This DIY lavender body butter with neem oil not only offers amazing skin protection and moisture, but it also helps to soothe shingles pain – phantom or otherwise. How do I know this? Because last Christmas I ended up with shingles. And I’m not elderly or immunocompromised. What I did have though, was a heck of a lot of stress.
I honestly had considering writing a blog post about how not to get shingles over the holidays. Sort, of a soapmaker’s guide with quips and puns that relate back to our quirky habits. Some of which could lead to an unfortunate virus uprising.
Through various soapmaking groups I’ve learned that quite a few of us do our shopping for ingredients and supplies while intoxicated on a wee bit of wine. This inevitably means we spend more. And anyone who drinks alcohol semi-regularly can become B6 deficient. I know that a B6 deficiency is one of the underlying causes of a shingles outbreak. Because after a visit to the doctor they recommended I take 50mg of vitamin B6 twice a day for two months.
I also know that overspending can cause us stress. I mean, if it didn’t, there wouldn’t be all of those memes with the UPS guy and that note requesting he hold your packages until later should your husband happen to be home. Sure overspending or lack of money can be stressful. But a husband who is disappointed in you – that can be worse. And everyone knows one of the leading causes of breakups and divorce are money problems. And fights or break ups, well they’re going to be stressful too.
So my best advice for you right now is to – well, obviously don’t stop drinking wine. Then we’d go batty for sure. But do be sure to keep your levels of B6 up during the entire holiday season. High amounts of B6 is found in foods like red meat and cashews. But supplements also do the trick.
In addition, I also highly recommend having your soapmaking supplies sent to a friend or neighbor’s house – even your place of employment if you don’t work from home. I mean it’s not really even a deception. You’re simply having those much needed supplies delivered elsewhere for safety reasons. A lot of packages do go missing this time of year. That he happened to miss seeing the orders coming or being unpacked, well, he probably just wasn’t paying attention. I mean there are plenty of other things men fail to notice on a daily basis when it comes to women. Or they simply forget. Or weren’t really listening to begin with.
But I digress. I first made a version of my DIY lavender body butter for my grandmother three years ago. Her all time favorite scent is lavender. And seeing as how its common for most of us to suffer from dry skin this time of year I thought a body butter was in order.
Why Use a DIY Lavender Body Butter?
At that time I had just started experimenting a lot with neem oil. Long used in both Ayurvedic and Unani medicine, neem oil has been shown to have natural anti-inflammatory and analgesic (pain killing) properties. It’s often used topically to ease the symptoms of rheumatism, eczema, ringworm, athlete’s foot, cold sores, psoriasis, warts, chronic syphilitic sores, infected burn wounds, and slow-healing skin ulcers. Additionally it has also been shown to help control various skin infections including scabies and candida.
On the other hand, studies have also demonstrated that lavender essential oil also possesses anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. When used in skin care applications, lavender can help to ease pain, promote the healing of cuts and burns as well as promote the reduction swelling and redness. When properly diluted, lavender essential oil can soothe everything from sore muscles, joint pain and rheumatism to sprains and backaches.
Little did I know that the combination of neem oil and lavender essential oil in my DIY lavender body butter would help to reduce my grandmother’s recurring phantom pain from shingles in addition to soothing and moisturizing dry, itchy skin. But that it did. So when I developed shingles the day after Christmas last year, I whipped up a batch for myself. During the onset of my shingles it certainly didn’t take the pain away completely. But it really helped to ease the pain so it was more bearable.
I also found that applying heat went a long way towards helping ease the pain from shingles as well. So I used a heating pad during the actual breakout in addition to an ungodly amount of ibuprofen. Then, once there was no longer a mess of oozing gross blisters (for those of you who can remember having chicken pox – I was four and at best I remember one colloidal oatmeal bath and being told not to scratch) I used a combination of equal parts lavender, ginger and chili seed essential oils to warm my skin, increase circulation, ease pain and reduce inflammation. It also offered a lot of relief with the recurring phantom pain I experienced for about six months after the shingles had cleared up.
Following is the recipe for my DIY lavender body butter of awesome. Not only does it offer some amazing skin care benefits, but it’s also non-greasy. I hope you like the recipe. But what I really really hope, is that you never get shingles.
(One of my best friends and a recent breast cancer survivor just got shingles in her EAR! Yes. Her ear. It was not awesome and harder to treat. She also couldn’t hear out of that ear for about a week. While not a soapmaker, she is a jewelry artist and fellow wine drinker. She’s also going through a divorce so there’s no husband to worry her. However the advice on the B6 still stands.)
DIY Lavender Body Butter with Neem Oil
Ingredients:
3 oz. refined shea butter
.25 oz. refined/deodorized cocoa butter
.2 oz. baobab oil
.1 oz. lanolin
.1 oz. Cyclomethicone
.05 oz. arrowroot powder
.1 oz. lavender essential oil
1 ml pure 100% neem oil
1ml vitamin E oil
mica powder, to suit (for color if desired)
Instructions:
This recipe yields one 4 oz. container of my DIY lavender body butter with neem oil. You can easily double the recipe as needed to make extras for gifting.
Begin by using a reliable digital scale to weigh out the shea and cocoa butters. Combine in a large glass Pyrex measuring cup and heat at 30% power until fully melted. (Alternately, you may also use a double boiler.)
Then weigh out the arrowroot powder and stir into the melted butters until the arrowroot powder has dissolved.
Next, weigh out the lanolin. Then stir into the liquified butters until melted.
Now weigh out and stir in the baobab oil, lavender essential oil and Cyclomethicone. Follow with the vitamin E and neem oils, using a fresh graduated plastic pipette for each to measure out and add these ingredients. Add a pinch or two of mica powder in your color of choice if desired, then mix well.
Pour your DIY lavender body butter into a 4 oz. container of your choice or into two 2 oz. glass jars. (Pictured is a 2.3 oz. clear glass thick wall cosmetic jar from SKS Bottle & Packaging.) Then allow to solidify.
You can place your lavender body butter in the refrigerator to speed up the cooling process. (When it’s warm out it tends to take a lot longer for this body butter to solidify if left on a kitchen countertop.)
To use simply apply a small amount to skin as desired and massage in.
If you like my recipe for making DIY lavender body butter, then you may also like my recipe for making an arnica pain relief salve. This natural remedy for muscle pain and inflammation offers relief from occasional pain due to bumps, bruises and sore muscles or as a result of chronic conditions such as arthritis or carpal tunnel. Learn more about arnica as well as how to make this amazing salve here.
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For more great bath, body and skin care recipes be sure to check out my boards on Pinterest. You can also follow me via all of your favorite social media platforms including G+, Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Blog Lovin’, and Instagram. Or subscribe to Soap Deli News via email for future updates, DIY projects and recipes.
This article is not intended to provide diagnosis, treatment or medical advice and is provided for informational purposes only. Information on products mentioned are based on my own personal experience and have not been evaluated by the FDA. Please consult a physician prior to making any changes that may impact your health.
