I was introduced to the concept of lotion bars about four years ago.

I found it a cleaner option rather than runny lotions that could spill everywhere. A lotion bar works like a solid moisturizer. It comes in various shapes and it looks very much like a soap bar. Since it is made of natural ingredients, the lotion bars stay solid as long as they are kept at cooler temperatures.

It gets warm when it comes into contact with the body, which makes it easy to apply. It can be used anywhere on the body.

My journey into green living has introduced me to products that are good for my skin, and when I searched the process to make the lotion bars, I realised I had all the ingredients with me.

The process is fairly simple and easy to follow and you just can’t go wrong. It took 45 minutes for the entire process and that included the time for the body lotion bars to set.

Here’s the recipe to make your own lotion bars.

What I used to make the lotion bar:

• Pure coconut oil—1.5 tbsp
• Shea butter/cocoa butter—mixed to make 1.5 tbsp
• Raw beeswax—2 tbsp
• Essential oils—10 drops
• Optional—a few drops of Vitamin E oil
• Moulds to set the lotion bars

The procedure:

It takes less time if you have beeswax pastilles, because these are easier to melt.

I have bars of beeswax and I need to chop them up into smaller chunks. I have shea butter and cocoa butter at home. I could use either of them in the recipe, but I decided to use both the butters so that there would be some variety.

In a glass jar, I mixed all the ingredients together except the essential oils. I placed the glass jar in a double burner to melt the ingredients. I had to melt it with the lowest flame possible to ensure that the oils did not smoke. When the oils melted, I took the jar off the burner and added the essential oils to the mix.

Since I was making two varieties, I poured the essential oils in the moulds and divided the mixture in the moulds. I used a wooden spoon to quickly blend the essential oils with the melted oils. Then I put the oils aside to set.

There are a variety of oils you can use—adding citronella oil can help make your own insect repellent bar or peppermint and eucalyptus makes your own pain relief bar. I used lavender and orange essential oils—lavender helps you relax and calm the tired nerves while the citrusy fragrance of orange makes me gear up for the day! 

What I love about making my own lotion bars is that I can make it the fragrances that I love; and more important is the fact that I know what I am applying on my body. It’s safer isn’t it?

And that is how the lotion bars that I made look!

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Editor: Catherine Monkman

Photo: By Author