This DIY Moisturizing Hand Lotion is a great way to get smooth hands and help out your cracked knuckles. It’s a great hand cream recipe and a simple homemade lotion recipe as well.
I love making body products. I started making my own DIY products because I wanted to keep my kids away from toxic chemicals, like endocrine disruptors. You would be surprised to know that a lot of the products we use on a daily basis contain ingredients that have been linked to all sorts of health issues, from allergies to cancer.
Making DIY products It is a great way to save money but the best part is that you know what’s exactly in the prodcuts you make. You can use organic ingredients and stick to ingredients that you know are not harmful for you nor your kids.
One of my favorite things to make is my DIY body butter because I love how it makes my skin feel. It is really moisturizing and I use it all year. It’s great in the winter because your skin dries out so much but also great in the summer since most people get a lot of sun exposure. Another thing I love about it is that you can easily infuse it with just exactly what you need, like my DIY Magnesium body butter.
The problem with body butter is that they are very greasy and take longer to absorb so I stick to using them at night, when I can put my pajamas and go to bed. I’ve been toying with the idea of making a lotion, but this requires water. The problem with water in a beauty product is that it’s a breeding ground for bacteria, which means if you’re not going to refrigerate it and use it fast you will need to use a preservative.
I personally like to stay away from preservatives, which is a reason why I make products in small batches. I was determined to come up with a hand lotion recipe that didn’t require preservatives but one that was moisturizing and that I could carry in my purse for as long as it took me to use it all.
I love a good challenge and after lots of experimenting I came up with this recipe. I love it so much I have used it on my entire body when I need a lotion in the morning because it absorbs so well.
How to Use This DIY Lotion
All you need is a little bit of this lotion for your dry skin. Since it’s made up of natural ingredients, you can rest easy knowing what you’re putting on your body. This is one of my favorite lotion recipes because it doesn’t leave my body feeling greasy.
Is this homemade lotion recipe safe for kids?
It is! This is just one of the many reasons why I love making my own beauty and lotion products at home. Since I know what is going into it, it gives me such a calmness as well.
What I love about this DIY Moisturizing Hand Lotion:
This recipe is actually a butter since it doesn’t contain any water, but calling it DIY Hand Butter just sounds weird. Here’s why this is one of my favorite products:
- It doesn’t use water.
- It doesn’t need preservatives (because it doesn’t have water although you should make it to start using it right now and not to store it for later).
- It absorbs REALLY fast – HUGE plus because who wants greasy hands?
- A lot less greasier than all the body butters I tried.
- Leaves your hands feeling so soft and moisturized.
- It doesn’t require you to cook or melt any ingredients.
It is seriously one of those recipes that I want everyone to try because it’s just so great! So, please, make it!
Did you know we have an e-book with 40 DIY recipes for bath and body products
⇒ ⇒ Check it out ⇐ ⇐
DIY Moisturizing Hand Lotion:
Ingredients:
As always, stick to organic ingredients if possible. By buying from these links, I will get a very small commission. Thanks for supporting my DIY ventures!
- To store: you can keep it in any glass container at home but I’ve found that these small ones are perfect to carry the lotion in your purse
- 2 tablespoons shea butter
- 2 teaspoons aloe vera gel
- 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil
- 1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
- 2 teaspoons arrowroot powder
- Essential oils: you can add essential oils to make it smell nice. If you’re going to be using this lotion while you’re out under the sun I recommend you don’t use any of the citrus essential oils. Some of my favorite combinations are:
Directions:
Using a hand mixer, mix the shea butter for a few minutes. Make sure it looks all fluffy.
Then add the grapeseed oil and vitamin E oil. Mix it for a few minutes until all the ingredients are mixed well.
Add the arrowroot powder a little at a time and mix it in until it’s not grainy. Then add the Aloe Vera gel. Mix it a bit more until it feels like a fluffy, soft lotion. It will look like this:
Keep it in a small mason jar or transfer it to a small glass jar like this one to carry in your bag.
Apply as often as you want. You can also use this lotion on your kids.
If you make this and love this recipe as much as I do, let me know!
DIY Moisturizing Hand Lotion: Creation
Save this DIY Moisturizing Hand Lotion recipe for later by pinning this image:
Love the sound of this recipe as I’ve been wanting a diy lotion that easily absorbs! But the vitamin E oil linked in article lists ingredients paraben & fragrance…
I’d love to know which vitamin E oil you’re looking at. I have a bottle of the Jason vitamin E oil at home and just checked the ingredients again and I don’t see any fragrances or parabens listed so if you’re seeing any I’d love to know which.
You can always use grapeseed oil instead of the vitamin E or find another vitamin E oil you like.
Absolutely love this recipe! Love the way it feels and holds up in warmer weather here in Las Vegas. Was wondering is there a way I can use this recipe and incorporate the magnesium oil into it instead of the recipe for the body butter that uses coconut oil? Thanks for all you do, I really enjoy your site!
Let me experiment and I’ll get back to you.
How many drops of eo do you add
I just add about 4 drops and smells it. If I want it stronger I add more.
aloha! I stumbled across your site while looking for a diy moisturizer that wouldn’t melt in the humidity here in Hawaii. I’ve made several lotions with a mix of coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax, but they have all melted within an hour or two. I don’t mind refrigerating it for the most part, but would love to have a little jar that I could take with me on the go, so a non-melting formula would be great! Do you know if this would hold up okay? Also, how important is the vital E oil? Do you think it would turn out okay if I skipped that ingredient? thanks!!
Hi! I have taken this body butter to the beaches in Costa Rica and it hasn’t melted: https://mamainstincts.com/diy-organic-body-butter/
Have you tried it? If it’s melting you can add more beeswax, that will help to keep it solid. However, if it’s hotter than melting point, it will melt. 🙁
As far as the vitamin E oil, you can skip it. It just great for your skin but not necessary to make the recipe work. Good luck!
Can I use aloe vera juice instead of gel?
No, Aloe Vera juice usually is diluted with water and has other ingredients that are not ideal for this recipe.
Ok tried this and LOVE that it’s less greasy! I used a rose infused Grapeseed Oil I had made and also added lavender but followed your recipe. Only wondering how you get the shea smooth without the melting. I used stand mixer and it did leave tiny lumps of shea, they do melt as soon as you start rubbing it in, but wondered how I can improve that?!
Hi Traci! I’ve never had this issue so it’s maybe because we’re buying different types of Shea..? Which one do you get?
Hi there!!
Thanks for posting your recipe!! I have been looking for a homemade lotion recipe to use in a pump bottle that does not contain water. Will this pump out properly in a bottle?
I have never tried to put it in a pumping bottle but I think it might not worth since the mixture feels ticker than the lotions that are usually in those type of bottles.
Could this be put in metal tins or is glass preferable?
Yes, you can put it in metal tins, glass is my personal preference.
My first time making any sort of hand cream/body butter. Made this exactly as per recipe and unfortunately is greasy on my skin and stays that way. Not sure if I’ve done something wrong but will probably try a different recipe next time.
Hi.
I am super excited to try this recipe out! I was looking to order some travel size bottles and was wondering how much this recipe yields so I know how much of the ingredients to get to fill all the bottles.
Thank you so much in advance! <3