Years ago, I became aware of the harmful side-effects in most OTC an prescription drugs, and the dangerous chemicals in our food supply. This resulted in my becoming obsessed with learning all I could about healing herbs and organic foods. I became a a crazy gardener, growing as many fruits, herbs,veggies as organically as possible in my front and back yards. I say "as "organically as possible" because I am guilty of buying seed packets wherever I find them on sale. Enough of that! Let's just say that no synthetic chemicals..pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, or anything made by Monsanto or its subsidiaries, have come in contact with my garden for the past 10 years. I treat minor ailments with herbs and/or herbal supplements. When I shop for groceries, I avoid processed foods - especially those with ingredients I can't pronounce. Then a few weeks ago, I had an epiphany of sorts: I was so concerned about what I put into my body, but never really considered what I was putting on it! It all started with reading an article about parabens and their possible link to breast cancer. A quick glance at the lotions, creams, and makeup that littered my bathroom, showed parabens in every one! Then there were the sulphates, and artificial scents and colors and emulsifiers - many of which were known carcinogens...what was I subjecting myself to? I then wondered that since I had been successfully growing most of my own produce and herbs, how difficult could it be to make my own lotion? The answer to that question was the catalyst for this blog! I spent the first couple of weeks in September pouring over countless blogs and tutorials for DIY (do-it-yourself) lotion. There's like a gazillion of them out there! To my disappointment, most listed some form of chemical preservative (paraben) among the ingredients. Even the experts said that without a chemical preservative, lotion would grow mold and bacteria after a few weeks....very disheartening news! Could it be that our ancestors had to make lotion as part of their weekly chores? Or did they wrinkle prematurely because doing so was just too much trouble? Not easily deterred, I continued my search for a natural preservative. I finally found a few articles whose authors stated that willow bark extract was an effective preservative! With this bit of info, I was off and running....or so I thought!

My first attempt at lotion making did not yield the results for which I had hoped. I used beeswax as an emulsifier, but later learned that it was incomplete without borax...that stuff in laundry detergent and insect repellent? Uh..not exactly what I had in mind. As you can see from the above photo, my "lotion" turned out to more of a dense cream! Not only was it not lotion, but it had a waxy feel that I wasn't fond of. The good thing is, this is a really good moisturizer! I usually have to reapply lotion every time I wash my hands, but this stuff lasts through several hand washings. I made this concoction on September 20 - exactly 2 weeks ago, and no sign of mold or bad smell, so I'm guessing that the willow bark extract, along with the antioxidants I used are keeping the cooties at bay. I still want to make lotion, though....