I have kindle app on my iPad and I frequently download free books. One such book led me to soap making. I also downloaded a lotion making book, one by Anne.L.Watson called smart lotion making, today it's not free but costs 99 c. The author explains the basic principles of lotion making really well. Give it a try and then research different groups of lotion ingredients, a good place is again swiftycraftmonkey's blog. If you read enough I'm sure you'll get a very good idea of what you want from the lotion you are going to make and what you'd have to use to achieve that. Then when you come up with a recipe, the helpful people here can troubleshoot it for you.