All-Natural Moisturising Lotion Bars Recipe

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings: 7 - 8 small lotion bars

1/2 cup Shea butter 125ml/113g/4oz (for vegan recipe use 156ml)
1/2 cup coconut oil 125ml/105g/3.7oz (for vegan recipe use 156ml)
1/2 cup Bees Wax 125ml/120g/4.2oz (for vegan recipe use 1/4 cup/62ml/20g of candelilla wax
1/2 tsp Vitamin E oil 3ml
1 tsp lavender essential oil 6ml
1 pyrex bowl with pouring spout
1 large saucepan
lotion molds (I used a muffin tin lined with cupcake cases)

Prepare your molds. I make 8 smaller bars or 7 larger bars using my muffin tray.
Place the shea butter, beeswax (or candelilla wax), and coconut oil into your heatproof bowl and place it into a saucepan filled with about 5 cm (2 inches) of hot water that is sitting over a medium-low heat.
Make sure that none of the water from the saucepan gets into your oils.
Gently stir until the ingredients have completely melted into a liquid and combined. Don't leave it sitting on the heat any longer than needed, as you don't want it to get too hot otherwise it could reduce the efficacy of the ingredients.
Remove the bowl from the saucepan and dry off the water from the outside of the bowl so it doesn’t drip onto your work surface and lotion.
Leave the oil to cool down for 5 mins, then stir in the vitamin E.
Pour the lotion into your molds then add 10-12 drops of the essential oil into each of the 7-8 bars and stir it through using a kebab stick. If you add the essential oil when it is too hot, it will just evaporate and lose it's scent, so I tend to add it once I've poured them into the molds as it is cooler by this point.
Leave the bars for a few hours to become firm. Before removing the bars from their molds, refrigerate them for 30 mins, as it makes them firmer and easier to manage.

Tips:

See product links in the post above.
If you use beeswax bars, then make sure you chop them up first, otherwise they will take much longer to melt than the rest of the other ingredients.
It's important that you don't overheat the oils, as this can destroy their nutrients and therefore lose its efficacy.
If you live in a hot climate, you may need to add more wax to ensure a firmer consistency.
This recipe makes 370 ml. However, if you use candelilla wax you will use less wax, so you if you want to make the same amount, you will need to increase your shea butter and coconut oil in order to bring your recipe up to 370 ml. I've provided guidance for these measurements in the recipe list.
This recipe does not contain water so it does not need a preservative. It has about a 6 month shelf life. To extend it’s shelf life, keep it in the fridge when not in use and always use clean hands to apply.