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I’m a big fan of lotion bars since they’re portable and mess-free, but sometimes it’s nice to have regular lotion on hand too. I wanted to create something especially for men, so I came up with this men’s lotion recipe. This DIY men’s moisturizer isn’t overly greasy or complicated to make… and it features essential oils my husband is okay smelling like!
What Lotion Is Good for Men?
Most men don’t use fancy skincare products and prefer to keep things simple. Let’s face it, my husband isn’t going to use my lavender scented lotion no matter how much I love it!
The best men’s lotion will have a scent that appeals to men. This recipe combines intensely moisturizing options like shea butter and coconut oil with more masculine scents like cedarwood or myrrh (several scent combinations suggested below).
Best Non-Greasy Body Lotion
Many homemade lotion recipes call for coconut and other heavy oils. While I’m a big fan of coconut oil (here’s over 100 ways to use it) some people prefer to not use it in a lotion. More dense options like coconut oil, shea butter, and even olive oil should be balanced out to prevent a greasy feel.
This recipe uses lighter carrier oils and butters for a moisturizing, nourishing, non-greasy lotion. The result is quick and easy to apply with no tell-tale greasy sheen.
Essential Oils for Men
Essential oils help really customize the scent and make this lotion appeal to men. While they smell good, essential oils also come with some safety precautions. Certain essential oils can irritate the skin when used in large amounts, especially when used all over in a body lotion.
Here’s a list of essential oils that are skin-friendly and have skin health benefits:
- For dry or chapped skin: Balsam, myrrh, patchouli and sandalwood
- For dry or sensitive skin: Sandalwood, balsam and chamomile
- For excessive sweating: Cypress and petitgrain
- For oily skin: West Indian bay, cypress, patchouli, petitgrain, sandalwood, and tea tree
- For inflamed or irritated skin: Atlas cedarwood, chamomile, myrrh, patchouli, and tea tree
I’ve included a few scent combinations for inspiration, but feel free to use whatever appeals to your nose. I like to keep the total amount of essential oils at around a 1% dilution to prevent skin sensitivity. However a 2% dilution of most oils can be safely used for those who prefer a stronger scent.
Tips for Use
Lotion involves emulsifying oil and water together which can be tricky. To avoid the stress of trying to get oil and water to mix, I’ve kept the water out of this formula. Oil-based products also have a much longer shelf life.
Non-GMO vitamin E oil can be added to further extend the life of the carrier oils, though it’s entirely optional. Be sure to read the ingredients label though! Most vitamin E is actually a little bit of vitamin E (a.k.a tocopherol acetate) diluted in a carrier oil, which won’t prevent the lotion from oxidizing and going rancid when exposed to air.
DIY Men’s Lotion Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup grapeseed oil (or sweet almond oil)
- ¼ cup mango butter (or shea butter)
- 2-3 TBSP beeswax pellets (grated or in pellets)
- 50-60 drops essential oils (optional, see notes below for inspiration)
- ¾ tsp vitamin E oil (optional)
Instructions
- In a heat-safe glass bowl, combine the grapeseed oil, mango butter, and beeswax. 2 TBSP beeswax makes a thinner lotion that will work in a pump bottle, while 3 TBSP yields a thicker lotion more suitable for a jar.
- Fill a saucepan 1/3 full of water. Perch the glass bowl on top of the saucepan.
- Heat pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a metal spoon until all the ingredients are melted.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the essential oils and vitamin E if using.
- Pour the mixture into a mixing bowl and put it in the fridge to cool.
- After about 30 minutes the mixture should be opaque and semi-solid. You don’t want it to be hard, but if it’s too soft it won’t whip. Using a stand or hand mixer whip the mixture until it’s white and creamy.
- Transfer the finished lotion to a glass container or lotion pump and store it in a cool, dry place. This lotion has a shelf life of at about 12 months, especially if vitamin E oil is used.
Notes
- Blend #1 - 20 drops cedarwood, 5 drops lavender, and 15 drops tea tree essential oil (good for sensitive or irritated skin).
- Blend #2 - 25 drops patchouli and 25 drops sweet orange essential oil (good for oily or dry skin).
- Blend #3 - 10 drops myrrh, 10 drops geranium, and 30 drops sandalwood essential oil (good for dry, sensitive or irritated skin).
Which scents would you try in this lotion? Share below!
This came out too thin and greasy. I added arrowroot to it, but its still greasy. I followed the recipe to a tee.
Did you use grapeseed oil and mango butter? The shea butter and almond oil make for a heavier lotion while mango butter is more astringent. Did you use 3 TBSP of beeswax or just 2?
It came out super greasy for me as well. I used almond oil instead of grapeseed oil. Is using grapeseed oil the trick to making it truly be “non-greasy”?
Almond oil is heavier than grapeseed so it can take longer to absorb. Rosehip is an astringent oil so you might want to add some of that with the grapeseed oil too. I would do 1 TBSP rosehip seed oil and only 15 TBSP grapeseed. Mango butter is drier than shea butter so if you use shea it’s going to feel greasier. What one person feels is “greasy” though may not be “greasy” to the next person because of different skin types, climate/humidity, etc. Conventional lotions use a lot of synthetic ingredients and/or a high water content to make a very fast absorbing product, so this will feel different than the typical store-bought version.
Hello – Thanks for this recipe
I am in the south and I am wondering if the ‘male’ version of the lotion, would be the better one to use. Usually I have to add more beeswax to my Solid Lotion sticks. Thanks for doing the research. I have been waiting to try a lotion recipe that did not contain water. Regards
I like the lotion! I was excited to have one that I could actually pump. My question, however, is the texture is grainy. It dissolves as you rub it into your skin, but it’s disconcerting. Any idea what went wrong that led to the grainy texture?
It was probably in how fast it cooled with the beeswax. Cooling it in the fridge next time should help avoid this.
I’m going to try to make this to keep in my locker at work! Dry hands are always an issue.
Is there a trick to getting the lotion IN a pump bottle? Does it flow pretty well or do you use some sort of device to help you transfer it? Funnel? Syringe?
that’s cool! Would you permit me to manufacture and sell your own beauty products?
please answer this massage
.. with all my love
Definitely not. I don’t allow my articles, recipes, or DIY creations to be used commercially in any form…
Hi! I love your blog and all your recipes, thanks so much for sharing them.
This lotion looked great after I whipped it but it still was super greasy when applied, especially for my guy. I used sweet almond oil, shea butter, bees wax pellets, vitamin E, and essential oils at the exact measurements you laid out. What could be wrong?
I had the same problem.
Thanks for this recipe and all that you do. Question, what if it was creamy but didn’t turn white? Was it too soft?
Is there a substitute that can be used instead of the beeswax (due to sensitivity to it)?
I’m running out of body butter I make for my sister and me. I’m going to make this. My husband doesn’t use lotion but I do! Thanks, WM
Thankyou! I can’t wait to try this for my partner, I’m really into living a more natural life slyle, and I’ve been making him beard oil and beard shampoo and he really likes them, I made a balm for his extremely dry knees and he swears by that, it will be lovely to make this for him ?
I made this mens lotion as a gift for a friends hubby. He absolutly loves it. Thanks fot a great recipe. I love your work.