I love body lotions! I have very dry skin, especially in the winter, and love applying a thick lotion to moisturize and make my skin feel smooth.
But after doing some research and learning about all the harmful chemicals in the lotions and creams available at the store, I knew I had to find an alternative.
For several years I've been using coconut oil - I whip it in my Bosch mixer for 10 minutes or so, which makes it soft and fluffy,I add a little vitamin E oil also, and put it in jars. I use this every day and love it!!
But for a product that is REALLY thick, I've been making lotion bars.
Ingredients:
Coconut Oil
Shea Butter
Bees Wax
Use equal parts - I used 1 cup of each, which makes 12 lotion bars.
Melt the bees wax over a low heat. I keep cans from cooking for this type of project. Then you can throw the can away or keep it for the next time. Really cuts down on the mess and clean up.
When wax is melted, add the shea butter and let that melt, then add the coconut oil. I stir it gently with the handle of a wooden spoon (that is used just for these projects). When this is all melted together, I take it off the heat and add an essential oil. I added Sweet Orange to this batch. But this step is optional. Without the essential oil, you get the wonderful bees wax/shea butter scent!
Pour the mixture into molds - I use a silicone muffin pan (that I got for 50 cents at a yard sale) for my lotion bars. They pop out very easily and it cleans up nicely.
They don't take long to set up.
These bars are wonderful on my dry, cracked feet and other areas that tend to be VERY dry in winter.
***Before going to the beach last year, I made a batch of these and added zinc oxide before pouring into the pan. I used these bars on my younger kids who tend to get sunburned at the beach. rubbing the bar on their faces turned them white (their niece said they looked like ghosts), but it kept the sunburn away!***
Using the very same ingredients, you can also make lip balm.
I used 1 Tbsp of each, mixed the same way as I did for the lotion bars, and using a medicine dropper (again, I keep this one just for this project), fill empty lip balm containers.
I love these better than any store-bought lip balm.
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