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In my continued quest to clean up my beauty products, one of the last things that I have chosen to tackle is homemade lotion bars. I think I was just trying to use up the supply of lotion I already had before embarking on a new project. But I am SO glad I finally made this! This rose oil and coconut lotion bar is my new favorite! It’s just so luxurious and feels so nourishing to the skin. I can’t wait to share it with you. It really couldn’t be easier to make.

Why Make Lotion Bars?

If you’ve found yourself reading this then most likely you already know why you want to make them. I personally have a few reasons for wanting to make the switch to homemade lotion bars.

First, like many of you, I have been systematically cleaning up the products I use. One by one, I’ve scrutinized my toothpaste, shampoo, makeup, soap, etc. By now, most of us know that the questionable ingredients in mainstream lotion is scary to say the least. The parabens, phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, sulfates and much more add up to a cocktail of things I definitely don’t want my skin absorbing. I’m sure you don’t either!

Secondly, I have been more and more conscious of the packaging of the items I purchase. Buying even all natural lotion in plastic bottles just doesn’t seem like a sustainable option anymore. You can see my post about “The 15 Ways I’m Trying to Live More Sustainably” here.

And lastly, using pure and all natural ingredients is just so luxurious. These simple ingredients just feel good to use. I like knowing exactly what’s going on my skin and they actually end up being more economical over the long run. Of course, buying the lotion supplies requires a little initial investment, but you’ll get so much product out of it that it almost always comes out cheaper.

Homemade Rose Oil and Coconut Lotion Bars

The recipe I went with to make these homemade lotion bars is super simple. I wanted the least ingredients possible and to be able to use what I already had on hand. In case you need to order some supplies, I’ll be linking to the ingredients I found on Amazon.

For this recipe you will need equal parts shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax. This is the standard recipe that people use for lotion bars. Shea butter is a solid oil, but semi-soft. Coconut oil is a solid below 76 F. So the three ingredients together will make the lotion bar nice and hard but wonderfully nourishing for the skin. If you would like a softer lotion, I recommend using less of the beeswax. Here’s the break-down of ingredients:

1/2 cup shea butter
1/2 cup virgin cold pressed coconut oil
1/2 cup beeswax pellets
20-30 drops of Rose oil or essential oil of your choice. I chose Rose oil since it’s what I had on hand. But lavender, or neroli would be nice as well.

Place shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax in a glass bowl. Place bowl into a saucepan that is filled about halfway with water. This is called a double boiler for you non-cooks out there. 🙂 Turn heat on medium and as the oils begin to melt, begin stirring everything together. The beeswax pellets will take the longest to fully integrate but just keep stirring until they do.

Place bowl over saucepan of water

Remove from the heat and then add 20-30 drops of your essential oil. Some people suggest getting fancy molds but I just wanted to keep it simple. I used cupcake liners and a muffin tin! Carefully pour the hot mixture into the cupcake liners. Set this aside and allow to cool. Your lotion bars should harden beautifully. Stick them into the fridge if you want to speed this process up.

And there you have it! You’ve just made some ultra luxurious homemade lotion bars. I hope you LOVE them as much as I do! I keep the extra lotion bars in the fridge until I get ready for them to keep them fresh.

Also, I think these would make adorable and amazing gifts with the holidays coming up. They could be wrapped up in so many cute ways for gift giving that would be all natural and won’t end up in a landfill! Just an idea but after you try these, I think you’ll have a hard time parting with them! LOL 🙂

If you enjoyed my post today, please SHARE it with your friends! Also leave me a comment if you make the lotion bars and let me know how it goes. I would love to hear from you!