Lotion bars are solid lotions that are applied by massaging on the skin. Seeds and herbs can also be added to make the massage even better.
When this lavender lotion bar gets in contact with your skin, it starts to melt and moisturize the skin. It leaves a thin moisturizing layer on your skin and nutrients penetrate deep inside.
Lavender lotion bar is great for:
- repairing dry skin
- healing cracked heels
- moisturizing the skin after shaving the legs or other body parts
- using as a mosquito repellent (as an alternative to this mosquito repellent).
Homemade lavender lotion bar is really easy to make because it doesn’t contain aqueous ingredients so it doesn’t need any preservatives. You can add vitamin E oil which is an antioxidant so it will slow the process of oxidation which causes oils to go rancid.
Having only oily ingredients, lavender lotion bar is best to use only on the body and not on the face, especially if you have oily skin type. Beeswax and the fats from the butter and the oil are not easily absorbed by the skin which makes them great for dry skin areas but not the best for using on a sensitive facial skin.
The following recipe makes 5 lavender lotion bars (each lotion bar is 1 ounce / 30 milliliters). You can adjust the amount of ingredients to make more or less.
DIY Lavender Lotion Bar Recipe
Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoons of beeswax
- 4 tablespoons of coconut oil
- 4 tablespoons of shea butter
- 10-20 drops of lavender essential oil
- ¼ teaspoon (approximately 5 drops) of vitamin E oil (optionally)
- bits of lavender herb (optionally)
Instructions:
- Melt the beeswax, coconut oil, vitamin E oil, and the butter in a double boiler (a bowl with the ingredients placed on top of a pan of simmering water).
- When the mixture has melted, add 10-20 drops of lavender essential oil, depending on the intensity of the smell you prefer.
- Mix the entire mixture so that the essential oil distributes equally.
- Immediately pour the mixture into the molds because it tends to solidify really fast. You can use any kind of molds you have at home. If you don’t have molds, any smaller pots will do.
- When the mixture is in the molds, you can add bits of lavender herb to spice it up.
- Leave the mixture in the molds for 7-8 hours until lotion bars completely cool and solidify. If you don’t want to wait for that long, you can put it in a fridge for 3-4 hours.
- After that time has passed and lotion bars are firm, unmold them by turning the mold upside down and lotion bars should fall out almost on their own.
- Store lotion bars in a cool and dry place and avoid contact with water so that they don’t go rancid.
- Use a paper towel to clean the pot in which you’ve melted the ingredients, because you will have a hard time cleaning it up when the mixture solidifies.
If you are not satisfied with the result and want firmer or softer lavender lotion bar, you can always remelt it and add more beeswax to make it firmer or add more oil and butter to make it softer.
The best time to use lotion bars is right after the shower (but dry yourself up first). After the shower, skin pores are open so beneficial properties of lavender lotion bar can more easily be absorbed into the skin.
Lotion bars can be made in countless variations, you can substitute shea butter with cocoa butter or mango butter for example. And almond oil can be substituted with jojoba oil or olive oil. Play with it!
This lotion bar has a shelf life of 12 months.
Have you ever tried making homemade lotion bar? 🙂
