I’d love to spend hours in the sun, but my skin might disagree. Rather than bathing in sunshine and risking a burn, I created this Sunshine Lotion Recipe. It’s a thick and creamy texture, yet it feels surprisingly lightweight on the skin. Scented with Sunflower Fragrance Oil and Southern Peach Fragrance Oil, it smells slightly fruity, flowery and completely amazing. It’s like spreading a little bit of summer on your skin!
If you’ve never made lotion before, it’s surprisingly simple. In a nutshell, it boils down to mixing water and a small amount of oil together. In order to blend the the oil and water together, you need an emulsifier. In this case, emulsifying wax gives the lotion a nice “slip.” This recipe also contains stearic acid, which acts as a co-emulsifer and thickener. If you’d like to learn more about the different components of lotion recipes, the How to Create Homemade Lotion Recipes post is full of information.
In addition to water, oils and emulsifier, lotion recipes require a preservative. Preservatives are anit-microbial solutions that prevent mold and bacteria from growing in your products. Any product that contains water requires a preservative. For the preservative in this recipe, I used optiphen which is a paraben and formaldehyde-free preservative. To learn more about which preservative is right for you project, click here.
What You’ll Need:
Three 8 oz. Bottles with White Disk Caps
18 oz. Distilled Water
0.7 oz. Argan Oil
2.4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
1.4 oz. Emulsifying Wax
0.5 oz. Glycerin
0.5 oz. Stearic Acid
0.5 oz. Oat Extract
0.2 oz. Optiphen (preservative)
12 mL Canary LabColor
3 mL Sunflower Fragrance Oil
2 mL Southern Peach Fragrance Oil
Droppers
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EQUIPMENT PREP: Disinfect your utensils by dipping them in a 5% bleach water solution and allowing to dry. This includes mixing containers, your stick blender, and any spoons or spatulas that may come in contact with your lotion. Your products must be as free of germs, bacteria, and microbes as possible. To be safe, bleach water all your utensils.
ONE: In a heat-safe container, combine the sweet almond oil, argan oil, emulsifying wax, and stearic acid. Heat the container in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts until the waxes have fully melted and the mixture is about 160° F. Set aside.
TWO: In a separate container, add the distilled water and glycerin. Heat to about 160° F.
THREE: Check the temperatures of both containers. Each container should be between 150 – 160° F. Once they are at the correct temperatures, pour the water into the oils and begin pulsing the stick blender. Blend the mixture for 60 – 90 seconds, making sure the oil and water phases are fully emulsified. Be careful to “burp” your stick blender by tamping it on the bottom of the container to release bubbles — you don’t want bubbles trapped in your lotion! Continue to blend until the lotion drops to about 140° F.
FOUR: Add the diluted Canary LabColor and stick blend it in thoroughly. Be sure to dilute your LabColor before use! Learn how to dilute LabColors here.
FIVE: Add the Sunflower Fragrance Oil and Southern Peach Fragrance Oil. Stick blend for several minutes to thoroughly combine.
SIX: Once the lotion is below 120°F, add the oat extract and Optiphen. Using the stick blender, mix for an additional 60-90 seconds until the mixture is fully incorporated.
SEVEN: Carefully pour the lotion into bottles. Let the bottles sit overnight without a cap (otherwise condensation can form inside the bottle). Once completely cooled, place the caps on the bottles and enjoy!
Sunshine Lotion Tutorial
Ingredients
- Three 8 oz. Bottles with White Disk Caps
- 18 oz. Distilled Water
- 0.7 oz. Argan Oil
- 2.4 oz. Sweet Almond Oil
- 1.4 oz. Emulsifying Wax
- 0.5 oz. Glycerin
- 0.5 oz. Stearic Acid
- 0.5 oz. Oat Extract
- 0.2 oz. Optiphen preservative
- 12 mL Canary LabColor
- 3 mL Sunflower Fragrance Oil
- 2 mL Southern Peach Fragrance Oil
- Droppers
Instructions
EQUIPMENT PREP: Disinfect your utensils by dipping them in a 5% bleach water solution and allowing to dry. This includes mixing containers, your stick blender, and any spoons or spatulas that may come in contact with your lotion. Your products must be as free of germs, bacteria, and microbes as possible. To be safe, bleach water all your utensils.
- In a heat safe container, combine the sweet almond oil, argan oil, emulsifying wax and stearic acid. Heat the container in the microwave using 30-60 second bursts until the waxes have fully melted and the mixture is about 160° F. Set aside.
- In a separate container, add the distilled water and glycerin. Heat to 160° F.
- Check the temperatures of both containers. Each container should be between 150 – 160° F. Check the temperatures of both containers. Each container should be between 150 – 160° F. Once they are at the correct temperatures, pour the water into the oils and begin pulsing the stick blender. Blend the mixture for 60 – 90 seconds, making sure the oil and water phases are fully emulsified. Be careful to “burp” your stick blender by tamping it on the bottom of the container to release bubbles — you don’t want bubbles trapped in your lotion! Continue to blend until the lotion drops to about 140° F.
- Add the diluted Canary LabColor and stick blend it in thoroughly. Be sure to dilute your LabColor before use! Learn how to dilute LabColors here.
- Add the Sunflower Fragrance Oil and Southern Peach Fragrance Oils. Stick blend to combine.
- Once the lotion is below 120°F, add the oat extract and Optiphen. Using the stick blender, mix for an additional 60-90 seconds until the mixture is fully incorporated.
- Carefully pour it into bottles. Let the bottles sit overnight without a cap (otherwise condensation can form inside the bottle). Once completely cooled, place the caps on the bottles and enjoy!
