For Winter Solstice this year I made small jars of handmade lotion as gifts. In the past I have made salves and hydrosols. Making lotion is like combining those two things. And this is where the magic of emulsification comes in. Mixing fat and water, which doesn’t usually work well, works beautifully with the added emulsifier of beeswax.
Sterilization is always essential for this kind of work to make the lotion stay fresh for as long as possible, since there are no added preservatives.
The basic ingredient list is: 3/4 cup oil, 1 cup distilled water or hydrosol, and 1/2 oz. shredded beeswax. Combine the oil, I used Olive, with the beeswax in a heatproof container (I used a glass pyrex measuring cup). Sit it in a water bath with the water height just above the level of the oil with the heat on low until the beeswax completely melts.
While you are waiting add your hydrosol (or water) – I used my homemade lavender hydrosol – into the bottom of the blender. James Green says in The Herbal Medicine Maker’s Handbook – “There must be enough water used to cover the blades, so they can engage the liquid sufficiently to generate this emulsion”.
When you take the oil/wax mixture off the heat you let it cool until you see a faint rim of hardened wax forming on the side of the cup.
When the oil/wax mixture is ready you can turn your blender on medium with the lid off and slowly pour it in.
You can use a chopstick or rubber spatula to carefully stir the top edges of the lotion down as it mixes. When the magic of emulsification has created a silky smooth lotion you can turn the blender off. At this point I added in my essential oils. I used 30 drops of lavender. You want to be careful not to over-blend.
Use a small spatula or spoon to get it into your jars, and viola!
I look forward to playing around with more mixtures using different carrier oils and essential oils. Fun.
I used it today and will keep it up. Thanks, sweetie.