home made moisturizer

I love simplicity.

What’s the opposite of simplicity?

Complicated.

Who’s got time for complicated?

Certainly not this mom.

I take this simple philosophy when it comes to my kitchen. I try to keep things simple and stress-free while still nourishing my family with the very best real food. This year I decided this approach to simplicity needed to transfer to more than just my kitchen. After all, I do write a blog called Live Simply. Simply being a key word.

I’ve been busy applying my goal of getting back to simplicity in all areas of life.  My focus these past few months has been in the bathroom and simplifying my beauty routine by making my own products. If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I am on quite a kick with this new endeavor. If it goes on my body, I am determined there must be an effective, clean, and simple way to make it. So far homemade foundation powder and a luxurious body wash have been keepers. Trust me there have been many failures. Body odor and greasy hair are no laughing matters.

Don’t worry.

I only share the recipes that leave me feeling civilized, clean, and odor-free.

Gone are the days of believing beauty products need to be complicated, store-bought, and loaded with multiple ingredients.  I’ve learned simplicity is usually the very best recipe one can find. Simplicity has been the name of the game for thousands of years, long before our modern age of complicated lists of ingredients which do more harm than good.

So, in the name of simplicity, I bring you a new tried-and-true beauty recipe, a homemade moisturizer. One which will leave you smelling of sweet lavender while at the same time moisturizes and heals your skin.  This homemade moisturizer consists of a mere three ingredients.  Yes, you heard that right. Three ingredients. And the best part? This recipe takes only seconds to whip up. Simplicity has never been, well, simpler.

Simplifying simplicity.

And smelling good while doing it.

Simple Homemade Moisturizer

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut oil (where to buy)
• 1 teaspoon liquid vitamin E (where to buy)
• 5-7 drops lavender essential oil (where to buy) and/or tea tree oil (where to buy)

Instructions

1. I warned you. This homemade moisturizer is simple. Here's what you do: combine the coconut oil, vitamin E or tea tree oil, and lavender in a bowl. Now mix. That's it.

If you’re making this moisturizer in the colder months, when coconut oil tends to be very solid (hard as a rock), you can whip these ingredients together with your hand mixer creating for a smooth, creamy product.

I use this moisturizer in the morning and the evening on my face. A tiny little dab goes a very long way. Avoid applying this wonderful moisturizer to your hair. Trust me.

I have very oily skin and find coconut oil provides my skin with the perfect moisture it needs without the greasy feeling I often get from store-bought moisturizers. The vitamin E and essential oil are both healing and refreshing.

Simplicity in a jar.