DIY Herbal Lotion Bars

So I must know! Did you make the Chai Honey that I posted last week? It’s quite delicious isn’t it? This week I have another holiday herbal inspired gift option to share with you all. Now to limit these to only gift giving wouldn’t do them justice! You can, of course, make these whenever you please and as often as you’d like. What I do like is how simple they are to put together, yet I can promise you they will be well appreciated.

In fact, anything handmade and from the heart is well appreciated in my experience.

Basic Recipe

What I will be sharing with you today is a basic recipe that you can use as a jumping off point. Feel free to experiment with different herbal oils and butters to find the perfect combination for you. I have a great blog post that may give you some pointers about how to make herbal infused oils and which carrier oils are best for you.

DIY Lotion Bar Video

For those who like video instruction, you can check out the YouTube video by following the link below.

The Recipe

For this recipe you will need to have a double boiler. If you do not own one, but plan on getting into salve and balm making, they are extremely handy to have around. I highly recommend having one that is for topical applications only. This means, don’t use the one you use for food to melt beeswax. You will definitely regret it!

It is also very handy have a kitchen scale. To get the results I did for my lotion bars you will need to weigh out your ingredients. I did my best to provide measurements that were in cups as well, but I cannot guarantee accuracy that way, especially with the Shea butter because it was in such large chunks and pieces.

You will also need a vessel of some kind to pour our DIY lotion bars into. If you watched the video you will see that I had these cute little molds I got for making beeswax melts. But anything silicone (muffin cups, mini loaf pans molds or ice cube tray molds) would work really well for this project. They are easy to clean and because they are pliable, it will make popping your lotion bars out a snap.

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup of herbal infused oil of choice
  • 1/4 cup of coconut oil
  • Feel free to use 100% coconut oil OR 100% carrier or herbal infused oil
  • 85 grams (approximately 3/4 of a cup) of beeswax
  • 113 grams (approximately 1 cup) of butter of choice
  • I used a combination of cocoa and shea butters

Optional

  • 10-20 drops of essential oil total
  • For more uplifting oils like peppermint I would use closer to 10 drops

Instructions

  • Weigh out your ingredients into the top portion of your double boil
  • At a low to medium simmer, melt all of your ingredients
  • Remove from heat for a few minutes prior to adding in the essential oils so they do not just evaporate off
  • Pour your melted ingredients into the mold/vessel of choice
  • Allow to cool entirely before popping them out of the mold
  • Place them in the container of your choosing
  • Small mason jars, tins and pouches work well for lotion bars

How to Use Your Lotion Bars

Using your lotion bars is so simple. All you need to do is rub them in between your hands; the warmth/heat from your hands will soften them up. Once you have enough on your hands, simply stop rubbing them and place your lotion bar back in your container.

I hope you enjoyed this DIY herbal inspired project!

Regular Readers/Watchers

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