Besides cooking and baths (especially bubble baths!), I love making DIY beauty treatments for myself to enjoy after a long hard day. Not only do they save a pretty penny (which is always a plus) but it gives you an excuse to take time out of your day to take care of yourself. Health is about feeling good inside and out! (Hello bath recipes, I’m looking at you).
I’ve been on the search for a homemade eczema cream with essential oils for a long time now. Those store bought body and hand lotions do nothing for me but sting, burn, and irritate my eczema. After the stinging subsides, my eczema turns redder than ever and the lotion’s soft skin benefits stick around for maybe half an hour? YES, even ones geared towards eczema sufferers.
Ridiculous, I know.
After expressing my frustration, my lovely grandmother gave me this body butter recipe to try (I’m pretty sure she actually got it from Dr.Axe so click here to see the original!). This recipe is easy to make, sting free, ultra LONG LASTING (I’m talking 12 hours+), and you go throughout your day smelling like flowers.
Dreams do come true!
(For those who don’t want to smell like flowers, scroll down to the tips and tricks segment of this article. You can thank me later!)
So if you’re ready for some wholesome goodness pampering let’s get right into it!
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup pure shea butter
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
- 30 drops of lavendar essential oil*
- 8 drops of tea tree essential oil
- 5 drops of rose or geranium essential oil (I used geranium)*
- Airtight container
DIRECTIONS
Grab a pot and a glass bowl. Fill the pot with roughly an inch or two of water and place the glass bowl in the mouth of the pot. Make sure the glass bowl in wide enough that it doesn’t touch the water but rather sits a few inches above the water, being supported by the rim of the pot.
Heat the water over medium heat, and place the shea butter and the coconut oil in the glass bowl. Stir frequently until completely melted.
Once everything is well blended, add the essential oils and mix well.
Remove from heat, and let cool so that the mixture begins to thicken. Speed this process up by placing the mixture in the refrigerator for roughly half an hour. NOTE: You don’t want mixture to be completely solid, or it will be difficult to mix.
Once the edges of the mixture start to thicken, remove from fridge. Using a handheld or stand up mixer, beat the body butter for several minutes until it begins to get the consistency of lotion -five to ten minutes. (My kitchen was mega hot from all the other goodies I had cooking, so if your kitchen was like mine and your body butter refused to thicken, beat the mixture thoroughly for several minutes and place back in the fridge until solid)
Transfer to an air tight container and store at room temperature.
- As I said above, this lotion is ultra long-lasting. In order for it to be so long-lasting, it is on the oily side. Don’t despair as it dries completely in roughly half an hour, leaving you with amazingly soft skin for hours to come and creates a definite lasting barrier between your skin and the outside world
- If you don’t want to feel greasy before school or work, apply before bed and climb into your favorite jammies. YES, you will wake up with super soft skin (minus the grease), YES you’ll still feel the body butter’s barrier protecting your skin from the outside world (and locking moisture in), and YES you’ll wake up smelling like flowers. Jackpot!
- *Lavender, Rose or Geranium Essential Oil: If you don’t want to smell like flowers, try replacing lavender essential oil with cedarwood essential oil and replacing the rose or geranium essential oil with juniper, frankincense, or birch essential oil. You’ll smell like the great outdoors -Win!
Eager for more?
Check out MomPrepares’s in-depth article on treating eczema with essential oils. You’ll find recipes for treating eczema in adults and children as well as valuable information on oils for allergies, dust mites, bacterial infections and so much more!
4. Last but certainly not least: Remember to use the body butter sparingly -a little goes a long way!
There we have it!
A homemade eczema cream with essential oils. Soak it up and enjoy!
Health & Happiness,
Savannah