At our house, I am a HUGE fan of mess-free versions of our favorite products. Have you ever seen a little boy try to apply lotion to his dry skin? It’s similar to how they brush their teeth… most of it ends up all over the bathroom! These easy lotion bars are virtually fool proof when my kids use them. I love that I am not slathering my family in chemicals… read the label on your current lotion, I’ll wait. Scary, right? If you think that the FDA would never allow any unsafe skin care products to be on the market, check out this youtube video that went viral this week.
Anyways, here is a safe alternative to store-bought brands. I have made several versions of lotions before, but this recipe is really great because it is solid at room temperature and melts as it transfers to the skin. It creates a thin layer of lotion that feels weightless yet effective. Most importantly, it’s 100% kid proof!
LOTION BARS
1 cup coconut oil (cold-pressed, unrefined organic)
1 cup shea butter (unrefined organic)
1 cup beeswax pellets (white, organic)
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional)
essential oils (optional)
¼ teaspoon jojoba oil (optional)
+ Combine the coconut oil, beeswax pellets and shea butter in a quart mason jar. Prepare a pot of water with a silicon hot pad in the bottom. This will keep the glass jar from breaking as it gently boils in the pot. It will work like a faux double boiler.
+ Turn the range on and bring the water to a boil. Stir often until the beeswax is completely melted and smooth.
+ Remove the mason jar from the boiling water. I placed it on a silicon hotpad on the countertop. Allow it to cool for about ten minutes, then add vitamin E, jojoba and essential oils if using.
+ Gently stir until combined.
+ Carefully pour the mixture into silicon molds. Allow them to harden fully before trying to remove. I found that freezing the bars in the mold helped with the removal.
This was the basic recipe, but there are so many variations to try! If you would like your bars to be more solid, add a few more tablespoons of beeswax pellets. I modified my mason jar by attaching a mason jar plastic lid (see the photo) and I put my electric whisk through the hole. this allowed my to whisk the oils until combined without splashing hot wax all over my kitchen. Not necessary, but definitely made life easier!
Essential oils work differently for everyone, so I am not going to share exact recipes, just suggestions for what I would do if it were me! When I make my lotion bars, I use 20-50 drops of essential oils total. For children, I use closer to twenty drops. For adults, I use closer to fifty drops. The first batch of lotion bars I made contained twenty five drops of Egyptian Gold essential oil, which contains frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon bark, vetiver, spruce, hyssop and lavender. I wanted them to be luxurious and ultra moisturizing, with a mild fragrance.
The options are endless, but I know I want to try some smaller batches with different scents and health benefits! I am planning to make tea tree peppermint lotion bars, citrus fresh and grapefruit lotion bars, northern lights black spruce lotion bars and panaway lotion bars.
Add the following for sunscreen or diaper rash lotion bars:
2T Non-nano zinc oxide
Lavender essential oil
Add any of the following for repellant lotion bars:
Citronella essential oil
Palo Santo essential oil
Patchouli essential oil
Peppermint essential oil
Tea tree essential oil
Add any or all of the following for dry skin:
Frankincense essential oil
Sandalwood essential oil
Myrrh essential oil
Geranium essential oil
Blue Cypress essential oil
Lavender essential oil
This is how the lotion bars looked before they solidified and I removed them from the molds. I recommend freezing them for an hour before removing, just so they come out nicely. I will keep this mason jar as my official lotion bar jar and I won't bother trying to clean it. Keep in mind that whatever container or pot you melt the wax in will be very difficult to clean!
What lotion bar recipes would you like to make?
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