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As many of you know, I am a huge fan of magnesium because it is so critical to our overall health. While minerals are very important for our health, magnesium stands a bit above the rest just because it is required for SO many bodily functions. Recently, I wrote a post about the health benefits of magnesium. You can read that here.
In addition, I’ve written about the importance of magnesium supplementation via transdermal (skin) application that you can read here. And, Lydia and I did a detailed Vibrant Health Podcast episode on miraculous magnesium as well. Listen to that here.
I do supplement with magnesium internally, but as with all supplements that only works well if your digestion is working optimally (which mine is not right now). So, in addition to internal supplementation, I also use a lot of transdermal magnesium (meaning it’s absorbed via the skin).
I won’t go into a lot of detail in this post about transdermal magnesium supplementation because I already wrote an in-depth article about it that you can read here.
Using Magnesium Transdermally
Many people don’t like plain magnesium oil spray because it can make their skin feel tingly and itchy. Lotions and gels are a great way to avoid that, as the other ingredients help soothe the skin when using the oil. But, these products can be expensive, especially when you use as much as me.
Also, another very important thing is that for those with impaired digestive function (which is honestly almost all of us today), oral supplementation may not provide you the benefits you desire simply because your body is unable to break down and assimilate the magnesium efficiently.
Also, Epsom salts are not an effective way to supplement magnesium. That is because Epsom salts are made from magnesium sulfate, which is rapidly excreted from the body and does little to boost internal levels. While Epsom salt baths have been used for soothing aches, pains, and sprains, soaking in this form of salts won’t give you the boost in magnesium that you may be looking for. For transdermal applications with the desire of boosting magnesium levels, you need magnesium chloride NOT magnesium sulfate.
Today, I want to show you the easiest way to make your own magnesium lotion and body butter at home. I’ve made a lot of body butters (and some lotion) and they always require me to buy a variety of ingredients that I will never use for anything else. I recently found a box of butters, waxes, and oils that I had to toss because they were so old. 🙁
It kills me to waste ingredients like that, so I was thinking there had to be a better way. Then, I was talking to my mom one day and she shared what she had been experimenting with — adding magnesium oil to pre-made lotion. She has been using transdermal magnesium (with great success) and I am so excited she shared her method with me. Thanks, Mom! <3
I was inspired and got to work and subsequently found that it works really well AND does not require that you buy any fancy ingredients other than your favorite lotion or body butter and some magnesium chloride flakes!
The Easiest DIY Magnesium Body Butter and Lotion Ever
For this super easy recipe, you really only need two ingredients:
Magnesium Chloride Flakes (or pre-made Magnesium Oil)
These are different from Epsom salts and a much better form for transdermal application (read this post for why you don’t want to use Epsom salts for this).
I use the Ancient Minerals brand that you can buy on Amazon here (sometimes local health food stores will carry this brand too). I also buy it from Perfect Supplements. It depends on where I’m placing my order at the time.
Your Favorite Lotion or Body Butter
For this recipe, I used my favorite coconut oil lotion and coconut oil body butter from Tropical Traditions. I have used these products for over a decade now and they remain some of my favorite products and work well for my skin. I always stock up on these when they run them on 2-for-1 sales, so it brings the cost down significantly (especially if it coincides with free shipping too!).
You should be able to adapt this recipe for whatever brand you like. Just make sure you’re always using a brand that is clean and does not have chemicals or artificial junk in it. That is why I love the Tropical Traditions products — they are super clean with very few ingredients.
If you want to make your own lotion or body butter for the base, then I have recipes for how to do that (but they will require buying some additional ingredients):
Essential Oils (optional, but nice)
For this recipe, I use the unscented lotion and cream from Tropical Traditions. That way I can create my own scent combinations to suit my own needs. You could use whatever essential oils you like to this recipe. Some of my favorites include:
- Lavender
- Peppermint
- Frankincense
- Cedarwood (nice with Vetiver for nighttime use)
- Vetiver (nice with Cedarwood for nighttime use)
- Citrus (just make sure you use this on the skin that is not exposed to UV rays, as some citrus oils are phototoxic and can cause the skin to burn)
As far as brands of essential oils that I recommend, there are several quality brands that I like, including:
You can learn more about my opinions on essential oil brands here.
Magnesium Body Butter and Lotion Recipe
Tips & Tricks for Lotion and Butter Success
- As stated above, you can use whatever lotion or body butter you want, but please make sure that you use one that is made with clean ingredients and does not have toxic oils, chemicals, artificial colors fragrances, etc.
- A hand mixer or stand mixer works best, though if you don’t have one you can whisk by hand. I find that the end product is better if you do use a hand or stand mixer though.
- These lotions and butters will keep at room temperature for 6-12 months. You’re making it in such small batches and will (hopefully) be using it regularly so it won’t have time to go bad. You can make this in really large batches if you need to use more.
- To use, simply apply to your skin like you would normal lotion or body butter. Best absorption happens on the feet and torso. I like to use these before bed and I find that I sleep more soundly when I get that hit of magnesium prior to bed.
The Easiest DIY Magnesium Body Butter and Lotion Ever
If plain magnesium oil bothers your skin, try a magnesium lotion or body butter! You can buy these products pre-made, but they are expensive. This tutorial will show you how to make your own at home for a fraction of the price.
Ingredients
BASIC MAGNESIUM OIL RECIPE
- 1/2 cup magnesium chloride flakes
- 1/2 cup hot filtered water
MAGNESIUM LOTION RECIPE
- 8oz. of your favorite body lotion (I use this one from Tropical Traditions)
- 4 tbsp. magnesium oil from the recipe above (or you can buy magnesium oil here, although this increases your DIY cost)
- Favorite essential oils (optional - see note above this recipe)
MAGNESIUM BODY BUTTER RECIPE
- 4oz. of your favorite body butter (I use this one from Tropical Traditions)
- 4 tbsp. magnesium oil from the recipe above (or you can buy magnesium oil here, although this increases your DIY cost)
- Favorite essential oils (optional - see note above this recipe)
Instructions
BASIC MAGNESIUM OIL INSTRUCTION
- Place your magnesium flakes in a glass jar.
- Pour hot water over the flakes.
- Stir until flakes are dissolved (will only take a minute or two)
- Let cool to room temperature, seal tightly with a lid, and label jar.
- Will keep at room temperature almost indefinitely.
MAGNESIUM LOTION INSTRUCTION
- Pour your favorite body lotion in a small bowl.
- Add your magnesium oil.
- Using a hand mixer or whisk, mix the oil into the lotion until the magnesium oil is thoroughly combined (1-2 minutes on medium-high speed).
- Add any essential oils that you are using and mix thoroughly.
- Pour into a bottle (the bottle it came in works great) and store at room temperature.
- Shake well before use.
MAGNESIUM BODY BUTTER INSTRUCTION
- Place your favorite body butter in a small bowl.
- Add your magnesium oil.
- Using a hand mixer or whisk, whip the oil into the lotion until the magnesium oil is thoroughly combined (1-2 minutes on medium-high speed).
- Add any essential oils that you are using and mix thoroughly.
- Scrape into a bottle or jar (the container it came in works great) and store at room temperature.
- If it ever separates, you can easily stir to re-mix, but I have found that if the butter is whipped well when made that it does not separate.
Recommended Products
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How Much Magnesium is in These Butters and Lotions?
OK. Let’s see how good my math is because I know I will get questions about this. Math is not my strong suit, so if you notice an error, please let me know. 🙂
For all of my transdermal magnesium use, I prefer the Ancient Minerals brand because I trust the quality and personally feel like it works better than other brands I’ve tried in the past. According to them, one cup of their magnesium chloride flakes contains 15 grams of magnesium.
Based on that, the basic magnesium oil recipe above would contain 7.5 grams (15 divided by 2) of magnesium total (for the 1/2 cup of oil that you made).
The magnesium lotion (8oz) uses 4 tablespoons (or 1/4 cup) of magnesium oil, which would be 3.75 grams per bottle (or 3,750 milligrams). For the ease of measuring, let’s say you used 1 tablespoon of lotion with each application and there will be roughly 16 tablespoons of magnesium lotion (there will actually be a tad more, but let’s keep it simple!). So, 1 tablespoon of magnesium lotion would then contain roughly 234.38 milligrams of magnesium (3,750 milligrams divided by 16 tablespoons).
The magnesium body butter (4oz) uses 4 tablespoons (or 1/4 cup) of magnesium oil, which would be 3.75 grams per container (or 3,750 milligrams). For the ease of measuring, let’s say you used 1 tablespoon of body butter with each application and there will be roughly 8 tablespoons of magnesium butter (there will actually be a tad more, but let’s keep it simple!). So, 1 tablespoon of magnesium lotion would then contain roughly 468.75 milligrams of magnesium (3,750 milligrams divided by 8 tablespoons).
OK. Hope my math is right. 😉
Now, of course, it is really hard to know exactly how much of that magnesium is then absorbed by your skin. According to the Ancient Minerals website, 1 teaspoon of their magnesium lotion (this one) delivers approximately 185 milligrams of elemental magnesium, so that gives you a rough idea.
If you really want to focus on boosting your levels of magnesium through a transdermal application, consider running an RBC Magnesium blood test so that you get a baseline for where you’re at. Use the transdermal magnesium daily and then re-test in 1-3 months and see if your numbers have changed. This is what Lydia, my nutritional therapist, is going to have me do so that we can really see where my mag levels are at.
Resources for Further Research
If you are interested in learning more about magnesium, then I suggest the following resources:
- The Health Benefits of Magnesium
- How to Make Magnesium Oil for Transdermal Application
- Magnesium 101
- The Magnesium Miracle by Carolyn Dean
- Full Library of Minerals for Health Articles
- Healing with Mineral Analysis Facebook Group
- Mineral Balancing via Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
That’s it! The easiest magnesium butter and lotion ever. Would love to hear from you! Do you use transdermal magnesium? Have you noticed an improvement in your health or magnesium levels since doing so? Leave a comment below!
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I just use plain coconut oil as a body lotion, so I am going to make this with the coconut oil, magnesium oil (which I already us) and lavender essential oil. What a great idea for applying topical magnesium with no waste – thanks.
Awesome! That is super simple! Hope you enjoy! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
How did that work for you? did you use the coconut oil that is solid at room temp? I use it to so would like to know if you made any adjustments. Thanks
Just wondering…..would I be able to use a magnesium capsule mixed in with the body butter?
Hi Laura – Honestly, that would take A LOT of capsules and most likely your mag is not in the right form for this recipe. If you notice above, I talk about the specific form of magnesium that is needed for transdermal application, which is mag chloride. It is the form that seems to be best assimilated by the body via the skin. It would be more cost and time effective to just get some mag chloride flakes instead of opening capsules! Hope that helps! 🙂
Thanks so much!! I have been looking at the lotions but you are right, Wayyyy expensive. I will give this a try. Now just have to get my body butter under control so its a more luxurious thing and less “um ok, I guess its a body butter”. LOL!I would love it to be creamy but super thick. Still experimenting.
LOL Miranda! So glad the recipe helps cut down on some of the expense! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to read and comment!
Can the mag flakes be dissolved directly into warm coconut oil?
Or is there a specific reason for using distilled water?
Thank you.
Hi Lyn – You need to use the distilled water (or filtered water) first. They won’t dissolve well directly into oil from my experience. Hope that helps! 🙂
Love your site, but your link for the health benefits of magnesium is broken. I hope it is fixed soon, I would really love to read that article. 🙂 Thanks!!
Hi Sue! Thanks for letting me know! We did get that one fixed! Here is the direct link: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2016/02/health-benefits-of-magnesium/.
I am so happy to find this recipe and all the info you share. But I also want to point out tht several of your links on this page are broken. Thought you might want to know. 🙂
Hi Sue! Thanks for letting me know about this. We went through and checked and all the links are now working. If you see anything else, let me know! 🙂
Hi, I use a liquid magnesium called ease, from Activation products which I love..but wondering if I could it to make a lotion somehow..? Thx
Hi Mary – Thanks for stopping by! I have not used that product, but in looking at it online it looks to be just straight magnesium “oil”. You should be able to use it in this exact recipe where it calls for 4 tbsp. magnesium oil. Hope that helps! 🙂
I made this about 6 months ago and put it in two jars. I haven’t been using it as often as I should’ve been, so I just went to get the second jar and found that it separated. Is it too old, or will it be ok if I stir it? Thank you for such a convenient way to get magnesium into my family!
Hi Cindy! I have had lotions separate before and have been able to re-emulsify it by using a hand mixer to whip it back together. As far as being too old, does it still smell and look OK? I did just find an old jar of this that I had forgotten about (about 2 years old) and it had discolored to a dark grey and gotten a little smelly. I think it got contaminated with something. I threw it away. From now on I am going to remember to store my extra in the fridge instead of in my hall closet where things get shoved to the back and forgotten about. I’ll put a note in the blog post above about this. 🙂
I’ve found that some magnesium oils leave an oily residue on my skin, and when it dries, there are salt crystals left on my skin. If I make my own oil starting with mag flakes, then continue to make my own lotion, will the lotion leave an oil residue. I use it before I go to bed and I don’t want any oil transfer to my bedding.
Hi Bonnie – I have that happen myself if I use too much of the mag oil at once. The lotion, however, has never done this to me. Hope it works well for you! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I didn’t think I was using very much. I use 4 drops on each leg, 4 drops on each arm, and 4 drops on the top of each foot. Do you think that’s too much? Will I have that residue if I make my own oil from the Magnesium flakes. Thanks,
Hi Bonnie! That really doesn’t sound like much at all, but it really depends on your body. We are all different. Like I said, I will sometimes get the residue if I use the plain magnesium oil and use too much. But with the lotion and body butter I never get the residue. I would probably try the lotion and see if that works better for your needs! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
I have a question – why not use a preservative since the recipes are water based? I don’t see anything in the ingredients list that’s a preservative, won’t it go rancid within a week or so (a little longer if refrigerated)? Thanks!
Hi Nastasha – I personally don’t use any form of preservatives in my DIY recipes. I make small enough batches that they won’t go bad before I’ve had time to use them all. You could definitely add in a preservative if you prefer, I just never bother and have never had any issues either in the many years I’ve been doing this. If you end up with more than you can use in a month or so then you could definitely store it in the fridge. I would also mention that since you are using a store bought lotion or body butter for this recipe, it would already contain a preservative from that.
Thanks for this. I have some of the ancient mineral spray that my kids hate because of the tingling and stinging of it goes on a cut. I was looking to make a lotion. Could I use this spray as the magnesium rather than buy more flakes do you think?
Hi Jodi! Thanks for stopping by! This might be just the answer to stop the tingling stinging feeling. Yes, you can certainly use your magnesium oil spray in here. The proportions should be roughly the same. There’s not strict science to this recipe. 🙂 Let me know what the kids think. I’d love to hear!!
I tried making the magnesium butter but my flakes would not dissolve. I used Swanson ultra magnesium chloride flakes. I even tried putting the water and flakes mixture in the microwave. Is there a difference in the kind of flakes you use?
Hi Diana! Thanks for stopping by. That is really strange. I’ve never had that happen and I’ve used a few different brands. I don’t think I’ve ever used the Swanson brand but there really should not be any difference between that one and the other brands I’ve tried. I honestly have no idea why they wouldn’t dissolve. That is weird!
Hi there, I just found your post and am thrilled at the ease of this recipe! Could the magnesium oil be rubbed on directly, skipping the step of mixing it with the lotion/body butter? Thanks!
Oops, I found the answer in another post by you. Thanks for all the great information!!
Hey! So glad you found what you needed! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Hi Stephanie! Yep! You can definitely do it that way. Some people find that the plain magnesium oil makes their skin feel itchy and tingly and the lotion helps eliminate that issue for most folks. Definitely experiment and see what works for you! 🙂
I LOVE this idea!! I am going to try it. I make mineral oil from Ancient Minerals Flakes and put it in a spray bottle and use it after I shower. But I have been wanting to have a magnesium lotion, but its so expensive to buy one.
Can’t wait to try this! Thanks!
Hi RoAnna! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
thanks much. will gladly try these…you got me at “sleep”. I have fibro and take supplemental magnesium and have gotten rid of all the pain. (I’ll be glad to share brand info with you in a private message); sleep is still an issue. your recipes sound delicious. thanks again or sharing.
Hi Susan! Thanks for stopping by! I hope it is helpful for you. Sleep is SO important, but also one of the things that often eludes us, even with our best efforts. Sending you all the best on your healing journey.
Do you know how long this magnesium butter will last for made like this? shelf life?
And does it need to be stored in fridge?
Hi Ruby – My general rule is about 1 month for this lotion. If you make a large batch and don’t think you’ll use it all within a month, then you can store it in the fridge. It will keep in there for up to 6 months. Hope that helps! 🙂
the math is correct however your numbers are off because there isn’t 15g of Mg in a cup there is 15g of MgCl2 . 15g of MgCl2 contains only 3.870g of Mg, the rest of the mass is chlorine. the lotion contains 60mg/tbsp and the body butter has 121mg/tbsp. Multiply the mass of MgCl2 by 0.258 to find the mass of Mg.
Hi Falkor! Thanks for the info!! 🙂
For the adding to lotion I would suggest to just add and warm or do as I did warm my lotion and add the flakes stir till disoloved.. I tried the water way and made my natural lotion that’s plant based so watery you can drink it. Runny. Just a suggestion. It worked for me😀 and I love it😍
Hi Darsey! Thanks for the tip! So glad you found a way to make it work well for you. 🙂
Hi – I’d like to know if it works okay if you just mix magnesium oil with a carrier massage oil such as grapeseed or sweet almond oil? What proportions do you think would be best? Would you have to mix in a blender, or can you just shake together in a bottle to mix prior to use? Thanks for the great article. (I am using BetterYou magnesium oil at present, but may try making my own from flakes for economy!)
Hi Amie! Thanks for stopping by. I’ve never done that and I’m not sure if it would work unless you whipped it. You need the magnesium oil to emulsify into something. Otherwise, I suspect that they would stay separated if you just added the mag oil to a plain oil. If you try it, let me know how it goes! I’m always curious to hear what creative solutions people come up with when it comes to things like this. 🙂
Hi … You stated, “For transdermal applications with the desire of boosting magnesium levels, you need magnesium chloride NOT magnesium sulfate.”. Why does the magnesium sulfate not help to increase magnesium levels in the body transdermally? Thanks so much! 🙂
Hi Kat! Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) is rapidly excreted from the body and isn’t stored to help build up tissue levels. This post has more info on it: https://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2013/03/miraculous-magnesium-and-diy-magnesium-oil. Hope that helps! 🙂
Thanks for sharing. I really like magnesium cream, but would like to make my own.
Hi Hattie! Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
I skipped the step of the distilled water. I used a coffee bean grinder. Perfect powder and mixed beautifully. Have only been using lotion fer 3 days. Used gold Bond lotion, what I had on hand. Hope the step gone does not affect usefulness.
Hi Pat! I’ve never made it like that, but as long as the powder fully dissolves in the lotion, you should be OK! Let me know how it goes for you!
Can you use magnesium brine/spray in making a lotion and what would the ratios be? Thank you!
Hi Rebecca, you would just use the same amount of spray as oil in the recipe. Hope that helps!
Thank you so much for this information! I have been ordering magnesium lotion from Dr. Dean’s online store, where it cost $29 plus shipping charge. Today I easily made my own from my own lotion and magnesium chloride flakes that I had on hand. Thanks again!
Awesome! I am so glad it was helpful! Enjoy! 🙂
Hi…I’m still wondering after reading your recipe…can I make the magnesium body butter with just magnesium flakes and coconut oil…?
I don’t have any magnesium oil to include in the mixture..?
I only have the flakes and coconut oil…?
Thank you
Hi Jan! You have to melt the flakes down in water first, which creates the magnesium “oil”. Then you mix that with the other ingredients. Hope that helps!
Thank you for those recipe.
I would like to point out that the reason people take Epsom salt bath and want to use magnesium sulfate cream/ lotion is not to absorb magnesium but instead it is for the sulfate – sulfur component which helps with biochemical processes. So, it is a different purpose than just getting mineral in the body.
Absolutely! I totally agree with you regarding why Epsom salts is used. But unfortunately many people have also been told that they are absorbing good amounts of magnesium from Epsom salts too, which is why I made a point to clarify that. I have nothing against Epsom salts — it’s great stuff. Just not what you need if you are specifically looking to boost magnesium levels.
I have magnesium carbonate . Can I use it instead to make the lotion? I haven’t found anything on the subject and I hate to go to waste.
Hi, no, it doesn’t work the same. The Magnesium chloride is the form that works best for transdermal application and absorption. Hope that helps!