Make your own DIY moisturizing lotion bars with the fragrance of lavender and rose! Have you ever considered what commercial body lotions contain as far as ingredients? This is something to think about because our skin easily absorbs any substances it comes in contact with. Here is a clue…they contain chemicals…lots of chemicals, and many of them are considered toxic to the human body!
Some of the most harmful ingredients include Butylated Hydroxyanisole (BHA), DMDM Hydantoin, Parabens, Retinyl Palmitate, Triethanolamine and the one that causes me the most grief… Synthetic Fragrance and Perfume. If you want to learn more about these ingredients you can read this article here.
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So, my question is…why would anyone want to put chemicals all over their body, when there are so many natural and healthy options available? There are many choices on the market these days and one of my favorite natural skincare companies is Sea Wench Naturals. I am not affiliated with this company at all, I just love their products!
But what is even better, is that it has never been easier to make your own natural body and home care products! Today I have a simple recipe for DIY Body Lotion Bars with lavender and rose. It can be made with just four ingredients, but there are a few options as well.
This recipe is for a small batch of lotion bars and you can double or triple the quantities to make as much as you like. Once all the dry ingredients are melted and blended together, the volume equals about 3.5 oz (100mls). The ingredients you will need are:
- 1/4 cup (60mls) beeswax
- 1/4 cup (60mls) coconut butter
- 1/4 cup (60mls) shea butter
- 2 tsp (10mls) jojoba oil
- 20 drops essential oil (optional)
- dried flowers (Update: I no longer recommend adding dried flower. As pretty as they look, they are not practical in a lotion bar)
You can use any blend of essential oils you like, but the coconut butter and beeswax give this recipe a nice aroma on their own, so it isn’t even necessary! I love essential oils, so I used 10 drops of lavender oil, 8 drops of geranium oil and 2 drops of rose absolute oil. This makes a lovely blend!
As far as supplies go, you will want to use old pots and utensils. Beeswax is impossible to clean off completely, so you may want to dedicate these items to DIY projects. Silicone molds can be super fun to use for the lotion bars because there are so many pretty options. I just used some containers I saved from take-out sushi. Plastic ice-cube trays would work as well. The supplies you will need are:
- Double boiler (I used an old pot and pyrex bowl from the thrift store)
- Container with a spout (if the double boiler doesn’t have that)
- Stirring tools
- Silicone or plastic molds for bars.
Add the beeswax, coconut butter and shea butter to the top container of the double boiler. Put some water in the bottom pot and bring to medium heat. Melt the ingredients together. Add the jojoba oil and essential oils and blend together very well.
Prepare the molds and add some crushed dried flowers if you like. I added lavender and rose petals. On a practical note…while this looks very pretty, the flowers do rub off on to the skin when you use the bars.
Quickly pour the melted lotion into the molds. It will set up very fast, so you may have to return the blend to the pot to liquify it again. Once you have filled the molds, do not move them! Let them sit undisturbed until they have set up completely (about 2 hours).
Once they have set up, you can pop them out of the molds and they are ready to use! You can store the unused bars in the fridge, especially in warmer climates. It is that simple!
I absolutely love these lotion bars, but what I didn’t expect was…that my husband loves them too! They are quite rich (which is awesome for my dry skin) and I find it helpful to run the palms of my hands under some warm water after applying the lotion bar to help it melt and absorb into my hands. The difference between a lotion bar and lotion is the water, so it makes sense to add a little bit.
I hope you give this recipe a try…I think you will love it!
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