Homemade Chamomile Lotion Recipe
Instructions for making a simple chamomile skin lotion with chamomile-infused oil. The texture is thick and creamy but feels light and absorbs quickly. It's also ideal for those with inflamed or sensitive skin. Makes one 120ml pot but can be scaled up for larger batches.
Servings 120 ml
Cost $5
Equipment
Ingredients
Chamomile Infused Oil
- 1 cup dried chamomile flowers
- 1.5 cups sweet almond oil 355 ml / 12 fl oz
Water Phase
- 90 g distilled water 90 ml / 3.04 fl. oz
Oil Phase
- 11 g emulsifying wax NF (or BP) 0.39 oz / 1 TBSP ( you can use only one or two teaspoons to create thinner lotion consistency)
- 25 g chamomile-infused sweet almond oil 0.88 oz / 2 TBSP
Cooling Phase
- broad spectrum preservative*
- 5 drops German chamomile essential oil Optional
Instructions
Make the Chamomile Infused Oil
- At least two weeks before making the lotion, start the chamomile infused oil. Fill a pint jar with a cup of dried chamomile flowers, then fill the jar with sweet almond oil to within a quarter-inch of the top. If you'd like to use another oil with a similar texture, I can recommend apricot kernel, grapeseed, or cold-pressed sunflower.
- Seal the jar and give in a shake. Place in a dark cupboard, and shake it every few days, or whenever you remember.
- After two or more weeks have passed, strain the chamomile-infused oil through a fine sieve. Discard the flowers, and bottle the oil in a dark glass bottle until you need it. You'll make quite a lot of oil in this step and it will easily give you enough infused oil to make a year's worth of lotions, and other skincare products. The oil has a shelf-life of one year, or the best-by date on the original oil bottle.
Prepare the Oil & Water Phases
- Sterilize all of your equipment by running it through the dishwasher. Wash your hands thoroughly, and consider wearing disposable gloves while making the lotion. Microbes that are on your hands and equipment can make their way into your lotion and spoil it.
- Measure the ingredients of the oil phase into one heat-proof glass jar. Measure the distilled water amount for the water phase in a second jar. Next, place both the jars in a large saucepan, and fill the pan with an inch of hot water.
- Bring the water to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. You're ready for the next step after you've heated and held the jars for at least twenty minutes, and the contents of both jars are 75°C/165°F. Take the jars out, and place them on a kitchen towel on the counter.
- Next, pour the heated distilled water into the oil-phase jar. You'll see it immediately turn an opaque milky color. Gently stir with a spoon for several minutes, then let it cool. Leave the spoon inside the jar since you'll need to return five minutes later to give it another stir.
Cooling Phase
- As the lotion cools, it will thicken up to a light lotion consistency. Return every ten minutes or so to stir gently stir*.
- When the lotion is 45°C/110°F or cooler, add the preservative* and chamomile essential oil.
- Now we need to test for pH. Stir a half teaspoon of lotion in 1-2 tsp distilled water. Dip one of your pH papers into liquid and then compare the color to the ones on the pack. Lotion and skin creams need to match the pH of your skin, or they can be irritating and affect the effectiveness of preservatives. If the pH is between 4.5-5.5, you're spot on. You can make the lotion more acidic (lower the pH) by adding tiny amounts of lactic acid or citric acid dissolved in a small amount of warm, distilled water. Make it more alkaline (increase the pH) with triethanolamine or by dissolving a small amount of L-Arginine or bicarbonate (baking soda) in water and adding it. Pass it through the sieve and into the lotion. Take the pH reading again and adjust again if needed.
- Using a rubber spatula, spoon the lotion into a dark glass container and seal it. You can begin using it immediately.
Video
Notes
*If you use less than the recommended amount (1TBSP) of emulsifying wax, it's recommended to stir the lotion every minute or so during the cooling down phase. This can help keep the lotion emulsified and stop it from seperating.
* I use 1/2 tsp (1.5 g) Geogard Ultra preservative when making this recipe. You can use another broad-spectrum preservative for skin creams, though. If you do, follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Also, if you make this hand cream without a preservative, it will last up to one week in the refrigerator. After that time, invisible bacteria and fungi will begin colonizing it, and it will probably not be something you want to put on your face. Microbes love a water-based environment.