This Cooling Aloe Mint Lotion is my most popular lotion recipe for a good reason, it’s so moisturizing! It’s all thanks to a lot of aloe vera gel for hydrating combined with coconut oil for conditioning and moisturizing the skin. It’s an easy to make DIY that you can customize by changing up the essential oil to suit different seasons. This homemade lotion is easily absorbable with so much aloe vera in it, and keeps my skin nice and smooth.
This lotion is perfect for summertime, or after excercising because of the ‘cooling effect’ from the aloe and mint. It’s particularly awesome after a long day on your feet. And I really love it massaged into my legs and feet after a day hiking in the mountains. With warmer temperatures, I like to use a light moisturizer, and the cooling effect is an added bonus.
I use straight coconut oil as a moisturizer year round. But sometimes I just need a little moisturizing, not the full coconut conditioning. The 50:50 ratio of coconut oil to aloe vera in this recipe has been the perfect amount, with just enough moisturizing. It sinks right into my skin, leaving a smooth non-greasy surface.
Ingredients for this Cooling Aloe Mint Lotion:
- Beeswax – I have a giant block of beeswax I’m still using up. But if you’re looking to buy beeswax I most definitely recommend getting some beeswax pellets so you don’t have to bother with grating it. However the most accurate way to use beeswax pellets is to measure by weight. So if you don’t have a scale, consider grating your beeswax instead.
- Coconut Oil – makes the perfect lightweight and easily absorbable oil to use in this lotion. And because it’s solid at room temperature it helps to thicken up the lotion as well.
- Aloe Vera Gel – I use bottled aloe vera gel, (the Desert Lily brand) because fresh aloe vera spoils too quickly to put into a lotion.
- Peppermint Essential Oil – adds to the cooling feeling of this lotion, but feel free to omit the essential oil for an unscented lotion. Or you can use any essential oil you like the smell of that works for you.
Tip: to get the beeswax off your grater, pour boiling water over the surface and watch it melt away. Or buy beeswax pellets for the easiest DIY projects!
How to make Cooling Aloe Mint Lotion:
I like to have all of my ingredients ready to go before I start. That way, when the beeswax has melted into the oil, you’re ready to whisk in the aloe vera.
There are a couple key points to this lotion:
- It’s very important to make sure the beeswax has completely melted into the coconut oil, with no flecks remaining. If it’s not completely melted, the lotion won’t emulsify properly. And there will be little gritty pieces of beeswax in the finished product as well.
2. The aloe vera gel must be at room temperature. If you put it into the hot oil/wax mixture straight from the refrigerator, the mixture might not emulsify. Instead you might end up with clumps. Also if you add cold liquid to hot oil it can splatter. So it’s best to keep the oil mixture as cool as possible when melting the beeswax, (pictured above). Just warm it enough to melt, but don’t let it get super hot.
This mixture will look too thin at first, (above photo). But it thickens up as it cools (photo below). I like to blend mine on the lower settings of the blender to make it fluffier. Also, it sometimes separates as it cools if it hasn’t been properly emulsified.
If this happens running it for a few seconds on low in the blender has always made it stable for me. Once it’s fully cooled, I haven’t had it separate. You can also lightly warm the mixture and whisk thoroughly to emulsify if it didn’t come together the first time.
The cooling process can take 2-4 hours depending on your room temperature. It’s really best not to rush this process because by cooling down slowly the lotion becomes more stable. I’ve also put the lotion over an ice bath and stirred it vigorously until it thickens.
But if you keep it over the ice water too long, it will harden and separate, (so it really is best just to let it sit on the counter for a couple of hours). It’s not worth the hassle to speed up the cooling process all in all!
This is one of my most popular DIY recipes, and I hope all the extra tips I’ve added today will help you be successful in making your own lotion. Once you get the hang of it, it’s actually quite easy, and only takes a few minutes to whip up.
The reason this lotion needs a little extra care and attention is the large ratio of water to oil, which makes it less stable than normal lotions. This is also the reason it’s such a great summertime lotion though! If you’re looking for an easier first time project, try my Lavender Sugar Scrub, or my Easy Buttercream Lotion.
At home spa day inspiration:
- Refreshing Peppermint Sugar Scrub
- Moisturizing Mint Body Wash
- At Home Facial
- Finish with this lotion!
Cooling Aloe Mint Lotion
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: 1 cup 1x
Description
This Cooling Aloe Mint Lotion is my most popular lotion recipe for a good reason, it’s so moisturizing! It’s all thanks to a lot of aloe vera gel for hydrating combined with coconut oil for conditioning and moisturizing the skin. It’s and easy to make DIY that you can customize by changing up the essential oil to suit different seasons. This homemade lotion is easily absorbable with so much aloe vera in it and keeps my skin nice and smooth.
Ingredients
1/4 cup grated beeswax, 11 grams
1/2 cup coconut oil, 122 grams
1/2 cup aloe vera gel, 122 grams, room temperature
1/8 Teaspoon peppermint essential oil
Instructions
Place the beeswax and coconut oil in a saucepan over low heat. Heat just until just melted with no remaining flecks of beeswax.
Try to keep the temperature as low as possible to preserve the benefits the of coconut oil.
Remove the oil mixture from the heat, and hand whisk in the room temperature aloe vera gel and peppermint essential oil until it’s thoroughly combined.
Let the lotion cool to room temperature, about 2-4 hours. Whisk again, or place in the blender and blend at a medium speed for about 30 seconds for a fluffier version.
Notes
This lotion will naturally become thicker and more solid over time, as some of the aloe vera slowly evaporates.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Category: DIY
- Method: Whisking
This recipe has been updated with new photos, step by step process, and more tips and additional information in 2021.
This is the best recipe I’ve tried. I love how it makes my skin feel soft and it’s so easy to make. My granddaughter also says that it’s great for new tattoos……………….lol
Thank you
So glad you’ve been enjoying it, I find the aloe very soothing as well so I can imagine it would be great for new tattoos!
I made this with fresh aloe and it turned out great. Unfortunately I left the jar out in the sun and as I live in a tropical climate it got annihilated by the heat, and separated. Still, there’s plenty more aloe around so I can make some more. Thanks.
That is one problem with anything homemade, extreme heat and cold have quite an affect on any homemade product! Glad you have plenty of aloe around though. I would suggest trying to lightly warm it and blending it back together, but it might not be safe to use anymore if it was exposed to sun too long. 🙂
I followed the recipe but when I went to use the lotion this morning, it is hard as a rock. I’m sure if the temperature was warmer, the lotion would be softer. Not sure what to do as it’s unusable.
Lotions made without any kinds of additives will be solid when the room temperature becomes cooler and there’s really nothing to do about that. Store bought versions are mostly water which is why they’re not solid even when it’s cold. I’m sorry this isn’t working out for your particular situation.
Hi, love the simpl3 recipe
Just wondering if you have tried with fresh aloe? Just made it with fresh stuff but the aloe is very stringu, looks like melted cheese while setting any ideqs or tips?
Thanks
I’ve never made this with fresh aloe, so I really don’t know why it would have a stringy appearance. Sorry, and sure I wish I could be of more help!
Try putting it in the blender! The fresh aloe will be more like a homogeneous gel if you blend it.
Thanks so much Holly!
Saw a awesome video online last night where you blend then strain the aloe through a milk bad or similar a few times. Takes a lot of the fiber out of the gel.
Thanks so much Bianca, I’ve been curious about trying to make my own aloe vera gel too!
Hi Kari,
So far I have not got that much luck on mixing homemade aloe Vera gel + oils with beeswax. They don’t emulsify properly. Even I bought Olive M emulisifier,. I tried to mix olive M + oils + aloevera without beeswax,I got the same problem. Any suggestions?
I’m not sure if the homemade aloe vera might be effecting the end result, but my best tip for emulsifying it is to have the aloe at room temperature, and to blend the lotion when you’re done because that really seems to help it be stable. I sure hope this helps, and be sure to let me know if you have anymore questions!
This sounds so refreshing and a great way to feel the coolness during summer time. Great recipe.
Thank you, and I sure hope you enjoy it!
My understanding is that beeswax is not a true emulsifier. Why do you choose beeswax over emulsifying wax? I’m allergic to coconut oil so I’m going to try this with jojoba oil or avocado oil.
I use beeswax because my skin is very sensitive and beeswax is not only natural but something my skin is actually ok with! Coconut oil is quite a bit thicker than jojoba or avocado, so your lotion might be a bit thinner at room temperature.
Is this safe to use on the face?
I wouldn’t recommend using this on your face because of the peppermint oil, but you could leave it out, or try making my Easy Buttercream Lotion.
Could you add shea butter to this recipe as well?
Shea butter acts quite differently in lotions than the ingredients called for here, and can sometimes separate a bit causing a grainy texture. I wouldn’t advise it with this recipe, and I have no way of knowing how much you could safely sub in without changing the whole texture of the lotion.
Hi Kari,
What essential oil do you recommend I replace the peppermint with if I want to use this cream for my face? My face is pretty sensitive so I was wondering if a hint of rose oil would be a better idea than the peppermint? Or if you have a different cream that you recommend for the face, please let me know. Thanks!
I have really sensitive skin, so I don’t use lotion on my face at all. I use the Oil Cleansing Method, (you can read about it on the blog) along with either some jojoba oil or coconut oil at night for my moisturizer. I would recommend using something other than peppermint though if you do want to use this as a facial lotion. I’m not sure if rose oil would be good or not for sensitive skin, but I have heard it has wonderful benefits for wrinkles.
Do you know the weight of your beeswax? Grated beeswax can be fluffier than pellets, which is what I ha e…
Yes I do have the weight, 11 grams to be precise! I just added it to the recipe, it’s something I didn’t do in the past, but I’ve been adding it in now. Please let me know if you have anymore questions!