Lotion bars are becoming increasingly popular due to the elimination of packaging, everyday ingredients, and how they soften skin so incredibly. They couldn’t be simpler to prepare, and they look fabulous too. Here is how and why to make lotion bars.
These lotion bars make easy and fun presents that are sure to please. Make a more masculine or gender-neutral scent for the people in your life in a stick or a simple mason jar, or fancy it up with floral essential oils with a decorative label and glass jar. Gift them for birthdays, festivals, baby shower gifts, or mothers-to-be!
What is a Lotion Bar?
A lotion bar is a concentrated, solid bar of moisturizing abilities. It is made of nourishing, natural oils, and beeswax combined to create a solid body lotion.
Lotion bars are extremely concentrated than a regular liquid lotion because they are devoid of water, and the handheld bars appear like a soap bar(1). Because they are devoid of water, lotion bars do not require any preservatives and are shelf-stable for at least six months.
How To Use a Lotion Bar?
It is effortless to use a solid lotion bar! Just simply rub it on your skin, and the heat from your body gradually melts it. You’ll especially love them for hands and dry feet, but they can be used all over the body, just like a typical lotion.
Lotion bars don’t absorb as quickly as many regular lotions, so you’d like to spend a little extra time rubbing it over.
[Also Read: Homemade Lotion For Skin]
What Do You Need to Prepare Lotion Bars?
If you are used to making some of your own skincare products, you will probably have a few of them. You’ll need:
- Beeswax
- Shea Butter
- Cocoa Butter
- Almond oil
- Jojoba oil
- Essential oils (optional)
- Vitamin E (optional)
Also, you will need some kind of silicone mold. You can use candy molds for lotion bars because they make a perfect, handheld sized bar, and the bars pop out very quickly once cooled.
You can also use a silicone pan mold and cut these into whatever size lotion bars you prefer once they cool, or use silicone baking cups to prepare slightly bigger lotion bars.
You should have all of these molds for lotion bars, and they all prepare similar sized bars. These can also all fit in these metal travel tins that are excellent for gifting and storing lotion bars.
Homemade Lotion Bar Recipe
These essential bars will have a slightly chocolatey, sweet, scent due to the presence of cocoa butter. They are utterly brilliant because no additional fragrance is added! You may prefer them unscented for babies (and have a special baby lotion bar recipe below). However, you’ll do love them with a multitude of various essential oils included.
Lotion Bar Recipe by Weight
One of the preferred techniques for making body products at home is to measure by weight because it makes a more steady product. This is simple to do with a standard kitchen scale.
Use the below recipe that measures by volume if you don’t have a kitchen scale.
- 1.2 oz Beeswax
- 0.9 oz. Almond Oil
- 0.7 oz Cocoa Butter
- 0.4 oz. Shea Butter
- 0.3 oz. Jojoba Oil
- 50 drops (approx. 1/2 tsp) essential oil of choice (optional)
- 1/2 tsp vitamin e oil (optional)
Lotion Bar Recipe by Volume
- 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Butter
- 2 Tbsp. Almond Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Shea Butter
- 1 Tbsp. Jojoba Oil
- 1/4 cup Beeswax
- 50 drops (approx. 1/2 tsp) essential oil of preference (optional)
- 1/2 tsp vitamin E oil (optional)
Directions:
- Add shea butter, beeswax, and cocoa butter to a double boiler and gently heat the oils until they are melted.
- Once melted, switch off the heat and add the jojoba and almond oils.
- Lastly, add vitamin E and essential oils and if using.
- Pour into a silicone mold.
- Let bars sit until completely hardened, then gently remove from the mold.
- Best if used within six months.
- This recipe makes five small, handheld lotion bars using a mold very similar to the round silicone mold. Every finished lotion bar is approx 0.7 oz.
5 Versions of Lotion Bars
1. Margarita Lotion Bars
Use the basic recipe above and add 15 drops lemon essential oils +35 drops lime at the completion before pouring into molds.
2. Lavender Lotion Bars
Always a favorite, add 1/2 tsp (50 drops) lavender essential oil to the above basic recipe.
3. Citrus Burst Lotion Bars
Use the basic recipe above and add 30 drops of grapefruit essential oils and 20 drops of orange.
4. White Chocolate Mint Lotion Bars
Avoid shea butter and use all cocoa butter instead of a slight chocolate scent. With the addition of peppermint essential oil, these lotion bars smell almost edible!
- 3 Tbsp. Cocoa Butter
- 2 Tbsp. Almond Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Jojoba Oil
- 1/4 cup Beeswax
- 25 drops (approx. 1/4 tsp) peppermint essential oil
- 1/2 tsp vitamin e oil (optional)
5. Lotion Bars for Babies
This mild variant for babies uses avocado oil in place of almond oil and contains no essential oils. These lotion bars work wonderfully for a baby massage before bed.
- 1/4 cup Beeswax
- 1 Tbsp. Shea Butter
- 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Butter
- 2 Tbsp. Avocado Oil
- 1 Tbsp. Jojoba Oil
- 1/2 tsp vitamin e oil (optional)
Bottom Line
Discover a whole range of lotion bars you could make for yourself at home in a jiffy. There is a recipe for every occasion, whether you want something relatively sweet, scentless, or even to protect your babies. Have you ever tried homemade lotion bars? Do you want to pamper yourself to a little at-home massage using one of these recipes?
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