lavender homemade lotion bar

Homemade DIY lotion bars are a great way to save money and pamper your skin with all-natural, nourishing ingredients. They are made with nourishing, moisturizing all-natural ingredients and essential oil so there is nothing to harm or dry your skin. The best part is that this recipe doesn’t require any fancy equipment! You just need some common household items.

Homemade lotion bars are easy to make because all you really do is blend up some simple ingredients together until it forms into a smooth paste. Then you pour this mixture into molds and let it harden.

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Benefits of homemade DIY lotion bars

Lotion bars are a fantastic addition to your skincare routine! These solid wonders are super convenient, with spill-proof packaging that’s perfect for on-the-go use. They’re also eco-friendly, reducing plastic waste, and are long-lasting, saving you money in the long run. Plus, their deeply moisturizing formula leaves your skin so soft!

If you struggle with dry hands, elbows, or other spot on your body lotion bars are a great option.  They are super convenient to keep in your purse or a travel bag and have no mess.  They are great any time of year, but I find they are especially great for dry winter skin during the cold winter months.

Made with beeswax, cocoa butter, coconut oil, and essential oils, these natural moisturizing lotion bars will nourish and soothe dry skin. Massage the bar on your skin and let your body’s natural heat melt the lotion. After one use, you won’t know how you lived without it.  

What you need to make homemade lotion bars

This Lotion Bar DIY recipe doesn’t require any fancy equipment! You just need some common household items.

  1. A large glass mason jar or other heat-safe jar
  2. A stove top
  3. Some containers for storing your finished product such as a glass jar or parchment paper
  4. Ingredients for making lotion bars (see below)
  5. a shallow pan or candy molds

Ingredients for making DIY Lotion Bars

Before you get started, gather all of your ingredients. Here is a rundown of everything you’ll need. I order all of my ingredients from Amazon and have included links for you so you can quickly gather everything. Keep in mind that these same ingredients can be used in other DIY beauty projects like DIY Fizzy bath bombs, DIY Body Wash with Essential Oils, lip balms, and more. You’ll get more than one use out of these ingredients.

Beeswax Pellets

Beeswax hydrates the skin, provides a protective layer to help lock in moisture. It has can help condition and soothe the skin, as well as exfoliate dry skin cells, promotes skin regeneration, and helps diminish the signs of aging. It’s a powerhouse for our skin.

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Coconut Oil

There are many benefits to use coconut oil for your skin. Coconut Oil is an excellent moisturizer for skin and can help reduce inflammation caused by sun damage, which is common on the tops of our hands. It can help wounds heal and help with red, dry, flaky skin.

When buying coconut oil, be sure to look for Cold-Pressed, Virgin coconut oil and not refined.

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Raw Cocoa Butter

Cocoa Butter is high in fatty acids which makes it perfect for lotions and creams. It will help to hydrate your skin and will create a barrier to lock in moisture to prevent your skin from drying out.

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Vitamin E Oil

Vitamin E oil has powerful antioxidant benefits for our skin. It can help restore and repair damaged skin, especially skin damaged by the sun, and can provide healing support for wounds and scars. It can help with a variety of skin disorders.

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Dried Lavender

I love to add some dried lavender flowers to my lotion bars. You don’t need much. This goes well together with Lavender Essential Oil. If you are using a Citrus Based Essential Oil in your lotion bars, you could add some orange zest.

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Oatmeal

If you would like to add some exfoliating properties to your lotion bar, you can add some oatmeal. Use organic if possible.

Essential Oil

Wondering what essential oil is best for lotion bars? There’s lots of choices and it really comes down to personal preference. If you would rather have an unscented lotion bar, then simply skip the essential oils. 

Essential Oil adds nourishing benefits to your skin when you add it to your lotion bars.

I love to use Lavender oil because it smells so good, is calming, and Lavender oil is really beneficial for the skin. Lavender can calm all kinds of skin irritations and is really beneficial for extremely dry skin.

I love to use Lavender Essential Oil when making my lotion bars.

If you prefer to use a different essential oil, other essential oil choices could be orange essential oils, or rose essential oil for rose lotion bars (add some rose petals instead of lavender buds).

DIY Lotion Bar Recipe

This homemade lotion bar recipe is straightforward and super simple to make.  

Before you get started, gather all your ingredients and supplies and have  the ingredients measured.  This will make it much easier once you start to melt the beeswax.

To make your DIY Bronzing lotion sticks, melt your beeswax, shea butter, ccoa butter and grapeseed oil in a glass container inside a pan with boiling water
Melting the beeswax in a double boiler
image of diy essential oil lotion bar with sprig of lavender

How to make homemade DIY Lotion Bars: recipe with beeswax and essential oil

Author: Dawn Goehring
This easy Homemade DIY Lotion Bar Recipe uses beeswax and lavender essential oi. Homemade DIY lotion bars are a great way to save money and pamper your skin with all-natural, nourishing ingredients. They are made with nourishing, moisturizing, all-natural ingredients and essential oil so there is nothing to harm or dry your skin. The best part is that this recipe doesn't require any fancy equipment! You just need some common household items.
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients

Instructions

  • Measure all ingredients, except for essential oils, in large glass jar.
  • Place jar in saucepan with one to one and a half inches of boiling water.
  • Stir ingredients until combined.
  • Once melted, remove from heat. Let rest for three minutes. 
  • Add essential oils and stir.
  • Pour mixture into silicone soap molds, candy molds, or a shallow cooking sheet lined with parchment paper. Tip: For an exfoliating lotion bar, add oatmeal to the bottom of the mold.
  • Sprinkle the lavender buds or rose petals onto the the top of the mixture while it is still soft. You can swirl it in if you like.
  • Let mixture harden for two to three hours. Wrap in plastic wrap and store in container until ready to use.
  • Massage lotion bar on the skin using your body heat to soften it.
  • Store at room temperature

Notes

Use different molds for different fun shapes. I’ve even used a small rectangular baking tray that has high sides lined with wax paper and then broke it up into smaller pieces.

How to Use DIY Lotion Bars

To use your homemade lotion bar, hold it in both hands and let the warmth of your skin soften it, then massage it into your skin. The heat from your body will soften the lotion bar and allow it to absorb into your skin as you massage it in.

I like to keep one in my purse and use it throughout the day, especially after washing my hands because they always feel super dry after washing.

Lotion Bars take up less space than a tube of lotion, so these are perfect for on the go in your bag.

diy body butter

You May Also Love this Luxurious Whipped Body Butter Recipe

Add your favorite essential oil such as Rose, Frankincense, or Lavender for a scrumptious body butter

Wrap up on making homemade DIY lavender lotion bars

Homemade lotion bars are a wonderful alternative to store-bought ones. Not only will they cost less than buying commercial lotion bars but they also contain no harmful preservatives which means that they won’t cause irritation when applied topically. Plus, they smell incredible!

They also make a great gift for teachers, friends, mothers, sisters, you name it! 

I hope you enjoyed this article about how to make homemade lotion bars.

Please share it with someone you know so they don’t have to use dangerous chemicals so care for their skin.

image of diy lotion bars with lavender and essential oil bottle and text

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About The Author

Dawn Goehring Desert Naturals Essential Oils

Dawn Goehring

Owner / Founder of Desert Naturals

Dawn Goehring is the founder of Desert Naturals where she writes educational articles on essential oils, DIY's on natural beauty products, homemade cleaners, and provides related essential oil accessories like Planners, Journals, Trackers, tshirts, and custom made essential oil storage.

Dawn discovered essential oils about 10 years ago to support her then 4 year old son who was struggling to manage a respiratory condition. She then learned how to use essential oils for everyday natural remedies for her family, and has helped hundreds of women incorporate essential oils in their lives to live a healthier, more holistic lifestyle using natural products and essential oils.

Dawn has earned an aromatherapist degree and has earned a doTERRA essential oil specialist certification which is a fancy way of saying she has learned a lot about the chemistry of essential oils and how they work in the body.

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