Give your skin some much-deserved love! Not your average moisturizer, this DIY lotion bar uses the warmth of your body to melt natural emollients and essential oils into the skin to smooth, moisturize and hydrate dry hands, heels, elbows, and more.
With a rich base of coconut oil, beeswax, and shea butter, this homemade lotion bar recipe has a smooth and rich consistency. We honestly can’t get enough of the clean and fresh lavender-lemon combo we tried, but feel free to get inspired and create your own essential oil blend!
Bonus Tip: If you want to create an exfoliating texture, we recommend adding in some citrus zest, oatmeal, or dried lavender. Have fun experimenting!
Ingredients
- ½ cup extra-virgin coconut oil
- ½ cup beeswax
- ¼ cup shea butter
- ¼ cup cocoa butter
- 15–20 drops essential oil of your choice (we recommend 10 drops of Lavender essential oil and 10 drops of Lemon essential oil)
- Optional: dried lavender and lemon zest for exfoliation
Materials
- 16-ounce measuring cup
- Medium-sized saucepan
- Silicone molds or muffin tin
Directions
- Combine coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter, and cocoa butter in a 16-ounce glass measuring cup.
- Place in a pot with water that rises to halfway up the measuring cup
- Bring water to a boil, stirring frequently until ingredients are completely melted.
- Remove measuring cup from the pot.
- Add dried lavender and lemon zest, if desired.
- Add essential oils and stir until completely combined.
- Immediately pour into molds.
- Let sit overnight.
- Once cooled, remove the lotion from the molds.
- Store in a cool, dry place.
What combination of essential oils are you excited to try? Tell us in the comments below!
View Comments
I don't have cocoa butter, can I sub something else?
Hello Colleen. One of the commentators on this post used mango butter and had a lot of success. I recommend trying that out or using another cocoa butter substitute. Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you ..may just add a little more coconut or shea and beeswax.
Could this be made and put into a deodorant type container and have a stick type ?lotion
Hello Kim. We have not tested your idea, but I think it should work. Let us know if you end up deciding to try your idea out and how it goes. Thanks for stopping by!
Wintergreen and pan away to help support my hands at the end of the work day.
What a wonderful idea!
What should I store these in?
Hello Janee. I suggest storing them in an area that will be cool and dry because they melt at the touch of warm skin, so they can likewise melt in heat. You can store them in the same places you would store a bar of nice soap. Some people have put them in plastic containers and others have even put them in the fridge in a plastic bag. Feel free to explore the best option for you and let us know what way you find successful. Thanks!
Love this!! Lemon and Cedarwood or Orange, Ginger, and Cedarwood for an uplifting aroma sure to give you a boost anytime of the day!
how do you store these or bring them along with you. I love how they feel but they tend to breakdown or get stuck to the ziplock bag I use to carry them in my purse and its just a mess. What is the best way to bring them along.
I've found using an old altoid tin works pretty well and you can even use that as a mold, if you want. If you don't use altoids, they sell similar containers at craft stores for a relatively good price.
Thanks for your advice Meghan. Clever idea!
Hi Victoria, We find a travel soap case works great for taking along with you. You can also put the case inside of the plastic bag for extra protection. Thanks for stopping by!
So I just got here & new to all this and I am now on a Mission to find all these items Thank you
Amazon has great deals but so does Bramble Berry!
I made these using mango butter, I felt the smell of the shea butter overpowered my oils, I've used Orange and Jasmine Oils, I absolutely love them. Can't keep them around, everyone wants one when I make them. So easy to make!
Okay so I'm new here, and have to ask a dumb question. How do you use these? Are they soap? or just wet them and rub them on your body?? Just asking.
Hey! The lotion bar will melt from the heat of your skin. Just rub the bar on your skin and it will be absorbed. Think of it as a solid lotion . Thanks for your question!
I want to try this recipe -- How many bars of soap does it make?
Where do you get the dried lavender and lemon zest? Can I use the zest of a fresh lemon?
Hello Sherry. We just got the lemon zest from a fresh lemon and the dried lavender you can get online or at some local superstores or craft stores. Hope that helps and thanks for commenting on our blog!
Organic might be harder to find! Our Whole Foods store has organic lavender buds.