Learn how to make your own Shea Butter Lotion at Home!
As a loyal shea butter fan for many years now, I’ve whipped up countless recipes of shea butter lotions, some of which were complete flops, while others were instant hits! This quick and easy DIY shea butter lotion is a DEFINITE SUCCESS and it is hands-down my GO-TO recipe that I find myself making time and time again. It’s also my most shared recipe among my family, and today, I’m most honored to share this extremely simple, yet romantically aromatic and lusciously moisturizing for both skin and hair. Throughout this site, you’ll find numerous shea butter lotion recipes that are ALL tried and tested recipes, which actually work. But there’s something special about this lotion recipe. And there are several reasons why you should try this recipe first, whether you are a beginner or a pro:
- It is super easy to make
- Takes just minutes to whip up!
- Very few ingredients are needed
- All the ingredients used are easily available
- It’s suitable for all skin types
- No nasty chemicals or preservatives are used
A Winning Combo: Shea + Almond Oil + Rose Water + Honey!
There are 4 wonderful ingredients used in this lotion recipe and I’m going to explain a little bit about each of their benefits before we get right into how to make it!
- SHEA BUTTER – As you probably already know, shea butter is a vegan, plant-based natural nut butter that is rich in Vitamins A, B, C, E and contains many antioxidants such as oleic acid, which all together make this a wholesome ingredient in this lotion recipe. It helps moisturize the skin, repair damaged skin cells, lighten acne scars and blemishes, and rejuvenate dull, tired skin.
- ALMOND OIL – Almond oil is an exceptionally nutrient-rich oil extracted from the almond nut. It is extremely rich in vitamin E, proteins and minerals such as potassium and zinc and it promotes youthful, supple skin, relieves eczema and psoriasis, deep cleanses the pores and removes under-eye dark circles.
- ROSE WATER – Extracted via steam distillation of rose petals, rose water is an aromatic flower essence that is rich in Vitamin C, has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties, which help to get rid of acne, reduce hyperpigmentation, reduce puffiness under the eyes, hydrate the skin and protect against sun damage.
- RAW HONEY – I love the idea of using raw honey in skin care products. It is so soothing for skin that’s sensitive plus it’s filled with antioxidants that protect skin from premature aging! Honey is also a natural humectant that draws moisture from the surroundings and locks it into the skin’s epidermis, leaving it smooth and supple. Another important reason we’re adding raw honey is because it acts as an emulsifier to bind the rest of the ingredients together without separating. Instead of honey, another natural emulsifier you can use is aloe vera gel!
Silky Homemade Lotion with Shea Butter:
Ingredients
- 5 oz of shea butter (buy here)
- 1 tsp almond oil (buy here)
- 1 tsp of raw honey (buy here)
- ¼ cup of rose water (buy here)
- 2 to 3 capsules vitamin E oil *antioxidant to prevent lotion from getting rancid (buy here)
- 12 drops essential oil of choice *for scent + acts as an antimicrobial to ward off mold
Method
- On your stove top, place a medium-sized flat pan and add 1 cup of water. Then place two heatproof containers on the pan (you can use mason jars or pyrex measuring cups).
- In one container, add the almond oil, shea butter and vitamin E oil (by poking the 2-3 capsules with a large safety pin and squeezing out the oil). In the other container, add the rose water.
- Now turn on the burner and heat the pan containing both containers over a low flame. This procedure is so both the oils and water can be at the same temperature that facilitates easy emulsification.
- Gently stir the shea/almond oil until it has completely liquefied.
- When it has liquefied, turn off the heat and remove both the containers from the pan. Both the contents in the mason jars should be at approximately the same temperature.
- Now pour the oil mixture into a high speed blender and then turn on the blender.
- While the oil mixture is being blended, SLOWLY pour the rose water into the blender.
- Once you’ve poured all the rose water, it’s time to add the 1 tsp of raw honey, which is really important as it helps bind the ingredients together faster!
- It’ll take about 3 minutes or less/more, depending on the blender you are using for the rose water & honey to combine with the oil mixture and form an emulsion! Remember, if your blender starts heating up, stop and give it a break. We don’t want the heat to damage the properties of our ingredients.
- Now your easy, stress-free silky homemade lotion with shea butter is READY! The final product should look smooth with a whitish color and a lotion-like consistency.
- Using a clean spatula, transfer your homemade lotion into a clean (and dry!) container. Now add the essential oil and stir well with a disposable chopstick or spoon.
What to Do if You Don’t Have a Blender with an Open End
I’ve used a small blender (try a Magic Bullet) without an open end before and it did combine the rose water, honey & shea butter very well – without separating – to form a smooth cream! All you need to do is add all the ingredients into your small blender and blend for just a few seconds or minutes. You have to be careful not to over blend as the heat from the motor can melt your lotion or not create an emulsion. Just a short blitz in the blender will do!
A nutribullet can be used as well to give you a perfectly creamy lotion! In fact, if you are a regular homemade products DIY-er or if you make homemade lotions and creams regularly, then you should invest in getting a separate nutribullet just for this purpose only. If you do this, then you can go ahead and mix in essential oils in the nutribullet along with the main ingredients, without having to worry about the essential oils and their powerful scents tainting your drinks/smoothies later on.
If you don’t have a nutribullet, consider buying one here.
Lan says
I’d love to try this. Is it okay to a use a hand blender to make this? Would it still work?
Saraswati Patel says
Hi there I tried this recipe yesterday and used rosewood essential oil. After the I finished I let the mixture solidify and used it later on. When I take some out to use I see water drops (rose water) forming. Do you know where I went wrong?