If you enjoy simple homemade beauty recipes, this video shows a very easy Lemon + Clove + Baby Oil beauty oil made directly inside a bottle of baby oil.
The video calls it a “Collagen Serum” and shows fresh lemon juice being squeezed into baby oil along with lemon slices and whole cloves. Despite that catchy name, the mixture does not contain collagen; its practical purpose is better understood as a DIY moisturizing body oil, with baby oil providing most of the skin-softening effect.
The basic recipe shown is:
Baby Oil + Fresh Lemon + Whole Cloves → Combine → Infuse → Use as a Body Beauty Oil
🍋 Ingredients
Based on what is visible in the video, you’ll need:
- About ½ cup baby oil
- ½ fresh lemon
- 2–3 thin lemon slices
- 8–12 whole cloves
- Clean, completely dry glass jar or bottle
- Fine strainer
- Clean bottle for the finished oil
The video adds the ingredients directly to the baby-oil bottle, but for a homemade version I recommend preparing a small separate batch instead.
🥣 How to Make Lemon + Clove Baby Oil
Step 1 – Prepare the Baby Oil
Pour approximately ½ cup of baby oil into a clean container.
Baby oil serves as the moisturizing base of the recipe.
Don’t fill the container completely because you’ll need enough room for the other ingredients.
🌿 Step 2 – Add Whole Cloves
Add approximately 8–12 whole cloves.
The video shows whole cloves sitting at the bottom of the oil rather than ground clove powder.
Keeping them whole makes the finished preparation easier to strain.
🍋 Step 3 – Add Lemon Slices
Cut fresh lemon into thin slices and add approximately 2–3 small slices to the oil, as demonstrated in the video.
The lemon slices give the preparation its characteristic citrus appearance.
🍋 Step 4 – Squeeze in Fresh Lemon
The most prominent step in the video is squeezing fresh lemon juice directly into the baby oil.
Squeeze approximately half a lemon over the container.
You’ll notice droplets of juice moving through the oil.
However, oil and lemon juice don’t naturally form a stable mixture, so the preparation will separate when left standing.
🫙 Step 5 – Close and Mix
Close the container tightly.
Gently shake it to temporarily distribute the ingredients.
Because lemon juice contains water, you’ll need to shake the mixture again before each use if you’re following the video-style preparation.
⏳ Step 6 – Allow the Ingredients to Sit
Let the cloves and lemon remain in contact with the baby oil for a short period.
Keep the container away from direct sunlight and excessive heat.
Unlike a pure oil infusion, however, this recipe contains fresh lemon juice and fresh lemon slices, so it shouldn’t be treated as a shelf-stable cosmetic oil.
🧺 Step 7 – Strain Before Using
Before application, strain away the:
Cloves + Lemon Slices + Lemon Pulp
This leaves a smoother liquid that is easier to apply.
Because fresh citrus has been introduced, make a very small batch and use it promptly rather than storing it for weeks.
🍼 Why Use Baby Oil?
Baby oil provides most of the practical moisturizing benefit in this recipe.
It forms an occlusive/emollient layer over the skin that helps reduce moisture loss.
Applied to slightly damp skin, it can leave dry areas feeling:
Softer → Smoother → More Supple
That’s why this recipe makes more sense as a body moisturizing treatment than as a true collagen serum.
🌿 What Do Cloves Add?
Cloves naturally contain aromatic compounds, including eugenol.
This gives the recipe its botanical and aromatic component.
However, cloves can also irritate sensitive skin, so there’s no benefit in making an extremely concentrated preparation.
Whole cloves, as shown in the video, are preferable to adding concentrated clove essential oil.
🍋 What Does Lemon Add?
Fresh lemon contains citric acid, vitamin C and naturally occurring citrus compounds.
Vitamin C is an important nutrient when consumed as part of the diet, but squeezing lemon juice into baby oil shouldn’t be confused with using a professionally formulated topical vitamin C serum.
The acidity of fresh lemon can also irritate skin.
For that reason, extra caution is needed with this particular recipe.
✨ Potential Benefits of the Recipe
💧 1. Helps Reduce Moisture Loss
Baby oil provides the clearest benefit.
Applying a small amount over slightly damp skin helps create a moisture-sealing layer.
This can be especially useful for dry arms and legs.
✨ 2. Helps Dry Skin Feel Softer
The emollient oil coats the skin and can improve the immediate feel of rough areas.
After application, skin may feel:
Soft + Smooth + Supple + Comfortable
🌟 3. Gives Skin a Temporary Glow
Body oils create a subtle sheen over the skin.
When dryness is reduced, skin can temporarily appear smoother and more radiant.
This is the realistic “glow” benefit of the recipe.
🌿 4. Adds an Aromatic Botanical Element
Lemon and cloves create a distinctive citrus-spice combination.
This gives ordinary baby oil a more DIY botanical character.
🤲 5. Can Be Used on Dry Body Areas
If tolerated, a small amount may be used on areas such as:
- Arms
- Legs
- Hands
- Elbows
- Knees
- Heels
I would be much more cautious about using homemade fresh-lemon preparations on facial skin.
🌙 How to Use It
For body use, apply it at night rather than before sun exposure.
A simple routine is:
Shower → Pat Skin Until Slightly Damp → Apply a Small Amount → Massage Gently
Massage the oil over dry areas using gentle circular motions.
A few drops can cover a relatively large area, so there’s no need to saturate the skin.
☀️ Important: Lemon and Sun Exposure
This recipe deserves more caution than the previous oil recipes because it contains fresh citrus.
Some citrus-derived compounds can cause phototoxic skin reactions when combined with UV exposure, and fresh lemon itself can also be irritating.
For that reason:
Don’t apply this mixture immediately before going into the sun.
If you use it at all, nighttime body application is the more cautious option, and exposed skin should be washed before significant sun exposure.
📅 How Often Should You Use It?
Start with a small patch once per week.
If there’s no irritation, you can decide whether to use it occasionally on dry body areas.
There’s no need to use it every day.
Because lemon juice is acidic, increasing frequency isn’t necessarily beneficial.
💡 Tips for Better Results
Make a tiny batch
Because fresh lemon juice and slices introduce water and plant material into the product, don’t prepare a large bottle for long-term storage.
Don’t treat it as preserved skincare
Adding fresh ingredients changes the original cosmetic formulation of the baby oil.
The finished DIY mixture shouldn’t be assumed to have the same shelf life as the unopened product.
Use primarily on the body
Body skin is generally less sensitive than facial skin.
For facial brightening or vitamin C benefits, a properly formulated facial product is a more predictable choice.
Patch test first
This is especially important because the recipe combines both cloves and fresh lemon.
⚠️ Important Safety Notes
Perform a patch test before widespread application.
Stop using the mixture if you notice:
- Burning
- Persistent stinging
- Redness
- Itching
- Rash
- Swelling
Avoid applying it around the eyes, on freshly shaved skin, broken skin, or already irritated areas.
Also avoid sun exposure after application because of the fresh citrus component.
🍋 Recipe at a Glance
INGREDIENTS
🍼 About ½ cup baby oil
🍋 ½ fresh lemon
🍋 2–3 thin lemon slices
🌿 8–12 whole cloves
HOW TO MAKE
Pour baby oil into container → Add whole cloves → Add lemon slices → Squeeze in fresh lemon → Close and gently shake → Allow ingredients to combine briefly → Strain solids before application.
HOW TO USE
Apply a small amount to clean, slightly damp body skin at night → Massage gently → Avoid eyes and irritated skin → Wash exposed areas before significant sun exposure.
MAIN PURPOSES
💧 Helps reduce moisture loss
✨ Helps dry body skin feel softer
🌟 Gives moisturized skin a temporary glow
🌿 Adds a clove botanical component
🍋 Creates a fresh citrus-inspired beauty treatment
🤲 Suitable mainly for dry body areas when tolerated
✨ Final Thoughts
This Lemon + Clove + Baby Oil Beauty Oil is visually striking and very simple to reproduce:
Baby Oil + Cloves + Lemon → Mix → Strain → Apply
But the video’s “Collagen Serum” title is primarily a social-media hook—the recipe doesn’t actually contain collagen or make the skin produce instant collagen. Its most reliable practical effect comes from baby oil helping dry skin retain moisture and feel softer and smoother.
Fresh lemon also makes this recipe more irritating and less storage-friendly than a simple oil-only preparation, so make a tiny batch, patch test carefully, use it mainly on the body at night, and avoid sun exposure after application.
Save this recipe and comment “LEMON” if you want more simple homemade beauty recipes! 🍋🌿✨
