Moisturising Lotion

Following is a recipe used by science students that can be easily adapted to the kitchen.

First, prepare a water bath by dissolving 15 drops of glycerol in 50 mL of water in a 250-mL beaker. In a 100-mL beaker, weigh 1 g of anhydrous lanolin (very sticky) and add 21 mL of mineral oil. Then put the 100-mL beaker in the 250-mL beaker and heat over a burner until the water temperature reaches 50 degrees. After turning off the burner, mix the lanolin and mineral oil thoroughly using a wooden spatula. Then, and this is the tricky part, pour a small amount (a few mL) of the glycerol/water from the larger beaker into the smaller one with thorough stirring. In a minute or so, it should thicken and get cloudy. You can then add more of the glycerol/water a little at a time with continued thorough stirring. Too rapid addition without adequate stirring causes a separation that is difficult or impossible to correct.

Fragrance or colouring can be added to the starting lanolin/mineral oil or glycerol/water mixtures or, probably, at any point during the preparation. Only small amounts are needed.

Petroleum Jelly
Petroleum jelly is easy to make and it is an ingredient of many other products. Naturalists may substitute a natural oil, such as grapeseed oil or sweet almond oil for the baby or mineral oil to create an "un-petroleum jelly."

1 ounce (weight) beeswax
1/2 cup baby or mineral oil

Melt the beeswax in a microwave or a double boiler. Stir in the mineral oil. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir until cool.

Skin Cream
2 1/2 ounces (weight) beeswax
4 ounces (weight) lanolin
2/3 cup baby or mineral oil
3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon borax (sodium borate, CP)
Fragrant oil (optional)

Melt the oil, lanolin and beeswax to 160 degrees F. Heat the borax and water in a separate container to 160 degrees F. Be sure the beeswax is melted and the borax is dissolved. Add the water mixture to the oil mixture while stirring. When a white cream forms, stir slowly until the mixture cools to 100 degrees F. Pour the cream into small, wide-mouth jars.

Coloured Lip Gloss
Lipstick colours this easy formula for lip gloss. This is a good way to use lipstick that is too dark because the gloss will be a lighter colour.

1 teaspoon grated beeswax
1/2 teaspoon lipstick
1/2 teaspoon petroleum jelly

Melt the ingredients in a small can placed in boiling water.
Stir it well and pour it into a small jar.

Beeswax Polish
Beeswax furniture polish with it's soft, satin shine is considered the ultimate in wood care. Note that there is very little difference between this formula and the formula for shoe polish.

4 ounces (weight) beeswax
2 tablespoons carnauba wax
2 1/2 cups odourless turpentine or mineral spirits

Melt the waxes on high in a microwave or in a double boiler. Remove the waxes from the heat and stir in the turpentine or mineral spirits. Apply the polish with a clean cloth and rub in small circles. Turn the cloth as it becomes dirty. Allow the polish to dry, then buff with a clean cloth. If more than one coat is desired, wait two days between applications.

Dispersing Bath Oil
This is one of my favourite formulas because most homemade bath oils simply float on bath water. This recipe is different in that it mixes with water, clings to the skin, and forms a thin, even coating. The oil has a long shelf life at room temperature.

1 whole egg
1/2 cup baby or mineral oil
2 teaspoons liquid soap or dishwashing liquid
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup whole fresh milk
Fragrant oil (optional) estimate about 1 teaspoon.

Mix all ingredients in a blender for 30 seconds. Use only one or two tablespoons of this oil in a bathtub of water.

A Gentle Moisturiser

20 ml (1½ tablespoons) jojoba oil
20 ml (1½ tablespoons) sweet almond oil
20 ml (1½ tablespoons) aloe vera
20 ml (1½ tablespoons) orangeflower water
15 g (½ oz) cocoa butter
6 g (1/8 oz) pure beeswax
3 drops essential oils

Put the oils, cocoa butter and beeswax into a bain marie and gently dissolve over a low heat. Heat the aloe vera and flower water to roughly the same temperature. Stir until cool. Add essential oils, then stir once more. Pour into an airtight jar and refrigerate.

A Nourishing Face Cream

10 g (¼ oz) pure beeswax
5 ml (1 teaspoon) acacia honey
10 ml (2 teaspoons) sweet almond oil
10 ml (2 teaspoons) jojoba oil
20 ml (1½ tablespoons) rosewater or orangeflower water
1 g (1/16 oz) soya lecithin
2 ml (¼ teaspoon) evening primrose oil or wheatgerm oil
3 drops essential oils

Put the beeswax, oils and honey into a bain marie and gently dissolve over a low heat. Warm the flower water to roughly the same temperature and combine the two. Beat until creamy. When almost cool, add essential oils. Pour into an airtight jar and refrigerate.

Chapped-lip Balm
Simple petroleum jelly is good for chapped lips, but this formula is even better. The essential oil gently cools burning lips.

1 tablespoon grated beeswax (1/2 oz weight)
1 tablespoon petroleum jelly
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon lanolin
3 to 4 drops essential oil

Melt the wax, lanolin and petroleum jelly in a microwave. Add the honey and essential oil. Essential oil of peppermint, eucalyptus, wintergreen and camphor all slightly numb painful lips. Stir the mixture until it cools.

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