Posted in Health, Health Archive, Health Recipes | Monday, February 1st, 2010
This is what I do instead of wearing lotion. Right after I get out of the shower, while I’m still sopping wet, I rub oils all over my body, (except for my face) and THEN I towel off. My skin gets really moisturized because my pores are open and my skin is wet. But my pores don’t get clogged, because I towel off the excess. I still use my Whipped Shea on my elbows, knees and heels, (even my hair) but usually at night before bed. I don’t have a lot of time in the morning, so this method speeds things up. I also like that it’s more cost effective than buying retail body oils.
Ingredients:
1/8 cup Organic unrefined coconut oil
1/8 cup jojoba oil
1/8 cup grape seed oil or apricot kernel oil
5 drops essential oil (peppermint, anise, or lemongrass are great to use first thing in the morning!)
Glass bottle or jar with a airtight top or stopper
I keep my oil in an olive oil cruet
Directions:
Pour all 3 oils into container, and shake. After showering, pour a little in your hand and rub into damp skin, then dry off and go! Just be sure to wipe off all the excess oil, (you don’t want to stain your clothes!)
You can use any base oils you want, except for Baby Oil (mineral oil) or anything with petrolatum in it because they will clog your pores and can cause rashes. Below are the benefits of using the oils listed…
Organic unrefined coconut oil - derived from the fruit of the coconut palm. Rich in antioxidants and can provide fantastic benefits on making your skin younger. Softens skin and it forms a barrier against infection, softens and moisturizes, and prevents wrinkling, sagging and age spots. It even naturally protects from UV rays. My favorite reason for using it? It smells like coconut! LOL
Jojoba Oil – technically a wax, it is chemically very similar to the human body’s own natural oils, which is why it penetrates the skin so well and leaves hardly any residue. It does not turn rancid or need any refrigeration.
Grape seed Oil – Grape seed oil has the same poly-phenols (which are antioxidants) as green tea, black tea, berries and red wine. Poly-phenols can help slow the process of aging, as well as having anti inflammatory and anti oxidant properties, which makes it great for helping clear up acne. Using this oil will help prevent pores clogging and breakouts, it is good for oily skin as well. I personally use it at night around my eyes to fight wrinkles.
Sources:
Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/nutrition/coconut.htm
http://www.foreverlookingood.com/grapeseed-oil-good-skin-care
About Savvy Brown
I believe being healthy doesn't have to be complicated, being green can be easy and being broke isn't an option!
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I’ve been doing this same practice this winter with the exception of air drying. I just wrap the my towel around me and air dry while I do my other prepping.
I have 2 mixes that I’m using. One scented with Jasmine and the other unscented:
1. Avocado Oil
2. Coconut Oil
3. Olive Oil
4. Peppermint Oil
5. Rosemary Oil
6. Sage Oil
7. Vitamin E Oil
I put rosemary oil in my other mixes, but I never though of dropping some into my body oil. Thanks for the tip!
My oils has a really pretty ‘natural’ scent to it. I’ve gotten compliments on it when I add jasmine to it.
Are you going to do a piece on lotions and bodywashes?
I will definitely do a piece on lotions and bodywashes. I’m playing around with a formulation for lotion right now. (Gotta get the wax part right)
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I wished I was able to make discontinued creme of nature nature’s design hairdress with olive oil & cocoa butter. This product was discontinued by creme of nature. My hair was very manageable and healthy when I used this product. the ingrediants are located on the bac of the bottle. i dont want to sale it but I would lie to make the hairdress for my use. I am wondering where to get the ingrediants from. I admire you for making your homemade body oil. If you have any advice I would love to hear it.
Hi Cassandra. wow. I’ve never used it. Do you still have a bottle around? We could do some searching together…
This is wonderful. I’ve been slowly switching up the products we use in our house. I am definitely adding this to this weekend’s to make list. Having a toddler makes me wary of keeping it in a glass container. Shower + oil + glass + toddler = not the best idea for me
@Julia Oh no! Then try to reuse a plastic container you already use. Try using an old shampoo or conditioner bottle!
Good idea. I have a couple almost empty Dr Bronners soap containers that would be perfect.
@julia there ya go!
[...] Homemade Body Oil [...]
Is this too heavy for summer weather. I live in Florida.
@Farah Nope. Not at all! I don’t use mine on dry skin that much. What I do is, while my skin is still wet from the shower, I rub a little all over, and THEN dry off. So you wipe off the excess oil and water and are left with clean moisturized skin. When I do this, I never have to use lotion in the summer! HTH
Farah, there is an article on http://www.curlynikki.com by a dermologist that says oils are better for your skin in the summer and save the butters and heavier creams for the winter months when its cold and the air is dryer. Now I do have a heavy cream that I use on my feet year round. Also, when I use my body oil I just air dry with a towel wrapped around me. This is actually great because I’m down one less step when getting dressed
If you want a bit more sun protection you can add some melted shea butter. However, keep it in cool place so it won’t solidify. Your oils will have to be a bigger percentage of your shea butter.
Oh also, if you’re worried about body acne the summer is a great time to bump your body scrubs, which Savvy has a great article on making your own. I still have to use a moisturizer after I scrub but not as much.
I stopped using lotion in the beginning of the summer. It never really moisturized my skin well enough anyway and the ingredients left much to be desired…
I use a 50/50 mix of EVOO and EVCO on my face and body. In the winter, I’ll use my shealoe(shea butter/aloe vera gel/honey) on top of my EVOO/EVCO mix (not on my face though).
I’m glad I made the move towards natural products for my hair and skin.
@mangomadness You’re comments are WONDERFUL! Please keep ‘em coming!
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how do i get the the coconut oil to liquify? and where do i shop for the ingredients esp. shea butter and jojoba oil.
@Toby Coconut Oil liquifies at 78 degrees F. Never boil it. I’m not a fan of microwaving it either, (because I think it loses some of it’s properties). The day I use mine, I leave it in a sunny window, but if it’s too cold, ( or not really sunny), I boil a couple of cups of water in a pot on the stove, take the top off of the jar, and set the jar down in the water. (The water should only come 1/3 or so up the side of the jar when it’s immersed.) Incidently, this is also how I soften shea and cocoa butter. You can leave the heat on low and watch it, or turn the fire off completely, and let it sit for awhile.
You can buy the oils in the Oil Shop, and the Shea butter in the Butters Shop and you can put them in a bottle like this one. All at the Savvy Shop!
Thanks for commenting! HTH!
thanx for your response savvy. i luv this DIY thing and want to do it right.
do i mix the coconut oil with the other ing. once it solidifies? and does it remain a liquid once combined with the other ingredients? my first in trying to make something like this myself. i appreciate your help.
@toby You’re welcome! I’m not quite sure I understand your question, but once the coconut oil is liquid, stir it a bit with a fork to get any solid bits that still might be in there, and then pour it right in your new bottle immediately followed by the other oils and shake well. Unless your bathroom tends to get really cold, the oils should stayed mixed and liquid just fine. That’s it! really simple.
Feel rfee to email me at savvy@savvybrown.com if you have more questions.
I can’t wait to try this! I plan to make a batch for the eczema sufferers in the family, would it be ok for me to use argan oil and if so, how much?
Thanks in advance
@likeramona Great! Argan Oil is an excellent source of Vitamin E and is supposed to very helpful for people suffering with eczema. The only oils I would stay away from are peppermint essential oil and castor oil, both of those oils can be drying to the skin, which eczema sufferers can’t really tolerate. Also, The best way to apply any oil to the skin is right after bathing, when the skin is still wet and the pores are open. And a little goes a long way, too much oil and the eczema can get worse, because the skin can’t breathe. HTH!
Thanks, Savvy!
You say that the pores are open after you take a bath. Does it matter if you use hot or cold water in the shower?
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