Make Moisturizing Body Custard

My hands are always dry, and regular lotion just doesn’t cut it. I made a thick “custard” which includes beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil for a natural skin-soothing treat. Here’s how.

You’ll need:

• An immersion/stick blender or something similar
• A double boiler
• A sink or large container
• Measuring spoons
• Ingredients

This recipe combines a “water phase” and an “oil phase,” but don’t be intimidated. It’s simply a way to mix water and oil-based ingredients without them immediately separating. However, if this is all a bit much, see the end of the blog post for a simplified oil-only version.

The photos in this post depict 1/2 of the below recipe. I realized belatedly it was very difficult to mix this small an amount with the immersion blender, so I recommend starting out with the below amounts and doubling as desired.

Ingredients*

Water Phase

• 2 tablespoons glycerin
• 4 tablespoons water

Oil Phase

• 1 teaspoon beeswax**
• 2 tablespoons Shea butter
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons coconut oil

*Where the heck do you get all these things? You can find most if not all of them at a local natural foods type of store. I got all of my stuff on Amazon. I used organic extra virgin coconut oil, unbleached organic beeswax pastilles, organic Shea butter, and food grade vegetable glycerin.

**This can be difficult to measure but just make your best guess. I prefer to use beeswax pastilles as they are easier to measure out.

Other

• Desired amount of essential oils for scent. I like lavender and it is also good for skin.

Print out a recipe card below.

Directions

I set up a double boiler with a glass bowl sitting on some canning lid rings in a pan of water on the stove. I brought the water to a low boil then turned it down to simmer. Make sure the water is touching the entire bottom of the bowl without overflowing the pan.

I added my oil phase ingredients to my clean dry bowl and stirred until it was all melted. The beeswax will take the longest but it should only take a minute or two.

While that was melting. I heated up a container with my water and glycerin in the microwave. You could also use another pan on the stove.

When the oil phase is all melted, remove it from heat.

You want the water and oil phases to be about the same temperature. I just make sure mine are both hot. With one hand, I slowly drizzled in the water phase ingredients, and with the other hand, I mixed. As the water and oil phases mix together, the mixture will go from clear amber to a more opaque yellow color (the yellow comes from the beeswax and olive oil).

After a quick mix, carefully transfer the bowl to the sink of hot water. I used hot water so I wouldn’t shock the glass into breaking. However, it is still probably cooler than the mixture. Immediately start mixing the ingredients again. After a minute, drain some of the water and start adding cold water to the sink. Don’t let any sink water get into your bowl. Keep mixing as you do so. You want the ingredients to cool together while mixed with each other and not separate. If this is done successfully, you’ll have a nice emulsion. This is why high-speed mixing is needed.

As the mixture cools as it is mixed, it will become more opaque and thicken. It should be about the consistency of thin custard. After a couple of minutes of mixing, it should be pretty set. Now, you can mix in your desired essential oils. I used lavender, bergamot, and a little patchouli in my batch. Then, you can remove from the water and set the bowl on a towel to dry it off. Use a flexible scraper to scrape down the sides and transfer to 4 ounce. jelly jars. This recipe makes enough for two 4 ounce jelly jars. You can double as desired.

Here’s a printable recipe card. It’s sized to fit on a 3 x 5 inch index card but you can resize it if desired. Click to open a printable version.

Simplified Version

If the whole mixing-of-phases thing is too much, you can eliminate it altogether for an oil-based salve. Combine the oil phase ingredients and melt per usual on the double boiler, then mix it while sitting in the cool water bath until it is back to room temperature. Add any desired essential oils towards the end.

Thicker Version

If you’re more of a salve person and less of a custard person, try reducing the amount of olive oil and increasing the amount of beeswax for a thicker end product.

Or Just Buy It

Buy it from my etsy shop if you don’t want to make it yourself and support a small business.

Did you make it? How did it go?