Grapefruit Lotion from Scratch

My first lotion experiment went well, but I wanted to make a slightly thicker product. I modified the original recipe by adding shea butter to thicken and replacing half of the almond oil with apricot oil just to mix it up.

My second lotion recipe:
5 cups of Water1/4 cup Sweet Almond Oil1/4 cup Apricot Oil
1/2 cup Emulsifying Wax1/4 cup Stearic Acid
1 Tbsp Raw Shea Butter1 Tbsp Citric Acid1 Tbsp Potassium Sorbate1/2 teaspoon Vitamin E Oil1 teaspoon Grapefruit Essential OilRed Cosmetic Grade Colorant(yields 48 oz of lotion)

Pot one: emulsifying wax, almond oil, apricot oil, stearic acid and shea butter

Pot two: water and potassium sorbate

Both pots are heated. Pot one removed from heat as soon as wax has melted completely. Pot two is removed from heat right before boiling and citric acid is added. Pot two is slowly added to pot one while stirring. 

I stirred for 5 minutes and then let my lotion cool, stirring again every 20 minutes. After an hour had passed, I added vitamin E oil, grapefruit essential oil and red colorant to achieve the color and scent I desired. The lotion had to cool for another 2-3 hours before I could bottle it. 

While I waited for my lotion to cool, I created an ingredient label and a picture label for my lotion bottles:

Grapefruit Lotion
Handmade with Love by Audrey
Use within a year

Ingredients:

Water, Emulsifying Wax, Almond Oil, Apricot Oil, Stearic Acid, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate, Vitamin E Oil, Grapefruit Essential Oil and Cosmetic Grade Red Colorant

4 Ingredient Home Made Deodorant (Coconut Scent)

I originally tried natural deodorant when I got one in a monthly subscription box from VeganCuts. I had not put much thought into my deodorant choices in the past, I'd been using men's Old Spice for years. I was hesitant to try this new five-ingredient deodorant. I wasn't sure if it would actually work and the consistency was different than traditional deodorant. I have been using the natural deodorant for about six months now. It last longer than old spice ever did for me. The scent is more subtle but it truly does the job. My first natural deodorant was from North Coast Organics. I have since discovered a similar 6 ingredient deodorant from The Fanciful Fox.

 

I really liked this deodorant. As it started to near the end of the tube, I read the ingredient list and realized I could easily make this. I went online to compare recipes and ended up with this based on what I had in my apartment. Other recipes use different types of waxes or oils. I like coconut oil for the tropical smell. Coconut oil has a pretty low melting point (76F) which makes it easy to work with and it wont be hard to apply because it wont get too solid. I live in New York. If you live in a warmer climate I would definitely suggest using a more solid base for your deodorant. My first batch with just 4 basic ingredients came out looking like this:

Recipe for DIY Coconut Deodorant:

4 Tablespoons Virgin Coconut Oil

1 Tablespoon Shea Butter

3 Tablespoons Baking Soda

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch

*optional 5-10 drops oil for scent

- Makes 100mL

- Store at above 77F to keep it solid