Most effective DIY lotion

Written By: Taras Chernetskiy and Justin Davis

      Coming into chemistry class, the last thing on our minds to do before school ends was a DIY project. We typically just go to stores and buy it straight off the shelves along with the fact we are simple and non-creative people. Even when having little

creativity, we both loved a good challenge no matter the game. When doing the research however, we realized that DIY had many benefits we never knew before and it immediately got interesting for us. We based our project from Wellness Mama but with our additions.

      Many brand name lotions have dangerous chemicals that can irritate skin and cause certain health problems. For example, the parabens in lotion have been known to disrupt hormone functions which is linked to increase of breast cancer.  With that in mind, finding better and safer ingredients for a much more reliable lotion was the goal. All we needed were 5 products making this easier for us. During the class time we worked throughout the whole two periods and even having to stay a few minutes extra to perfect that magical DIY lotion. It wasn’t the cleanest project as we had spills and got dirty but in the end it was worth it.

Heating and mixing all of the oils

    Our project had 5 simple ingredients, coconut oil, cocoa butter, shea butter, vitamin E oil, and lavender oil. Coconut oil is a highly saturated oil from, you guessed it, coconuts. It contains many health benefits including reducing inflammation on the skin and even treating acne. The antioxidants neutralize the reactive atoms associated with inflammation and also demonstrates anti-fungal effects.

    Cocoa butter is a stable fat extracted from the cocoa seeds of the pod. It’s use can make the quality of your skin tone better. It’s thick consistency and fatty acids hydrate the skin which smooths out scars, wrinkles and other marks on the skin.

     Shea butter is also high in fatty acids and vitamins from the shea tree nuts. The rich oils soak into the skin creating a smooth soft barrier that seals in moisture. The vitamin k in it also helps the body heal faster.

      As for the essential oils, Vitamin E, it is concentrated in the sebum and in the membrane of skin cells. The oil is then maintained in the body to keep the beauty of the complexion. The lavender oil we used is the most essential oil used around the world and its calming and antidepressants properties help reduce anxiety and improve brain function.

        You can find all of these products at any pharmacy near you and if the essential oils are not available, you can order it on amazon. The amount goes for this

Coconut Oil 13.5 TBSP

Cocoa Butter 13.5 TBSP

Shea Butter 13.5 TBSP

Vitamin E oil ½ TBSP

Lavender Oil 15-20 drops

        The way we began the project was by getting a clean bowl to mix in the coconut oil, cocoa butter, and shea butter. Before putting that on, we set a pot of water to boil. We put the bowl of the 3 ingredients on top of the pot and let them melt into liquids. While it melted we mixed it all together. After we took it off after around 10 mins, we added the 2 essential oils and mixed it again. At the end we needed to put the 20 oz of the lotion into 10 2 oz jars (you do not have to do this). After, it is recommended to let it cool in the refrigerator around 1-2 hours until it cools into a nice lotion based texture.

Putting on the final product

        When ending the project, I enjoyed the experience. We came back a few days later and our lotion was smooth and it felt great on the skin. The ingredients blended well to give moisture to our skin as we also let others test it. Our product was so simple and cheap and it could easily benefit many people that have trouble with other lotions which is what brought a smile to our faces making it.