Lotion Recipes

Skin cells use fats to to build and repair their cell walls. Good oils/fats/greases are the main thing to focus on for moisturization and healing in dry and damaged. Plant oils have different fats, vitamins, anti-oxidants, and terpenes. Generally all fats are good for skin. Which fats are the best depends on your skin structure at the moment, and can change weekly.

There are a few plant butters that are really good for psoriasis on their own, such as aloe, shea, and jojoba. There are several potent essential oils that can be beneficial mixed in small percentages, like spices in the mint family and eucalyptus. The recipes below avoid thinning with water and using petroleum, preservatives, and chemicals -- which makes them very different from lotions at the store.

For psoriasis patches, liquid oils are useful for removing dry skin flakes. If applied an hour before a shower, liquid oils will saturate the dead skin flakes, and separate them from the live skin surface, so they can easily be cleaned off.

When you are moisturizing, be sure to maintain your electrolytes and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated. Diuretics such as alcohol and coffee will dehydrate you. Alcohol and intense exercise can deplete electrolytes.

Plant Oils: Beginner Lotions

These are great oils to try as a start. There are lots of other good ones. Most of these are pure oils can be found on ebay, or other random online stores. They work well on their own, or you can mix them together in your hand to try sample recipes.

Pure essential oils are not listed here - because they are potent, potentially toxic or irritating, and need to be mixed in specific small amounts.

Aloe Butter - Aloe has a variety of fats: saturated fats, omega-6, and omega-9. It's packed with vitamins and it's one of the best anti-inflammatories, and good for after sun. Pure aloe butter has a fresh scent and a dry greasy texture which is good for day use, and is ok to use on the face.

Shea Butter - Shea is saturated fats with triterpene acitates and cinnamates. It is thick and greasy, and has great anti-inflammatoy properties. It has an earthy nutty smell. Because of the greasiness and strong smell, is it good for body spot treatment and night time use. It's ok on the face, but avoid the scalp because dandruff fungi eat saturated fats.

Jojoba Butter - Jojoba is the closest plant oil to natural skin sebum. It has a light seedy smell. It a great non-irritating moisturizer and lubricant. It can clog pores if used on the face, and avoid use on the scalp because dandruff fungi eat saturated fats.

Cocoa Butter - Cocoa butter is thick, waxy, shiny and smells like chocolate. It has saturated fats. It's a good moisturizer especially on the lips, and it smells awesome. Avoid use on the scalp because dandruff fungi eat saturated fats.

Avocado Oil - Avocado oil has maybe the widest range of good skin fats: omega-9, omega-6, omega-3, and saturated fats. It's also packed with vitamins, and absorbs quickly, so it's sort of a dry oil. It smells fresh

Sunflower Oil - Linoleic (omega-6) and oleic (omega-9) sunflower oils are very high in vitamin E, and great to use before sun exposure. It smells a bit like french fries and it's very shiny, so not as good for normal day use. It's very effective to apply to flaky skin an hour before a shower for removing flakes.

Coconut Oil - Honorable mention. Coconut is good for moisturizing, sun exposure and lubrication, though not as good as the ones above in my opinion. Coconut has medium-chain saturated fats. It melts around 75 °F so it's liquid when it's warm out. I like the smell, and love to cook with it.

Vick's Vapor Rub - Vick's Vapor Rub style ointment is a greasy essential oil treatment. It has rosemary, eucalyptus, peppermint, thyme, nutmeg, cedarleaf, and turpentine. It has a strong medicinal vaporous smell. Inhaled it's a cough suppressant. Used topically on psoriasis flakes, it is a pain killer and particularly effective at clearing and preventing flakes, especially as an overnight spot treatment. Keep it away from the face. It can be irritating and liver toxic in high doses.

Listerine - Listerine style antiseptic mouthwash is also an easy to come by essential oil treatment. It removes flakes and prevents dandruff. The ingredients are water, alcohol, peppermint, eucalyptus, and thyme. It can remove flakes, but can be irritating. The surprising best use is on the scalp. After shampooing the scalp, with hair still wet, soak the scalp in listerine until it tingles, then dry the hair with a towel. The alcohol will further remove skin sebum oils -- and replace them with peppermint, eucalyptus, and thyme oils -- which are anti-fungal unsaturated fats that dandruff fungi (malassezia) can't eat.

Expert Recipes: Plant Oil Lotions

There are lots of good oils. You can see which ones work best for you, and develop recipes from there. Here are the best recipes I have developed for myself, friends and family -- for day, night, face, body, lips, moisturizing, and medicinal. Everyone is welcome to use, but not to sell.

Cooking Directions - Melt the oils down on low low heat in a big pot on the stove top, then pour into a container and cool in the freezer for an hour.
  1. Melt waxes
  2. Melt butters and greases
  3. Stir in liquid oils
  4. Turn heat off
  5. Stir in essential oils
  6. Pour and spatula into containers, heat-safe non-transparent containers are the best, it's fun to use remaining oil on yourself while it's still warm
  7. Put in freezer, until cool
  8. Take out of freezer, smell it, and celebrate

HotChocAloe™ - Fresh Moisturizing Dry Butter

This is my favor ate day time lotion. I love the smell, it is fresh with notes of chocolate and minty flowers. It's a dry butter, which means it thick but non-greasy, so it looks normal and won't get on your clothes. The aloe and cocoa make it thick but non-greasy, and the avocado absorbs fast making it spreadable without being shiny or oily. It is gentle, with a wide range of moisturizing oils. * not in eyes
* spf 3 unofficial equivalent for an hour or two

SheaAloeBees™ - Super Moisturizing Butter

This is the super moisturizing anti-inflammatory blend. It's thick and greasy, it smells earthy, and will last for a day or two if you put it on thick. * spf 8 unofficial equivalent for an hour or two

TerpyShea™ - Herbal Terpene Healing Ointment

A terpene essential oil treatment that will penetrate, tingle, and clear flakes. It's greasy and smells medicinal: minty, earthy, and vaporous. It's strong and can icy-burn a bit, so use as a spot treatment and keep away from the face, eyes, nose, and mouth. * not on face, avoid eyes nose and mouth
* terpenes may cause short-term irritation
* terpenes may cause short-term itch-free cooling tingly comfort
* sun exposure may cause irritation
* spf 9 unofficial equivalent for an hour or two
* penetrates, clears flakes and redness after several hours
* good for overnight spot treatment
* use as a spot treatment, using full body may be a toxic dose of terpenes
* terpenes are aromatic plant defense chemicals (highly concentrated in essential oils) that can have anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, and other interesting effects topically

RedGreenTea™ - Antioxidant Sun Oil

Loaded with skin anti-oxidants, it will allow sun UV to have it's full vitamin D3 and anti-inflammatory-immunosupression effects, while minimizing sun damage and burn. * not in eyes
* red lycopene gac oil stains clothes
* spf 2 unofficial equivalent for an hour or two
* most effective applied several hours before sun exposure
* antioxidants reduce sun damage without blocking uv
* moderated daily uv exposure produces vitamin d3 and does anti-inflammatory-immunosupression in skin
* typically 20-50 min of sun is ideal depending on weather and skin
* end sun exposure before even a slight sun burn or medium ta

MintChocolateLips™ - Tasty Lip Balm

A waxy and tasty moisturizing lip balm, it has pleasant taste and smell with hints of mint and chocolate. * not in eyes
* spf 7 unofficial equivalent for a few hours or until eaten
* edible, everything is food grade, beeswax passes undigested
* but try not to lick your lips all the time ok

BeeButterBomb™ - Skin Protectant, Lip Balm

A long-lasting ointment with anti-inflammatory properties. The high amount of bees wax makes it thick and coating. Good for an overnight moisturizer, lip balm, or to protect from cold or extreme weather. * not in eyes
* spf 11 unofficial equivalent for 3 or 4 hours

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