When you jump on a flight and want something easy to keep your skin soft and smooth, a lotion bar doesnโt present any problems sitting in your cabin luggage, as itโs not technically a liquid lotion. So, this DIY lotion bar recipe is one of those simple recipes that more people need to be aware of.
Itโs a wonderfully moisturizing lotion bar recipe for absolutely anybody, and the recipe is easy to remember. Itโs simply 1/3 beeswax 1/3 butter and 1/3 oil.
Changing The Oils & Butters
First I will show you how to change up your oils and butter, then Iโll show you how to make this with my favorite ingredients like shea butter, and coconut oil. Iโll then finish off by covering a few other variations.
Donโt be scared to experiment by using more than one oil or butter, then lacing it with a few drops of essential oil you can create a very personal and therapeutic bar.
You can make up a big batch of these bars using inexpensive oils and butters and a popular fragrance oil. Place them in the freezer and pop them out whenever thereโs a birthday or gift needed.
To work out how long these bars are going to last you must look at the shelf life of the actual oil you are using (most are at least 6 months). But you can also freeze them or add a little vitamin E to further prolong the shelf life.
These are only my suggestions, you can use almost any of the natural carrier oils any of the natural butters for these bars.
Carrier Oils
- Dry and sensitive skin; Apricot kernel โ Avocado โ Olive โ Sunflower oil โ Sweet almond oil
- All skin types; Fractionated coconut โ Hemp seed โ Rice bran oil โ safflower oil โ Sesame oil โ Soy bean oil- sunflower
- Greasy skin; Hemp seed โ Jojoba
Butters
A quick guide to hardness is included in brackets, 1 being melts easily, 10 being incredibly hard.
- Aloe; A soft butter thatโs great for dry skin, (4)
- Cocoa; A very hard butter that traps moisture into the skin, suitable for all skin types, (10)
- Mango butter; Less greasy than most butterโs so good for greasy skin (8)
- Shea butter; Sinks deep into the skin to repair damage (7)
Using Essential Oils
Whenever possible I use essential oils in my homemade bath products, not because I have anything against using fragrance oils; most are well priced, completely safe and come in every possible scent imaginable.
I just feel that if Iโve gone to the trouble of choosing my oils and butter to suit my skin type why not go the whole hog for maximum benefit!
Unfortunately, there are a few precautionsโ when using essential oils. Firstly they donโt like daylight so you will need to keep any products that contain them in a colored container or cupboard.
Secondly, you need to make sure the containers you are using are made from a compatible material, glass, PET plastic or Aluminum jars/bottles that have been EPA (Epoxy Phenolic) lined are all suitable. You can find some nice tins on my recommended packaging & containers page.
Recommended Essential Oils for the Lotion Bars
Carrot Seed, Cedarwood, Chamomile, Clary Sage, Cypress, Frankincense, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Neroli, Peppermint, Rose, Rosemary, Sandalwood, Tea Tree, Ylang-Ylang.
About The Ingredients In This Bar
I LOVE White Chocolate
On any ordinary day I often dream about covering my entire body with this, so I thought why not make a DIY lotion bar recipe that lets me pretend Iโm doing just that!
All jokes aside, the first bar I will show you is a wonderful moisturizing bar for absolutely anybody but is especially popular with teenage girls.
I must say that although this will melt happily in your hands, this bar is probably the hardest of all the homemade lotion bars I make. The inclusion of cocoa butter is the reason for this, and so as not to make it too solid I threw in a bit of shea as well. Both of these butters are amazing for your skin!
The scent in this bar comes from white chocolate fragrance oil.
This delicious oil smells so much like the real things itโs unbelievable! However, this fragrance oil may be a little trickier to find over your ordinary milk chocolate fragrance oil. If this is all you can find, just go ahead and use that instead. Iโve used both and people donโt really notice the difference!
DIY Lotion Bar With Beeswax & Shea Butter
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Equipment
- Mixing Bowl (Glass, Aluminium or PET)
Ingredients
- 100 g Beeswax
- 100 g Coconut Oil (Solid)
- 50 g Cocoa Butter
- 50 g Shea Butter
- 3 g Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil
Video
Instructions
- Weigh out your cocoa butter, shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil into a medium glass or metal bowl.ย100 g Beeswax, 100 g Coconut Oil, 50 g Cocoa Butter, 50 g Shea Butter
- Fill a pan with a few inches of water and allow to reach a simmering temperature. Once hot, place your glass or metal bowl on top of the pan to melt your ingredients together. This is also known as a bain-marie.ย
- Once all of your ingredients are melted, remove from the heat and allow it to cool for a couple of minutes (although do not let harden).
- Add your fragrance/essential oil3 g Essential Oil or Fragrance Oil
- Pour into a silicon mold and leave in the fridge solidify
A Few Alternative Recipes
Vanilla & Avocado Lotion Bar
This gorgeous homemade lotion bar is packed full of avocado goodness, as well as a dose of skin-loving beeswax to keep that healthy glow to your skin no matter where you are. A small but potent amount of oat oil is also in this bar.
Rich with vitamins A, E and B as well as packed with calcium, zinc, and iron, this oil is perfect for deep moisturizing and enriching our skin. Iโve also scented it with vanilla fragrance oil, but you can use whatever you like!
Supplies
- 100g Avocado Butter
- 100g Beeswax
- 90g Sweet Almond Oil
- 10g Oat Oil
- 3g Vanilla Fragrance Oil
Method
This method is identical to the white chocolate lotion bar above, so treat it the same as that.
Soothing Menthol Lotion Bar
While lotions bars are great for deep moisturization, they can also be used in other interesting ways. This one, for instance, is infused with menthol crystals and peppermint essential oil to help soothe aches and pains.
It could also be applied to the chest to ease congestion and symptoms of colds and flu. It can also be applied to the forehead (be careful to avoid the eyes) to relieve headaches.
While these can easily be poured into pots, I found using wind-up tubes that are ordinarily used for solid antiperspirants and deodorants to be very good for this homemade lotion bar.
Supplies
- 60g Coconut Oil
- 73g Shea Butter
- 45g Beeswax
- 10g Menthol Crystals
- 10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
- ยฝ tsp Arnica Oil
Method
Step 1: Combine all of your ingredients, excluding the menthol crystals, arnica oil and essential oil, in a medium glass or metal bowl and place on a bain marie.
Step 2: Remove from the heat and stir in the menthol crystals until they are fully dissolved. Then leave to cool for a couple of minutes, although do not allow it to harden.
Step 3: Stir in the essential oil and the arnica oil and then pour into either a suitable glass, metal or PET plastic container or into your PET plastic antiperspirant tubes with a wind-up mechanism (like I have). Once completely hard theyโre ready to use!
IMPORTANT: Avoid applying this lotion bar on the face, with the exception of the forehead (although be careful to avoid the eyes and any other mucous membranes.