This one isn’t for the kitchen — it’s a body oil. But I think it belongs here, because we should start to consider what we put on our skin as food: in a way, we do eat it. This is a simple moisturising blend of four oils, with a little vitamin E to keep it fresh.
Moisturizing Body Oil
A simple moisturising blend of four oils with a little vitamin E — because what we put on our skin is, in a way, food too.
Ingredients
- 325 ml sunflower oil 65%
- 75 ml jojoba oil 15%
- 50 ml macadamia oil 10%
- 50 ml calendula macerated oil 10%
- 1.5 ml vitamin E for preservation
Instructions
- Measure each oil and combine them in a clean, dry glass bottle. The proportions matter more than the exact volume, so scale the batch up or down to suit the bottle you have — the calculator below the recipe does the maths for you.
- Add the vitamin E. Use roughly 1.5 ml for every 500 ml of blend; it is there mainly to keep the oils from turning rancid.
- Cap the bottle and turn it gently a few times to mix. Store it away from direct light and heat, which is what keeps oils fresh longest.
- Do a small patch test on the inside of your arm the first time. To use, warm a little in your hands and smooth it over damp skin after a shower — it absorbs better while the skin is still slightly wet.
Notes
Think of this the way you would a recipe for the kitchen: good, simple ingredients in the right proportions. Sunflower makes up the bulk as a light, well-tolerated carrier; jojoba is close to the skin’s own sebum; macadamia is rich and nourishing; and calendula-macerated oil is soothing. Use the calculator below to rescale the blend from the amount of any single oil you have to hand.
Rescale the blend to any amount
Working from the amount of a single oil you already have? Pick it below, type in how much, and the calculator gives you everything else in the right proportion.
Body Oil Blend Calculator
Enter the quantity of any single oil you have, and it works out everything else in the same proportion.
| Ingredient | Proportion | Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Total blend | 100% | |
| Vitamin E (add after blending) | ~0.3% |
Vitamin E is added at 1.5 ml per 500 ml of finished blend, for preservation. Proportions are identical whether you measure in ml or grams.
