# Lotion bar too soft



## Tracy von Elling (Mar 4, 2019)

I made my first lotion bars using 1/3 shea, beeswax and coconut oil. 
They are too soft and dont stay together when I hold them.  I had put them in the fridge at  first. Most recipes im finding use these percentages of oil and beeswax that I used. Can someone please give me any suggestions.  
Thank you!


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## shunt2011 (Mar 4, 2019)

You need to add more beeswax to make it harder.   It will take some playing around with.  Melt it, dip a spoon in it and into the freezer then test it.
It will vary from recipe to recipe.  I use some cocoa butter in mine as well as some liquid oils.


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## Tracy von Elling (Mar 4, 2019)

Okay.  So I should dip a spoon as in test a small amount.  Can I add some beeswax and cocoa butter?

Thanks for the help


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## shunt2011 (Mar 4, 2019)

Yes, you can just melt what you’ve made down and add more wax then test it.  I prefer mine a bit harder as I sell.  It takes some playing with it to get where you like it.


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## dixiedragon (Mar 4, 2019)

An easy guide for creating your own lip balm recipes is this:
20% Beeswax

25% solid at room temperature oil (Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Shea Butter, Lanolin, etc.)

15% brittle at room temperature oil (Regular Cocoa Butter, Palm Kernel Oil, etc.)

40% liquid oil at room temperature (Sweet Almond Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, etc
These are the starting percentages of lip balm. IMO I like my lotion bar a bit softer than lip balm - your lips are slightly warmer than the rest of your body. 

Is the shea shea butter (solid at room temp) or shea oil (liquid at room temp)?


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## Tracy von Elling (Mar 4, 2019)

Thank you so much. I have never seen these percentages before.  I was just using a recipe that had the measurements in cups.  This is great!



dixiedragon said:


> An easy guide for creating your own lip balm recipes is this:
> 20% Beeswax
> 
> 25% solid at room temperature oil (Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Shea Butter, Lanolin, etc.)
> ...



Oh the Shea I used is solid at room temp. So it was one third shea which was solid, one third beeswax and one third coconut oil but this wasn't hard enough still. 

I have melted it down and added a third of a cup beeswax. It's a bit more solid but still not firm enough like the lotion bar I bought from a neighbor.  I may need to add more but I had no idea so much smbeeswax was needed.


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## Zing (Mar 4, 2019)

Tracy von Elling said:


> I made my first lotion bars using 1/3 shea, beeswax and coconut oil.
> They are too soft and dont stay together when I hold them.  I had put them in the fridge at  first. Most recipes im finding use these percentages of oil and beeswax that I used. Can someone please give me any suggestions.
> Thank you!


Tracy, this is my _exact _recipe and I get hard lotion bars.  Are you weighing your ingredients?  I do 1/3, 1/3,  1/3 in grams or ounces.  My shea butter and coconut oils are hard at room temperature.


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## Tracy von Elling (Mar 4, 2019)

Zing said:


> Tracy, this is my _exact _recipe and I get hard lotion bars.  Are you weighing your ingredients?  I do 1/3, 1/3,  1/3 in grams or ounces.  My shea butter and coconut oils are hard at room temperature.



Interesting! No I didn't weigh. I used a blog where she used cup measurements. I should know to as I of course weigh for making soap! My coconut oil is pretty soft at room temp though. Could this make a difference?  Hmmm. I will for sure weigh all my ingredients and try it again.  Thanks for this suggestion.  Didn't know it needed to be exact with lotion bars.  I appreciate the help!


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## Zing (Mar 5, 2019)

Let us know how it goes.  I'm so stoked about lotion bars and preach it like a new convert.  It takes just minutes and cents.  I'm not bragging but my rashy cracked (bleeding in winter) hands have NEVER been better.  Should have discovered this decades ago and saved on dermatologists and prescriptions.


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## dixiedragon (Mar 5, 2019)

I'm just really stumped here. That should be a very firm - even too firm - lotion bar. Is the beeswax in pastilles (little dots)? I am wondering if maybe your shea butter and beeswax are in large chunks, so you got much more of the liquid-ish coconut oil in that cup?

Are you sure your beeswax is entirely melted and mixed in, and hasn't settled to the bottom of the container?


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## reeeen4 (Mar 5, 2019)

If your coconut oil is soft at room temperature you are probably using extra virgin coconut oil which melts at 76deg F you might want to look for the 92deg F type which is hydrogenated to make it harder at room temp and melt at a higher temperature.


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## Tracy von Elling (Mar 6, 2019)

dixiedragon said:


> I'm just really stumped here. That should be a very firm - even too firm - lotion bar. Is the beeswax in pastilles (little dots)? I am wondering if maybe your shea butter and beeswax are in large chunks, so you got much more of the liquid-ish coconut oil in that cup?
> 
> Are you sure your beeswax is entirely melted and mixed in, and hasn't settled to the bottom of the container?



I remelted it all and added some cocoa butter.  It is hard now. I also think I hadn't let the beeswax truly melt to liquid.  Lesson learned now so thank you!!



reeeen4 said:


> If your coconut oil is soft at room temperature you are probably using extra virgin coconut oil which melts at 76deg F you might want to look for the 92deg F type which is hydrogenated to make it harder at room temp and melt at a higher temperature.



Yes.  I am using the softer coconut oil. I have so much of this as I bought this in bulk.  Next time I'll order the harder one.  Thank you so much.  I still have so much to learn!


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