Wanting better sleep, less muscle cramps, and less anxiety, relief from headaches?
If making magnesium body butter is not your cup of tea, magnesium oil spray offers the same benefits and is quite simple to make.
I have seen recipes out there that are similar to the magnesium body butter recipe below. Some of them do not call for an emulsifying wax. Don’t let that word scare you off, an emulsifying wax is much like beeswax but it has the ability to bind liquids and oils together, in a way that keeps them from separating later.
The other thing I have included is a natural preservative. I feel like if a recipe calls for water (hyrdosols, aloe vera juice, ect) it needs to have a preservative, it keeps bacteria from developing in the cream or lotion. Even when the hydrosol has antibacterial properties or the aloe gel has preservatives in it, if there is water, eventually things will grow, even if we cannot see them.
The magnesium oil used in the magnesium body butter recipe is pretty high in salt, making it hard for bacteria to grow but it doesn’t rule it out, especially after some time has passed. Some people make the magnesium body butter and just keep it in the fridge but still I feel better using a preservative just to be on the safe side.
Again don’t be scared off, there are a handful of preservatives that are naturally derived and are easy to use. And then we do not have to worry about bacteria spoiling the product.
What You'll Need
A blender or hand held (stick) blender
A double boiler
A small scale
Clean jars (I like to use 2 ounces jars, some for me, some for my family)
Magnesium Body Butter Recipe
- Make your magnesium oil, by pouring 3 tbs of boiling water over the magnesium flakes in a heat safe jar. Swirl it around to dissolve and set aside to let it cool down.
- In a double boiler combine the shea butter, jojoba oil, and emulsifying wax.
- Melt the shea butter, jojoba butter, and emuslifying wax over low heat until they are just melted and remove it from heat.
- Let the magnesium oil and the shea butter cool down completely. They need to be cooled completely before combining and before adding the preservative.
- Once the shea butter mix is cooled down, add the Luecidal preservative and the essential oils and place the mix into a blender.
- Turn the blender on medium and slowly, in a drizzle add the magnesium oil into the blender. Once it is all in there, continue to mix on medium, until everything is blended together. (You can also a stick blender to mix the magnesium body butter)
- Pour or scoop the magnesium butter into a clean glass jar (or jars).
This recipe makes about 6 ounces. Don’t forget your label!
A few notes about this recipe;
Having a scale really comes in handy when you start making herbal skincare. It allows you to be accurate and to convert recipes to percentages. Which allows you to make exactly how much you want.
When I need a preservative I like to use it at the highest recommended percentage. So I used Luecidial SF at 4% of the total weight of this recipe, for maximum protection.
Make sure the magnesium oil and shea butter mix has cooled before adding the essential oils and the preservative. And once it's cooled, then blend it up!
You could use beeswax instead of the emulsifying wax, but there is a chance that the oils will separate from the magnesium oil. Emulsifying wax helps to avoid this. I've made lotions with beeswax and had good success, so it can work, but it can be trickier to get the oils and waters (in this case magnesium oil) to blend together.
To Use Magnesium Body Butter
Before bed, use a small scoop and massage into the bottom of your feet. It should absorb pretty quickly. If after 30 min you can wipe your feet clean or just leave it on your feet while you sleep. (That’s what I do.)
Magnesium may tingle when first applied, if this happens, start by using a little everyday and work your way up, while skin slowly adjusts.
In some folks using magnesium body butter or magnesium oil may have the opposite effect and may actually make sleep more restless. If that is the case but you still want the benefits of topical magnesium to help muscle cramps, headaches, deeper sleep, and soothing tension and anxiety, then use it during the day.
*Those are affiliate links to the magnesium flakes, emulsifying wax, and natural preservative :)
Sweet dreams,
Jj
