# lotion bar too hard?



## Hygieia (Dec 11, 2010)

I'm pretty to new to making lotion bars. I made my first one the other day.  I used equal parts of the following:

Cocoa Butter (organic, unrefined)
Avocado Oil (organic)
Beeswax
some essential oils

It is really hard and not what I imagined it to be like.  I don't mind the feel of oils on my skin and was really excited to make something I could just swipe over my skin for moisture.  I live in MN and it is soooo dry right now!

I only have a gram scale, it doesn't measure mg's.  So, perhaps I used too much beeswax?  This bar drags on my skin and takes a lot of effort to get onto my skin - again not what I pictured it to be like.

Could it be the oil/butter combo or could it be too much beeswax?  I have several other oils because I do create a lot of my own skin care, i'm working on developing my own line.  So that is where my specialty lies.  Body care is new for me.  Anyway, I have the following organic oils:

wheat germ
avocado
extra virgin olive oil, calendual infused
hemp seed
sweet almond
jojoba
grapeseed
coconut oil (raw, unrefined)
cocoa butter (raw, unrefined)
shea butter (raw, unrefined)
and some specialty oils like sea buckthorn and evening primrose

Has anyone turned their lotion bars into more "specialty bars" with the additon of some higher end oils like sea buck. and evening prim.??  Once I get my recipe down i'd like to do this as it would be a good compliment to my anti-aging skincare line.  The problem is that an oil like evening primrose really cannot withstand much heat at all.  The question would be how to incorporate it into the bar before it is solid but not when it is too hot. This might be tricky!  Perhaps I should just stick to a whipped butter or body oil for these


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## Genny (Dec 11, 2010)

Sounds like too much beeswax.

I live in WI and my lotion bars are a combination of
Cocoa Butter
Beeswax
Shea Butter
Soybean Oil
Vitamin E
Olive Oil
Sunflower Oil

They're hard.  But when held in warm hands they soften up so you can rub them on your hands.

I think you may need more oils or less beeswax.
Lotion bars are something you just have to play around with different recipes and oils to get to where you like it.

Good luck and stay warm.  We're in the middle of blizzard-like weather right now


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## Hygieia (Dec 11, 2010)

Genny said:
			
		

> Sounds like too much beeswax.
> 
> I live in WI and my lotion bars are a combination of
> Cocoa Butter
> ...



Could I melt this down and add more oils?  I don't want it to go to waste!  Thank you for the response. 

Yes, this snow is crazy!  The storm covers both states but I think you are getting it worse. I love it, personally, but probably because I have nowhere to go today.   Snow is beautiful when you don't have to drive through it!


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## Sunny (Dec 11, 2010)

Cocoa butter is also a really hard oil so you may want to either sub that out or go with more liquid oils.

YES absolutely, you can melt it down and add more oil to it.

I live in MN as well. Completely snowed in. I just shoveled a path in my backyard for my dogs this morning around 8, now at noon you can't even tell where the path was. There are snowdrifts everywhere too, the wind is fierce!

So it is lotion day for me also.


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## Genny (Dec 11, 2010)

Yep you can just remelt it and add more oils.  
Just keep testing until you get it how you like it.

Now I'm off to finish Christmas shopping through all the snow.  Thank goodness for 4 wheel drive.


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## Hygieia (Dec 11, 2010)

tasha said:
			
		

> Cocoa butter is also a really hard oil so you may want to either sub that out or go with more liquid oils.
> 
> YES absolutely, you can melt it down and add more oil to it.
> 
> ...



Where in MN Tasha?

I'm going to melt it down and add another oil  Thanks ladies.


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## Sunny (Dec 11, 2010)

Minneapolis area! and I can tell you for sure that we got more than 12 inches, the snow is up to my thighs.


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## Hygieia (Dec 11, 2010)

tasha said:
			
		

> Minneapolis area! and I can tell you for sure that we got more than 12 inches, the snow is up to my thighs.



Yes yes, there is a LOT OF SNOW OUT THERE!  My guy blew our driveway twice already.  It is stacked up against our back door and windows (we have a ground level deck off our kitchen) so there is no going out there right now....  If I didn't know it was snow i'd say we were in the desert with all the dunes out there.  Glad I didn't leave the house today.

I added another oz of avocado oil to my bar.  It is better but I still don't like the drag.  I am guessing it is the cocoa butter that is getting me.   It is hard, hard to get out of the tub even.   I was hoping for more of the feel I get when I take a blob of coconut oil and warm it in my hands - only not so melty, you know, solid but oily.  I will have to keep experimenting I guess!

I'm about 15-20 minutes north of dt minneapolis.  Nice to meet you.


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## Sunny (Dec 12, 2010)

That could be it - you could use the coconut oil as your "hard oil" and I'm sure it would be a lot softer and smoother.

so maybe

1 oz coconut oil
1 oz beeswax
1 oz sweet almond (or other light oil)

(or 30 grams each)

and if it's way too soft then you could add in 1/2 oz shea or cocoa butter at a time until it is what you want.


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