Honey Oat Lotion

With all the hiking I've been doing in the chilly, winding dry air combined with all the moving and cleaning I've been up to, my hands have been unbelievably dy. Like, so severe that you could easily see a layer of dead skin on top, the skin was cracked, and my knuckles constantly bloody. That dry. Ouch and gross. So I've been in need of some quality, heavy duty lotion to fix this. Many of you already know that I am not a fan of buying store bought beauty products of any kind (so many chemicals! so expensive!), and that I really enjoy creating alternatives. But what you probably didn't know is that I am often terribly lazy about getting around to making something, especially when I really need it. So, I'd been using a tiny bottle of all natural lotion Will bought for me in the winter to keep in my purse (mostly for his benefit, because his hands were always dry when we were out and about in the winter) and pouting about it. Because who has the time to experiment making lotions? Well, lucky me (and you because hello recipe), I did recently. And I managed to find something that I really like that works wonderfully.

This is by far my favorite of all the beauty recipes I have shared here so far. I'm sure I probably say that every time I post a new recipe for you and, rightly so; there have been so many great ones so far. I especially love the great body scrubs I've posted: Warm Vanilla Sugar Body Scrub and Moisturizing Cinnamon Honey Salt Scrub, and I use both often. But this lotion is something I am already using everyday and I love that. I has a permanent place beside the hand soap on my kitchen counter. It is the perfect ending to a sink full of dishes and it's had made all the difference to the health of my hands. They are no longer cracked and dry from all the washing I give them (I'm a clean freak, sorry hands). It doesn't get much better than that.

The combination of ground oats and coconut oil in this recipe means that the lotion ends up feeling smooth and thick and frothy. It rubs into the skin shockingly well, without leaving an oily layer behind — like you might experience with using coconut oil alone. It is fast to make, with few ingredients that are all beneficial for the skin. Lightly scented, you can personalize this lotion easily to suit your tastes and preferences. See the full recipe below.




HONEY OAT LOTION | yields 14 FL OZ

For the Lotion                                            

1 cup oats
1 1/4 cup coconut oil (solid)
1 tablespoon honey
1/4 cup mint rosemary green tea, optional

Instructions                                                

1. Measure out 1 cup of oats and place in a food processor. Process until oats become a fine, smooth powder. It may be easier to achieve the desired consistency by dividing the oats in two and processing the oats in two separate batches.
2. Measure out the coconut oil and place in a mixing boil. It is important that the coconut oil be completely solid for this step. Using a hand mixer, beat the oil starting on the lowest setting — breaking up large clumps and creating a smooth consistency — then gradually increasing the speed of the mixer to high. Beat the coconut oil for 1 minute on high, until smooth and fluffy. It should look a bit like whipped cream.
3. Let the whipped oil sit while you make some tea. This step is optional, and you may choose to use essential oils instead or simply enjoy the scent of the honey and oats alone. Green tea has great antioxidant properties and is great for the skin, and the scent of green tea, mint, and rosemary together is lovely so I recommend it. I used a tea bag titled Moroccan Mint, by Stash Tea, which is a lovely green. Before brewing, I carefully opened the bag and stuffed a tablespoon of rosemary inside, then secured the bag closed again. Pour 1/4 cup boiling water over your tea bag and let steep until completely cooled.
4. Slowly combine the oat powder with the whipped oil. Begin on low speed with your hand mixer, and add the oats in in small batches — combining thoroughly each time before adding more. Once all oats have been added to the oil and blended in completely, again increase the speed on your mixer to high and beat for 1 minute. The combined result should closely resemble pancake batter.
5. Add a tablespoon of honey to the mixture and combine. Add in the tea as well. Just be sure that it is entirely cool before doing so (very important!), as you do not want to melt the oil and ruin your work. Place it in the freezer for a few minutes before adding, if needed.
6. Beat everything together one last time, for good measure.

Enjoy! Stay moisturized.

xx Emorie