# In Shower Lotion Bar



## soaring1 (Apr 15, 2017)

I love these for a quick moisturizer after my shower.  Just rub your skin while wet and towel off.
Made with Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Meadow Foam Oil, Argan Oil, Mango Butter and Essential Oil. I am calling this Lavender Dream's using Lavender 40/42 and Ylang Ylang.


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## IrishLass (Apr 15, 2017)

They look very inviting!  I love in-shower lotion bars, too.


IrishLass


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## PrimDawg (Apr 23, 2017)

Soaring1, I'm hoping to attempt my first in shower lotion bar. I love the Lush Buffy bar, but not the scent or price! My current recipe calls for equal parts shea, Coconut Oil and beeswax. I'm not sure that will be terribly moisturizing. I'd love some tips as your bar sounds heavenly!


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## DeeAnna (Apr 23, 2017)

PrimDawg -- If you aren't opposed to using an emulsifier, I'd strongly recommend it for an in-shower lotion bar. From a safety point of view, the emulsifier ensures any oils that don't stay on the skin also don't make a slick spot on the shower floor. But the emulsifier also helps the oils to coat the skin more effectively and evenly. The emulsifier blends with the water on the skin, essentially making an instant lotion.


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## kchaystack (Apr 23, 2017)

DeeAnna said:


> PrimDawg -- If you aren't opposed to using an emulsifier, I'd strongly recommend it for an in-shower lotion bar. From a safety point of view, the emulsifier ensures any oils that don't stay on the skin also don't make a slick spot on the shower floor. But the emulsifier also helps the oils to coat the skin more effectively and evenly. The emulsifier blends with the water on the skin, essentially making an instant lotion.



I second this.  I make what I call a conditioner bar, which is mostly BTMS-50 with avocado oil, cocoa butter.  I use a preservative since it gets wet and a little tea tree or peppermint EO for scent.


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## PrimDawg (Apr 23, 2017)

DeeAnna said:


> PrimDawg -- If you aren't opposed to using an emulsifier, I'd strongly recommend it for an in-shower lotion bar. From a safety point of view, the emulsifier ensures any oils that don't stay on the skin also don't make a slick spot on the shower floor. But the emulsifier also helps the oils to coat the skin more effectively and evenly. The emulsifier blends with the water on the skin, essentially making an instant lotion.


 
I'm not opposed to anything as of yet. So what is an emulsifier and where do I get it lol.


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## DeeAnna (Apr 23, 2017)

An emulsifier is what allows oil and water to mix and stay mixed. A lotion is an example of an oil and water mixture that is held together with an emulsifier.

Many bath and beauty suppliers carry basic emulsifiers. I recommend BTMS or conditioning emulsifier (the generic version of BTMS) or what's called emulsifying wax (e-wax). They are all dependable, basic emulsifiers that work well for most crafters. 

Try lotioncrafter.com or brambleberry.com or theherbarie.com in the US. If in Canada, try Voyageursoapandcandle.com. In the UK, I'm not at all sure, but I'd check gracefruit.com


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## PrimDawg (Apr 23, 2017)

Thank you so much! I did a bit of reading and can order the btms, plus I found this on amazon.  So do I replace some of the beeswax with the e wax?


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## DeeAnna (Apr 23, 2017)

Just want to start out by saying e-wax (emulsifying wax) is not really a wax like beeswax. It really shouldn't have "wax" in the name because that confuses people. 

Moving on, there are many possible recipes. For recipes of this type, some people include some beeswax or other real wax as you are proposing. The "real" wax in the recipe allows one to use a higher % of liquid oils. If that's the direction you want to head, then you'd reduce the beeswax and add some e-wax. 

The amount of beeswax should be in proportion to the % of liquid oils in the recipe. You don't want so much beeswax that the bar is too hard and plastic-y but enough so the bar isn't too soft and smeary. I don't have a good recommendation for you about how much to use -- it's a trial and error thing.

Others like myself do not use real wax in this kind of product. In that case you would want to make sure your using mostly fats that are solid at room temp. The e-wax will firm the bar up, so you can use ~some~ liquid oils, but not as much as if you were using real wax. If that's what you want to try, take out all of the beeswax. Add e-wax until you get the performance you want -- hard enough as a bar, but melty enough on wet skin. 

I'm making a first trial run today. No beeswax. Mostly solid fats -- tallow and coconut -- with a smidge of avocado.  I am using a ratio of 7 parts fats to 1 part emulsifier. I decided on using emulsifying conditioner rather than e-wax, but I'd use the same ratio in either case for this first try.  Don't know if this will work for me or not, but it's a good place to start.


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## PrimDawg (Apr 23, 2017)

Thanks so much, DeeAnna! I guess my best bet is to just dive in and try! I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your trial run.


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## DeeAnna (Apr 23, 2017)

Yep, you just need to dive in. Even if I shared a recipe that I was totally happy with, I'd expect most people would want to tweak it from there. That's the fun of making your own stuff.


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## Susie (Apr 23, 2017)

Please share any recipes that you care to?  I have kinfolks requesting them.


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## Rusti (Apr 23, 2017)

Susie said:


> Please share any recipes that you care to?  I have kinfolks requesting them.



I too, would like to see any recipes that you wouldn't mind sharing.


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## kchaystack (Apr 23, 2017)

HEATED PHASE
72%  Incroquat BTMS
10%  cetyl alcohol 
10%  cocoa butter 
05% avocado oil

COOL DOWN PHASE

02% essential oil
01% preservitive


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## Zany_in_CO (Apr 24, 2017)

soaring1 said:


> I love these for a quick moisturizer after my shower.  Just rub your skin while wet and towel off. Made with Cocoa Butter, Coconut Oil, Emulsifying Wax, Meadow Foam Oil, Argan Oil, Mango Butter and Essential Oil. I am calling this Lavender Dream's using Lavender 40/42 and Ylang Ylang.


Yowser Wowser!  I'll take a dozen! I'm serious. PM me.


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## DeeAnna (Apr 24, 2017)

I'm glad I didn't share my trial run recipe. The 7:1 fat to emulsifier ratio is a big bust for a number of reasons. Suffice to say it's totally not working. I based this trial recipe on an emulsifying sugar scrub I make. As a scrub, a 7:1 ratio is fine. As a lotion bar, not so much.

KC's recipe has about 1:2.9 fat to emulsifier ratio. (I'm including the cetyl alcohol as a "fat") His recipe is similar to a solid hair conditioner bar that I make and like a lot for my fine wavy hair. I have used this conditioner bar on wet skin, and it leaves a light lotion-y film on my skin. Pretty nice.

I wanted a bit more lotion and a different blend of fats for my skin, however, but the scrub recipe is too much of a good thing. WAY too much fat and not enough emulsifier. I will tweak the conditioner recipe instead -- it has a 1:2.6 ratio of fat to emulsifier. I used conditioning emulsifier aka generic BTMS in this recipe too.



kchaystack said:


> HEATED PHASE
> 72%  Incroquat BTMS
> 10%  cetyl alcohol
> 10%  cocoa butter
> ...


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## kchaystack (Apr 24, 2017)

DeeAnna said:


> I'm glad I didn't share my trial run recipe. The 7:1 fat to emulsifier ratio is a big bust for a number of reasons. Suffice to say it's totally not working. I based this trial recipe on an emulsifying sugar scrub I make. As a scrub, a 7:1 ratio is fine. As a lotion bar, not so much.
> 
> KC's recipe has about 1:2.9 fat to emulsifier ratio. (I'm including the cetyl alcohol as a "fat") His recipe is similar to a solid hair conditioner bar that I make and like a lot for my fine wavy hair. I have used this conditioner bar on wet skin, and it leaves a light lotion-y film on my skin. Pretty nice.
> 
> I wanted a bit more lotion and a different blend of fats for my skin, however, but the scrub recipe is too much of a good thing. WAY too much fat and not enough emulsifier. I will tweak the conditioner recipe instead -- it has a 1:2.6 ratio of fat to emulsifier. I used conditioning emulsifier aka generic BTMS in this recipe too.




Cant take much credit.  This is from swiftcraftmonkey, it is her solid conditioning bar - but I took out the various proteins, silicones, and humectants.  She says in her directions that you can just increase the BTMS-50 for everything you take out.    I did not want to buy a bunch of stuff - so I reduced as much as I could.


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## DeeAnna (Apr 24, 2017)

I get overwhelmed pretty fast with the additives too, so I tend to adapt her recipes into much simpler ones. Partly the cost involved, partly I'm not sure I'll like them, and partly just feeling overwhelmed. 

I have tried panthenol, and that's nice for both hair and skin. 

I also have been experimenting with a "silicone alternative" called hemisqualane. I got it to see if it would help my hair not be so frizzy in the summer. It works well -- makes hair easier to comb when wet, less frizzy, and softer feeling. Not sure Susan has tried that one but she uses 'cones quite a lot.


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## IrishLass (Apr 24, 2017)

Here's mine (it was inspired by Earthchild's recipe which she very generously shared over at the Dish a handful of years ago):

26.5% cocoa butter
26.5% kokum butter
15% Polawax
6.8% ButterEZ
5% mango butter
5% jojoba oil
5% virgin coconut oil
5% candelilla wax
3% cetyl alcohol
1% Phenonip
.7% Fragrance
.5% vitamin E T-50

It makes a nicely firm bar with excellent glide that holds up well in a dish that sits on the shelf of my shower door (out of direct spray). At the end of my shower (just before I turn the water off) I roll it around in my hands under the water like I would a bar of soap, place it back on its dish, then run my hands all over my arms and legs and lightly rinse.


IrishLass


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## soaring1 (Apr 24, 2017)

PrimDawg said:


> Soaring1, I'm hoping to attempt my first in shower lotion bar. I love the Lush Buffy bar, but not the scent or price! My current recipe calls for equal parts shea, Coconut Oil and beeswax. I'm not sure that will be terribly moisturizing. I'd love some tips as your bar sounds heavenly!



PrimDawg, Been out working on the farm so sorry.  DeeAnna answered your question very well on the emulsifier.


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## soaring1 (Apr 24, 2017)

The recipe that I came up with for my In-shower Lotion Bar

Cocoa Butter 16.62 %
Coconut Oil 12.31 %
Emulsifying Wax 33.23 %
Meadow Foam Oil 9.85 %
Argan Oil 9.85 %
Mango Butter 16.62 %
01% preservative
02% essential oil

When I un-molded bars were soft, so I cleaned them up and let them sit for a day. When using right after the shower while wet, it gave a lotion like feel and nice light scent. Bar is nice and firm and no goop dries nicely.  Skin felt wonderful and it sure has helped my alligator scaly legs big time.  Any thoughts or suggested improvements would be welcome.
65.25 % Butters and Oils
33.23 % Emulsifier


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## PrimDawg (Apr 24, 2017)

Soaring1, no worries, everyone is being very helpful. Thanks so much for your recipe I am saving it in my bookmarks for reference. I am still awaiting my supplies and am getting very antsy!
So you used all ewax for the wax portion. I was going to use beeswax, or a combo of beeswax and ewax.  I will be doing like IrishLass, the bar will stay in the shower, but not in direct spray. Thoughts?


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## soaring1 (Apr 24, 2017)

I did just use all e-wax.  All you can do is try different ways until you come on something you really like.  I was looking at the emulsifying factor in the shower. I know where you are coming from on be antsy.  All of us that has been bitten by the soapy bug and anything related to new things to try are right with you.  My lotion bar is in the shower but no spray can get to it also


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## Zany_in_CO (Apr 24, 2017)

soaring1 said:


> Cocoa Butter 16.62 %
> Coconut Oil 12.31 %
> Emulsifying Wax 33.23 %
> Meadow Foam Oil 9.85 %
> ...



I guess this means I hafta make my own? oooooooh kaaaaaay. :cry:  
Thanks for sharing!   :bunny:​


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## soaring1 (Apr 25, 2017)

Zany, 
Sent you a PM


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## cmzaha (Apr 25, 2017)

IrishLass said:


> Here's mine (it was inspired by Earthchild's recipe which she very generously shared over at the Dish a handful of years ago):
> 
> 26.5% cocoa butter
> 26.5% kokum butter
> ...


Thankyou for the post IL. I do see you tweaked the original by Earthchild a bit. I am trying yours today with a couple of tweaks  I can say one on Susan's blog does not work well at all, but maybe because I was not making it as a scrub


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## soaring1 (Apr 29, 2017)

After use of my shower bar recipe, when the small batch is used up, I need to re-do my recipe to give me more moisturizing on my skin.  Wondering if I can re-melt my few bars and redo them.  Any thoughts? 



soaring1 said:


> The recipe that I came up with for my In-shower Lotion Bar
> 
> Cocoa Butter 16.62 %
> Coconut Oil 12.31 %
> ...


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## DeeAnna (Apr 30, 2017)

Yes, you can gently remelt and tweak. If you are using a heat sensitive preservative, the heating may inactivate the preservative, so be aware of that. 

I personally would not sell or give "redos" to others, but for the purposes of product development and testing on myself, I have no problem with that.


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## soaring1 (Apr 30, 2017)

DeeAnna said:


> Yes, you can gently remelt and tweak. If you are using a heat sensitive preservative, the heating may inactivate the preservative, so be aware of that.
> 
> I personally would not sell or give "redos" to others, but for the purposes of product development and testing on myself, I have no problem with that.



Thank you for your thoughts on this Dee Anna.


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## Zany_in_CO (Apr 30, 2017)

soaring1 said:


> After use of my shower bar recipe, when the small batch is used up, I need to re-do my recipe to give me more moisturizing on my skin.  Wondering if I can re-melt my few bars and redo them.  Any thoughts?


One thought: Rebatch into 1 oz cavity mold, i.e., ice cube tray or guest size silicone mold, to make single-use size to carry into the shower with you. That way, you won't need the preservative.

Another thought: Play around with subbing the 33% Ewax with a mix of 
    1 cup baking soda (absorbs essential oils; water softener)
    1 tablespoon cornstarch (for hardness; smoothness)
    1/2 teaspoon salt (for hardness; exfoliate; less crumbly)
Add just enough to the oils & butters to hold the bar together. This might help to dissolve the oils/butters and rinse down the drain, leaving the shower floor less slippery. ??? Just a thought.

I've never tried this, but a looooong time ago a soaping buddy gave me a "shower melt" to rub on my skin after a shower. It left my skin feeling smooth and moisturized, and the shower floor wasn't slippery at all.


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## soaring1 (Apr 30, 2017)

Zany_in_CO said:


> One thought: Rebatch into 1 oz cavity mold, i.e., ice cube tray or guest size silicone mold, to make single-use size to carry into the shower with you. That way, you won't need the preservative.
> 
> Another thought: Play around with subbing the 33% Ewax with a mix of
> 1 cup baking soda (absorbs essential oils; water softener)
> ...



This is interesting Zany.  I will have to look into this further on % quantities, the little molds (which I have lots of) and storing.  Thank you for the suggestion.


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## nframe (May 15, 2017)

IrishLass said:


> Here's mine (it was inspired by Earthchild's recipe which she very generously shared over at the Dish a handful of years ago):
> 
> 26.5% cocoa butter
> 26.5% kokum butter
> ...


Hello Irish Lass,
I would like to make this lotion bar but I don't have - and cannot find in the UK - ButterEZ.  Is is essential to use this?  If not, what could I use instead?


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## IrishLass (May 15, 2017)

I include the ButterEZ to help keep my butters from graining up over time in the final bars. It's not an absolutely essential ingredient- i.e., you can achieve the same thing if you take the needed time to temper your butters properly and cool them down quickly, and then more importantly make sure your finished bars aren't exposed to any further temperature differences during storage and/or transport that would cause them to partially melt and slowly cool (which causes graining). I like using the Butter EZ because it gives me the peace of mind knowing that any of my bars I might mail to my family across country won't be grainy because of temperature differences along the way. 

Edited to add: if not using any ButterEZ, you can substitute it with one of the butters. ButterEZ feels a lot like shea butter.


IrishLass


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## nframe (May 15, 2017)

Thanks a lot.


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## cmzaha (May 15, 2017)

I also love ButterEZ, especialy when attending summer markets where my solid lotions can melt or soften


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## madison (May 16, 2017)

IrishLass said:


> I include the ButterEZ to help keep my butters from graining up over time in the final bars. It's not an absolutely essential ingredient- i.e., you can achieve the same thing if you take the needed time to temper your butters properly and cool them down quickly, and then more importantly make sure your finished bars aren't exposed to any further temperature differences during storage and/or transport that would cause them to partially melt and slowly cool (which causes graining). I like using the Butter EZ because it gives me the peace of mind knowing that any of my bars I might mail to my family across country won't be grainy because of temperature differences along the way.
> 
> Edited to add: if not using any ButterEZ, you can substitute it with one of the butters. ButterEZ feels a lot like shea butter.
> 
> ...



Any suggestions about preventing temperature change while mailing the bars please? Thank you


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## DeeAnna (May 16, 2017)

It may not be practical to mail products like this for a reasonable cost when the weather is very warm. If cost is no object, then ship in an insulated container with a frozen "cold pack" inside.


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## IrishLass (May 16, 2017)

madison said:


> Any suggestions about preventing temperature change while mailing the bars please? Thank you


 
The only suggestion I have is to use insulated mailers . Those found in the link are a bit of an investment, but you can rig up your own by lining your box with some styrofoam and ice packs. You can also save money by making your own ice packs out of water-storing gel crystals like these . As little as 1 tbsp. of the crystals will expand to 4 or 5 cups of hydrated gel when mixed with water. To use as an ice pack, just double-bag the hydrated gel in Ziploc freezer bags, or better yet, if you have one of those FoodSaver machines, seal them in FoodSaver bags, and then freeze them flat in your freezer. They work great. 


IrishLass


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## madison (May 16, 2017)

IrishLass said:


> The only suggestion I have is to use insulated mailers . Those found in the link are a bit of an investment, but you can rig up your own by lining your box with some styrofoam and ice packs. You can also save money by making your own ice packs out of water-storing gel crystals like these . As little as 1 tbsp. of the crystals will expand to 4 or 5 cups of hydrated gel when mixed with water. To use as an ice pack, just double-bag the hydrated gel in Ziploc freezer bags, or better yet, if you have one of those FoodSaver machines, seal them in FoodSaver bags, and then freeze them flat in your freezer. They work great.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I appreciate that, thank you.


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