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Homemade Lotion Bars

I’m not sure if I’ve mentioned it here on the blog before, but I have allergies to a lot of the perfumes used in soaps and lotions that you buy in the store. This past summer, for health reasons, I switched to using only organic shampoo, conditioner and soap. But I was having a difficult time finding an organic lotion that I really liked.

Then a while ago I came across a simple recipe for making homemade lotion bars and since by making my own I could control the ingredients, I decided to give it a try. I’ve held off posting about it because I also wanted to see if I liked using the final product. I do, so it’s time to share.

The lotion bars require just three ingredients: almond oil, coconut oil and beeswax (<affiliate links).

Photo of ingredients for homemade lotion bars.
The almond oil and beeswax are organic but the coconut oil was some that our son had on hand, so I used that. The link above is what I would recommend.

Measure equal quantities of each into a container. I used a measuring cup that I picked up at Value Village for just this experiment.

Melt ingredients over boiling water.

Melt the ingredients over boiling water. (You could also melt them in a microwave but at the time our son didn’t have one, so boiling water it was.)

Once the beeswax is melted, pour the mixture into molds. Again I picked this up at Value Village, but Amazon has so many pretty ones to choose from!

Pour melted mixutre into the molds.

Allow the bars to cool completely.

Allow the lotion bars to cool completely.

Then pop them out of the mold.

Lotion bars after they've been removed from the mold.
Each round lotion bar measures about 2 inches.

You can then wrap them in plastic wrap or place them in a small bag to store.

To use the lotion bars, place one in your hand and allow the heat of your hand to soften the bar and then rub it on your skin. It takes a few minutes to be absorbed but I’ve found that I really like the way it makes my skin feel.

As this was an experiment, I only made a small batch (1/4 oz of each ingredient) but the recipe could easily be scaled up to make several more bars.

With Christmas just a few weeks away, these would also be quick and easy homemade gifts to make for friends and family. Make several, wrap them up pretty and you can make a few more check marks on your Christmas gift list.

 

Note: Since making these, I’ve been reading about chemicals in plastic leaching into products when heated so for future batches, I’m going to replace the plastic measuring cup and mold with non-reactive items, such as a pyrex measuring cup and silicon molds.(<affiliate links)

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4 Comments

  • Celtic Thistle Stitches
    December 3, 2013 4:03 am

    Great idea and so straightforward to do, thanks for posting

  • wendy
    December 2, 2013 12:19 pm

    oooh, these look interesting. I have terribly dry skin and quite bad eczema, I had pinned some bars especially for eczema so it’s about time I had a go. What would you replace the plastic moulds with though?

  • Felicia Few
    December 2, 2013 11:34 am

    This is a wonderful gift idea. Can you switch out he almond oil for any other oils?

  • Kathie Thompson
    December 2, 2013 9:40 am

    Great info! Many people are sensitive or allergic to scents. In my Women’s Health course at a university, the professor said the scents used can also cause problems with hormone levels. The scents are meant to cause emotional reactions that can also increase female hormone levels. I have not researched this, but it would not surprise me since many products have really strong perfumes. The almond scent you used reminds me of the “old fashioned” Jergens lotion scent. Thanks for the recipe!

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