From floor wax to lotion; a DIY recipe spectrum

I'm not good with recipes. I put lots of stuff together, and when it finally works I keep doing it that way. So when we recently poured some concrete countertops and I set out to make an oil treatment for it I also ended up with floorwax and lotion recipes! So I thought I'd share.

It's the same ingredients, just in different proportions: Oil (in my case local shea butter), water, soap, baking soda and bees wax.

On the one end of the spectrum is the stiffest stuff, floor wax:

1 cup oil
1 cup lightly packed natural soap shavings
1/2 cup shaved beeswax
1/8 cup of water
1 tablespoon of baking soda

Melt everything together except the baking soda. Once it's good and melted sprinkle in the baking soda and be ready to turn the fire off because it will foam up. Whisk it up a few times as it cools over the course of the day. It will continue to get stiffer over several days. Just add a smear of it to a wet cloth and buff into the floor. Now my floors are concrete, so I don't know how appropriate this would be for other types, but certainly it would be good for natural clay floors as well. Here's a pic:

   

Now for the lotion, and everything in between, it's just a matter of increasing the water and decreasing the wax:

1 cup oil
1/2 cup lightly packed soap shavings
1 cup water
1 tablespoon shaved beeswax
1 tablespoon baking soda

Same process as for the floor wax.  Here's a pic of the lotion texture:

   

This lotion has been a real necessity for me and my family. In the dry season here we go seven months without a drop of rain, so our skin, especially the feet really suffer. But when we started applying this stuff the drying was reversed and our skin has healed nicely.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who does this, so I'd love to get some tips and reactions.

Nathanael  

Thanks for the post.  My wife and I often explore junk stores for old books on housekeeping.  They are full of various formulas and receipes.

Wow, thank you! I'll have to try that floor wax. We have unfinished (mostly) wood floors downstairs. For years I've played around with beeswax, canola oil, etc. because I'm sensitive to almost every commercial "floor wax" out there. I have no kick about stripping/waxing the floors, but the process makes me literally sick, so I avoid it. This has been one of those long-term, ongoing issues.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Jennie Little wrote:Wow, thank you! I'll have to try that floor wax. We have unfinished (mostly) wood floors downstairs. For years I've played around with beeswax, canola oil, etc. because I'm sensitive to almost every commercial "floor wax" out there. I have no kick about stripping/waxing the floors, but the process makes me literally sick, so I avoid it. This has been one of those long-term, ongoing issues.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Oh boy, I forgot to add the non-liability disclaimer ;-)

I should add, for the floor wax it's easier to apply if mixed into hot water. It applies more evenly and soaks in better.

What does the soap do for it?  I make something similar but I've never tried adding soap before.  Now I'm curious if I've been missing out.  

r ranson wrote:What does the soap do for it?  I make something similar but I've never tried adding soap before.  Now I'm curious if I've been missing out.  

Soap emulsifies it. It causes the oil and water to blend together. Basically, soap combined with baking soda behaves as the "detergent" that many recipes call for.

Additionally, natural soap conditions all by itself with its glycerine content. I used to make my horse gear out of rawhide, and the experts use soap all by itself to keep the hide supple.

What have been your recipes?

neat.  I've seen soap added to leather moisturizer, but putting it in hand is new to me.

My go-to hand (and everything) moisturizer is olive oil and beeswax.  Sometimes I'll infuse the oil with a herb first by heating it in a double boiler with the herbs.  Strain out the herbs, add wax until the desired consistency is reached (usually quite stiff).

r ranson wrote:neat.  I've seen soap added to leather moisturizer, but putting it in hand is new to me.

My go-to hand (and everything) moisturizer is olive oil and beeswax.  Sometimes I'll infuse the oil with a herb first by heating it in a double boiler with the herbs.  Strain out the herbs, add wax until the desired consistency is reached (usually quite stiff).

Sounds lovely! No water added tho? I used Shea butter for years in this VERY dry climate with decent results. When I added wax the results were a little better. But when I started making this lotion with water in it my cracked feet healed in a matter of days. I realized that a "moisturizer", as opposed to body oil, really benefits from water. And for water you need the emulsifying action of the soap...