Cocoa Peppermint Lotion

If your skin is anything like mine, it's hella sensitive and a complete struggle not to break out in a rash.  Looking back on it, I've always had dry winter skin making me an avid lotion user since childhood.  But ever since going through the struggle of acne and completing an Accutane regiment, it seems like the store-bought lotions, deodorants, or face moisturizers make me itchy and bitchy. 

I finally decided that enough was enough, I was going to take my skin care into my own hands.  After some trial and errors, I have successfully made a Cocoa Peppermint Lotion that spells good enough to eat.

Let's talk ingredients!

Coconut oil: Good for normal, dry, sensitive, and mature skin types.  Coconut oil is full of fatty acids, proteins, and vitamin E and has antibacterial properties.  It also leaves a nongreasy feel.

Cocoa Butter: Helps to reduce the appearance of scars, stretch marks, and wrinkles.  Cocoa butter is full of antioxidants, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, C, and E.

Jojoba oil: Good for all skin types.  Jojoba oil is similar to our sebum and can help regulate your skin's oil production.

Olive oil: Good for dry and aging skin types.  Olive oil is full of antioxidants and vitamins A and E.

Vitamin E: Powerful antioxidant. 

Beeswax: Traps in moisture without clogging your pores.  Beeswax is antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory.

Green Tea: Full of antioxidants that protect your skin from UV rays.  Green tea is also antibacterial.

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Cocoa Peppermint Lotion

Ingredients: 

• 5 Tbs Coconut oil
• 3 Tbs Cocoa butter
• Slightly less than 1 cup Jojoba oil
• 1 Tbs Olive oil
• 6 drops Vitamin E
• 3 Tbs Beeswax
• 1 1/2 cup Green Tea
• 45 drops Peppermint essential oil
• 5 drops Spearmint essential oil

Instructions:

1.  In a double boiler, melt the coconut oil, cocoa butter, jojoba oil, olive oil, vitamin E, and beeswax together.  
2. Add warm green tea to a food processor.
3. Turn the processor on and slowly add the oil/beeswax mixture drop by drop.
4. Add the essential oils.
5. Transfer lotion to glass container/s and let cool. 

Katie's Tips and Tricks:

• If you're using a bar of beeswax, like I do (I get it from the beekeeper down the road) I highly recommend melting the whole shebang into a mason jar.  That way you don't have to worry about stabbing yourself when trying to get those 3 Tbs worth.  It's way easier plopping your mason jar of beeswax into a pot of boiling water to melt it down each time. 
• When measuring out your jojoba oil, I recommend putting your tablespoon of olive oil into your measuring cup first then filling the rest of the way with jojoba oil. 
• The shelf life on this lotion is about 2 months. 
• This recipe makes enough to fill a quart jar.  I like to use the funky jar seen below that my parents use to keep coffee in. 

Let's make this the bee's knees.