I’m not gonna lie, this body oil recipe is the bomb! I get so many compliments on it, it’s surprising that I haven’t started making it in small batches and selling it at my local Farmer’s Market.
So, you’ve just hit the jackpot!
In this article, I will show you how to create your own DIY body oil at home! With just a few essential oil ingredients, you’ll learn how to make your own custom body oil that is perfect for hydrating and nourishing your skin.
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You will be surprised at how good you feel once you use this body oil. The essential oils in the blend I’ve created are extremely effective in supporting smooth, glowing skin. Best of all, you won’t have to spend a fortune on expensive skin products. Plus, you can whip this up in less than 5 minutes!
Your skin will feel great and you can be healthier and happier!
Let’s take a look at the steps necessary to make a homemade body oil.
Why Body Oils?
After a long, busy day, there’s nothing better than being able to relax and take some time to treat your body right.
Especially during winter months, our skin can get extra dry and needs a bit of help. I’ve created this particular body oil recipe to help keep your skin hydrated and moisturized.
Use natural body oils to nourish your skin.
I like to use natural ingredients, especially on my skin. My easy DIY body oil is rich, thick and perfect for the winter months.
It is a family hit and many friends have asked me to make them a bottle. I’ve used it as birthday gifts or simple thank-you gifts. My mother in law always keeps this in stock for herself, so I make it for her about twice a year.
Using essential oils and natural base oils combined helps your dry skin to return back to its smooth and soft state. Essential oils work perfectly as a natural moisturizer for your skin.
DIY Body Oil Recipe
Body oils are an easy way to add extra hydration and nourishment into your skincare routine without having to spend lots of money on luxury skin care products.
Not only will these help keep moisture locked into your skin all day long, but they also smell amazing, too! Give yourself an at-home spa day experience by making DIY body oils today!
Body Oil Ingredients
True to my mentality of supporting multiple popular essential oil brands, I have used the following products.
When creating my skin blend, I’ve also kept in mind some of these best essential oils for dry skin conditions.
I’ve also put a lot of thought in to the carrier oils used. While coconut oil would be quick & easy, my recipe uses Hazelnut carrier oil, which is nothing short of amazing! I got mine at Mountain Rose Herbs, which ships for a low flat fee of $8.99 across the US.
You can substitute the carrier oils if you really need to. Use jojoba oil instead of hazelnut, and grape seed oil instead of sweet almond.
- 1 oz (30 ml) Amber Glass Bottle (like these ones here)
- 15 ml Hazelnut Oil
- 15 ml Sweet Almond Oil
- 9 drops Frankincense Serrata essential oil
- 8 drops Geranium essential oil
- 7 drops Palmarosa essential oil
- 8 drops Lavender essential oil
How to Make Body Oil
- Get an empty 1 oz amber bottle.
- Fill the bottle half way up with Hazelnut oil.
- Add Sweet Almond oil until you’re about 1/4″ from the top.
- Add the essential oils to the carrier oils.
Now that you’ve mixed up the perfect DIY body oil, it’s time to put it to use!
Use your body oil as a natural moisturizer, for massage, to nourish some extra dry skin patches (such as on the elbows or heels), or as a simple hand lotion.
Apply generously after showering onto damp skin; this will help lock in moisture and leave behind a subtle scent of essential oils on your skin. This is also great for those days when you want some added hydration but don’t feel like moisturizing with lotion—just apply a little bit of this mixture and let it soak in overnight!
This DIY skin oil repairs dry, rough skin. With frequent use, it may also help to stop dry skin from recurring.
Body Oil Ingredients Quality
When choosing your recipe ingredients, it is important that you pick good quality products. I recommend these essential oil brands here, to shop with for both essential oils and carrier oils.
You can probably also find decent carrier oils at your local pharmacy or big box store, but I wouldn’t shop for essential oils there. Cheap essential oil brands are unfortunately too common, so please really check the reputation of your essential oil brand before shopping.
Last but not least, make sure to use a clean glass jar for your body oil creation. If you re-purpose your oil bottles, please clean them thoroughly and make sure to not miss step 5: sterilizing!
Case Study
As I am studying aromatherapy, part of my course is doing case studies, where I help friends, family and acquaintances with their individual problems.
Case Study: In this particular case study, my mother-in-law was telling me about her very itchy, super dry and flaky skin on her legs. She is a smoker and spends a lot of time in the sun, golfing during summer months. She had to work very hard every day to not scratch her legs until they bled. My aromatherapy blend for her was a combination of carrier oil blending, plus using some of the oils I’ve mentioned above to create a pleasing ointment for her. She immediately loved the scent, said it was uplifting and almost peppermint-y. I agreed, it turned out to be a very uplifting smelling blend, mostly thanks to the Geranium I believe. They were visiting us for a few days and she first used it at night time. The next morning, she came to me and surprisingly said: “Holy cow! My legs are already way less flaky!” She thankfully took the bottle home – and told all of her friends to hit me up for a bottle, too.
What I believe works especially well in this blend is the Hazelnut oil (carrier oil) added to the base, because it is just loaded with essential fatty acids and skin-nourishing vitamins that boost collagen production.
Final Thoughts
Dry, itchy skin is not uncommon.
Make your own body oil and treat your skin to some extra nourishing goodness! Depending on your skin type, it may take more or less effort to get back to glowing, hydrated skin.
Essential oils and natural carrier oils are a beautiful, natural solution to this problem. Switching to natural skin care products can have multiple benefits.
You might also like to check out our 15 DIY Massage Oil Recipes for All Occasions.
Have you tried this recipe? What do you think of it? Please let us know in the comments below.
Is this oil safe to use on facial skin?
Hi Megan, yes, in general you can use it on your face, too. If you have elderly skin or a sensitive skin condition, I would recommend to use a lower dilution rate. That is, use the same amount of carrier oils, but limit the drops of essential oils. The current recipe is formulated at 4%. If you cut all the essential oil drop numbers in half, you`ll have a dilution rate of 2%.
Hi Emma, love your newsletter’s, thank you. One question about today’s recipe, is it okay to replace Hazelnut oil with Jojoba?
Hi Cheryl, yes it’s ok to replace with Jojoba. I personally like Hazelnut, it takes this whole recipe to the next level! But certainly, if you don’t have it, or can’t get Hazelnut immediately, Jojoba would also be my next choice. Good luck!
Will all the oil fit in the 30ml bottle? The recipe has 15ml hazelnut oil and 15 ml sweet almond oil. That’s already 30ml. Where will all the essential oil fit? Thanks!!!
Great question! The essential oils hardly take up any space. I usually simply measure out the first 15ml, pour it into the glass container, then top up the bottle with the 2nd carrier oil until I have just a smidge of room left for the essential oils.
Is it ok to use plain frankinsense instead of Frankincense Serrata in the mixture
Sorry, another question about the carrier oils. I clicked on your link for the products and it takes me to Amazon. Their prices for the carrier oil is all over the place. 4 Oz is 10.95, but then there is a 12 Oz for 14.95, and so forth and so on. Does it matter which one you use?
It doesn’t matter which brand of oil you use. If you can find a better deal than what I’ve been able to show, by all means, buy the oil that is a better price. Just make sure it’s still a good brand so you get a quality product.
Can I use just Frankincense? I already have that and the Lavender and geranium?
Hi Sharon, yes of course you can use the essential oils you already have at home and see how you like your lotion. The Palmarosa really adds an exquisite scent and feature to this blend though. It wouldn’t be exactly the same without it. But as a start, it’s definitely ok to experiment a bit and make do with what you have!