With Christmas just around the corner, have you planned out all of your holiday gifts this year?

A homemade all natural lotion is the perfect winter gift. It's perfect for that dry winter skin but still nice and light and doesn't leave your skin feeling oily.

First things First I want to clear one thing up. An Emulsified Lotion is NOT a body butter.

Many people confuse these two with each other.

A Body Butter Is very heavy. It does not contain water.

Body butters are great, but personally, I find them a bit too oily and heavy for my skin.

Today I'm going to share with you how to make the creamiest lotion you've ever felt and how to customize it so that you can make cute and personal holiday gifts for your family and friends. This is the exact same recipe I use in my video tutorial of how to create an emulsified lotion.

Before we get started I'll quickly explain what a lotion is.

A lotion is made up of part oil and part water. These ingredients don’t want to mix together so you need to use an emulsifier to get them to be mix together – creating that creamy texture.

Don't be nervous…using an emulsifier is really easy when you know what you're doing.

Is This Recipe All Natural?

Lotions are tricky to keep 100% all natural for two reasons.

One: In order to combine water with oil you need an emulsifying agent like emulsifying wax. The all natural emulsifying agents don't do as good of a job combining the water and oil and ensuring they don't separate.

If you DO want to keep it natural, a good emulsifying agent would be beeswax (although this is technically not a true emulsifier). Otherwise, you can order emulsifying wax online.

Two: You really should be using a preservative in all DIY recipes that call for water in order to prevent mold and bacteria growth. Without a preservative, this recipe is really only good for a few days and must be kept in the fridge.

In this case, I use Phenonip which is a great liquid, broad spectrum preservative that is both anti-bacterial and anti-microbial. It can be used at .25% to 1% proportions.

So with that warning..let's move on to how to make a lotion tutorial. If you prefer to see a video tutorial of this process, you can download the video here.

Britt’s Emulsified Lotion Recipe

• .75 OZ Shea Butter
• 3 OZ Sweet Almond Oil
• 1 Oz Jojoba Oil
• 1OZ Emulsifying Wax (or Beeswax)
• 8OZ Distilled Water
• 3.5 Grams Phenonip
  Optional
• 2-3 Drops Vitamin E
• 5 Drops Essential Oil

Step By Step Written Instructions

If you prefer a visual example, you can download the step by step video tutorial here!)

Step 1: Combine the oils and add in the wax.

Step 2: Microwave this combination for 1-2 minutes, or until completely melted.

Step 3: In a separate bowl add the water and microwave for about 1 minute or until the water is warm. This is to prevent the water from hardening the oil mixture too quickly when we combine them.

Step 4: Slowly pour the warm water into the oil and wax combination stirring as you pour. Stir for about 30 seconds.

Step 5: The mixture isn't fully emulsified yet. To ensure the mixture is fully emulsified it's best to use a stick blender to fully combine the mixture. Use the stick blender for about 1 minute on short 10-15 second burst. You'll notice the mixture starts to become thicker and creamy. One thing to note is that as the mixture cools down, it will thicken.

Step 6: Take the temperature of your lotion and ensure it's below 145 degrees fahrenheit. Add your Phenonip and stir it into the mixture.

Step 7: Add your vitamin e and essential oils and stir.

If you want to see a video of this recipe in action,  you can download a video tutorial here.

Want To Customize Your Emulsified Lotion? 

Here are a few ideas:

• Try substituting your water mixture for green tea, chai tea or whatever your favorite tea beverage happens to be
• Substitute water for rose water or another hydrosol
• Did you know that you could substitute coffee for the water in your mixture? Aside from the nice smell, caffeine is an anti-inflammatory.
• Add your favorite essential oil for health benefits and a nice smell