete
  • Any tips on keeping it creamy? I've tried cutting it with hemp oil and stirring t while it cools but anytime I leave it long enough it turns hard as wax. It melts in my hands but crumbles in the process getting all over the floor.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My advice would be to use more vegetable glycerin (a tablespoon). And if you decrease the cocoa butter by half it will be much softer. Give these two suggestions a try. Thanks.

      Delete

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