Homemade Winter Lotion Bars
I don’t know about you, but winter wreaks havoc on my already dry skin. My skin starts to hurt and itch and I haven’t found a good lotion that really works. It’s so embarrassing! If I wear something that shows any part of my legs, my dry, scaly legs can be seen. So I decided to create my own lotion bars. I’m all about homemade, or DIY, if I can. I love being able to use a more natural product as well.
These make great gifts! Because they are made with natural products, they can be used on baby skin and older, thin skin. You can use it as a lip balm even! They are made with just three ingredients, four if you want to add a little scent.
Lotion bars are different than regular lotion and it’s taken me a bit to figure out what’s the best way to use them. They are a hard bar, not a liquid lotion, so they don’t rub onto your skin as easily. I keep my lotion bars in a baggy in the refrigerator until I need one. I keep the one I’m using in the shower. When I’m done with my shower, I towel off lightly so I’m mostly dry. The warm shower should make your lotion bar feel a little softer and slightly oily. I rub the bar on my skin, then rub it in between my hands and massage into my skin. At night, my skin still feels moisturized.
I used a small floral mold and each lotion bar is lasting me two to three weeks. Next time, I might make a larger bar using the mold I use for my soap just to see how long it lasts. It might be easier to hold too. I’m clumsy and the smaller ones slip from my hands when I’m using them sometimes.
The recipe is equal parts of the three ingredients so you can make more or less than the recipe below. If you’re making the lotion bars for babies or older, thinner skin, you might want to decrease the beeswax a smidge to make it a little easier to rub onto their skin. The best part of DIY is you can play around with the recipe and figure out what works best for you. Want to get fancy? Check out willowandsage.com or Pinterest for different recipes.
By the way, the links I provide and products I mention, are simply because I like the product. I am not affiliated with any of them and I do not receive compensation from them.
BASIC TOOLS
- Double Boiler or big pot and glass bowl
- Clean, silicone spatula
- Soap Mold
Basic ingredients
- 2 oz shea butter or cocoa butter
- 2 oz Coconut Oil (From your grocery store is fine. Remember, refined coconut oil has no coconut aroma, but unrefined does. You can use either, just choose depending on the scent you prefer.)
- 2 oz Beeswax Pastilles
- Essential Oils (optional)
let’s make it
Step 1: Add a couple of inches of water to the bottom pot and shea butter or cocoa butter, coconut oil, and beeswax into the top pot or glass bowl.
Step 2: Bring water to a good boil while stirring your ingredients. The beeswax may not melt completely until you’ve got a good boil going. Make sure your beeswax is completely melted so you don’t get gritty parts.
Step 3: Once everything is completely melted, remove the top pot or glass bowl from heat, add in essential oils if you plan to use them, stirring quickly. Pour into molds.
Step 4: Allow lotion bars sit for a few hours or overnight until they have completely hardened before removing from mold.
the best part
They take just minutes to make! It’s also a great craft for the kiddos to help with. Have you checked out my post for creating your own soap? Check it out here. You can make your own soap AND lotion in less than an hour.
great gifts
Need a quick gift for a birthday, baby shower, Christmas, Teacher’s Gift? The list can go on and on. With the ingredients for the lotion bars and the soap, you can make lip balm and candles too! Make a little basket up and you’ve got an extra special personal gift.
I’d love to see how your lotion bars come out and what recipes you come up with! Hit me up in my Facebook group and share. And of course, if you have any questions reach out and I’ll be happy to help in any way I can.