First, what exactly is a lotion bar?
Lotion bars are sometimes called solid salves or hard lotion. They’re similar to using chapstick or lip balm, only instead of using them only on your lips, you can rub lotion bars on your hands, feet, knees, or other parts of your body. The heat from your warm skin melts the lotion bar just enough to leave a light layer of oils and butters behind.
It’s helpful to use lotion bars after a bath, shower, or washing your hands, so that the oils and butters can help seal in the hydrating goodness of the water. However, they’re also good for spot treating really dry, itchy, and bothersome spots that pop up during the day.
What ingredients do you need?
Lotion bars are usually made with roughly equal parts of:
- carrier oil – such as sunflower, jojoba, grapeseed, olive oil, etc
- cosmetic butter – such as shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter
- wax – beeswax is traditionally used, but you can use candelilla wax as a vegan alternative
Optionally, you can also add: essential oils for scent or skin benefits, various herbs infused into the oils, and/or a couple of natural colorant and additive options.
My favorite place to buy high quality, organic ingredients is Mountain Rose Herbs, or you can check with your local health store or favorite vendor. Some links on this site are affiliate links – if you click on one and make a purchase, I earn a small commission.
Some crafters use equal parts of oil + butter + wax by weight, while others use equal parts by volume (measuring cups). I personally use equal parts by volume, but you can experiment with both ways.
The great thing about lotions bars is if they turn out too soft, you can just remelt them and add more wax. If they’re too hard, you can remelt them and add more oil.
To make lotion bars, all you do is melt those three ingredients together and pour them into molds. Your local grocery or big box stores is a good source for seasonal silicone molds (normally used for things like muffins or candy) – I especially love the heart shaped ones found around Valentine’s Day!