How to Make Your Own All Natural Moisturizer

Direction by Lora Hall
Photos by Amy Sheridan

Here is a recipe for a rich creamy moisturizer made from ingredients you can literally eat. There are no mystery ingredients you can’t pronounce – just cocoa butter, olive oil, bees wax and water. This cream will leave your skin feeling soft and smooth. Make a big batch and give them away as holiday gifts to all your friends, it is sure to be a big hit.

To make the cream:

Ingredients:
1 oz. beeswax (you can often find it at a local farmer’s market, also available online)
1 oz. pure cocoa butter (available at natural food stores)
1 ½ cups olive oil
1 -1 1/2 cups warm water

To make this recipe you need to make an emulsion. If you have ever made salad dressing, you are familiar with the basic concept. The oil and water blend together to form a creamy, uniform mixture.

Directions

1. Start by getting all of the ingredients into a liquid state. The cocoa butter and beeswax are solid at room temperature.
2. Heat the olive oil, cocoa butter and beeswax over a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, place a metal bowl on top of a pot of hot water.
3. Put on medium heat to slowly warm and melt the ingredients.
4. Let the beeswax and cocoa butter melt slowly, stirring occasionally.
5. As soon as the cocoa butter and beeswax have melted, remove from heat.
6. Pour into a blender and add about half a cup of the warm water.

1. On medium speed, blend for a full minute.
2. Scrape down the sides of the blender with a rubber spatula and then blend some more.
3. Add another half cup of water and blend on high speed.
4. Then add the remaining water and keep blending on high until you have a smooth, uniform mixture. No water should be beading up on the surface.
5. Keep blending if you see droplets of water.
6. While the mixture is still warm, pour into small jars or containers.

You can add a few drops of essential oil to add scent, although the subtle scent of cocoa butter mixed with the honey aroma of the beeswax is very pleasant on its own. We used really good quality extra virgin olive oil of course, which added its own olive oil aroma to the mix.

You can also use this recipe to make your own tinted lip balm by adding a chunk of lipstick for color.
The only catch is that this moisturizer won’t last forever in your medicine cabinet like commercial moisturizers because it has no preservatives and is made from only food grade ingredients. Use within two months or store it in the refrigerator for up to a year.

Happy gift making,
Lora