Solid Lotion Bars

I came across the blog "Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity" almost two years ago on Pintrest.  I'm a huge fan of Lush Cosmetics, and a friend had pinned something that was like the shower bombs Lush carries.  The specific post was a shower disc with eucalyptus oil added, so when the steamy water of your shower hits the disc, you get nice, sinus-clearing vapor.

I'm not a huge fan of eucalyptus, but I am a huge fan of being awake in order to go to work, so I decided to adapt.  I made some shower discs with grapefruit oil (citrus wakes you up!), and experimented with lavender-scented bath bomb type things.  I'm still working on perfecting that recipe.  I mean, I have one that works, but I'm working on a better one for my purposes.  A fizzy, scented, MOISTURIZING bath bomb.  

I poked around her blog, and found this recipe for solid lotion bars.  Well, shit!  I can do that!

So I did.  And I added some things, because I wanted to.  I give these out as gifts to coworkers at Christmas, and I've had a fair number of people ask me if I sold them, because they'd buy them.  The recipe is basic, and there are a lot of things you can do to make them your own.

Today I made lavender-vanilla lotion bars.

I use equal parts (by weight) bees wax (paraffin wax can be used.  It's a bit less sticky), coconut oil, and today, sweet almond oil.  In my oil inventory, I also have avocado oil and jojoba oil.  I substitute one of those for the almond oil based on what I have and the size of the batch I'm making.  I've also done 1:1:½ :½ wax:coconut oil:almond oil:avocado oil. Whatevs! Find what works for you, and what's most cost effective, and go for it. I buy all of these at my health food store, but I sometimes get the ingredients online. Price shop! These are cheap to make once you have a base inventory, but if you buy all of this at once, it seems pretty expensive. I only replenish things once a year or so.

• Beeswax
• Coconut oil
• Almond/avocado/jojoba oil

• Essential oil to scent the lotion (I get this at my health food store as well, and as gifts.  Not all scented oil is created equally.  Make sure what you get is okay to be put on skin.  Some is just for infusers or candle making.)  I used lavender and vanilla.  Scent to your desire.  Essential oils are powerful, so add a little at a time.
• Wax crayon if you want to add some color (no, really!)
• Flower petals if you want to get crazy.  I added some lavender.

Melt your wax in a double boiler.  If you don't have one, you can Macgyver a bain-marie out of some saucepans, but be careful because oil and water.  That would be a horrible burn.

When the wax is melted, add your coconut oil, and melt that shit as well.  Then add your third oil.  I've toyed with adding some vitamin E oil at this point.  I don't like it very much, because it makes the bars kind of sticky.  Some of my coworkers and friends really like the batches with vitamin E.  I can add about half a teaspoon and not change the texture of the bar.

Once everything is melted, you can break a bit of a crayon into the liquid and give it a stir.  I chose not to this time, but I did display a purple crayon above because I'm thorough.

This doesn't look disgusting at all.

Add your scented oil(s).  Carefully remove from heat, and if you would like to mix in anything frou-frou, now's the time.  I don't think I've ever added anything besides lavender.  I don't know how much anything else would rise or sink.  The lavender rises a bit, but I don't care enough to let it cool any more before adding it to my trays.Spoon wax mixture into silicone baking trays (ice cube trays).  I have a ton of shapes, but today I just made rectangular prisms.

My variety of silicone trays

Spoon wax mixture into silicone baking trays (ice cube trays).  I have a ton of shapes, but today I just made rectangular prisms.

In just a few minutes, they start to harden

Let sit until completely hardened.  Depending on what ingredients you used and how hot it is, you may want to wait overnight.  I popped mine out after a few hours.

Soft focus because art.

My mother stores hers on a soap dish in the bathroom.  I keep mine in baggies (and that's how I give them away: a baggie tied with a ribbon) because of the dogs.  Dog hair loves to find this.

To use, just rub between your hands, and your body heat will melt enough off or you to massage into your skin.  I think these are particularly awesome for body moisturization.  It feels SO good when I apply this on freshly shaved legs.  Just rub the bar on your leg, and you are moisturized!