INSIDE OUT

I can't believe this, but, I JUST MADE MY OWN LOTION!! You know, when you know someone close to you who makes things like this, it just takes away the fear in trying something new. My SIL has been making her own soap, lotion, and all sorts of clever homemade, chemical-free, great looking, great smelling, ah.... can you tell she is my homemaking hero yet? Well, thanks to her making me feel like I can really do this, I've decided to try my hand at my own lotion.

My 3 year old has had eczema since birth. Immediately upon his arrival, we knew we would need to use a different approach in our care for him. We quickly figured out that perfumes bothered his poor skin. This was the beginning saga in my quest for a chemical free home. I started making my own wipes, my own cleaners, my own detergent (another recipe I received from Renee, which I've since recreated a tad).  We only recently realized he was also sensitive to citrus and now that it is winter, the cold takes its toll on him regardless what we eliminate.

 

This has sent me on a search to find lotions without citrus AND without perfumes. GOOD LUCK!! Just when I think I've finally find one (and yet again spend way too much money on even more chemical/perfume/citrus-free lotions) it turns out it also bothers his sensitive skin for some reason or other or it's just not as oily as I need it to be and it just absorbs too quickly (insert temper tantrum here). I needed to find a lotion or cream that also had a protective barrier. So finally, after much frustration, I found one!!! Naturally Nancy's is a family owned lotion without any citrus AND perfume AND is more of a cream than a lotion, which is everything I had hoped for! Imagine my surprise!! Then, my MIL also happened to have a tub and gave us her stash. I was in lotion heaven. 

With the amount our family needs, I wondered the cost difference between making my own and continuing to buy Nancy's cream. So, when I realized that I had already had all the ingredients on Nancy's list, I thought, "why not?!"

I then did a search for a recipe. The internet is just FILLED PACKED with them! I finally found a basic recipe that had the same ingredients as Nancy's. All the credit for this cream really goes to her and of course, Renee for the inspiration.

I had some beeswax candles I bought directly from Nova Scotia Honey. The hardest part was grating them. Next time, I might just chuck 'em in the hot water to melt as they seem to melt so fast. This particular recipe turned out almost foamy. I might use either a bit less water or a bit more beeswax next time. Saying that, however, B says he thinks it's the best of both worlds! It goes on so smooth and yet doesn't absorb too fast. I do like the foamy texture it has. For my first try, I'm just too impressed at how easy and quick this is!! Next batch, I might just try to add some sweet almond oil. MMmmm.

Once I make a few batches and create my own recipe, I'll post it for you. Until then, just do a search. You can make your own ANYTHING these days!

 

***Okay, so a word of caution about using mineral oil. It's up for debate.. So, when this happens, I tend to err on the side of caution and wait. For how long do I wait? Well, until enough research tells me otherwise. The issue is not necessarily when it is applied on the skin (although some say that this is not allowing the skin to breathe - my point in making the lotion in the first place was to protect the skin AS a barrier. Yet, this might be too much). Saying this, I need to apply it to my children's faces and ingestion is inevitable with them. So, I am off to make another lotion and all I need to do is replace the mineral oil with an oil that has no debate associated with it. Please use a cold pressed, olive oil or grapeseed oil (cheaper) in replace of the mineral oil until researchers can look into this further. I am not playing Russian Roulette with my children. Gone with the Mineral Oil.