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Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Homemade Lavender Lotion with Coconut Oil


I've mentioned before that I have been on a journey of discovering ways to live more naturally since getting pregnant, but more specifically since after Reaghan was born. Giving birth to her naturally has allowed me to be in a community of women who know far more than me, and have been caring for their families in a more natural way for years! I've learned so much already, and am constantly soaking up new information. Turns out I am quite the researcher when it comes to anything concerning my baby and now, our family as a whole. 

Several months ago I decided to slowly transition our family from mainstream personal care products to some more natural alternatives. Have you seen the prices on some of these products though? It makes buying shampoo at $5 a bottle seem super cheap! I discovered that I could make many natural beauty products for less, and I hope to share a few of those with you on the blog. Here's my all natural lotion replacement -- but it doubles as so much more!! (see the end of this post)

What you'll need:


Benefits of coconut oil: 
  • natural SPF 4 sunscreen
  • extremely nourishing and hydrating to the skin without leaving you feeling greasy
  • anti-bacterial
  • kills yeast/yeast infections
  • helps skin heal faster after injury or infection
  • can help the healing of a sunburn
  • can help resolve acne
  • reduces itchiness from bug bites

Benefits of lavender EO: 
  • natural bug repellent
  • get better sleep
  • treats acne
  • decreases pain in minor burns
  • put on a cut to heal wound and kill bacteria
  • treatment of ecxema and very dry skin


Benefits of frankincense EO: 
  • heals scars
  • boosts the effectiveness of other EO's
  • tones and tightens the skin
  • promotes relaxation
  • promotes rgeneration of healthy cells


Here's the simple how-to!

Step 1 // 
Save an old jar or use a small mason jar. Order your supplies! I like vitacost.com because they sell all natural products from food to supplements to beauty products for a fraction of the cost you'd find them for in the stores. 


Step 2 //
I never measure when I'm making this, but scoop about 1/2 a cup of coconut oil into a stand mixer. Add 10 drops each of lavender and frankincense essential oil. 

Step 3 //
Allow the mixer to whip the coconut oil for 10 minutes. This allows the mixture to incorporate and become very fluffy and soft, like real lotion!



Step 4 //
Use a spoontula to scoop the lotion into the jar. It's important to remember that coconut oil melts at 76 degrees fahrenheit, so make sure to keep it in a cool place. I keep mine on my bathroom sink pretty close to where I shower and it stays solid, but be mindful of this when traveling, etc. 

Y'all, I use this stuff for just about everything. It doubles as:
  • diaper rash cream (safe for cloth diapers!)
  • eye make up remover (dab a pea sized amount on a cotton ball)
  • baby lotion
  • lessens the appearance of stretch marks
  • healing balm for dry or cracked skin
  • face moisturizer 

I started using this over the winter, and at first the feel on my skin took a little getting used to. It is oil after all. After about a week I started to really love it. I thought it was a great substitute for regular lotion and seemed to soak into my skin very quickly. I thought I'd see how it stood up during the Texas summer and it has definitely held it's own! No greasy feeling, and dries completely on the skin!

What do you think? Have you made the switch from mainstream to natural? Would love to hear what other natural products you use whether toiletries, cleaning supplies, or anything else!


"Homemade Lavender Lotion with Coconut Oil" 
is part of a blog relaunch series entitled "31 Days of Responding to Him" 
Follow along here

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