Homemade shimmering body oilCOCOÉCO blog |

The recipe for sparkly, happy skin!

Want to adorn your arms, shoulders, or legs with beautiful, subtle sparkles that catch the slightest light—not to mention everyone’s eye? We’ve got what you need: a recipe for a shimmering body oil. The micas in this recipe leave your skin glittering, and the body oil is delicately scented with coconut. The combined effect recalls sunny vacations on a beach paradise… a place we’re calling the Tropic of Glitter!

When making body oil, it’s important to strike the right balance between wet and dry oils. Wet oils deeply nourish your skin, leaving it soft, but they tend to leave an oily film behind, which isn’t always desirable. Dry oils, on the other hand, are absorbed rapidly and leave your skin dry to the touch; they balance out the effect of the wet oils to yield a pleasant, silky feeling. Softness and shine, what more could you ask for?

Treat your skin to a trip to the Tropic of Glitter with this homemade shimmering body oil!

How to make shimmering body oil

Ingredients

4 g (8%) extra virgin coconut oil
34.2 g (68.5%) olive squalane
9.5 g (19%) deodorized argan oil
1 g (2%) brushed copper mica
0.5 g (1%) gold leaf mica
0.2 g (0.5%) vitamin E
0.5 g (1%) coconut aromatic essence

Tools

Good to know!

We chose to use olive squalane for its wonderful emollient properties. It also has a dry feel, making it perfect for this DIY shimmering body oil. You can replace it with another dry oil of your choosing.
Deodorized argan oil is softening and rich in antioxidants. You can replace it with the wet oil of your choosing. We advise against replacing it with a dry oil, or the final product will be less easy to apply over your skin.
To give your skin a healthy glow, don’t hesitate to replace 3% of the argan oil with 3% sea buckthorn oil. In this recipe, that means reducing the argan oil by 1.5 g and adding 1.5 g of sea buckthorn oil.
Coconut oil deeply nourishes your skin without leaving a greasy film and leaves a slight coconut scent. If you’re not fond of the smell of coconut, you can use our deodorized coconut oil.
Because the recipe contains relatively little coconut oil with respect to the other ingredients, it will not solidify in the final product.
The micas give the oil—and your skin—its shimmer! They can be replaced by micas in the colour of your choosing.
Vitamin E is the antioxidant in this recipe, which means it helps prevent the vegetable oils from going rancid. It is also revitalizing.
The coconut oil aromatic essence adds a delicious scent that recalls palm trees and sandy beaches. It can be replaced by the aromatic essence or essential oil of your choosing. However, be careful in choosing photosensitizing essential oils (bergamot, celery seed, lemon, lime, litsea, pink grapefruit, red mandarin, sweet orange, tangerine, white grapefruit). If you choose to use any of these, you must avoid sun exposure after application. Also be wary of dermocaustic essential oils, which include cinnamon bark, cinnamon leaf, clary sage, clove, ginger, oregano, peppermint, spearmint, and thyme. They must make up no more than 0.5% of your total recipe, or they may irritate—or even burn—your skin.

Steps to follow

Prepare and disinfect your equipment and workspace.
Weigh the coconut oil in the bowl. Melt on the double boiler.
When the coconut oil has melted, remove the bowl from the heat. Weigh and add the argan oil, olive squalane, and micas. Mix well.
Weigh the vitamin E and aromatic essence.
When the mixture has cooled to 45°C, add the vitamin E and aromatic essence. Mix well.
Use a funnel to pour your body oil into the bottle. Ta-da!

Use and conservation

This homemade shimmering body oil is formulated for all skin types. With time, the micas will settle to the bottom of the bottle, so shake well before each use to disperse them.

When made in optimal sanitary conditions, this oil will keep for at least six months.