Thursday, January 2, 2020
One of my biggest problems with winter weather is that it wreaks havoc on my skin. I end up keeping a small bottle of lotion on me at all times and no matter how much I use I inevitably still end up with dry, itchy skin. Have your hands ever been so dry that they hurt? Maybe even crack and peel? I’ve finally found a cure for even severely dry skin that I can’t get enough of. Even those with cracked dry skin will see a huge difference with just a few applications of this homemade lotion recipe. And what’s even better? It’s easy to make, only takes a few minutes to whip up, and perfect for even sensitive skin types.
Just a few weeks ago, my two year old daughter was suffering from chapped, cracked hands. I felt helpless at trying to cure it for her. No matter how much lotion or eucerin that I used on her little hands, nothing seemed to help much. Alongside dealing with my own dry skin, I decided it was time to find a solution. I came up with this 4 ingredient homemade lotion that has finally cured her dry hands and has even made a huge difference for my mom who also suffers from severely chapped, dry, and cracked skin. She is also a nurse, so frequent handwashing is a must which also wreaks havoc on already dry, sensitive skin.
I made a big batch of this lotion and ended up giving it as gifts this holiday season paired with some homemade moisturizing soap.
This recipe will fill eight 8 ounce wide mouth Ball canning jars… the perfect container for gift giving. You can always cut the recipe down if you don’t want to make that large of a batch. To give you an idea on the cost to make… for this recipe, it came out to be about $4-$5 per jar. Worth it?? TOTALLY! 🙂 But I’ll let you be the judge.
Here’s what you’ll need:
- 27 oz. bottle of baby lotion (I used vanilla oatmeal for the fragrance and to keep the color of the lotion white)
- 7 oz. Aquaphor – I used the generic brand therapeutic ointment from Target. It’s less expensive.
- (2) 4 oz. containers of Fruit of the Earth Vitamin E cream (can be found at Wal-Mart)
- 8 oz. extra virgin coconut oil (the solidified kind) I picked up this 16 oz. jar at a local health store.
I’ve had a few emails asking what else can be used to substitute Aquaphor and where else can you find the Vitamin E Cream??
So here I’ve compiled a list of where you can get all of these supplies and a substitute for Aquaphor in case you just can’t seem to get it shipped to you.
- Baby Lotion – vanilla oatmeal
- Aquaphor – Note: Aquaphor does have additional healing properties. Substitutes include: Cetaphil (dermatologist recommended cream for dry/sensitive skin. Cetaphil is not as greasy.) or Petroleum Jelly (helps seal the skin and keep moisture in).
- Vitamin E Cream
- Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
And another update to this post… This isn’t just for ladies! I know plenty of gents who love this stuff and both men and women have asked for more. It’s pretty common to get an empty jar back from friends and family asking for a refill on this.
The coconut oil will be the most expensive ingredient, but it is also one of the most important. So I urge you not to skimp on that one.
Okay, let’s get this going. It’s so simple. Just mix everything in a large mixing bowl. I used my hand mixer to combine everything until it was smooth and creamy. Just look at this delicious bowl of lotion goodness. Looks good enough to eat, right? Yeah.. I don’t encourage that. Just wait until you smell it… heavenly. But that’s my opinion.
Next, just spoon the mixture over into your jars and that’s it!
My hands felt the instant moisture from this lotion the second I applied it. It goes on smooth and dries in seconds. My hands just soaked it right up like the Sahara desert, I tell ya! Still, I wasn’t quite convinced that this was going to be my fix.
Until hours later, my hands were still just as soft as when I first applied it. Then it was time to test it out on my little girl’s hands. Within a couple of days, her hands were soft as… well, a baby’s derriere! And I didn’t have to struggle to put it on her more than once or twice a day. As soon as she got out of the bath, we put it on. That’s another thing I noticed with this lotion. It creates a water resistant barrier so even when you wash your hands, it’s still hard at work.
My mom’s hands had dramatically improved in just one day of using this lotion as well! (I think she is looking forward to her own jar for Christmas!) 😉 Depending on how severe your case is, you may want to apply more often than once or twice a day.
Try applying it to your feet for dry cracked heels and then wear socks to hold in the moisture. I did this overnight and saw a huge difference!
This is a great gift for anyone on any occasion. I dressed up my jars with a some free printable labels you can find here from Lia Griffith. Then just add some ribbon or twine with a fun holiday ornament or felt snowflakes from the craft store.
This would even make a great gift for Valentine’s or a baby shower gift for the mommy to be!
What are your cures for dry winter skin? Have you ever made homemade lotion? If you’d like to try your hand at soap-making, check out out Oatmeal & Shea Butter soap recipe here. Share your recipe in the comments below!
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