How to make a lush body moisturizer for yourself or as a gift. This easy body oil takes just a few minutes to make and is completely customizable and therapeutic.
My latest beauty obsession is both a perfume and a moisturizer. I've been pouring a little body oil into my hand, dropping a few drops of whatever essential oil I'm craving, and rubbing in to my skin after the shower. Unlike lotion, which can leave a film, a good body oil soaks right in, leaving skin silky smooth and moisturized. When I need energy to tackle the day I add some lemon essential oil, when I'm stressed I add lavender, and when I want a romantic scent I add a mixture of lavender and ylang ylang, and rose. I love rubbing a little of the romantic mixture on my shoulders before bed and feel the stress of the day melt away. If a cold or allergies are bothering me, a little peppermint or eucalyptus do the trick to open up airways. It's amazing and wonderful how powerful these tiny bottles of essential oils can be. With Mother's Day coming up, I thought I would share this easy DIY gift idea with you. Homemade body oil would be a beautiful gift for your mother, a new mom, yourself, or all of the above. DIY therapeutic body oil takes just a minute to make, is wonderfully natural, and makes us feel pampered. I can't think of a more thoughtful gift for yourself or someone else.
I've never been a perfume wearer, other than my longtime favorite, that smells earthy and like tropical flowers, Kai. Many perfumes contain synthetic fragrances comprised of chemicals you may not want to put in your body. And you might think, "Hey lady, it's just going on my skin, not in my body." In reality though, some of what we put on our skin does in fact get absorbed into our bloodstream. And some of those chemicals, like phthalates, are known to be hormone disruptors linked to an increased breast cancer risk, asthma, birth defects, and fertility issues. Source. The good news is that it's easy to make our own naturally nourishing, therapeutic, delightfully fragranced moisturizer with a couple of simple ingredients. You can pick up essential oils and carrier oils at most natural foods stores or online (see my sources below). Essential oils are incredibly concentrated and not meant to be applied directly to skin, unless otherwise noted on the package. That's where these little bottles of body oil come in handy. I found these 8 oz. bottles at Michael's and thought they were very cute. Next time I would choose 1 oz. bottles and make several types of essential oil body oils, but this time I made one 8-oz. bottle of the sensual version with lavender and ylang ylang.
Here are the supplies I used:
My favorite oils: calming Lavender, sentual/floral Ylang Ylang, and a tranquility blend. I've been enjoying Aura Cacia brand lately because it's good quality and reasonably priced. It's a common brand in natural foods stores.
Essential oils need a carrier oil that won't change the oil in any way. I like almond oil or fractionated coconut oil. Both are incredibly soothing to the skin. Avoid these if you have an allergy to coconut or almonds and try another carrier oil.
Because essential oils can be affected by sunlight, keep your oils out of direct sunlight. Dark glass bottles like this one are recommended.
DIY Essential Oil Body Oil
By Yummy Mummy Kitchen
Published 05/03/2016
Ingredients
1 oz. carrier oil, such as almond or fractionated coconut oil
10-15 drops lavender or other essential oil
Instructions
Place carrier oil in a jar and stir in essential oil(s) to desired strength, about 10-15 drops per ounce. Store out of sunlight and use as a body or bath oil.
Yield: Makes 1 oz. (multiply as desired)
Prep Time: 3 mins.
Total time: 3 mins.