Soothing after-sun lotion (No need to call the fire department!)

How to make after sun lotion?

After a long, cold winter, when the first glorious rays of sun begin to boost our spirits, we can’t wait to start soaking them up. We forget to slather on the sunscreen and, before we know it, we’re looking like a boiled lobster!

To relieve that burning feeling, we grab cold compresses, aloe gel, anything to ease the pain! And it does help, in the short term. But our skin has been dehydrated and, to prevent peeling, it must be moisturized. If you don’t have an after-sun lotion handy, use this recipe to soothe your skin with a creamy, refreshing lotion composed of 50% aloe gel.

Since it contains mint essential oil, be sure to keep it away from your eyes!

Ingredients

• Oil phase
• 12 g (4.8%) mango butter
• 18 g (7.2%) calendula maceration
• 14 g (5.6%) St-John’s wort maceration
• 18 g (7.2%) emulsifying wax NF
• 6 g (2.4%) stearic acid
• Aqueous phase
• 124 g (49.8%) aloe gel
• 42 g (16.9%) demineralized water
• 6 g (2.4%) vegetable glycerin
• Additives
• 2 g (0.8%) spike lavender essential oil – Lavandula latifolia cineolifera
• 0.8 g (0.3%) spearmint essential oil – Mentha spicata
• 0.2 g (0.1%) peppermint essential oil – Mentha piperita
• 0.4 g (0.2%) carrot seed essential oil – Daucus carota
• 3 g (1.2%) elderberry extract
• 2.6 g (1%) vitamin E

Tools

• Scale accurate to 0,1g
• Stainless steel bowls to make 2 double boilers
• Thermometer
• Mini-whisk or manual whisk
• Ramekin
• 2 bowls
• 1 240ml bottle with pump

An important step before you begin

Since the mixture of oil and water creates conditions favourable to bacterial growth, it’s important to preserve your emulsions with a preservative and to take appropriate hygiene measures such as cleaning surfaces, wearing gloves, and sterilizing all cooking utensils and containers with boiling water. Plastic utensils and other materials that can’t withstand high heat should be sprayed with 70% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) and air dried.

Steps to follow

1. Prepare and sterilize your equipment and workspace.
2. Weigh the ingredients in the oil phase (calendula and St. John’s wort oil, mango butter, stearic acid, and emulsifying wax NF) and place them in the first double boiler.
3. Weigh the ingredients in the aqueous phase (aloe gel, demineralized water, and vegetable glycerin) and place them in the second double boiler. Cover.
4. Heat the two phases over medium heat until they reach 70˚C. Maintain this temperature for twenty minutes.
5. Pour the oil phase into the aqueous phase, mixing with an immersion blender. Set aside and let cool while mixing regularly.
6. While the mixture cools, weigh the ingredients in the cooling phase (essential oils, elderberry extract, and vitamin E) and mix them in a ramekin.
7. When the mixture reaches a temperature of approximately 45˚C, add the ingredients in the cooling phase and blend well.
8. Transfer the cream into the 240 ml. pump bottle.