Do you know what you’re putting on skin? Learn how to make homemade lotion bars with just 3 ingredients so you don’t have to worry about any weird chemicals or preservatives.
After undergoing an endoscope and biopsies on my esophagus and upper stomach six years ago (amen they came back cancer free) I took a good hard look at our home and food.
I researched GMO’s, what was really in the processed foods at the store, and the use of pesticides on commercially grown crops. We started raising our own food, making it from scratch to avoid pesticides and harmful processed ingredients, and using natural cleaners like the pioneers. (Source)
But, one area I didn’t look into quite as deep or as soon was the products we put on our skin. Our skin can absorb toxins at high penetration rates. (Source)
Have you looked at the ingredients in your tooth paste (we use an all natural brand, but you can even make your own), shampoo, laundry soap, deodorant, and lotions? There are some nasty things going on in most of the main stream products.
Lotion bars are a favorite of mine because they use simple natural ingredients and moisture my skin better than regular lotion. (Source) Score! Plus, they double as lip balm. I go between this lotion bar and my herbal salve recipe, that is also great for dry skin.
It’s important to note that I am not a certified medical practitioner. This post is not intended to diagnose or treat but is for informational purposes only. Please contact your healthcare professional before introducing new herbal and natural remedies into your wellness routine.
Resources for hard lotion bar recipe
This recipe is from The Made-From-Scratch Life: Simple Ways to Create a Natural Home. It’s filled with simple old-fashioned tips and recipes like this from homemade beauty care to yummy eats in the kitchen.
Molds- these silicone muffin liners (there’s also little rectangle ones) are great, but you may also line a small bread pan or box with parchment paper. Anything will work that is the right shape and you will be able to pop the hardened lotion bar from after it’s cooled.
Ingredients Needed
- Coconut Oil (You can grab it here)
- Shea Butter (this is a great price for organic shea butter and it will make tons of batches!)
- Beeswax (pellets are easier for measuring)
- Essential oil of lavender, lemongrass, or spearmint (optional)
Some of my favorite and most used essential oils are Lemon, Lavender, and Peppermint all combined for you in this special starter kit from Plant Therapy. Not only are their prices excellent but they show third party testing for purity on each oil along with their Kidsafe logo on all oils that known to be safe for use with kiddos.
Step-by-Step Directions
- Using a food scale, weigh out equal amounts of beeswax, coconut oil, and shea butter. You’ll have an easier time using beeswax pellets for measuring. If purchasing your beeswax from a local beekeeper, you’ll most likely get a bar or chunk of beeswax, which makes it a tad bit harder for measuring, but still very doable.
- I use one and a quarter ounces of beeswax, coconut oil, and shea butter for a decent sized batch. Using a double boiler, or a small saucepan and a large glass measuring bowl, melt beeswax, coconut oil, and shea butter until it turns to a liquid. Remove from heat and add ten drops of essential oil. Note: make sure if you use essential oils in the recipe that the essential oils you use are of high quality and are safe for external use on the skin.
- Pour into molds. You can use soap molds, silicone cupcake liners, or even fill a small parchment paper-lined box. I used a plastic lid from a box of oval candles. The size just fits the palm of your hand. Whatever mold you use, make sure it’s something you can easily pop the hardened bars out of. Allow bars to harden overnight.
- Wipeout your measuring bowl while it’s still warm for easier cleaning and then wash with hot soapy water. I use the small amount of the lotion bars still clinging to the inside of the bowl to rub on my feet and elbows. Be sure to put socks on as the soles of your feet will be slippery until the lotion is all the way absorbed. Let’s say I learned that one the hard way…
You can also use this same recipe for lip balm. Pour into smaller containers or empty twist up lip balm tubes. In a pinch, I simply rub the lotion bar over my lips.
To create a natural home from the kitchen to the garden, barnyard, cleaning cabinet, and beauty products grab your bonuses and the Made-From-Scratch Life here
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- How to Make Soap at Home- Beginner’s Guide to Soap Making
- Homemade DIY Bath Salt Recipe Use Herbs or Essential Oils
- 3 Ingredient Homemade Lip Balm Recipe
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- Why Makeup & Skincare Ingredients Matter
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The link for the shea butter isn’t working, can you link another one?
I have been following your blog for a few weeks now. I have been making lotion bars for several years now. I started when I had an issue with my skin that didn’t respond to anything store bought! No lotion helped. Sometimes I had intense itching and nothing worked to stop it. I also had open sores due to the itching/scratching. Turns out I have eczema. The only thing that helped was my homemade lotion bars! I make two kinds – one kind just for dry skin like your bar recipe but I don’t put any essential oil in mine – again it is just for dry skin. I also make one for healing where I add tea tree oil. When I make the healing bars, I don’t measure out the tea tree oil by drops but add until I can smell the tea tree oil. It helps heal cracked and peeling skin and can give me relief within a day or so.
Looking for shampoo and laundry recommendations
Hello! I am trying to figure the price of each recipe. About how many recipes can you make with the ingredients listed above?
Thanks,
Bethany Nelson
Hello! I am trying to figure the price of each recipe. About how many recipes can you make with the ingredients listed above?
Thanks,
Bethany
Is there something to add to this lotion to make it work as a sunscreen product as well? Thank you for sharing so much Information with us.
Just found your site. So far, love everything!
Made 2 batches of the lotion bars today. Love them. My thought was to make them as gifts but I have to keep one for me. I made them with cocoa butter. Love the scent. Thanks for the recipe. I used my “mini-dipper” crock pot. It worked great.
Thanks. This is great. I would like to try other essential oils. What oils would be a bad idea?
creation is changing
Hey! I just got on your site recently and am excited to make some of the homemade goodies! Can you add coco butter to these lotion bars? I just have some and want to use it in something. Thank you in advance!!!
Yes, you can use it in place of the shea butter
I want to try this
thanks for showing the way to many of us wishing to return to the earth.
Isn’t this stuff fun? I’ve been making my own foot salve for years using my own recipe which is very close to yours, but the consistency turns out somewhat too soft to keep its shape from a mold. I use the 4 oz. mason jars for gifting it. LOVE homemade skin care. It makes such a difference for dry, chapped, and irritated skin. Thanks for sharing!
THe link to post to Pinterest does not seem to work,
I have 14 grandchildren. 7 girls and 7boys along with 9 great grandchildren and Christmas is always a challenge for me as I am on a budget. making the lotion bars is so exciting for me because only 3 ingredients and its takes no time. my girls will love them.i have been searching for quick and easy recipes like bath bombs and facial scrubs and just something for the ladies and also my young girls also. thank you for the tutorial….
Hi Melissa,
I love this recipe and the lotion bars are amazing! I’m learning so much from you and I’m so grateful that you are willing to share your knowledge!
The link the the shea butter on Amazon says it is actually a shea and cocoa butter combination and in the comments purchasers have said it has a strong chocolate scent. Is that the actual product you use or has the link changed since it’s been posted?
Thank you!
That’s the exact one I purchased and you get a block of each (one is shea and one is cocoa) the cocoa butter does have a chocolate scent as it’s cocoa butter, the shea doesn’t.
What could be a substitute for beeswax? I have a problem with honey.
I too want to try these but a vegan version would be amazing (without beeswax) is there an alternative you can suggest Melissa?
You could try some other type of wax I’ve never used anything else so I don’t know of a tried and true alternative
Thank you. I follow you regularly and appreciate your information. If I wanted to use Vit. E and aloe how much would I use.
Daughter-in-law is allergic to coconut. Is there anything I can use in its place?
Yes, you can use olive oil (might need to increase the beeswax slightly) or try cocoa butter.
Great product to make or gift. Thx Melissa. Your a great teacher..
Would love to find ingredients to make it as a salve for itchy bites which are so prevalent down here in Australia at the moment ( Spring)
Elle
Just made lotion bars!
I’m a beekeeper so it is just a perfect diy project!
Thanks for sharing.❤️
Hello, I’m wondering what or if I can substitute for the coconut oil in this recipe. I’m very sensitive to it. Thanks for sharing your recipe and for your help!
Lucinda
You can cocoa butter or increase the shea butter in place of the coconut oil
I Love these lotion bars Thanks Melissa
I have found that using equal amounts of ingredients yields a bar that is too soft. It may be because I live in Florida. I doubled the beeswax, and they are perfect!
barbrice7374@gmail .com
Couldn’t get it right above. Just read your recipe for lotion bar and can’t wait to try it. I’m at my son’s house so can’t print right now. I have been trying to live a life as natural as possible for about 40 years. Grow as much as I can. Raise goats for milk, cheese and occasional meat. Enjoyed your fb post and followed you here from that. Glad there are folks like you still trying to live simple lives.
I can’t wait to make this lotion for my sister’s. Would like more home made recipes to make.
I tried making these and they did not stay solid. My temperature in the house was 74. Any ideas why?
You can remelt and increase the beeswax, they should stay solid at 74 degrees.
how do i get on your email list?
thanks
Hi Julie, just go to the bottom of the page here and pop your email and name in the form! https://melissaknorris.com/
What do you store the lotion bars in? Especially if you want to keep them in your purse or for traveling?
Small tins work well (old Altoid tins) or even a sandwich bag
Just a silly note 🙂 I also luv asking these every! I’ve found my “Deviled Egg” (hard plastic) holder makes a great MOLD for these! One end very thin great for like cuticles etc and other end thicker…. I like using powdered (almost) oats and placing inside the mold, so when I pop out these a little exfoliant /moisture i fusion quality about itor can use lavender buds… can be so creative with cocoa butter & almond oi) great with orange or any citrus oils or peppermint!EO…. Fun! MOisture!
Great tip, Lesley, thanks for sharing!
I am finally ready to dig in and make my own lotions. Right away I knew that I wanted to get my info from your site. I am more than happy to support you with the affiliate links, however, I was wondering if you actually use the brands you linked, or if you just picked a random selection. Is Amazon where you purchase your supplies? I’m also wondering about the scales, if you have the same one and personally recommend it. Thanks!
Hi Heidi,
This is the exact scale I use, I’ve had it three years and got it from Amazon, I use it for all my candle, soap, and lotion making. http://amzn.to/2ChhQGN
I get my current beeswax from a local beekeeper, which is in blocks and not pellet form, I’ve had it for two years as I got quite a bit. I do purchase a lot of my supplies from Amazon, the coconut oil I use is from Coscto, the shea butter I get from Amazon (I updated the links to my most recent purchases of the same product as well). If I haven’t used the product from Amazon (in the case of the beeswax) then I do check descriptions and reviews before linking. Hope that helps!
Thank you!
Hi Melissa,
First, thank you for posting this video. I have watched it a few times before getting up the nerve to try to make it. I am wanting to learn to make soaps, scrubs, and bath bombs for my family and came across your website.
I got all of the items and followed your instructions to make the lotion bars but I must have done something wrong lol. No beginners luck here so I was hoping you could help me. I mixed everything and poured it into the molds while still hot but for some reason, they separated. I wish I could add a photo on here. It looks like the shea butter is one layer and the oil is another. Could you tell me what I did wrong? Maybe I could send a photo to you? Thank you for your help!
Hi Laura, shoot me an email with the photo at [email protected] and we’ll see if we can figure it out. Good news, we can melt them again, so they’re not lost!
Thank you! I have sent you an email.
Hi Melissa,
I just read your soap recipe and I am going to try it. How many bars of soap does your recipe yield?
Thanks,
Wanda
It’s a lotion bar, not soap, and it depends upon the size of your containers you’re pouring it into.
My Coconut oil says organic but it doesn’t say pure, unrefined, cold pressed. Will it still work okay? Nancy
Nancy it should work just fine!
Thanks, Melissa. I have not tried this particular recipe but the last one I tried for lotion bars, I noticed such a greasy feeling after using it. What has been your experience with these?
Hey Amy,
They take a little bit longer to absorb in than regular lotion, but I don’t find them really greasy per say. My guess is the previous batch you tried had a bit more coconut oil in it. You can always reheat and add a tad more beeswax if they’re too greasy, but I’ve found the 3 equal parts to work great for us.
I’m wondering how to store. I bought little tins to make them as gifts and they look perfect but will they melt or get ruined before Christmas? I put in fridge for now… ?
Carole,
No, they’ll be fine at room temperature and will last for months.
I love this recipe. I’m using it for Christmas gifts this year. I use an empty #10 can for my measuring and melting, then I don’t have to worry about cleaning out a bowl.
Heather,
Brilliant! I like not having to clean. 🙂
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The coconut oils I use melt pretty easily in my lower Alabama kitchen. Is there a difference in the one you purchase from Mountain rose herbs? As you can probably tell my concern is that my lotion bar will become lotion.
Coconut oil melts at around 76 degrees .That’s normal
Martha,
Coconut oil melts at 76 degrees, but when partnered with the shea butter and the beeswax which are solids, it doesn’t melt or get. Your body heat allows you to rub it on, but it doesn’t melt down to a liquid, just enough to rub into your skin.
Thanks for this recipe. Looks healthy and easy to make. I was wondering if ice cube trays would work well for molds. Do you think the scent would leech into it?
Amanda,
Unless the ice cub tray is silicone, it would be hard to pop out the lotion bars once they’re hardened, you could try lining them with plastic wrap or parchment paper that would just lift out, and then it wouldn’t contact the tray and leech anything into it.
I love these. I’ve made some similar before. These are great and great for gift giving. Thank you Melissa. Even though I am much o.dermthan you, I learn so much from you! You are awesome. I have two of your books and gave one to my daughter. She was so excited.
I just finished reading “The Made From Scratch Life”. Honestly, I never expected it to be such a blessing to me. Thank you for sharing not only the tips and recipes, but your faith.
I am planning on making these lotion bars this weekend. I would like to give them as gifts. What do you recommend for wrapping them? I want something that could hold up in a purse.
For my purse, I’ve put it in a small baggie, but a used altiod tin works great! I’m so glad you enjoyed the book, Denise.
Denise,
So sorry I just now saw this comment. I’ve used little tins (old altoid ones work), small tupperware containers, and even a plastic bag.
I just made this and I love it! I love the smell of Cocoa butter and I had a “safe” bottle of Tiramisu scent I added to it along with coffee beans. Winter came early and my hands needed this soo bad! It wasn’t greasy either. Thanks!
I only recently found your site and it seems to have a huge amount of great infomation, thank you.
How close to a zero carbon footprint are you currently living? What was the single biggest thing you did to reduce your footprint?
Do you think a negative footprint is possible?
Could I use olive oil or avocado oil in place of coconut oil? Almond oil?