Lotion Bars

[kmarvel]

Does anyone here make lotion bars?

 

[lsg]

I have made them. They are pretty easy to make. My hubby likes them for his hands in cold weather.

 

[Lion Of Judah]

yes i do as well , i'm sure if you look at the bottom of this thread you can find related links about lotion bars and recipes.
what would you like to know ?

 

[bodybym]

I make them and sell a lot of them, especially around holidays. People snatch them up as great gifts.

 

[IrishLass]

I usually make some in the winter. I make an 'in-the-shower' lotion bar, too.

IrishLass

 

[marilynmac]

I'm out of Lye, so I tried a lotion bar yesterday. equal parts beeswax coconut oil and grapefruit seed oil and a bit of bergamot eo. It smells like beeswax, and leaves oil on my skin.

So I'm ready to hear more about it...

 

[katz2711]

I make lotion bars too. My favorite so far has the natural cocoa butter smell paired with orange essential oil.

 

[katz2711]

I usually make some in the winter. I make an 'in-the-shower' lotion bar, too.

IrishLass

Can you give some details please? That sounds intriguing!

 

[kmarvel]

I have made them. They are pretty easy to make. My hubby likes them for his hands in cold weather.

What is a basic recipe for a lotion bar?? Can you put them in a loaf mold?
How long is the cure time??

 

[mintle]

I have just recently digged through the subject of lotion bars!
It was trial and error, mainly error
I was trying to come up with a recipe for a lotion bar for my pregnant friend - she can't stand most of scents except for citruses. She wanted to massage her belly and legs, so I was looking for something that does not instantly melt but also is not 'draggy'. And not sticky/oily.

And we were both pleasantly suprised by this final recipe:

20% cocoa butter
5% cetyl alcohol
25% beeswax
11% shea butter
26% almond oil
10% macadamia oil
3% tangerine eo

I poured this into individual silicone molds (I have 100g individual cubes), gives very nice firm cubes that allow for some massage with the cube.
Please note she is not allergic to anything (cocoa, beeswax etc). I have made one for myself, too.

You will find more information than you need on the best swiftcraftymonkey blog: click!

P.S. Errors were those too-soft bars, where I have used monoi, shea and prune oil in various proportions for their wonderful scent - very luxurious, but so melty! I find cocoa really reliable here to give a nice structure to the lotion. And cetyl alcohol for a more pleasant feeling while massaging.
P.S. 2 Can't stop writing! I am wondering if I will have to reformulate this recipe when the winter comes; I have already seen a difference in using this bar when the warmer days have ended and temps went down in my flat.

 

[lsg]

Here is the recipe I use.

3.5 oz coconut oil
3.5 oz beeswax
3.5 oz sweet almond oil
1 tsp. lavender essential oil

Melt the solid oils together and then add the sweet almond oil. Stir well and when cooled, add essential oil. I pour my lotion bars in silicone muffin pans. They are just the right size to fit in the round tins.

 

[kmarvel]

Here is the recipe I use.

3.5 oz coconut oil
3.5 oz beeswax
3.5 oz sweet almond oil
1 tsp. lavender essential oil

Melt the solid oils together and then add the sweet almond oil. Stir well and when cooled, add essential oil. I pour my lotion bars in silicone muffin pans. They are just the right size to fit in the round tins.

ISG,
How many bars will this make?? Can you buy the silicone muffin pan at a regular store?? Using CCO, does it make the lotion bar "greasy"?

 

[katz2711]

I usually make some in the winter. I make an 'in-the-shower' lotion bar, too.

IrishLass

Still so curious about what an " in-the-shower lotion bar" looks like. Please please can you give some details?

Is it an actual lotion bar (no lye involved) or a highly conditioning soap of some sort?

Thanks in advance!

 

[katz2711]

I usually make some in the winter. I make an 'in-the-shower' lotion bar, too.

IrishLass

Still so curious about what an " in-the-shower lotion bar" looks like. Please please can you give some details?

Is it an actual lotion bar (no lye involved) or a highly conditioning soap of some sort?

Thanks in advance!

 

[katz2711]

Sorry for double posting, kept getting an error message

 

[lsg]

ISG,
How many bars will this make?? Can you buy the silicone muffin pan at a regular store?? Using CCO, does it make the lotion bar "greasy"?

You can buy the silicone muffin pans at Walmart, Target etc. Yes, the coconut oil does make a slightly tacky bar, but in the winter that's what my hubby wants to sooth his chapped hands. You can switch the coconut oil for shea butter or cocoa butter. The recipe about makes 10.5 weighed. Depending on how deep you pour the lotion bars, you should have four or five cavities filled in the muffin pan. Here is another easy recipe without coconut oil:


2.5 oz beeswax
2 oz Cocoa Butter
2 oz Shea butter
1 oz Almond butter

 

[IrishLass]

Still so curious about what an " in-the-shower lotion bar" looks like. Please please can you give some details?

Is it an actual lotion bar (no lye involved) or a highly conditioning soap of some sort?

Thanks in advance!

Sorry, Kat- didn't see you question until just now.

To answer your question- yes- its an actual solid lotion bar (no soap involved).

About 3 or 4 years ago, lots of people were experimenting with them on another forum that I frequent, and the idea sounded so intriguing to me that I became inspired to try my hand at making my own.

Basically, an in-shower lotion bar is a body butter with waxes and other lotion-ingredients added to the butters and oils to make it moisturizing, yet firm enough to be able stand on it's own in a soap dish like a bar of soap (i.e., it doesn't need to be in a container or confined to a push-up tube). It also contains a preservative since it will be used in the presence of water. I make them for my sister and myself, and they are great in the winter-time (or any time you are feeling a bit on the dry side due to bone-drying weather).

This is how I use them: I take my shower as normal, and then after I am all done washing with my soap and rinsing off, I keep the shower on and take my lotion bar and wet it under the spray. Then I rub it all over me-except for my face and hair and bottom of my feet (don't want greasy hair or facial pimples or want to slip in the shower)- and place the bar back on my dish, rinse myself off, turn the shower off, and then pat myself dry. You won't believed how pampered this makes one feel.

My formula contains 53% hard butters; 5% softer butters; 6.8% ButterEZ; 10% moisturizing oils; 15% Polawax; 5% candelilla wax; 3% cetyl alcohol; .5% Vitamin E T-50; 1% Phenonip; and .7% fragrance.


IrishLass

 

[katz2711]

Sorry, Kat- didn't see you question until just now.

To answer your question- yes- its an actual solid lotion bar (no soap involved).

About 3 or 4 years ago, lots of people were experimenting with them on another forum that I frequent, and the idea sounded so intriguing to me that I became inspired to try my hand at making my own.

Basically, an in-shower lotion bar is a body butter with waxes and other lotion-ingredients added to the butters and oils to make it moisturizing, yet firm enough to be able stand on it's own in a soap dish like a bar of soap (i.e., it doesn't need to be in a container or confined to a push-up tube). It also contains a preservative since it will be used in the presence of water. I make them for my sister and myself, and they are great in the winter-time (or any time you are feeling a bit on the dry side due to bone-drying weather).

This is how I use them: I take my shower as normal, and then after I am all done washing with my soap and rinsing off, I keep the shower on and take my lotion bar and wet it under the spray. Then I rub it all over me-except for my face and hair and bottom of my feet (don't want greasy hair or facial pimples or want to slip in the shower)- and place the bar back on my dish, rinse myself off, turn the shower off, and then pat myself dry. You won't believed how pampered this makes one feel.

My formula contains 53% hard butters; 5% softer butters; 6.8% ButterEZ; 10% moisturizing oils; 15% Polawax; 5% candelilla wax; 3% cetyl alcohol; .5% Vitamin E T-50; 1% Phenonip; and .7% fragrance.


IrishLass

That is such a great idea! I have to experiment with that.

Thanks so much for sharing IrishLass!!

 

[kmarvel]

Here is the recipe I use.

3.5 oz coconut oil
3.5 oz beeswax
3.5 oz sweet almond oil
1 tsp. lavender essential oil

Melt the solid oils together and then add the sweet almond oil. Stir well and when cooled, add essential oil. I pour my lotion bars in silicone muffin pans. They are just the right size to fit in the round tins.

Sorry for the questions.
Is there a "cure" time for these??

 

[lsg]

No problem, I am glad to help if I can. Just let them set until they are solid. You can pop them in the refrigerator. No other cure time is needed.