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    Home » Wellness Tips » DIY Skincare

    Easy Homemade Vanilla Lotion For Dry Skin

    Modified: Jul 5, 2025 · Published: Apr 30, 2018 by Shelby Stover · This post may contain affiliate links · 26 Comments

    Pinterst image with text: bowl of homemade body butter with a bowl of shea butter behind it and vanilla bean around it
    Pinterest image with text: homemade lotion in a white ramekin with vanilla bean beside it and a bowl of shae butter behind it and an in-process image below

    An easy DIY recipe, this homemade vanilla lotion contains only six ingredients. A homemade body lotion to help nourish dry skin. Made with natural ingredients this DIY body lotion works well on your legs especially- and it's perfect for kids (it also makes a thoughtful spa gift.

    Homemade vanilla lotion in a jar with a red lid on the side and vanilla bean behind it.

    Making my own beauty products is something I love doing. Given, I don't use a lot of products anymore (no make-up over here), for the ones I do use I love knowing what's in them and being able to tweak as necessary- like all natural homemade deodorant.

    This homemade vanilla lotion is a simple DIY recipe (like my all-time favorite chocolate peppermint lip chap) that I've been using for a while. It's easy, hydrating, and quick to whip up!

    Benefits Of The Homemade Vanilla Lotion

    • Chemical-free
    • Cost-effective
    • Simple to make
    • Far more nourishing to the skin

    DIY body lotion tends to be more hydrating than conventional store-bought because they're all-natural.

    Furthermore, since my skin has adjusted to natural products I find that traditional products only dry it out. Those products contain harsher ingredients than my skin is used to and thus they don’t work as well.

    Besides this, since our skin absorbs what it comes into contact with, I strive to make sure it encounters the best possible ingredients- which is why I always have DIY lotion on hand!

    Ingredients In The Homemade Body Lotion

    I'm a fan of simple- so this homemade vanilla lotion contains minimal ingredients. I chose to use shea butter for this homemade vanilla lotion recipe because it's so hydrating.

    Though, here's a list of my favorite butter bases and what properties I use them for specifically. 

    The same goes for the oils in the DIY lotion. I use jajoba oil for this vanilla body lotion but almond, apricot kernal etc would work too. So use what you have.

    You don't need a stash of hundreds of ingredients to make DIY skincare recipes. If you're new to DIY beauty products and stuck on where to spend your money, check the basic DIY ingredients.

    Small jar with homemade vanilla lotion and a red lid beside it with ingredients behind it.

    Texture Of The Homemade Vanilla Lotion

    The purpose of this DIY vanilla lotion is to really hydrate the legs. Thus, it does seem bit greasy at first. I use homemade body butter with beeswax a lot as well in my skincare routine. However, I tend to make those a bit more firm where you have to massage the body butter in.

    This homemade body lotion is less firm and thus it seems more oily. This is one of the reasons why it's so great on your body and not your face. 

    How to use the vanilla body lotion: rub the lotion into your legs/body as you normally would. Then, give it a few minutes to absorb before putting on clothes.

    Tight clothes immediately after using a homemade lotion recipe will result in grease stains *said from experience*. As a result, this homemade vanilla lotion is ultra-smooth and it's the oils that make it so hydrating for your skin.

    Creating The Vanilla Scent: Bean or Essential Oil?

    You'll also notice that I use vanilla bean in this homemade body lotion recipe versus an essential oil. I always try to use the exact item for the scent when possible. While I adore essential oils, they are potent and I'm not an aromatherapist.

    That said, there's another reason for this...

    When I first started making my own homemade products I really wanted to re-create that "French vanilla" smell from store-bought products (you know the one I mean!).

    But you can't.

    When I looked more and more into vanilla essential oil it became harder to find a pure grade one. Eventually, I wondered why and it's because the vanilla can't be outsourced into an oil like most other plants.

    Meaning, most vanilla essential oils you see for sale are not pure grade oils. They have to use something artificial. For some reason, this devastated me haha (#hippieproblems much??).

    So instead, I went back to basics and just started infusing the lotions with the actual vanilla bean. Keep it simple and all that.

    Pro Tip: you can still rock this DIY body lotion without any vanilla! The vanilla is simply there for scent purposes and not for the lotion itself. If you don't have any on hand, no problem! Just omit it. Never let the essential oils or scent in a DIY recipe hold you back from making it.

    The BEST DIY Beauty Products For Busy Moms

    Packed with quick, natural recipes that fit seamlessly into your busy mom life, giving you safe, glowing skin without the hassle!

    The DIY Beauty Ebook For Busy Moms contains 21 easy-to-make beauty recipes from lip chaps, to lotions, and scrubs to washes.

    Image a homemade body butter with text on the image.

    You'll also learn the exact tricks I stumbled through on my journey and how to avoid them.

    And BONUS, if you're into the self care vibe, this bundle comes with a guide to start journaling, tips to make self-care a habit, as well as the grocery list you need to make everything.. all for just $9.99.

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    Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

    • Double boiler
    • Mini whisk
    • Mini mason jars

     

    Homemade vanilla lotion in a jar with a red lid on the side and vanilla bean behind it.
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Easy Homemade Vanilla Lotion

    An easy DIY recipe, this homemade vanilla lotion contains only six ingredients. A homemade body lotion to help nourish dry skin. Made with natural ingredients this DIY body lotion works well on your legs especially- and it's perfect for kids
    Keyword homemade vanilla lotion
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 25 minutes minutes
    1 day day
    Total Time 1 day day 30 minutes minutes
    Servings 1 small jar
    Author Shelby Stover
    Cost $3.50

    Equipment

    • Double boiler or mason jar
    • small mason jars to store
    • Mini Whisk

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons Coconut oil measured solid
    • 1 tablespoon shea butter
    • 1.5 tablespoons beeswax
    • 1 tablespoon jojoba oil
    • ¼ teaspoon jojoba oil
    • 1-2 vanilla bean or 20 drops vanilla essential oil

    Instructions

    • In a heat-proof jar or double boiler, combine all ingredients except vanilla.
      glass jar with ingredients for diy lotion
    • If using vanilla bean, slice the bean and scrape out the vanilla into the jar. Then, slice the bean into smaller pieces and place it in the jar.
    • Place the jar into a small pot of water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir often until everything is melted and combined (about twelve minutes). Let sit in boiling water for another ten-fifteen minutes to infuse vanilla.
    • Remove from heat. Pour mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a small glass jar. If using essential oils, add the oils now and stir to combine.
      small glass jar with homemade lotion and a small mesh sieve on top straining vanilla bean
    • Let sit on the counter for twenty-four hours to harden.

    Video

    Notes

    Not sure where to get DIY ingredients? Here are my favorite brands and places to purchase.

    This homemade vanilla lotion helps keep your skin hydrated and soft in colder months. Thanks to the jojoba oil it helps prevent skin from drying out and it deals to use on your legs. This vanilla body butter is an easy DIY project that makes for great, thoughtful gifts.

    More Diy Skin Care Products For Busy Moms

    • Whipped shaving lotion in an amber jar with a blue linen and calendula flowers around it.
      Best DIY Shaving Cream (Nourishing!)
    • Glass jar with DIY leave in conditioner in it on a wooden board with a linen behind it.
      Homemade Leave In Conditioner [3 Ingredients]
    • Metal tin with homemade deodorant in it and a blue linen behind it.
      All Natural Homemade Deodorant
    • Small bottle with homemade face toner in it with cotton pads, calendula, and a linen around it.
      Homemade Face Toner with Calendula

    Comments

    1. Amy says

      April 30, 2018 at 1:23 pm

      Vanilla is one of my favorite smells, what a great way to infuse it into lotion, definitely trying this ?

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        May 01, 2018 at 12:55 pm

        It's one of mine too! And even better when you can use the real thing 😀

        Reply
    2. linda spiker says

      May 01, 2018 at 5:37 pm

      Vanilla is my favorite body scent! And this looks so good I could eat it!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        May 02, 2018 at 1:29 am

        It's one of mine too! And it's always awesome when you can use the actual bean!

        Reply
    3. Raia Todd says

      May 01, 2018 at 5:59 pm

      I bet this would be a wonderful Mother's Day gift! So easy and I'm sure it smells amazing. 🙂

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        May 02, 2018 at 1:29 am

        You can't go wrong with something pampering for Mama's Day!

        Reply
    4. Julia says

      May 01, 2018 at 10:02 pm

      I love vanilla bean in cosmetic products! Yum!!

      Reply
    5. Amber says

      May 03, 2018 at 5:18 pm

      That sounds like a truly lovely recipe! Vanilla scent is my favorite - that, and other nutty, foody type scents. I'll have to give this a try. 🙂

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        May 03, 2018 at 6:18 pm

        I hope you like it! It makes everything so silky feeling lol

        Reply
    6. Kristy, Life-n-Reflection says

      May 11, 2018 at 1:30 pm

      This looks almost yummy enough to eat, gotta love vanilla!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        May 11, 2018 at 5:00 pm

        It smells like that too! 😀

        Reply
    7. Alice | Letters to my Daughter says

      May 16, 2018 at 6:35 pm

      Oh wow this looks good enough to eat, let alone smelling like you want to eat it!
      And congratulations because someone loved this post so much, they added it to the #BlogCrush linky! Feel free to collect your "I've been featured" blog badge 🙂

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        May 16, 2018 at 7:24 pm

        It feels awesome too! So silky

        Reply
    8. Vickie Hughes says

      December 10, 2018 at 1:47 am

      This looks amazing, I was wondering if you could use a vanilla extract?

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        December 10, 2018 at 11:26 pm

        Yup you can! I've done it before but I can't remember the exact amount, possibly 1/2 a teaspoon. Honestly, I'd just do it to your smell preference.

        Reply
    9. Maggie says

      September 04, 2019 at 1:25 am

      Do you think that if I infused the coconut oil with the vanilla bean in my infuser that would work instead of using vanilla essential oil?

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        September 05, 2019 at 12:29 am

        Okay first off, you have an infuser?! Amazing. And yup I do! In the summer I make lavender infused oil and it works so much nicer (to me) than lavender essential oil.

        Reply
    10. Heather says

      July 02, 2020 at 3:59 pm

      5 stars
      A summer must have for sure!!!

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        July 05, 2020 at 8:30 pm

        Thanks Heather! It definitely keeps your skin crazy silky!

        Reply
    11. Robin says

      January 20, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      Hello and thank you for the recipe. I’ve just noticed that jojoba oil is down twice in the recipe. It asks for 1 tbsp and then 1/4 tsp straight after. Should the 1/4 tsp be something else? Thank you.

      Reply
      • fitasamamabear says

        January 20, 2021 at 4:30 pm

        Hey Robin!

        Good catch! Thanks for reading so thoroughly! The recipe does need 1tbsp PLUS 1/4 tsp of jojobal oil. The recipe card area just doesn't let you add them in one line 🙂

        Reply
    5 from 1 vote

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    I'm Shelby, a Certified Strength & Nutrition Coach who has spent the last 10 years helping women feel more comfortable in their skin though home strength training and healthy food- no diets, no shortcuts

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