Fabulous Farm Girl

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Luxurious Lotion Bars

Luxurious Lotion Bars by FabulousFarmGirl. Love how these fight dry winter skin!

Well it’s almost Valentine’s Day and I keep thinking about lotion bars. Yeah, I know, that’s a weird connection but hear me out. It just so happens that V-day is in the wintertime, I live in the high desert and it is especially dry this time of year. It’s a drought everywhere including on my skin. I usually make heart shaped cookies for Valentine’s Day but this year I decided to make heart shaped lotion bars instead. My stomach may be sad but my skin is very happy.

Luxurious Lotion Bars by FabulousFarmGirl. Love how these fight dry winter skin!

I’ve read a lot about lotion bars and the ingredients are the same as most of my other skin concoctions except you need to add a lot more beeswax. That will make it solid at room temperature. I added shea butter which is great for your skin and essential oils for both their fragrance and their skin-boosting benefits. Lavender and geranium EOs are good choices for dry skin and cypress revitalizes skin but  you can mix it up with other options like roman chamomile, helichrysum, sandalwood, lemon, frankincense, juniper berry or thyme.  I only use therapeutic grade essential oils because they are of the highest purity you can buy. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and what you put on you, you put in you, so whatever brand you use make sure it is pure enough to take internally.

Luxurious Lotion Bars by FabulousFarmGirl. Love how these fight dry winter skin!

Put the coconut oil, EVOO, shea butter and beeswax in a glass jar (I used a wide-mouth pint mason jar) and place jar in a pan about half-full of water. Heat up water, stirring mixture frequently until everything completely melts. The beeswax will seem like it’s never going to and just when you’re about to give up, Bam!, it’s gone. Carefully lift the jar out of the pan (use oven mitts please, it’s hot!) and place it on a dish towel on your counter. 

Luxurious Lotion Bars by FabulousFarmGirl. Love how these fight dry winter skin!

Immediately add arrowroot powder, by slowly sprinkling it into the oil, stirring vigorously at the same time to prevent clumping. Now you need to let the mixture cool for a few minutes because essential oils lose their medicinal properties in high heat. My rule of thumb is if I can hold my fingers against the jar for ten seconds without screaming, it’s ready to add the vitamin E and the EO’s. Not very scientific I know, but it works. To add the vitamin E, snip the ends of the capsules and squeeze into oil mixture.  Add the essential oils and mix thoroughly.

Luxurious Lotion Bars by FabulousFarmGirl. Love how these fight dry winter skin!

Immediately pour the mixture into molds. You can use muffin tins or ice cube trays or soap molds but my favorite is a silicone baking pan. They come in lots of shapes and sizes so you can really customize your lotion bars. I was so excited that Valentine’s day  finally gave me an excuse to use the heart shaped pan that I bought ages ago. Just wrap it up in some cellophane and what a great gift idea for someone special. Did you notice the one on the top left that got messed up? That will make a great gift for me. Mess-ups are a good thing in my world.

Luxurious Lotion Bars by FabulousFarmGirl. Love how these fight dry winter skin!

I’ve been using my messed up lotion bar (see above) for several days now and I love it. I mostly use it on my hands and feet and have noticed a big difference in how soft my skin is. And when it comes to soft, smooth skin there is nothing messed up about that!

Luxurious Lotion Bars 
1/4 cup extra-virgin coconut oil
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup beeswax
1/4 cup shea butter
1/2 tsp. vitamin E (or two 1,000 IU capsules)
1/8 tsp. arrowroot powder
15 drops lavender EO
10 drops geranium
10 drops cypress EOInstructions: Combine first 4 ingredients in a glass jar and place in a pot half-filled with water. Bring water to a boil and stir frequently until ingredients are completely melted. Remove jar from pan and place on a dish towel covered counter. Slowly add arrowroot powder, stirring constantly to avoid lumps. Once fully incorporated allow mixture to cool enough that you can touch the jar comfortably for at least 10 seconds.  Add vitamin E and essential oils and stir to combine. Immediately pour into desired molds and cover with a piece of paper towel so nothing weird gets in there. Do not disturb for several hours and preferably overnight. Once completely cooled, remove from molds, wrap in wax paper or cellophane and store in a cool dry place.

 

 

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    • Hi Michelle–thanks for stopping by. I think every girl needs a little more luxury in her life and lotion bars are an easy way to get some. Good quality chocolate works too. Better yet–both:)
      –Leah

      Reply

      • Now..Leah, CHOCOLATE Luxurious Bars? There’s an idea! Those bars you made look good enough to eat! I LOVE your website…but what if a girl is too lazy to make said bars, and only wants to purchase some from you?? I can smell the Lavender now….

        Reply

    • Hi Kathleen–thanks for stopping by. I live in the desert so, yeah, it’s dry here year ’round as well. I’m always looking for solutions and these really so the trick. Your skin will thank you:)
      –Leah

      Reply

  12. This type of thing has been on my list of things to try. Thanks for this…it makes it look easier than I thought. This is probably why it’s still on the list 😉

    Reply

    • Hi Christi–thanks for stopping by. I really am surprised at how easy it is to make (some) things yourself even when they seem complicated. Definitely gives you a sense of accomplishment plus you get soft skin. Love that!
      –Leah

      Reply

    • Hi Zareena–thanks for stopping by. I should know this since I grew up in the Great White North but my metric is a little rusty. According to Google 1/2 cup is 118.294 ml but you could round up to 120 ml if that’s easier. Have a great day!
      –Leah

      Reply

    • Hi Avis–thanks for your question. The arrowroot powder is there because it cuts greasiness. You could also use cornstarch or leave it out altogether if you want. So glad you’re going to make these so have fun and let me know how they turn out.
      –Leah

      Reply

  19. Hi Leah – Just made my first batch of lotion bars, and while they were easy to make and look beautiful, the shea butter smell is overpowering the essential oils. Should they have an earthy/cocoa-like smell? I bought unrefined, and when it arrived, it said right on the package for external use only. Did I buy the wrong type? Do you have a good source for shea butter that you could share? I’m very hesitant to use these (since what you put on you, you put in you), wondering if I purchased an inferior or product, or one better suited for other uses. Thanks. Kathy

    Reply

  20. Hi Leah – just wanted to st by and say congrats on getting one of the featured spots on the SITS Sharefest! That’s the big time. And these lotion bars look great!!

    Reply

  21. Silly question, but I’ve never used a lotion bar. Don’t know anything about them. So when my hands are feeling dry, I just rub it between them? How is this different than say, using straight coconut oil or shea butter. Just the cuteness of it? 🙂 Or does the combination of all work better than each individually?

    I’m looking forward to trying these. Is a silicon mold needed so I can pop out the final product? Or can I use a metal muffin tin?

    Reply

    • Hi Marie–thanks for your question. You just rub a lotion bar between your hands or over any part of your body. The combination of ingredients are very nourishing for your skin. It’s really just a solid version of my Fabulous Skin Salve. So I guess the cuteness or novelty of it is a factor. I’ve only used a silicone mold so I can’t say whether a muffin tin would work. If you try it please let me know how it goes. 🙂
      –Leah

      Reply

  22. Do these feel greasy at all? I’ve been experimenting with different combinations of butters/oils to try to get something not quite so greasy. Thanks!

    Reply