DIY Olive Oil Moisturizer
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Winter time for me is always a battle with dry skin. Dry, itchy, winter skin. Yuck. In years past, I’ve been known to resort to just smearing some petroleum jelly on my hands to try to give them some lasting moisture but that’s such a greasy option. The other option of hand and body lotions feels good going on, but they just don’t seem to last and they don’t seem to give me any long-term relief for my dry skin.
So this year, I’m trying a new strategy – Homemade Olive Oil Moisturizer!
Ingredients for a Homemade Olive Oil Moisturizer
When it came time to make my homemade olive oil moisturizer, I settled on the following four ingredients:
Olive Oil – For the main ingredient I used the ordinary olive oil I have in my cupboard.
Coconut Oil – Coconut oil is solid at room temperature so I knew it would not only give the mixture some more substance but because it’s an oil, it would also be moisturizing. Coconut oil can also be found in most grocery stores now too.
Beeswax – Beeswax is also hard at room temperature and gives the mixture some substance. If you are not using the beeswax pellets, you can also grate as much beeswax as you need from a block of beeswax.
Vitamin E Oil – I also decided to add some Vitamin E Oil to the mixture. The benefits of Vitamin E oil for skin are many, including helping to prevent water loss from skin and helping your skin retain its natural moisture. It’s also known to be good for fingernails and cuticles. I was able to find Vitamin E oil at my local Target store in the vitamin area.
The above ingredients are combined in a small glass container, and then melted in a hot water bath in a saucepan on the stove. Once everything is melted together, you pour it into another small jar for storage. It cools to a gel-like consistency.
Is the Olive Oil Moisturizer Working?
This is a fairly new experiment for me, but so far – so good! It’s leaving my skin VERY soft and it really does seem to keep my skin moist much longer.
It is, of course, a more oily mixture than a traditional hand lotion (which is why I’m liking it!) so your skin has a little oily sheen for a brief time after you apply it. That’s OK to me. I like that my skin looks moist rather than all dry and flaky. There’s also been no problem with it transferring to clothing.
If you’re looking for something a little different than the ordinary store bought lotions, this homemade olive oil moisturizer is a simple and natural alternative you can make, and I think you’ll see good results from using it too.
Homemade Olive Oil Moisturizer
Materials:
- 1/3 cup Olive Oil
- 2 Tbl Coconut Oil
- 2 Tbl Beeswax Pellets (or grated beeswax)
- 1/2 tsp Vitamin E Oil
Instructions:
- Combine the olive oil, the coconut oil, the beeswax, and the vitamin E oil in a glass jar. I used a pint sized canning jar. Put a couple inches of water in a small saucepan, and then set the jar of ingredients in the water.
- Place your pan on the stove and begin to heat. As the water heats up, the contents in your jar will begin to melt. You can jiggle the jar around a bit to swirl the coconut oil and beeswax as they are melting. Heat until everything is completed melted.
- Pour the melted ingredients into a small jar or tin for storage. This recipe makes about 3 fluid ounces of melted liquid and will take about an hour to cool into its finished gel-like consistency.
More Homemade Beauty Product Ideas:
- Make your own Lip Balm
- Make your own Brown Sugar Scrub
- Make Your Own After Sun Moisturizing Spray
- – – – > Complete List of Personal Care Recipes
Hi, can you add shea butter to the recipe?
You could try adding a tablespoon or two of shea butter to this recipe but it might make the consistency of the mixture a little more firm.
I’m interested to make it. What’s the shelf live for this?
This keeps a long time, I had a batch that took me a couple years to use up and it was fine, and I suspect would have been fine even longer.
does it matter if a bit of water goes into the mixture when heating
If it is only a tiny bit, then no, I don’t think it will matter.
Would it be possible to make this without the coconut oil?
I think the coconut oil is an ingredient you should leave in as it is an oil that becomes more firm at room temperature and this helps to give texture to the finished moisturizer.