Rich & Silky Green Lotion

Weekly DIY

Rich & Silky Green Lotion

Learn to make your own rich yet fluid facial lotion, especially suited to dry, mature or stressed-feeling skin. It has the easy spread of a lotion, with the nourishing, protective feel of a much thicker cream. This is our first dive into water-in-oil moisturisers, designed to soften, comfort, and support skin that needs lasting moisture.

Preservative: 15 drops Geogard 221

15 minutes
Intermediate
Concerns
DrynessBarrier SupportMature SkinStressed Skin
Benefits
Deep MoisturisationSupports The Skin BarrierAntioxidant SupportRich, Silky Protective Finish
Format
Rich Lotion
Shelf life
Approximately 3–6 months with proper storage. Discard if the smell, colour, texture or appearance changes.

What You'll Need

OliveM 900
1 heaped teaspoon
Flips traditional cream-making on its head, creating water-in-oil emulsions with a richer, more protective skin feel while still allowing lightweight, fluid textures.

Green Tea Glycerite
½ teaspoon
An antioxidant-rich botanical extract that helps support stressed, dull-looking skin while the glycerine base adds a little extra humectancy and hydration.

Hemp Seed Oil
3 Tablespoons
Lightweight, nutrient rich oil that softens and nourishes dry-feeling skin while helping support a comfortable, healthy-feeling skin barrier without the heaviness of richer oils.

Epsom Salts
A sprinkle
Used in a tiny amount to help stabilise the water-in-oil emulsion and keep the water evenly dispersed through the oil phase.

Geogard 221
15 drops
Required to extend the lotions shelf life, keep it safe during storage and protect the product from microbial growth.

You'll Also Need:
1 Tablespoon + 1 Teaspoon Freshly Boiled Water, Milk Frother (for larger batches a Stick Blender), 2 Heat Safe Jugs, 75–100ml Pump Bottle or Jar

How to Make

  1. Combine the Hemp Seed Oil and OliveM 900 in a heat-safe jug. Microwave in short 15–20 second bursts, stirring between each, until the OliveM 900 has completely melted. Aim for roughly 70–75°C - depending on the strength of your microwave, it should take about a minute.
  2. In a separate cup, combine the freshly boiled distilled water and Epsom Salt, stirring until completely dissolved. Allow it to cool slightly, then stir in the Green Tea Glycerite. Try to get both cups around the same temperature.
  3. Place your milk frother / stick blender into the Hemp Seed Oil OliveM 900 combo and begin blending. Very slowly drizzle the water phase into the oil, adding only a little at a time and blending thoroughly between additions. Take particular care with the first few additions - adding the water too quickly can overwhelm the emulsifier and cause separation. Once everything is incorporated, continue blending for another minute or two until smooth and uniform.
  4. Allow the lotion to cool, stirring occasionally, then transfer it to a clean container and leave it covered for 24 hours to allow the texture to fully develop and to check that the emulsion remains stable. If obvious oil or water layers develop during this time, reheat and re-emulsify the batch before proceeding.
    Once the lotion has remained smooth and stable for 24 hours, blend in the Geogard 221 below 40°C, then transfer to your final pump dispenser or jar for storage.

How to Use

Guidance

Apply a small amount to clean skin, rubbing it between your palms first to help it spread more evenly.

Massage into the face, hands or body as needed. Its richer, more protective finish makes it especially lovely on dry areas such as the face, elbows, knees and hands.

Make It Yours

  • For Better Keeping:
    Add ¼ teaspoon Vitamin E along with the Geogard 221 to help protect the Hemp Seed Oil from oxidation and keep the formulation fresher for longer.
  • For Particularly Mature Skin:
    Replace 1 tablespoon of the Hemp Seed Oil with Evening Primrose Oil for an extra boost of essential fatty acids, particularly lovely for dry, mature or stressed-feeling skin.
  • For A Skin Longevity Boost:
    Add 10 drops Retinyl Palmitate once the lotion has cooled to support skin renewal, helping skin look smoother, more even and refreshed over time. Best used at night, with sunscreen during the day.
  • For A More Traditional, Lighter Lotion:
    Replace the OliveM 900 with OliveM 1000, reduce the Hemp Seed Oil to 2 tablespoons, and increase the freshly boiled distilled water to ¼ cup. Leave out the Epsom Salts and increase the Geogard 221 to 20 drops.

Pro Tips & Storage

  • Do I need a stick blender? Can I use a milk frother, electric beater or fork?

    A stick blender is strongly recommended. A whisk, fork or electric beater may make the mixture look combined at first, but they do not provide the same high shear needed to create very small, stable water droplets. A milk frother may work for a very small test batch, but it is less reliable than a stick blender.

  • Why do I need to add the water so slowly?

    Unlike most creams, this is a water-in-oil emulsion. OliveM 900 needs enough time and shear to surround tiny droplets of water with the oil phase. Adding the water gradually helps the emulsion form properly and reduces the chance of separation.

  • Why is my lotion separating?

    The most common causes are adding the water too quickly, not blending with enough shear, or combining the phases when their temperatures are too different. Make sure the OliveM 900 is fully melted, both phases are similarly warm, and add the water phase slowly while continuously stick blending.

  • Can I microwave everything together in one cup?

    You can, but we found this method more likely to separate after standing. If you are making a small personal test batch, you may be able to stir or blend it back together before each use with your finger, but this is not ideal for a finished product or anything stored in a pump bottle, where the phases cannot easily be recombined.
    For the most stable result, heat the oil and water phases separately and slowly blend the water phase into the oil phase.

  • What is a water-in-oil moisturiser?

    Most lotions are oil-in-water, meaning small droplets of oil are dispersed through a larger water phase. This formula flips that structure, holding tiny droplets of water inside a continuous oil phase. The result is a more persistent, protective skin feel despite the lotion remaining quite fluid.

  • Can I use another oil instead of Hemp Seed Oil?

    Yes, but changing the oil can affect both skin feel and emulsion stability. Lightweight liquid oils are the easiest place to start. If you substitute it, test a small batch first before making a larger amount.
OliveM 900 (PEG-Free Co-Emulsifier) - Essentially Natural

OliveM 900 (PEG-Free Co-Emulsifier) - Essentially Natural

R 49.00
Hemp Seed Oil (Cold Pressed) - Essentially Natural

Hemp Seed Oil (Cold Pressed) - Essentially Natural

R 49.00
Green Tea Glycerite (Camellia Sinensis Extract) - Essentially Natural

Green Tea Glycerite (Camellia Sinensis Extract) - Essentially Natural

R 69.00

Aiden van Wyk

Aiden is an eccentric explorer of ideas, endlessly curious and always eager to share his discoveries. His mind is a maze of rabbit holes, each leading to new insights (and occasionally pure chaos). In all honesty - he's a little impulsive, he's easily distracted, delightfully scatterbrained, and unapologetically himself. But through every deep dive and misstep, his mission remains the same:

To make the world a teeny tiny little better, one lesson at a time :)