I might need a beehive

A few weeks ago, when I wrote about making herbal infused oil, I mentioned a class I took back in January and that one of the things we learned to make was body lotion. Well, my little one ounce sample from the class didn't last me too long. So naturally, I needed to make myself some more of that creamy goodness. This recipe didn't call for any herbal infused oils, so I still haven't used mine yet.

One thing I learned in my class was that for body cream, the key thing to remember is that the ingredients in the oils group and the water group need to be exactly equal for them to blend properly. You can adjust the amounts of ingredients within each group, as long as the groups are exactly the same weights. The batch I made didn't turn out perfectly. The water is separating a little bit from the lotion. In the class, the teacher instructed us to put the waters in the blender and get it going really fast (in a whirling vortex) and then slowly pour the oils in while the blender is still going. This is supposed to prevent separation. In Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal Recipes for Vibrant Life, she talks about putting the oils in the blender first and then slowly adding in the waters. I think I'm going to try this method with the next batch and compare my results. Do any of you out there have experience with this? What has worked best for you?

The ingredients I used in this batch were: coconut oil, shea butter, almond oil, cocoa butter, beeswax, jojoba oil, vitamin E oil, distilled water, and aloe vera juice. I scented it with rosemary and eucalyptus essential oils. I purchased almost all of these ingredients at my local coop, most of them in bulk (which is amazing! I was able to buy small amounts and it's so much cheaper). For the beeswax, I purchased a 1lb block from a local beekeeper. Seeing as this recipe (which made 2 cups of lotion) only calls for 1oz beeswax, I think that $7 block will last quite a while. Though now it's getting me thinking about keeping my own little hive of bees in back corner of our yard, it is legal in Minneapolis, afterall...