How to make all natural Magnesium Lotion
This all natural magnesium lotion is all natural, made from high quality ingredients and no harmful chemicals!
I love making my own lotion (and I’m extremely picky about the lotion I do buy) because of all the weird chemicals that can end up in lotion. The skin is the body’s largest organ and all the chemicals that get onto our skin seep into our body. No Bueno!
Plus, Magnesium is best absorbed through the skin (without any of the accompanying digestive upsets!)
It took me a year of tweaking to get this all natural magnesium lotion how I wanted it. It’s still a little thick but if I made it any less so I don’t feel it would be as hydrating as I would like. One thing you can’t avoid: it stings a little on freshly shaved legs! (it might sting all over if you are really low on magnesium but that will subside as your magnesium levels rise.) So I mix it with a little bit of regular lotion to take some of the sting out when I shave.
(If you want to know more about the Health Benefits of Magnesium and why you should supplement, check out my article here or check out this article.)
Great for the entire family!
I rub a little bit of this on my son’s feet each night before bed. Because of this, I’m careful not to go overboard with the essential oils when I make it. My son loves having it rubbed into his feet! He calls it “dab, dab, dab” and will bring me the lotion at night to put it on.
Preservative-free and how to store:
This is all natural and preservative-free. It also has water in it, which means that this is susceptible to spoiling. For that reason, I store my lotion in the refrigerator and I recommend you do the same. I do take a small amount out and put it in a small jar and keep that out (for my son’s feet). I have taken this with me while traveling and not refrigerated it for a week or so, but long-term it’s best to keep it in the fridge. You just have to remember to take it out before you hop in the shower!
The recipe:
The ingredient list for the lotion is long, however if you have already been making your own beauty products then you probably already have most, if not all, of the necessary ingredients. Also, if you are new to making your own lotion then the initial investment in the butter and oils can be a little steep, although the ingredients last a really long time. Oils and butters can go rancid eventually, so don’t buy in too big of a package.
I get most of my ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs and I get my essential oils from Ananda Apothecary. You can buy some of these ingredients off of Amazon, although I cannot attest to the quality of items sold from Amazon (such as the shea butter), while Mountain Rose Herbs is a company that I trust (but shipping is slow!). I will link to each item individually in the recipe.
Here ‘tis:
- 2.5 Tbsp coconut oil (any coconut oil that you would cook with will do)
- 1.5 tbsp unrefined shea butter (more isn’t better…your lotion will be quite thick)
- 4 tbsp oil (I use any combo of Jojoba, Apricot Kernal, or Sweet Almond oil…these oils are absorbed the best by your skin and won’t leave you feeling greasy).
- 2 tbsp Beeswax Pastilles
- 2 tbsp Emulsifying Wax
- ¼ cup Magnesium Bath Flakes
- ½ cup freshly boiled water
- 2 Tbsp Aloe Vera Gel (from Mountain Rose here or Amazon here
2 Tbsp Glycerin
- 1-2 tsp Vitamin E Oil (optional) (helps extend life)
- 1 dropper of Propolis Extract (optional, also helps extend life)
- 30-40 drops essential oils of choice* (cut in half if pregnant)
2 Tbsp
Other items you’ll need:
Double Boiler (you won’t want to use the top part of the double boiler for anything but lotion)
Glass bowl, big enough for blending lotion (you will also dedicate this solely to lotion)
Infrared Thermometer Temperature Gun 
Hand Mixer (Not an immersion blender…you want an old fashioned hand beater. Some people use their blender…have fun trying to get all the beeswax out of your blender if you try it!)
How to make your all natural magnesium lotion:
Start by placing water in the bottom of your double boiler and bring to a boil. Place the top part of the double boiler on top, and add 2 tbsp each of beeswax pastilles and emulsifying wax.
Once the wax starts to melt, add 1.5 tbsp shea butter and 2.5 tbsp coconut oil.
Once the shea butter and wax is completely melted, add the 4 tbsp of any combination of the jojoba, sweet almond, and apricot kernel oils. Swirl until the liquid oils are completely blended with the wax and butter mixture.
Turn off the heat and immediately pour into a glass jar. Allow this mixture to come to room temperature on the counter top. NOTE: Some people put their mixture in the freezer for a little while to speed up this process. I find that this makes blending more difficult (it’s easy to let it freeze too much) and you are more likely to end up with hard, un-blended lumps in your lotion.
While the oil/wax mixture is cooling, bring ½ cup water to a boil. Transfer the boiling water to any heat-safe vessel and add ¼ cup Magnesium bath flakes and stir until dissolved. Allow to sit for about 30 minutes.
When the magnesium mixture has cooled a bit, add the 2 Tbsp Aloe Vera Gel.
Using your infrared thermometer, check the temperatures of your two mixtures. You want to blend them together when they are pretty close to the same temperature. You want this to be around 80 degrees F.
When you are ready to blend, start by blending just the oil/wax mixture to break it up. Add the 2 Tbsp Glycerin, 1 tsp Vitamin E oil and dropper full of propylis tincture (if using), and essential oil blend. Blend some more!
Now, slowly (slowly!!) add the water/magnesium/aloe mixture while blending. This can get a little messy if you don’t have a vessel with a spout. Keep blending while slowly adding the magnesium mixture. You are making lotion! Keep blending until everything is nice and smooth.
Transfer your lotion to a glass jar with a lid. Store in the refrigerator to slow any spoiling. Remember, this is preservative-free and has water in it, so it can go bad.
I use this daily as a regular lotion. Sometimes I mix it just a little with store bought lotion (I use an all natural kind by EO Everyone) to make the consistency thinner in the summer and also to take the bite out when I use on freshly shaven legs.
I also give this all natural magnesium lotion regularly as a gift to all my crunchy friends. They love it!
Questions? Comments? Drop me a line in the comments below!
