Make Your Own Coconut Oil and Shea Butter Moisturizer

I’m writing this because I am either a hippy dippy, tree hugging granola woman who makes her own deodorant and moisturizer, or because I’m a person who needs to compensate her affinity for hair dye and oven cleaner with natural beauty products. You decide. Or can I be both? 

I dislike the idea of big companies making a ton of money selling me chemical-filled products that cannot be good for me or the environment, especially when great alternatives occur in nature. I am also a bit vain and sometimes sort of lazy – vain enough to overlook my dislike of companies that will help me hide my grey hair, and lazy enough to occasionally use oven cleaner on my backsplash because I don’t have the upper body strength to scrub off cooked on oil splatters. There you have it, the truth has set me free.

Coconut Oil and Shea Butter Moisturizer

Here’s where I let the hippy dippy part of myself shine and share with you the easiest moisturizer to ever come out of a kitchen. It has only two ingredients: coconut oil and shea butter. You could add essential oils, but since I use this moisturizer on my whole body – including my face – I don’t like the idea of putting strong scented essential oils near my eyes. (Note: If you are using essential oil, please do some research on their properties so you can achieve your desired effect. The Mother Nature Network is a good place to start.) 

Some people do just fine with coconut oil and shea butter on their face, but those prone to breakouts may find that these make matters worse. If you want to use coconut oil and shea butter on your face, let me just say that this is a time when less is more. I rub on a tiny amount all over my face and add a little extra to my crows feet. See? Vain.

 The moisturizer in a pretty jar also makes a great gift.

Take a moment to go over this colossal ingredients list:

• 1/3 cup pure virgin coconut oil
• 1/4 cup organic shea butter

1. In a double broiler melt the coconut oil and shea butter together.
2. Stir to combine.
3. Pour into a glass container. If you happen to have a dark glass container, even better. (This helps keep light out and preserve the integrity of the moisturizer.)
4. If you are impatient like me, pop your filled container in the fridge to harden things up.

That’s it! You are done! Just think about that: In a matter of minutes you have made a natural and effective moisturizer using only two ingredients. No chemicals you can’t pronounce, no dyes, and no synthetic fragrance. It’s all natural and smells so good you’ll be tempted to eat it.