Working outdoors in the winter, Colorado’s dry climate, and processing alpaca fiber all take a toll on my hands. Usually, by this time of year, my hands are so cracked they look like the floor of a dry lake bed.

Not this year! I originally found this creamy, luxurious recipe for beeswax body butter on Pure Natural Diva, and then modified it to suit my needs (ie cheapness). I thought I’d share, because this wonderful stuff is the reason my rough hands don’t catch my yarn any more. Nothing is more frustrating than having fiber that is softer and more delicate than your own skin. Plus, it’s so easy, I don’t know why more people aren’t making their own lotion.

I enjoyed making it so much, I’ve made some for nearly everyone on my Christmas list. I got my containers from thrift stores across town, so they’d be pretty, recycled, and different from each other. I used a few old candle containers that I’d cleaned out, a sugar dish, bath salt bottles and the like. The beeswax I got in a 1 lb block at my local craft store, though I’d rather have gotten it from a local farm. Everything else came from my grocery store, in the “holistic medicine” section. You could also go to one of those vitamin/supplement stores. For one batch, I ran out of coconut oil and used olive oil instead, but it had a much greasier consistency, probably because it’s a liquid at room temperature while coconut oil is not.

The only other note I have for you is this: the fewer dishes this stuff touches, the better. It is really, really hard to clean it up. I got it down to two bowls and a whisk, and while other sites may recommend whipping it in a blender, I DO NOT. I’ll be drinking lavender lotion smoothies for months.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 TBS beeswax
1/4 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/8 tsp topical Vitamin E oil, or almond oil
3 TBS water
10 drops of an essential oil (for fragrance, I used tangerine oil for cheer, lavender for balance, and patchoui oil for a sensual smell, each in a different batch)

Instructions: Flake or grate beeswax into smaller, melt-able chunks. Combine grapeseed, coconut, and vitamin E oils in a microwave safe container, add beeswax to oils. Microwave until the beeswax is almost completely melted. Pour into cool bowl. Add water and essential oil. Whip with aggressively with a whisk. The mixture will begin to thicken and turn white. To test consistency, dab a drop onto wax paper. If too thick, add more oil, reheat and rewhip. If too thin, add more beeswax, reheat and rewhip.