It’s really easy to make lotion bars with essential oils. These are semi-solid all natural plant-based emollients. You can use them just as you would regular lotion. However, instead of pouring or squirting them from a bottle, you turn them into bars.

Lotion bars can be scented with your favorite essential oils. Little bars of lotion are also cute. They make great DIY gifts, especially when they’re attractively packaged. You can also add herbs to your bars, for a little color.

You can use any kind of essential oil you want. Lavender and chamomile essential oils are popular choices. Both aromatics have a soothing, healing quality. They’re often recommended as a home remedy for skin problems. Lotion bars are much more portable than a bottle of lotion. They contain no potentially harmful chemicals. Plus, for me, they work better than regular lotion. I believe it’s because of the beeswax, which seems to capture the moisture and lock it in.

DIY Essential Oil Lotion Bars

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It’s really easy to make your own lotion bars with essential oils. All you need are three ingredients, plus whatever essential oils you choose. Lavender essential oil is a good selection if you want a nice smelling lotion bar with a relaxing quality.

You can add multiple essential oils for a more custom scent. Actually, for my first time making these super simple lotion bars, I chose a recipe called Meditation Synergy Blend. Even though I don’t do Eastern meditation, I like the smell of this blend, with strong overtones of patchouli.

In recent years, I’ve started making my own cosmetics and skincare products. Not too long ago, this would have been extremely intimidating. However, DIY cosmetics seem more management once you realize what typically goes into all natural cosmetics. (Just a few simple ingredients.) This is true whether you buy them off the shelf, or decide to make them yourself.

Lotion Bars Recipes and Supplies

The three things you’ll definitely need to make your own lotion bars are coconut oil, shea butter and pure natural beeswax. All of these are available online, if you can’t find them locally. Beeswax may be the most difficult to obtain locally. But you can easily find it online. Here are all three lotion bar essentials below, just in case you need them.

Organic Coconut OilNatural Organic BeeswaxOrganic Shea Butter

Essential Oil Lotion Bars

Making lotion bars with essential oils is just a little bit more difficult than making body butter. This is a creamy DIY lotion that’s made with coconut oil and shea butter. It looks a little like whipped cream. But it glides on your skin like lotion. (I love to have body butter in the house, especially during the winter. It’s an excellent dry skin remedy.)

The addition of beeswax to a body butter recipe makes the mixture firmer, so it can be molded into bars. Both body butter and lotion bars may need to be refrigerated in warm weather. That’s because of the coconut oil, which liquifies at 76-degrees F.

Lotion Bars With Essential Oils

I was pleasantly surprised by just how easy it is to make your own lotion bars with essential oils. To simplify things even more, I found a recipe that called for equal parts of coconut oil, shea butter and natural beeswax. The recipe below will make about six large to medium-size body lotion bars. You can double it or triple it, if you want. All you need to remember to do is keep the same proportions. So here’s all you need to do. This recipe makes firm lotion bars. If you desire less firmness, go a little lighter on the beeswax.

Homemade Lotion Bar Recipes

1/2 cup of organic coconut oil (It’s available here)

1/2 cup of organic shea butter (It’s available here)

1/2 cup of organic beeswax pastilles (They’re available here)

8 drops of essential oil (You can use virtually any type of essential oil you have in your collection. I used Meditation Synergy Blend because it has a nice smell.)

Silicone Mold (It’s available here). I recommend using the smallest mold possible. That’s because lotion bars disolve when you warm them in your hand. And you usually don’t need large quantities of lotion. (If you make larger bars, you can use them to coat your hands, and then return the remainder of the bar to its container. There’s no need to use a bar all at once.)

Melt these three ingredients in a double boiler. If you don’t have a double boiler, then just put them in a sturdy stainless steel pan and melt them over low heat. Watch them closely. You may have to remove the pan quickly, since you don’t want the ingredients inside to smoke.

Next, remove your pan from the heat and let it cool just a little. However, I noticed that the mixture tends to harden quickly. (The first time, I waited too long. I did something else for a minute and became distracted. When I looked in the pan, the ingredients had hardened. No big deal. I just heated them again.) Add your essential oils and mix thoroughly. What you see in the pan should still be liquid. Then pour this liquid into a silicone mold with small molds and let it harden.

Lotion Bars DIY

The variety of lotion bars you choose to make is limited only by your imagination, as well as the particular esssential oils you own. You can make lotion bars with a specific purpose, such as relaxation or natural insect control. Or, during cold and flu season, you can also make germ-fighting bars, with a special germ fighting blend.

If you have extra lotion bars, you can always give them away. I’ve found that my DIY essential oil gifts are always very well received. That’s because I think people are sick and tired of chemical beauty products and personal care items. So, anyway, here are a few essential oil ideas for your homemade lotion bars.

Lotion Bars Recipes

Germ Fighting Lotion Bars. The easiest way to make these would be to add Germ Fighting Synergy Blend just as you’re about to pour your liquified lotion into the silicone mold. This is a special mix of five essential oils that’s widely believed to fight germs.

Bug Fighting Lotion Bars. These lotion bars typically contain an essential oil called lemon eucalyptus. You can use lemon eucalyptus essential oil alone. Or you can use a special aromatic blend designed for the outdoors.

Peace and Relaxation Lotion Bars. Many essential oils, such as lavender, patchouli, ylang ylang and clary sage are considered good for relaxation. You can add your own relaxation oils to the lotion bar mix, or you can use a blend specifically designed for relaxation.

Skin Soothing Lotion Bars. Some essential oils are believed to be good skin remedies. Plant Therapy KidSafe Skin Soother contains a number of them, including palmarosa, lavender and patchouli essential oils. All of the 100 percent pure oils are safe to use on children. But adults can use this blend as well.

Disclaimer

These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Women who are pregnant or nursing should not use essential oils unless directed to do so by a doctor or midwife.