DIY Men’s Lotion Recipe With Essential Oils

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.

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3.89 from 17 votes

DIY Men’s Lotion Recipe

Try this easy, non-greasy homemade men's lotion recipe with natural scents from essential oils like patchouli, cedarwood, or myrrh.

Prep Time15 mins

Author: Katie Wells

Materials

• 1 cup grapeseed oil (or sweet almond oil)
• ¼ cup mango butter (or shea butter)
• 2-3 TBSP beeswax (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

Don’t freak out that there’s some floral essential oils in these blends! The lavender and geranium really help round out the smell and overall don’t feel feminine when used with the more robust and woodsy oils.

Masculine essential oil scent blend options:

• 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).

If you prefer a stronger scent the essential oil blends above can safely be doubled.

Which scents would you try in this lotion? Share below!