Winter weather can take a toll on the skin. Cold temperatures often mean less humidity, which can leave skin feeling dry, itchy and irritated. This easy-to-make Cucumber Lotion contains cucumber extract for its soothing and skin loving properties. It’s made with the Basic Lotion Base, which is specially created to add up to 5% of additional additives (oils, extracts, etc). The base contains avocado oil, glycerin and coconut oil to create an effective, yet lightweight formula. If you prefer to make your own lotion from scratch, check out this blog post to learn how.
I scented this lotion with the refreshing Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil. It’s a great scent that’s suitable for both men and women. This lotion does have a soft green color, but don’t worry; none of that green actually shows up on your skin. =) The combination of Emerald LabColor and Kermit Green Mica leaves a very subtle shimmer that has no lasting green hue.
What You’ll Need:
Four 4 oz. Jars with White Twist Cap
16 fl. oz. Basic Lotion Base
.2 oz. Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil
.6 oz. Cucumber Extract
1 mL Emerald LabColor
1/2 tsp. Kermit Green Mica
Click here to add everything you need for this project to your Bramble Berry shopping cart!
DILUTING LABCOLOR: You’ll need to premix your LabColors in order to use them in this project. We like diluting the small bottle of LabColor in 4 oz. of distilled water. For more on diluting LabColors, check out this blog post.
ONE: Disinfect a clean spoon and heat safe container by spritzing 99% rubbing alcohol on the surface and allowing it to air dry. Wear gloves throughout the whole process to avoid contaminating the lotion.
TWO: Scoop the Basic Lotion Base into the disinfected container, and heat in the microwave in 10 second bursts, stirring between each heating burst. Be very careful to not heat the lotion above 130 °F, or the preservative can become ineffective. The lotion should become slightly more liquid and pourable at around 115-120 °F.
THREE: Add the cucumber extract and Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil and use the stick blender to emulsify the ingredients together. Stick blend for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
FOUR: Add the diluted Emerald LabColor to the lotion (click here to learn how to dilute the LabColors). Stick blend the LabColor into the lotion until completely combined.
FIVE: Add the Kermit Green Mica, and stick blend until the mica is completely incorporated and there are no clumps. Continue to stick blend the mixture for about another minute, just to make sure the lotion is completely emulsified.
SIX: Transfer the lotion into the 4 ounce jars. Allow the lotion to cool without a lid for about 1-2 hours before capping and enjoy! Please note that this lotion is preserved for just the addition of fragrances, essential oils and extract – not a lot of extra oils or butters so stick to just adding minimal amounts of fragrance and extracts to make sure you don’t break the preservative system.
What’s your favorite kind of scent for lotion? I love fresh scents like cucumber. =)
- Four 4 oz. Jars with White Twist Cap
- 16 fl. oz. Basic Lotion Base
- .2 oz. Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil
- .6 oz. Cucumber Extract
- 1 mL Emerald LabColor
- ½ tsp. Kermit Green Mica
- Disinfect a clean spoon and heat safe container by spritzing 99% rubbing alcohol on the surface and allowing it to air dry. Wear gloves throughout the whole process to avoid contaminating the lotion.
- Scoop the Basic Lotion Base into the disinfected container, and heat in the microwave in 10 second bursts, stirring between each heating burst. Be very careful to not heat the lotion above 130 °F, or the preservative can become ineffective. The lotion should become slightly more liquid and pourable at around 115-120 °F.
- Add the cucumber extract and Cucumber Oak Fragrance Oil and use the stick blender to emulsify the ingredients together. Stick blend for about 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the diluted Emerald LabColor to the lotion (click here to learn how to dilute the LabColors). Stick blend the LabColor into the lotion until completely combined.
- Add the Kermit Green Mica, and stick blend until the mica is completely incorporated and there are no clumps. Continue to stick blend the mixture for about another minute, just to make sure the lotion is completely emulsified.
- Transfer the lotion into the 4 ounce jars. Allow the lotion to cool without a lid for about 1-2 hours before capping and enjoy!
Hi, I’m really loving all of your tutorials for melt and pour soaps. I’m new to soap-making and looking into purchasing extracts for some of your tutorials. I’m in the UK and having trouble finding extracts, is there anything else I could use as a substitute? I’d love to purchase them through Bramble berry, but it works out too expensive with postage and import duty. Suggestions? Thank you! x
Extracts are a unique ingredient and there aren’t a lot of substitution options. You can add other ingredients like oils though! For instance, mallow extract is really moisturizing, so you can add a moisturizing oil like sweet almond. That’s a great option for lotions, balms, etc. For melt and pour soap, we don’t recommend adding extra oil to the base. It can make it crumbly or greasy. If you do, we recommend no more than 1 teaspoon per pound of soap. That should give you the benefits of the oil without affecting the texture too much. 🙂
Read more about extracts here: https://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/sunday-night-spotligh-extracts/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
hello can i use in my lotion fresh squeezed cucumber juice and carrot juice instead of water or half of the water
Hi Sandeep!
In lotion, fresh ingredients like cucumber and carrot juice can go bad, even with a preservative. That will shorten the shelf life to 6 weeks or so, longer in the refrigerator. We don’t recommend adding them to the lotion. The cucumber extract feels really great in this recipe though! 🙂
Read more about making lotion in this post: https://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/how-to-create-homemade-lotion-recipes/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
How can I save the lotion if I accidentally put too much of cucumber extract? Now it has a very concentrated sense.
Oh no! How much cucumber extract did you add to this recipe? Let me know and I’ll help you out. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I accidentally pore the whole bottle (misread the measurements) :/
That should be just fine Yulia! The cucumber extract bottle that comes with the kit is 1 ounce, so about .4 ounces extra is a small amount. It may make the lotion a tad thinner, but overall it will still feel great on the skin. 🙂
Cucumber extract: https://www.brambleberry.com/Cucumber-Extract-P6362.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Kelsey, I have a question here regarding the expiration dates of all the stuff on your website. I made this lotion and I don’t know how long should it last for? Also, are there specific storing requirements (temperature, dark place…etc.)
Do you have the expiration periods on your recipes anywhere I cold look it up?
Hi Yulia!
The shelf life of your product depends on the oils in the recipe! For instance, if you use an oil like hazelnut with a short shelf life (3 months), the soap will last about 3 months. After that, the oil can go rancid. This lotion base contains avocado and coconut oil, which both last a year or so. It also has vitamin E, which is thought to prolong the shelf life of oils. This lotion should last a year or so. 🙂
You can find a list of common oils and their shelf lives here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/free-beginners-guide-to-soapmaking-common-soapmaking-oils/
A preservative is important too! Without a preservative, the lotion will only last a couple weeks. Read more about preservatives here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
To make sure the lotion stays fresh for a long time, we recommend storing it in a cool, dry place. Read more about storing your items here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-store-handmade-bath-products/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi there! This recipe looks great, might have to try it 🙂
Just a question regarding lotion: If I use aloe Vera gel (which has been reconstituted and preserved) instead of water in a lotion, would it still need to be preserved? I wasn’t sure, since the aloe contains a preservative anyway….
Please tell me what you think! Thanks so much! I really love your site 🙂
Hi Cadence!
That’s a great question! We recommend adding a preservative to the lotion to be extra safe. While the aloe vera liquid has a preservative, it’s only enough to preserve just that liquid. By adding extra, you are preserving all the additional ingredients in the lotion if that makes sense. 🙂
You can add the preservative on the lower end with aloe vera liquid! Phenonip or Optiphen at .5% would work well. Read more about preservatives here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Aloe vera liquid: https://www.brambleberry.com/Aloe-Vera-Liquid-P3704.aspx
Hi,
can i use just the Mica and skip the Labcolor? would that make a difference?
You can leave the LabColor out if you like! The mica will look pretty on its own. If you want the green a bit darker, you can add more mica to the recipe. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi!
This is not a lotion question but I read your baby oil recipe and really wanted to ask! If I make a body oil with cocoa butter as one of the ingredients (5 parts oil, 1 part cocoa butter) , will it stay liquid when it cools down?
Hi Tammy!
Hmm, I’m not entirely sure! At room temperature, I think the mix will be liquid but a bit thick, or it may separate (solid cocoa butter at the bottom, liquid oil on the top). Are you wanting to add the cocoa butter for moisturizing properties? Let me know and I can recommend some oils that stay liquid and mixed together nicely. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Aside from the properties, I love the scent of cocoa butter!! But please do recommend the oils!!!
Cocoa butter does have such an amazing scent, I love it too! I think you’ll really like whipped body butter. Whipped body butter is a mixture of oils and butters. It’s very thick and moisturizing.
Our Whipped Amber Bronzing Butter contains cocoa butter: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/whipped-amber-bronzing-butter/
It has a lovely mousse-like texture that feels great on the skin. It also has Amber and Ancient Sedona fragrance oils to add some spicy smokiness to the cocoa scent. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hello….when it comes to step #4, it refers me to another link for diluting directions. Under that post on step#5 it’s says to add something that didn’t come in my kit 🙁 Was I suppose to get it or can I leave that stuff out?
Hi Priscilla!
Our LabColors come in concentrated form, and do need to be diluted. To dilute those colors, you need distilled water and a preservative. A preservative is necessary, as it helps prevent mold and bacteria from growing in the color. You can learn more about how to dilute your colors here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/diluting-bramble-berry-labcolors/
The LabColor does come with this kit, but you will need to order the preservative separately. You can find distilled water at the grocery store. We love using Optiphen as a preservative for the LabColors. You can find that here: https://www.brambleberry.com/Optiphen-ND-P5714.aspx
I went ahead and moved the part about diluting the colors at the beginning of the tutorial so it’s more clear. Sorry about any confusion Priscilla! If you have any other questions, let me know. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Ok thanks.. wish I would have known that. I would have ordered it at the same time as the kit.
(((((((((hugs))))))))))
I’m so sorry about that Priscilla, I understand it’s frustrating to place another order for that ingredient. The good news is preservatives are really important to have on hand if you’re planning to make more handmade products. We recommend using them if a product has water (lotion), or will get water splashed into it (a scrub stored in the shower). So if you’re making products with water, the preservative will be put to good use. 🙂
Read more about preservatives here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lotion/talk-it-out-tuesday-preservatives/
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Hi, can I use wheatgrass powder to color the lotion instead of mica and lab color?
Thanks
We didn’t try this recipe with wheatgrass powder, so I’m not entirely sure! I think that would be OK though. I would recommend testing the powder in a small amount of the lotion to see how it works. Also, because the wheatgrass powder is a natural product, it may eventually turn brown. That’s something to keep in mind. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
I did it again..lol I left a comment somewhere on this sight and forgot where I put it…lol If you took the time to reply to my many questions, I feel bad cuz I can’t find it. Should I be notified if you reply to my comment via email or something? If not, how do you suggest where to find those questions/answers I typed up? Sorry for all the trouble, but I will get the hang of it. ((((((((hugs)))))))
Hey there!
No worries, I am happy to help! You should get email notifications with replies. Just make sure to enter your email in the email section. Also, I would recommend checking your spam folder – sometimes the emails can end up there. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Ok thanks bunches😀
You’re welcome! 🙂
Hi, I left a question somewhere…now i can’t find it..lol I will ask it here ok?
1.First, I’m loving this sight. I may just try this cucumber lotion. Here are my questions. Can you use that same fragrance in soaps? When you click the order these products do you get only enough product for this tutorial (like a kit) or will there be leftovers?
2.Also, I wanted to know about the zap tasted test when making soaps. Do you do the zap test on hot AND cold process soaps, only the Hot process? I tried to make a cold process batch today and don’t remember doing the zap test. When do you need to do that?
3. Last question…. I tried to make a hot process batch last night, and mistakenly used an aluminum slow cooker 🙁 plus, I added the oatmeal when it was really hot. Seemed like I was just cooking oatmeal..lol It never did get thick, so I just poured it in a mold. I did the zap test on it and it stung my tongue 🙁 Can I just let that set out and dry for a few months and then will it be ok to use? or was that a waste of good coconut oil? LOL.
Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions for me 🙂 ((((hugs))))
Hi Priscilla!
Thanks so much, glad you’re enjoying the site!
All of our fragrances are skin safe, and can be used in soap, lotion, perfume, etc! You can use our Fragrance Calculator to find out how much to add to your recipe: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/use-fragrance-calculator/
Most of our kits will have leftover ingredients, depending on the size of the product we sell. For instance, this recipe will have leftover color, extract and fragrance oil. 🙂
You can do the zap test on both hot and cold process soap! The zap test is used to check the pH level of soap. If you tap the soap on your tongue and it zaps you, that can mean the soap is lye heavy. We recommend doing that test after about 5 days. You can also check the pH level using cabbage juice or pH strips. Learn more about those tests here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/test-ph-red-cabbage/
As for your soap now, I would recommend not using it. Lye reacts with aluminum and creates toxic fumes. We hate telling people to throw soap away, but in this case we recommend it to be on the extra safe side. For future batches, we recommend using non-aluminum Crock-Pots. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Thank you so much again for your reply. So, if the soap doesn’t zap you, this means you can use it correct? I have some CP soap I made and it now taste like soap, but it’s only been a week. Is the curing process just so your soap gets hard? and last longer? If I wanted to use it sooner, would that be ok? Or give as gifts? Also, what does it normally mean if you use the soap and it makes your skin kind of itchy? I am going full steam ahead with this fun craft and want to learn as much as possible. I’m creating a soap craft supply cart and drying racks etc. Can you tell me if I should avoid anything when it comes to the drying process? I have limited room and was wondering if the soap could be dried in our patio or garage etc. Can the racks be made of galvanized steel? Can you dry them on plastic racks? The only time you don’t want the aluminum is when you are “making” the soap correct? or do I have to avoid it for everything, even after it’s cured? I placed my first order with and am excited to get my stuff. Is this forum for crafters that use/order only Bramble Berry products? When is the next swap, or challenge and where do I find them? Do you ever have challenges? Does this forum have a gallery so we can share our pictures? Ok, that’s enough of picking your brain for now. Thank you sooooooooooooooo much. I want to share a picture of my heart soaps I just made. Where would be the best place to do that? ((((((((((((((hugs))))))))))))))
Hi Priscilla!
If that soap doesn’t zap you, it should be just fine to use! To be on the extra safe side, you can use pH strips to test the soap and make sure it’s around 9-10 pH. Learn how to use those strips here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/test-ph-red-cabbage/
We recommend letting the soap cure for 4-6 weeks. That creates a harder, milder bar that lasts longer in the shower. It is technically ready to use after about 1 weeks, but we think waiting is totally worth it! You can also give the soap as gifts before then. We recommend including a use-by date and instructions on how to cure it. 🙂
Itchy skin can be due to several reasons. For instance, if a high amount of coconut oil is used (more than 33%), it can cause dryness and irritation on the skin. It may also be due to the fragrance or essential oil used. For instance, Clove Leaf Essential Oil can cause irritation at higher usage rates. Can you tell me more about your recipe, including what fragrance and essential oil you used?
For storing your soap, we recommend a cool, dry place with lots of air flow. You can definitely cure the soap in your garage! I wouldn’t recommend your patio, as it can come in contact with outside dust and debris.
For the racks, you can use plastic or stainless steel! We don’t recommend aluminum, even after the soap is made. It can do odd things to the soap. Read more about how to store your soap here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/how-to-store-handmade-bath-products/
As for a forum, you may like teachsoap.com/forum! You can ask questions and talk to other soapers there. You can also talk Bramble Berry on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry/
We do have some swaps planned for 2016! We don’t have set dates yet, but once we do we’ll announce it here on the blog. Find out more about the Soap Swap here: http://www.soapqueen.com/bramble-berry-news/cold-process-soap-swap-2015/
We also hold fun contests on the blog! Right now, you can win a set of planning tools to keep you organized in 2016. Find out how to enter here: http://www.soapqueen.com/personal-ramblings/make-your-2016-goals-meaningful/
As for challenges, you may like Great Cakes Soap Works! They host challenges every month: https://www.greatcakessoapworks.com/ It’s something we will also look into for 2016.
Also, we would love to see your pictures! You can share those on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/BrambleBerry/
Thanks so much for your order Priscilla. We really appreciate it. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Is it OK to leave out the mica and the lab color?
You can definitely leave out the mica and LabColor if you like! The lotion will be a lovely creamy white without it. 🙂
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry
Can you use cucumber melon frangrance oil with this recipe?
Absolutely, that would smell really awesome! How much scent you add does vary slightly based on the fragrance oil. You can use our Fragrance Calculator to find out exactly how much to add to this lotion: https://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Fragrance-Calculator.aspx
Cucumber Melon Fragrance Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Cucumber-Melon-Fragrance-Oil-P3857.aspx
-Kelsey with Bramble Berry