Homemade Lotion Bars

Make soothing lotion bars for Valentine's Day!

Posted by Spark and Chemistry

About

I was super excited to take a stab at making lotion bars. And I have to say, post crafting, they feel great. They are solid at room temperature, and last a long time. When rubbed on the skin, they leave a thin, smooth layer, making the skin feel super soft and moisturized. Just in time for Valentine's day, I wanted to make heart-themed lotion bars. These are great to give away at a spa party or just hand out at the end of your Valentine's day event. They melt into your skin and relieve every bit of dryness. This recipe takes only a few ingredients and is very similar to our HOMEMADE LIP BALM.

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You Will Need (8 things)

  • Pot
  • Food Coloring
  • Ice Cube Tray
  • Lavender Essential Oil
  • 1 part Beeswax
  • 1 part Shea Butter
  • 1 part Coconut Oil
  • Mason Jar

Steps (5 steps, 60 minutes)

  1. 1

    So let's get started. You will need:

    - 1 part Shea Butter (Cocoa butter works well too)
    - 1 part Coconut Oil
    - 1 part Cosmetic-grade Beeswax
    - Lavender Oil
    - Vitamin E Capsule (optional)
    - Silicone Mold (ice cube tray)
    - Food coloring
    - Mason Jar
    - Pot

    First, mix the three main ingredients together (coconut oil, beeswax, and shea butter) in a mason jar. You'll need to mix 1 part of each ingredient. I mixed 1/4 cup of each ingredient which made 12 lotion bars using my silicone mold. Next, add a few drops of lavender oil. A little goes a long way. It is an essential oil, which means that it is very concentrated, and potent in small amounts. You can use any essential oil you'd prefer; I love lavender because it's soothing and said to aid in lowering stress and anxiety. Not to mention that it smells great.

  2. 2

    Next, add about a 1/4 teaspoon of food dye (Gage this, because you may be able to add less depending on the amount you make and also depending on how much you want it saturated with color). If you're experimenting with the amount of color, add it in small amounts first, and stir up the mixture to see if it is as saturated as you'd like.

  3. 3

    Next step is to heat up the mixture. To do so, you will need to create a double boiler. If you already have a double boiler, use that; if not, you can create one by filling a pot with about an inch of water, and heating it on the stove on a low setting. You don't want to cook the oils, you just want to melt it together. Place the mason jar mixture in to the pot and you will begin to see the contents melt inside. The heat settings should still be on low, here. It doesn't need to come to a boil, it just needs to get hot enough to melt the mixture. Coconut oil melts fast. Then the shea butter will melt, and slooooowly the beeswax will follow. Stir the mixture as it melts to help it along. Just to be safe, I removed the jar from the pot every now and again so the contents wouldn't scorch.

  4. 4

    Now comes time to pour the mixture into your mold. The mold is a fancy term for a silicone ice cube tray. Geneane snagged this cute heart ice cube tray from the dollar section in Target and it worked perfectly for this DIY.

  5. 5

    After all of the mixture is poured into your ice cube tray, in a matter of minutes, you'll see it begin to harden. Just because it looks ready to pop out and use, doesn't mean it is. You'll notice that though the surface looks hardened, the bottom of the tray feels warm- not done. To speed up the process, stick it in the fridge for 5-10 extra minutes. Once you pull it out of the fridge, you can pop them out! Not to shabby, right? Store these lotion bars at room temperature, or for a cooling sensation, keep them in the fridge and use when you need it.