DIY Lotion Bars

I recently discovered lotion bars and I pretty much love them. In my opinion, they aren't for everything but I love being able to use them on my hands and arms after a wash-up without the grease that typically comes with lotions. Don't get me wrong, I love (and use regularly) my body butter... just for different purposes than I use lotion bars for. A lotion bar has become the go-to for my morning routine and I don't see it going anywhere anytime soon, especially with the hot Texas summer coming up!
A couple reasons I have a few of these bars around the house: 

• I prefer them at work as I type and handle paperwork for a good portion of the day now (so my hands tend to get pretty dry) and body butter and lotion can leave grease marks behind for a few minutes after application... not so awesome, but a non-issue for a lotion bar! 
• They don't require a jar or container. A plastic bag would be a good idea if you are going to travel with them in your bag or some such but decorative jars can get costly! I have purchased dozens of sample containers,  decorative jars, and etc. for gifts and for myself in the last year and the cost really starts to add up.
• Your body heat is enough to melt a small amount of moisturizing 'lotion' onto your body as soon as it touches your skin but the bar still retains it's shape and doesn't melt away before my eyes. I'm in Texas, it gets really hot here if you didn't know (lol), and I've had DIY lotion melt in it's container when out in the heat for long periods of time before. These last much longer due and tend to hold their shape as the beeswax content is greater. 
• They make pretty gifts and even decor while they sit waiting to be used.

Not sure if you would like them? The good news is that these bars are quick to and super easy to make so you can try them out without much at stake. Plus, you can customize them with various molds and additives to make pretty gifts for friends and family or as a bit of decor on the bathroom counter top... but you'll like them!
First Up, Gather Your Ingredients:

• A ratio of 1:1:1 of Coconut Oil, Moisturizing 'Butter' and Beeswax (I used a mixture of Shea and Cocoa Butter in mine).
• Vitamin E Oil (I like to add a few capsules worth of Vitamin E to my lotions for extra moisturizing power) *optional
• Essential Oil(s) of you choice *optional
• Decorative (dry) items of your choice such as cocoa, dried flowers/flower petals, dried zest, etc. *optional

The How-To:
1. Melt all ingredients in a double boiler on low to medium heat. 
Don't have a double-boiler? No problem! Since I am living with my parents at the moment I don't actually use a double-boiler for this... just a pot of boiling water with a metal or glass bowl inside. It works great!

 2. Add in any essential oils you would like in your lotion bars.

3. This is your time to customize your bars! For the bars shown below I did the following (before pouring the mixture into the molds) to showcase the scent and add a bit of a decorative touch for gifts:
    a. Chocolate: Dust a small amount of cocoa powder onto the mold.
    b. Lavender: Sprinkle a few dried lavender buds into the mold.
    c. Sweet Orange: Sprinkle a bit of dried orange peel into the mold.
You could also do rose petals, dried lime or lemon rind, ground cinnamon or vanilla... the possibilities are endless! 
Note: Use dry ingredients so that the moisture content is correct.

 4. Pour the mixture into soap molds (or cupcake tins, chocolate molds, etc.) and pop into the fridge until they harden. 

4. After ensuring that the bars are fully cooled and solid remove them from the mold and package as you wish.

5. Give them away in gift baskets or as hostess presents... or use them yourself!

Body Butter

This is another favorite recipe for a super moisturizer. It is a bit more greasy than the lotion recipe I posted the other day but it a great night moisturizer for dry feet and hands especially. I only mention that it is a little more greasy because I do not use this as a hand cream personally. I know some who have skin that is more dry than mine and use it all day long. They rave about how it has helped their dry skin so it all depends on your skin/body. Another good thing about this recipe is that there are fewer ingredients... the beeswax and aloe vera are left out of this version, making it a more simple and cheaper option to start out making. The procedure for this body butter is almost identical to the lotion so if you thought that was a piece of cake then this one will be too. I typically make a batch of both the lotion and a batch of the body butter and keep them both around the house as I use them for different things... experiment a little and see what works best for you and your family.

NOTE: A single pound of these 'butters' will likely last you nearly a year's worth of lotion or body butter for one person or several months for a family so there is no need to over purchase.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 C Cocoa Butter
1/4 C Sweet Almond Oil
1/4 C Coconut Oil
1/4 C Shea Butter
1/2 tsp Vitamin E Oil (optional)
Essential Oils of Choice (Optional)

EQUIPMENT:
Small saucepan
Measuring cups/spoons
Knife
Spoon
Electric Mixer
Container to hold your body butter

PROCEDURE:
1. Measure out your ingredients. You will likely need a knife to cut the cocoa butter. 
2. Place the shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and sweet almond oil in a small saucepan on LOW heat. You do not want the mixture to boil or smoke... it needs to be kept very low. The ingredients will melt fairly quickly even on low heat.
3. Once everything has melted, mix in the vitamin e oil and any essential oils you may want for added scent or aromatherapy needs then remove from heat immediately. I prefer peppermint as it smells delightful with the cocoa butter but sweet orange (think one of those chocolate oranges in scent), lavender (for calming, evening use especially), or citus work very well also.
4. Allow the mixture to cool until it has just begun to set up. You can just leave it on the counter for a few hours and go about your day or be like me and toss it into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to speed up the process. 
5. Once it has begun to set up you will use the electric mixer to beat the mixture into the creamy consistency we are looking for. This adds air to the mixture so that it isn't quite as dense. 
NOTE: If you let the mixture get to hard/cool then it is easy to apply a little heat and mix with a spoon for a minute or two to get back to the correct consistency.
6. Add it to a jar and allow to finish setting up for half an hour or so.

Curious where I get my ingredients? I get my ingredients all over the metroplex, on Amazon and through Young Living as a distributor. Don't want to search out stores to pick them up? I'll make it easy! You can place an order through me for any oils you may need and there are quick links for the non-perishable ingredients and tools on Amazon should you wish to order online on this page... just click on the ingredient.

Super Moisturizing Lotion

For the past few months I have been experimenting with creating my own lotions, body butters, lip chaps and other moisturizers. To be honest, there have been so many batches of lovely smelling lotions in my kitchen recently that I couldn't possibly use all of it! Thankfully family and friends have been helping me try out the various versions I came up with and offering feedback. This one was one of the favorites as it isn't very greasy, helps to ease dry skin, and leaves skin silky soft. I also like it because I don't have to constantly re-apply to get the benefits, a single application can last me quite a long time even in a dry office building or out in the Texas sun. One thing to know about this lotion is that it set ups to be a thicker, creamy lotion than you may be used to. This means that you will end up taking a small amount out of the jar and using on quite a large area of skin rather than use a pump to dispense a large amount into your hand as it is not a thin liquid like you may be used to when you think of lotion.
NOTE: A single pound of these 'butters' will likely last you nearly a year's worth of lotion for one person or several months for a family so there is no need to over purchase.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 C Cocoa Butter
1/4 C Olive Oil
1/4 C Coconut Oil
1/4 C Shea Butter
1/2 C pure aloe vera gel
1 Tbsp grated beeswax or beeswax pellets 
1 tsp Vitamin E oil
Essential Oils of Choice (Optional)

EQUIPMENT:
Small saucepan
Measuring cups/spoons
Knife
Spoon
Electric Mixer
Container to hold your lotion (about 1.5-2 C of lotion comes from this recipe)

PROCEDURE:
1. Measure out your ingredients. You will likely need a knife to cut the cocoa butter. 
2. Place the shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and olive oil in a small saucepan on LOW heat. You do not want the mixture to boil or smoke... it needs to be kept very low. The ingredients will melt fairly quickly even on low heat so watch carefully.
3. Once everything has melted, mix in the vitamin e oil and aloe vera gel and remove from heat. 
4. Add in any essential oils you may want for added scent or aromatherapy needs. I prefer peppermint as it smells delightful with the cocoa butter but I have used sweet orange (think one of those chocolate oranges in scent), lavender (for calming, evening use especially), and a unique mixture of citrus (lemon and lime) and frankincense for one individual. You can be as creative as you want or stick with the plain version which smells slightly of chocolate from the cocoa butter.
5. Allow the lotion to cool until it has just begun to set up. You can just leave it on the counter for a few hours and go about your day or be like me and toss it into the freezer for 10-15 minutes to speed up the process. 
6. Once it has begun to set up you will use the electric mixer to beat the lotion into the creamy consistency we are looking for. This adds air to the mixture so that it isn't quite as dense. 
NOTE: If you let the mixture get to hard/cool then it is easy to apply a little heat and mix with a spoon for a minute or two to get back to the correct consistency.
7. Add it to a jar and allow to finish setting up for half an hour or so.

Curious where I get my ingredients? I get my ingredients all over the metroplex, on Amazon and through Young Living as a distributor. Don't want to search out stores to pick them up? I'll make it easy! You can place an order through me for any oils you may need and there are quick links for the non-perishable ingredients and tools on Amazon should you wish to order online on this page... just click on the ingredient.