Recently I got a big jar of Tropical Traditions Coconut Oil in the mail and it was just staring at me on the counter...waiting to be used. So I decided it was time for me to try out this recipe. This lotion recipe is really simple and only takes 2 ingredients. I think next time I will add a little beeswax to mine as I felt like it was a little too greasy for my tastes. The recipe works great for arms and legs and a little goes a long way. I don't really like it on my hands but then I've never been a fan of any lotion on my hands!
Coconut Oil Lotion
What you need:
- 1 c. coconut oil
- 1 t. vitamin E (I just used a few capsules)
Here's what you need, a mixer, the oil, the vitamin E, and a bowl! You could also use a stand mixer but I didn't feel like cleaning mine. The hand mixer worked just fine! Note that I also used Gold Label Coconut Oil from Tropical Traditions. This one still retains a little of the coconut scent. I actually really liked that in this lotion!
Measure out your coconut oil and add in the vitamin E. This is my before shot. See how the oil is kind of lumpy?
Then....mix! This picture was after about 2 minutes.
You will want to mix for about 7 minutes total.
After!
I put mine in a jar with a plastic screw lid to store on my bathroom counter. Like I said above, a little goes a long way with this lotion! If you want to complete your homemade creams collection you will also want to check out my post on homemade Vaseline!
Disclaimer: This post may contain a link to an affiliate. See my disclosure policy for more information.
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Love the Coconut oil recipe, and I Love the smell of Coconut, think I will try this.
I have been using coconut oil by itself for our lotion now for years. What does the Vit. E do to improve it?
Vitamin E is an excellent moisturizer and is also a great antioxidant.
This has many uses…. I luv coconut oil
I love all things coconut oil. I’ve always done the lazy method and just scooped it out of the tub right onto my person. But this looks simple enough. Thanks for sharing!
What will happen to it when the temp reaches 76 degrees? Will the lotion melt into oil? My coconut oil is liquid about half the time…
Yes, if you have a really warm house you will need to stick this in the fridge.
Sounds good, will have to try it.
I have used coconut oil, shea butter, and vitamin E each on their own as my sole moisturizer, but none with complete success. The coconut oil soaked in quickly but eventually left my skin feeling dry, the shea butter coated my skin well but seemed to just sit on top and feel greasy. A few months ago I started blending 1 part shea butter, 1 part coconut oil, a few drops of jojoba oil, and a few drops of my jasmine and patchouli essential oils. It has been my magic potion lotion so far. I actually just ordered a 5 lb bag of shea butter to whip up some more.
I make my own lotion, too. My has shea butter, coconut oil and calendula infused oil. It’s amazing on my son’s eczema. Do you find coconut oil, on it’s own, to be greasy? My body butter is greasy, but great for super dry skin. There is a local shop that makes the best all natural lotion. I wish I could duplicate it. lol
I do find that coconut oil is greasy on it’s own but I just totally love it for and “after shaving” lotion and an after-sun lotion. It’s not something I’d normally keep on my hands though. I have a different lotion that I use that includes beeswax and shea butter and it’s much less greasy.
I use Vitamin E cream instead of the oil capsules. Definitely lessens greasy/oily feeling.
Where do you find the vitamin e cream? What brand?
Brand doesn’t matter. You can find Vitamin E softgels in the vitamin section of any store.
I love coconut oil so much I have started a small business and cannot keep up making the lotions and the body scrubs as well-the lotion-I use coconut oil, beeswax in the bead form-vit e and cornstarch-it is to die for and your skin feels moisturized and so soft—Please email me if you would like me to send you some! Wendy
Wendy…I’d be interested in your coconut lotions! How do I reach you?
I would love to try some of your Coconut moisturiser could you let me know how to go about it Cheers Jan
Hi Wendy,
That sounds wonderful.Could I get your recipe, I would live to try the lotion and body scrub.
Sincerely,
Maricar
I’m interested in your lotion. I’m just starting to learn all about making my own things and am very excited!
I love this!!! I love frugal. I have an August Adventure into Saving Money Tips and Frugal Recipes. I’d love to see this and other posts linked. People seemed to be getting this link mixed up with my regular Thursday Food Fest and I’d really like to see some money saving ideas! Thanks, Sarah
We use whipped Shea butter – with vit E – I think we will add some beeswax too
I have HORRIBLE red itchy patches on the front and backs of my upper thighs. Do you think this may work for me? I was using straight coconut oil (Trader Joes brand) for a couple of days and it works to relieve the itching during the day, but at night, I still wake up itching! Also, the coconut oil has not taken the red out of these patches….Any ideas for that? Thanks!!!
You can always try it. I use this for eczema and itchy issues and it usually works for me!
Have you tried calendula? Good for calming “angry” skin. Also, you might research topical zinc or colloidal silver. Or consult a holistic practitioner – sometimes persistent skin irritations are an early sign that something you are eating doesn’t agree with your body, or something is just out of balance with your personal Eco-system…
This looks way too easy! is it really that simple? I will have to try and part with some of my tropical traditions coconut oil to try it, lol. Still have my giveaway up through Friday, just in case you want to win some,lol. Cannot get enough coconut oil!
I mixed equal parts of Coconut Oil & Aloe Vera Gel, and then whip it up with my hand mixer. It has a cooling effect, that I just love. It is wonderful as an After Sun Moisturizer. Of course, I use it year round.
i dont like coconut smell or anything about it anything eles i could use to make lotion i am a hand lotion freak i use it everywhere eles to but i am putting it on my hands all the time help thanks
You can always get Expeller pressed coconut oil for no scent.
How does one blend the beeswax into the coconut/Vitamin E oil lotion? Dropping in beeswax pellets before mixing? Or melting the beeswax then adding it to the mixture? How much beeswax should be used? Thanks!!
I don’t add beeswax in this particular recipe, only coconut oil and vitamin e.
I melt this beeswax over a double boiler and then immediately pour it into the whipped coconut oil and whip it about another 10 minutes-I use a kitchenaid mixer-Have fun
adding some essential oil (my favorite would be from doTERRA) that would be awesome. Think I will do this for Christmas there is still time.
Does it matter if you use refined vs unrefined?
It shouldn’t.
Where do you get coconut in bulk?
I buy all my coconut oil from Tropical Traditions: http://tinyurl.com/c36328r
Bulk Apothecary is great
I actually did something like this as part of a DIY Christmas gift spa set this year. The only difference is I added baby lotion (the lavender scented one) and used Vitamin E cream instead of capsules. The baby lotion really helped with the greasiness. It smells so fantastic!
How long of shelf life does this have? Any chance of it going bad with bacteria or mold?
Mine has lasted for 6 months so far with no problems. (I made a huge batch
)
Make sure you keep water out of it and keep the jar tightly shut-
I also want to try this, already have my extra virgin coconut oil(solid, not liquid) I saw baby lotion with she butter in it, would ?that work along with vitamine E
I’m not sure if I would add in the baby lotion or not, I would probably stick to pure shea butter if you decide to add that.
I made this great recipe without vit E but im finding that it is very greasy. Why is this?
I think I mentioned it in the post but this recipe is a little greasy since it’s straight up oil. You could add in a little shea or cocoa butter to make it a little better. I just don’t use this recipe on my hands.
I use my coconut oil (same as I use for cooking!) for hand lotion when I’m working in the kitchen. The pros are that it doesn’t get come off easily if my hands get a little wet, so it’s more persistent; if it gets in my food as I’m cooking, no big deal (cause it is food); and I think it has anti-fungal properties to help prevent nail infections that I tend to get if I wear rubber gloves. The only con is that (as you said) it is greasy – have to use just a little bit, rub it in well, and take care not to get it on my clothes. I am anxious to try some of the suggestions here… Thanks!
I’m new to coconut oil goodness…….and just made some lotion last night…I noticed today after putting it on my face, that it got a strange smell after a short period of time….do you think I could fragrance it a bit with vanilla? I wasn’t pleased with the vanilla/jojoba oil mixture at the store and thought maybe just vanilla extract or vanilla from a bean mixed into the coconut might work?
Yes, you can get vanilla essential oil that you could add to it. I actually prefer using a non-expeller pressed coconut oil so mine still smells like coconut
I did get the non-expeller pressed…and it smelled really good when I put it on…it was just after an hour or two on my skin it doesn’t smell so nice
Maybe I have weirdo skin 
also…sorry…the only vanilla oil they had was mixed with jojoba, and it didn’t smell much like vanilla at all I didn’t think
Oh that’s odd. What brand did you get?
How long can you store this? Dies it last ok in the fridge?
I don’t store mine in the fridge, just on a cool ark shelf in my bathroom, and it keeps for months and months! The Vitamin E helps preserve it.
I absolutely love Coconut Oil on its own as a moisturizer. However, I’ve had problems before with recipes using Coconut Oil that harden once I mix them up since Coconut Oil is a solid at room temperature (especially during the winter months). Does this recipe retain that whipped texture no matter the temperature, or does it harden as well?
Mine would harden occasionally but for the most part it stayed softer. It hardened when it got really cold.
Hi girls! I am a new fan of coconut oil; i made this recipe and i started to use it..especially for my circles around my eyes..i have a question, like if i will use it daily when i will see some results? thanks.
The coconut oil isn’t whipping up. It’s staying liquid. What am I doing wrong?
Is it too warm in your home? I’ve noticed when it’s really warm instead my home it won’t stay whipped.
Hello, I have sensitive/ oily skin but I haven’t been able to find a face moisturizer that doesn’t have a bunch of chemicals. Would this recipe be too rich for someone’s face? My neck is starting to show signs of aging too, would it also be ok for that too?
This recipe might be a little oily although I have used it on my face many times and then I just blot the excess oil off.
I love using coconut oil for so many things, but I was wondering where I can buy beeswax?
I get mine from Amazon, they actually sell organic filtered
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