How to make homemade lip balm, moisturizer, and more
The season of gentle snowfall can be rough on your skin. These four homemade remedies ease the skin redness and dryness that come with winter.
1. Shea butter body lotion
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Infused with shea butter and almond oil, this body lotion is hydrating to the max. Use it frequently throughout the day to prevent your skin from becoming too dry. You will need a double boiler. (Make one by resting a stainless steel or glass bowl in a saucepan of water.)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shea butter
- 1/2 tablespoons almond oil
- 10 drops lavender oil
Directions
- Melt the shea butter
- Blend shea butter with the almond
- Place the bowl in a fridge to cool for 15 minutes
- Allow mixture to solidify and become translucent (You don’t want it to fully harden; you’ll have to start over again if it does)
- Remove the bowl from the fridge
- Add the lavender oil
- Mix with a hand mixer until the mixture is creamy
- Transfer to a jar
2. Facial moisturizer
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 110 minutes
Harsh winter weather can easily dry out your face, which can lead to fine lines and wrinkles. This all-natural facial moisturizer prevents that, though; it’s infused with soothing aloe vera gel and rich coconut oil. You will need a candy melter.
Ingredients
- 1 cup aloe vera gel
- 1 ounce beeswax
- 1/4 cup almond oil
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
Directions
- Melt the beeswax and coconut oil in the almond oil
- Pour melted oils in a blender
- Let cool for 90 minutes or so
- Blend oils as you slowly pour the aloe vera gel in the blender as it whips (mixture should be light and fluffy)
- Store in a small jar
Apply this moisturizer to your face in the morning and at night.
3. Hand cream
Prep time: 25 minutes
Total time: 3-4 hours
Exposed to harsh elements all year, hands take an extra beating in winter. Keep your hands silky soft with this all-natural DIY hand cream that’s infused with sweet almond oil. You will need a candy melter.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup shea butter
- 1/8 cup sweet almond oil
- 1 tablespoon beeswax
- 10 drops essential oil of your choice
Directions
- Melt the shea butter, beeswax, and sweet almond oil together in your candy melter, stirring the mixture continuously as it melts
- Remove completely melted mixture from heat
- Let cool 10 minutes
- Stir in peppermint oil, lavender oil, or another essential oil of your choice
- Pour liquid hand cream in a small glass jar
- Allow mixture to harden for several hours
Apply this cream to your hands as often as needed.
4. Moisturizing lip balm
Your lips quickly become cracked and dry when exposed to winter weather. This all-natural ultra-emollient lip balm will keep your lips soft and supple. You will need a heat-resistant glass measuring cup.
Ingredients
- 4 grams beeswax
- 5 grams shea butter
- 3 grams cocoa butter
- 4 grams olive oil
- 4 grams avocado oil
- Vitamin E oil
- Peppermint oil
Directions
- Weigh all the ingredients except the vitamin E oil and peppermint oil in a heat-resistant glass measuring cup
- Place cup in simmering water to melt oils
- Stir in essential oil and vitamin E
- Pour melted lip balm into four or five lip balm tubes
- Let tubes cool
Your winter jam
Winter will be here before you know it. And that means your skin is probably drier than usual. Rather than relying on conventional lotions and creams, which are filled with chemicals and ingredients that dry out your skin even more, make use of all-natural DIY remedies to combat redness and dryness.
References
- “7 DIY Face Masks and Scrubs That Actually Work,” Rodale’s Organic Life, March 31, 2017.
- “7 DIY Skin-Care Recipes Facialists Use on Themselves,” Prevention, March 23, 2015.
- “10 At-Home Skincare Recipes,” Good Housekeeping, June 3, 2013.
- “Natural Skin Care Options & Recipes,” Wellness Mama, September 5, 2017.
