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
Hello Debra! Rub the lotion bar between your hands. The friction will soften the bar and release the oils onto your hands. After that you can message it onto any dry skin you might have! Thanks for stopping by!
Hello Mary! We are sorry you were disappointed with this recipe. These might be some helpful tips: We added additional lavender buds to each mold before pouring in the lotion mixture. This is why there are Lavender buds on the top of each bar in the video. :) Also, we filled up the molds only about 1/3 of the way full. This might be why you only got 5 bars, instead of 6. Let us know if these tips were helpful! Thanks for stopping by!
Hello Hdancheta! The yield for this recipe will depend on the size of your mold. We used a mold that was about 1 1/2 inches wide and we were able to get 6 lotion bars. Let us know how it goes for you. Thanks for stopping by!
I just made these lotion bars for gifts with Thieves! I call them chapped hand bars. I quadrupled the recipe and it made 12 muffin pan sized bars. Snowflake shapes... my co-workers liked them. Wait til they use them! Thanks to a great friend, Cheryl, for guiding me the first time.
Hello Angela! We used extra-virgin olive oil. Becuase the Lemon oil is diluted by the bars, you should be fine! Thanks for stopping by!
Angela: Extra Virgin Coconut Oil is in the recipe. The video shows solid coconut oil-not fractionated.
Hello Lisa! We suggest that you find a carrier oil that has the same properties as coconut oil: solid at room temperature and liquid when heated. If you use a regular oil, the lotion bars won't set correctly. As far as the molds go you can find those at any craft shop online or in store! Let us know how it goes! Thanks for stopping by!
Can beeswax be substituted for something else?
Hi Nina, we have not tested the efficacy of the recipe with something other than beeswax. You are welcome to try to substitute and let us know how it works. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi!
How long is it possible to store this bar? Will it be expired after a month or does it last longer? Thank you :)
Hello Marie-Eve. It should last you that long at least. It also just depends on how often you use the lotion bars once you have made it. However, be sure to store the bars in a place where it won't get too hot. The bars melt with the touch of the skin, so if they are left in sunlight, etc. then they will melt. Thanks for stopping by with your question.
Thank you :D
I'll try this asap!!
I make a Rosemary Lavender hair rinse that enjoy. Would love to make a matching bar of soap. Will try this recipe for sure. Thank you.
I love this idea!