How to make body lotion

What belongs in a body lotion?

Moisturisers can contain ingredients with three different jobs: softening skin, attracting water and reducing water loss. Understanding those jobs helps you assess a formula, but does not tell you how much of each ingredient to mix.3

Lotions have a high water content and spread easily. They suit hairy areas and mild dryness, but are less moisturising than thicker options. If your goal is relief for very dry, thickened skin, an ointment is a more suitable texture; making a thin lotion is not necessarily the right project.345

Added ingredients can come with misleading claims about skin ageing, so a longer ingredient list is not a longer list of achievements. Choose ingredients for their role in the formula rather than treating every extra as an improvement.3

Why preservation matters

Creams and lotions are prone to microbial contamination. Contamination can start with water or other raw ingredients, enter during preparation, or happen later through packaging and use. Harmful microorganisms can make a cosmetic unsafe, and contaminated lotions have caused serious infections. Preservatives are part of managing that risk, although some can also cause allergic contact dermatitis, an itchy, inflamed skin reaction, in people who are sensitised to them.136

Is a natural lotion safer?

FDA has no regulatory definition of "natural" for cosmetic labels, so the word does more decorating than defining. The same safety requirements apply to cosmetics regardless of where their ingredients come from. For skin that reacts to fragrance, choose fragrance free products; "unscented" products and botanical ingredients can still contain fragrance related ingredients.26

How to handle and store the finished lotion

• Keep the container clean and wash your hands before applying lotion.
• Use a clean spoon or spatula to remove lotion from a tub rather than dipping your fingers into it.
• If you need another scoop, use a second clean spoon instead of returning a used one to the tub.
• Do not thin finished lotion with extra water. Water can introduce microorganisms and dilute preservatives.
• Do not share the lotion with other people.
• Follow storage instructions established for the formula. Warm or damp conditions can encourage microbial growth and cause preservatives to break down.

Test your skin's reaction before wider use

Once the formula's safety and preservation are settled, test the lotion on a small area before applying it widely. This skin test checks for a reaction; it does not replace protection against microbial contamination.6

1. 1Choose a spot about the size of a quarter on the underside of your arm or at the bend of your elbow, where lotion will not be rubbed or washed away.
2. 2Apply the normal amount and thickness twice daily for seven to 10 days.
3. 3Leave the lotion on as you would during normal use.
4. 4If there is no redness, itching or swelling after the test period, begin wider use.

How to use body lotion

Apply lotion after bathing or showering, as soon as you have gently patted your skin dry. Smooth it onto skin in the direction of hair growth rather than rubbing vigorously. Reapply when skin feels dry or tight. For mild dryness, a light moisturiser at night can be enough; more severe dryness needs more frequent application or a richer product.35

With a suitable emollient used in sufficient amounts, skin can feel softer and less rough as soon as treatment starts. Moisturising is ongoing care, not a cure for a dry skin condition. If you use a prescribed skin cream or ointment, leave 20 to 30 minutes between that treatment and your moisturiser, and ask the prescriber which to apply first.45

When to stop using the lotion

If a skin reaction develops, gently wash the lotion off and stop using it. A cool compress or petroleum jelly can help relieve the reaction. See a dermatologist if the reaction is severe and those measures do not help. Persistent burning, stinging or inflamed hair follicles also warrant advice from a doctor, nurse or pharmacist. Stop using lotion that develops a bad smell or other signs of contamination.156

Keep emollient soaked clothing and bedding away from flames and cigarettes, including when the product contains no paraffin. Washing fabrics does not completely remove the residue. Moisturising products can also make a bath, shower or tiled floor slippery.5

If you plan to sell homemade lotion

In the United States, making cosmetics at home is allowed, but manufacturers remain responsible for product safety and proper labelling. Most cosmetic ingredients do not need FDA approval before sale, with an exception for colour additives. That does not remove the safety requirement. Claims that a lotion treats or prevents disease can make it a drug, which carries different requirements.2