Topical magnesium oil has become a staple in my self-care regiment. This is because so many things in our modern day culture deplete magnesium in our bodies: junk food, processed sugars, stress, poor sleep, nutrient deficiency…just to name a few!
But taking magnesium orally can be difficult when you already have an unhealthy gut. The absorption can be very variable in these circumstances and the side effects (hello, diarrhea!) can be quite unpleasant.
Topical absorption of magnesium can also be variable but it’s still better than the alternative…and the lower incidence of GI side effects makes it a much more pleasant experience.
Add to that the benefits of better sleep, more calm moods, and faster muscle recovery (and improved function in all 300 or so reaction that magnesium takes part in!), and using magnesium on a regular basis starts to look pretty enticing.
This lotion version is silky and smooth…it’s  slightly more involved than this DIY Magnesium Oil Spray and even more moisturizing than this Magnesium Oil Body Butter recipe. The options are pretty much endless!
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
(you can substitute any other liquid-at-room-temperature oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
(about 3 capsules if that’s all you have)
- 2 tablespoon emulsifying wax (this allows the water and the oils in this recipe to mix to make your lotion look and function like really nice store-bought versions)
- 1 cup distilled water, freshly boiled
- 1/4 cup magnesium oil flakes
- 1 tablespoon aloe vera juice
(optional, you can use water instead)
- 1/2 teaspoon honey (can also substitute with vegetable glycerin
…both act as humectants and no, the honey doesn’t make the lotion sticky)
- 10 drops vanilla essential oil
- 6 drops lavender essential oil
Steps:
1. Â Place the emulsifying wax, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and vitamin E oil inside a small pot.
2. Place the pot over very low heat, stirring occasionally. Â The emulsifying wax will be the last thing to melt.
3. Â While the oils heat and melt, combine your magnesium oil flakes and hot water until the flakes have dissolved. The combine your pour your freshly made magnesium oil, aloe vera juice, and honey (or vegetable glycerin) into a glass mixing bowl.
4. Once the oils and emulsifying wax have melted and combined, pour them into a pyrex measuring cup or whatever mixing bowl you’re using.  It’s very important that you add the water to the oils and not the other way around.
6.  Slowly start pouring the magnesium oil/aloe vera juice/honey mixture into the oils a couple tablespoons at a time.  It’ll turn the whole thing white and be very liquid-y.
7.  Keep stirring and adding more liquid until all the liquid is incorporated into your (almost ready!) lotion.  It’ll still be very liquid-y but will thicken up as the mixture cools and over the next 24 hours or so.
8.  Once the lotion starts to cool but isn’t completely thickened (this lotion is designed to be very rich so will not pour well after it thickens), transfer it to whatever container you’ll be storing it in.  I normally use a disc-top bottle for thinner lotions but since this one is supposed to be a powerhouse, I used a large glass container (I reuse my ghee jars!) so that I could scoop out the lotion (I hate not being able to get the last bits of a lotion out of a bottle! I know you’re in there!).
Since it has no preservatives, I like storing this lotion in the fridge and then using it all over before bed. I wouldn’t leave it out at room temperature for any longer than about a week.
Did I miss how and when to add the magnesium flakes?
Check out step #4, you just combine the magnesium oil and hot water, let cool until it’s not too hot and then combine with the other water soluble things 🙂
Can you recommend brand/link for magnesium flakes? I was doing some searching yesterday and can’t find anything that I feel is trustworthy.
I like the Ancient Minerals Magnesium Flakes: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B005F1ATJQ/ref=pd_aw_sim_194_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=0NT9E3CMPG8XDH5NAC33
I’ve never personally tried their magnesium oil but I’ve heard some good things 🙂
I made this tonight. When it cooled it separate!! What did I do wrong??? ?
Did you do the part where you cooled it a little bit at a time in the fridge and then stirred it in between? It’s a little bit annoying but it keeps it from separating 🙂
Also step three was a bit unclear. When do you put the essential oils in?? I really hope I can get this to work because the magnesium oil alone really dries my skin out. Thank you
I hope it works out well too! Love this stuff. You can add in the essential oils at several different points but I usually add them into the oil phase.
To make a stable emulsion the water phase should be heated to 160 F and held there for 20 minutes. The temperature of your water and oil phase should be approx the same temperatures above 140 degrees and stick blended. A preservative really should be added to this. The refrigerator won’t stop bacteria from going. Bacteria starts growing long before you can actually see anything growing. If you put a contaminated lotion on broken or damaged skin you can risk getting a serious infection.
Thanks so much for this info! Worked great for my second batch!!!
No I didn’t see that. Do you think I could re heat it and try again? As I made it I mixed it I to keep heating it just to get it too mix together.
I would reheat it gently and the cool it down slowly using the fridge and stirring as it cools.
If none of the ingredients need to be refrigerated individually, why do they need to be when combined?
In any medium with water, there’s the opportunity that bacteria can grow in it and there’s no preservative in here to stop that really. But it does take time for that to happen and I usually use mine up before anything happens…but I would hate for someone to put in all that work and feel that they lost it! So I add it as a precaution 🙂
Hey Alex! Vitamin E is natural preserver and the distilled, boiled water eliminates the bacteria concern. I’m making some next week,thanks for the recipe!
I stand corrected, bacteria can STILL grow despite boiling water and adding vitamin E. My bad! I am going to try using NeoDefend when I make this.
magnesium oil is very helpful for our health and Skin, Today i Found your article which is about magnesium oil related, I am Happy to find it and read the whole post. thanks for sharing
This is a lovely cream! The first batch was more like a lotion than a cream but still wonderful. The second batch I followed Stellar’s advice and it turned out great!