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Oatmeal soothes your skin and helps to reduce itching, burning and inflammation. Make your own lotion with oatmeal to use for dry skin, itching, flaking and minor sunburn. Making your own lotion allows you to choose all the ingredients, avoiding synthetic fragrances and colors as well as preservatives and sulfates that are included in commercial lotions.

Add the oatmeal to the water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the infusion through a fine strainer into a mixing bowl. Discard the solids.

Heat the oil, shea butter and beeswax over low heat in a small saucepan, stirring with a metal spoon until the beeswax is melted and the ingredients are completely combined. Remove from the heat.

Pour the oil mixture into the oatmeal infusion, stirring constantly until the two mixtures are combined.

Add the grapefruit seed extract and begin blending with the immersion blender. Keep blending until the mixture cools and is thick and creamy. Pour it into the prepared containers.

Tip

Add 1 tsp. of essential oil for fragrance when you add the grapefruit seed extract. Add 1 or 2 tsp. of aloe vera, glycerin or honey if you like. Melt the honey with the oil and beeswax. Add the aloe vera and glycerin with the essential oil and grapefruit seed extract.

Warning

This lotion doesn't have synthetic preservatives, which give lotion a longer shelf life. Make small batches, use very clean equipment and wash the lotion container in hot soapy water, rinsing thoroughly. Keep the lotion in the refrigerator when not in use.