Love the skin you're in with these moisturizing body bars!
Moisturizers help treat skin when it is dry and help prevent it from getting dry in the first place, but there's more to the story than that. Moisturizers create a barrier on your skin that helps keep beneficial oils from escaping and harmful elements from causing irritation. One of our absolute favorite ways to protect our skin is with homemade soothing lotion bars!
Lotion bars are nourishing, moisturizing lotion in a convenient, non-messy solid form, like a bar of soap. Unlike soap, you don't use them in the shower, you use them in place of your normal moisturizer.
Why do we love them? Convenience! Lotion bars are easy to apply, simply warm them up in the palm of your hand and then run the bar over your skin. They create a thin layer which will quickly be absorbed. We also love homemade, and by making them ourselves, we know exactly what's going into the bar and what's going on to our skin. Finally, they are easy to tailor. Want a night time lotion to relax? Need to feel awake and alert? Planning a hike? You can use your favorite essential oils to custom create bars which suit your needs!
Learn how to make your own customizable lotion bars below!
What You'll Need
1/4 cup Jojoba or Avocado Oil
2 tablespoons Organic Coconut Oil
2 tablespoons Beeswax
1 tablespoon Shea, Cocoa, or Mango Butter
12 drops of your favorite Essential Oil(s) (optional)
Step 1
Combine all the ingredients (except the essential oils) in a double boiler or glass bowl over a small sauce pan. We used a glass measuring cup in a saucepan with about two inches of water. Heat the water to a boil stirring the ingredients until melted.
Step 2
Remove from the heat and stir in your essential oils. Carefully pour the lotion into molds (we used silicon candy molds to make smaller, fun shaped bars, but baking cups would also work!). If you don't have molds, you can also use a cake pan and cut the bar into squares/rectangles after it hardens.
Step 3
Let cool overnight, pop them out and you have your own homemade lotion bar! While any essential oil can be added, be careful if adding citrus scents such as grapefruit or bergamot. Certain citrus essential oils have phototoxic qualities and should not be used before prolonged exposure to the sun.
Here are a few of our favorite tried and trusted essential oil blends which can be added to your lotion bar!
A Royal Pest
No, not your mother-in-law, but for keeping creepy-crawlers and flyers at bay, especially when hiking!
5 drops Eucalyptus Oil
5 drops Peppermint Oil
3 drops Lemongrass Oil
Woodland Meditation
A delightful woodland scent to help elevate your mind.
5 drops Cedarwood Oil
4 drops Lavender Oil
3 drops Lemongrass Oil
Smooth & Silky
This one's our personal favorite!
4 drops Lavender Oil
4 drops Rosemary Oil
2 drops Cedarwood Oil
2 drops Frankincense Oil