Are you looking for a way to get more magnesium in your body as well as nourish and hydrate your skin? Then you will love this magnesium body butter recipe! It’s thick, creamy, and extra relaxing with the addition of lavender. My favorite way to use it is by massaging it right before bed to let it soak in all night long.
I’ve enjoyed making homemade lotions such as baby lotion for a number of years, and heavy duty homemade lotion was my solution to terribly dry skin after we moved to Texas at the end of 2014.
But this lotion came about not as much as a means to moisturize as because I don’t have time to take epsom salt or magnesium baths, and needed a way to get more magnesium into my muscles.
See, as a runner, my legs get tired and heavy, and one of the tricks of the trade for runners is soaking in a hot Epsom salt bath. Of course, the bath has more benefits than just the magnesium – the pressure of the water helping push fluid out of the legs, carrying lactate with it is a huge boon to recovery.
But as a mom who in addition to being a homemaker is a homeschooler with small farm chores to boot, sitting in a bathtub is a luxury that’s hard to enjoy.
But the main point is absorbing magnesium, and you don’t have to take a bath to get that. And since runners aren’t the only ones with a magnesium deficiency, this is good news!
Not only does this magnesium body butter give you the magnesium without the time spent in a tub, it uses a more absorbable type of magnesium.
Magnesium bath flakes are a concentrated form of naturally occurring magnesium chloride. Not only are they so much easier to dissolve for lotion making than Epsom salt (which is made from magnesium sulfate), they’re said to be up to 75% more bioavailable to the body.
So while you might have to order them from amazon rather than buy them at the local pharmacy, it’s well worth your while!
Magnesium Body Butter Recipe
Ingredients:
- ½ cup magnesium flakes (I use Ancient Minerals Brand)
- 3 Tbsp boiling water
- ¼ cup coconut oil
- 1/8 cup beeswax pellets
- 3 Tbsp shea butter
- Immersion blender
Instructions:
- In a half-pint jar or small bowl, pour your boiling water over the magnesium flakes, stir for a minute and set aside. The flakes should dissolve as they sit. If they don’t, try reheating them in the microwave, or a double boiler.
- In a separate double boiler set up, combine coconut oil, beeswax pellets, and shea butter and heat until melted.
- Usually, you will have to get it quite hot to melt the beeswax, so you’ll need to set the mixture aside to cool for about 5 minutes before proceeding with the next step.
- Once the oils have cooled a bit, add in magnesium mixture and 6-8 drops of lavender essential oil.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the mixture until smooth and opaque. It won’t take long.
- Note: If you don’t have an immersion blender (get one, but failing that) add your melted oils into a blender, then add the magnesium and essential oil on top, cover, and pulse.
- Scrape magnesium butter into a jar quickly before it sets up. Cover, and let cool.
- Use as you would any body butter, but it’s especially good as a “night cream” as it’s a bit heavy, and will absorb overnight potentially improving your sleep, and leaving your skin incredibly moisturized in the morning.
- Enjoy!
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Liesl Falcon says
About how much lotion does this recipe make? And is it possible to just add dissolved magnesium flakes to an existing lotion?
Elise says
This makes about 8 oz volume (so a half pint jar full).
The magnesium needs to dissolve in something water-based, so I’m not sure it would dissolve in a lotion.
Sharon says
I have made magnesium butters and creams in the past and they always make my skin itchy and sometimes even give me a rash? Have you ever experienced this?
Stephanie says
Since this has water in it, can you recommend a preservative? Thank you!