Shea butter is an amazing natural emollient. It comes from Africa, where it’s been used for centuries to fight dry skin, and the visible signs of aging. It’s believed to have the ability to help regenerate skin cells, and to help clear problem skin.

That’s why many women around the world now use shea butter as a natural wrinkle fighter. You’ll find shea butter in a number of high-end skin creams. Or, you can buy it raw, and make your own cosmetics. That’s what I do.

DIY skin care products save time and money. You also know exactly what’s in them. So you don’t have to worry about hidden toxins, disguised by natural-sounding ingredients.

There’s just one small drawback to using shea butter. Although you can use it alone, it’s solid and doesn’t spread easily. That’s why it’s often mixed with coconut oil, to make a luxurious body butter that glides on your skin. However, unless you add beeswax, your body butter loses consistency in the heat. Adding a little beeswax solves the problem.

How To Mix Shea Butter and Beeswax

(This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase anything, I receive a referral fee, at no extra cost to you.)

Beeswax adds firmness and stability to your body butter recipes. Depending upon how much you use, the consistency can become more like a balm, instead of a cream. Or, you can add less, and still maintain a creamy texture that doesn’t wilt in the heat.

I’ve seen shea butter and beeswax recipes that sound more complicated than they need to be. They call for using a double boiler. I’m not a baker and I don’t own a double boiler. I’m not sure many people do anymore, unless they like to bake. Double boilers are something I associate with my dearly departed great aunts. They lived in a different age, and they had more time in the kitchen. They loved Joy of Cooking and all the fancy recipes that called for double boilers.

How to Melt Beeswax Without a Double Boiler

But you don’t need a double boiler to work with beeswax. I was able to melt my beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil on the stove. I used a really sturdy pan. The heat was set to low. I watched it closely, so it didn’t smoke. As soon as it was melted, I removed it from the stove. This worked beautifully for me.

Another method, if you’re not comfortable putting beeswax in a pan, directly on the stove, is to put the beeswax in a clean glass jar. Then, you place this in a pan of water and heat gently on the stove. I tried this also. It gives the same results as the pan only method, which I prefer. That’s because using a glass jar involves an extra step. I like to keep things simple.

Shea Butter and Beeswax Lotion Recipe

A couple of months ago, I decided to make lotion bars. These are all natural little cubes, made with beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil.

Lotion bars are so much more convenient than bottles of lotion. You can put one in a plastic bag and tuck it in your purse. It’s smaller than a bottle. Plus, there’s no danger of spills. One little lotion bar will last for many applications. When you make lotion bars, you generally wind up with extra. So you can give them away to your family and friends.

Homemade Lotion Bars with Beeswax and Coconut Oil

When making lotion bars, the thing to remember is to use equal amounts of coconut oil, shea butter and natural beeswax. You can add essential oils to give it a nice aroma. For my lotion bars, I chose Meditation Synergy Blend. This is heavenly a mix of calming oils. Even though I don’t do Eastern meditation, I still love how this blend smells. (I keep a lotion bar with a plastic bag near my pillow. That’s so I can coat my hands with this soothing scent before I go to sleep.)

Here’s an easy recipe to make lotion bars with beeswax:

1/2 cup of organic coconut oil (You can find it here)

1/2 cup of shea butter (You can find it here)

1/2 cup of pure beeswax pellets (You can find them here)

10 drops of Meditation Synergy Blend (You can find it here)

Mix these and melt them in a sturdy pan, as described above. Beeswax takes a little longer to melt than the oils. So you may want to add this to the pan first, and heat it before adding the oils. Remove from heat. Let it cool a big and add 10 drops of Meditation Synergy Blend to the mix. Pour into a silicone mold, and wait about 1/2 hour for it to cool.

Organic Coconut OilWhite Beeswax PelletsNow Organic Shea Butter

Body Balm Recipe with Shea Butter

Shea butter mixed with beeswax can also be used to make body balm. Or it can become a sleep balm, which can be helpful if you have a history of insomnia, which I do.

When I did this, I added an essential oil blend called Sleep Aid Synergy Blend. Before it cooled, I put it in an empty mint tin. I also keep this by my pillow. (I like to use different kinds of essential oils, because they seem to work better for me when I rotate them.)

I’ll admit I don’t like the smell of Sleep Aid Synergy Blend nearly as well as the Meditation Synergy Blend. That’s because it Sleep Aid smells strongly of ylang ylang, a flower you either love or hate. But it does seem to help me unwind and get a good night’s sleep.

Plant Therapy MeditationPlant Therapy Sleep Aid

Disclaimer

These statements have not been approved by the FDA. 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 healthcare professional.