A Solid Way to Moisturize and Massage Your Skin using LOTION BARS

Years ago I found a recipe for Massage Lotion Bars.  Out of everything I have made these were, and still are, one of my absolute favorite items.  Knowing and loving these bars as I do, I've often marveled at how big of a mystery they seem to be to other people.  

For a few years I tried selling products at a little craft fair, and while I sold a few items, the Lotion Bars did not really sell.  Part of the issue was packaging.  I would wrap them up in clear plastic craft bags with a label, and that didn't work that well.  I tried tins, and they did a little better, but still I barely sold any. (I still haven't found a great way to package these.) One year I took some of the scraps and put them out on a tray as samples, I spent half the time stopping people from eating them, and explaining what they were. People just didn't seem to get the concept.  However, in my years of making these I have introduced and successfully converted a few friends and family members over to the Lotion Bar side.  Some are still confused.... but maybe someday they will learn!

For those not familiar, Lotion/Massage Bars are supposed to melt at skin temperature.  You do not add water, you just rub them onto your bare skin and let them work their magic. It's like body lotion and massage oil combined into a solid form. Since they melt on your skin they absorb nicely, and they are great for softening and moisturizing with less mess. They also smell amazing! I can understand why people wanted to eat them!

The formula for making these bars is fairly simple, and it's all about melting points:

1/3 Hard (Beeswax, Soy)
1/3 Medium (Cocoa Butter, Shea Butter )
1/3 Soft (Apricot, Olive Oil, Sunflower, Avocado, Coconut, etc...)

Here is my recipe for a small batch (about two bars):

Veronica the Lazy Diva's Cocoa Butter and Coconut Oil Lotion Bars

Ingredients:
2 oz Beeswax
2 oz Cocoa Butter
1 oz Coconut Oil
1 oz Apricot Oil
3 drops Vitamin E
Essential Oils (optional)  (I used 3 drops of Jasmine and 2 drops of Orange)

You'll also need some sort of mold to pour these into when finished.

I have 'craft' designated crock pots and that's what I personally use when I make these.  You can do these in a double boiler, or even in the microwave one at a time starting with the hardest items and working down. 

STEP ONE:

I came across a bag of smaller pieces, so I used this instead of cutting the block.

ADD THE BEESWAX AND LET IT MELT COMPLETELY

STEP TWO:

ADD COCOA BUTTER AND STIR UNTIL IT IS MELTED COMPLETELY

STEP THREE:

ADD COCONUT OIL AND STIR

 STEP FOUR:

ADD APRICOT OIL AND STIR

STEP FIVE:

ADD VITAMIN E AND ESSENTIAL OILS (if desired) AND STIR

These three ingredients are optional, half the time I leave the essential oils out.  The Cocoa Butter and Coconut Oil have such an enticing natural smell you don't really need to add scent,  I just added a few drops to bring them up to the next level.  The Vitamin E is also a go to ingredient in most of my projects, it ups the moisturizing and is a natural preservative.

STEP SIX:

I did this batch just for me, so I just used a couple of random molds.
The silicon one is actually a muffin mold I got in the bargain section of a department store.

POUR INTO MOLDS AND WAIT UNTIL COOL

These set fairly quickly, but you can stick them in the freezer to speed up the process.

STEP SEVEN:

The beeswax leaves particles that settle to the bottom, but I think it adds to the design.

ENJOY!

So, those are my lotion bars!  I hope I have enlightened you and inspired you to give them a try!  There is a bit of trial and error as you experiment, but the nice thing about them is you can always remelt them and add more oil or beeswax if you need to.  They're also fairly quick and easy to make. Once the beeswax melts everything else goes quickly.  They make nice gifts as well, but you may need to explain or include a note about how to use them.   

NOTES:  
I have not done much experimenting with Soy, but I believe it has a slightly lower melting temperature, so if you try to make these without Beeswax, you may need to adjust the hard/soft ratio ever so slightly.

You can also make this more of a salve and pour directly into tins.  I would just add about 1/2  or 1 more oz of oil to the mix to soften it up.

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR CHECKING OUT THE BLOG!!

Something smells....but not like Violets!

Today was not a beautiful sun shiny day!  The joys of living in the Adirondack area is that the weather changes quickly.  It was cold, windy and just about to rain, but I dragged my butt outside to pick violets.  Due to Memorial Day, and working in a deadline oriented business, I am looking at working solid for the next week, so it was pretty much now or never.  Plus, I still don't want to do housework! 

Wild Violets, one of my other favorite flowers!

Yesterday, I got a bit of a sunburn on the right hand side of my neck and shoulder, I need to remember in the future to rotate what angle I pick flowers at so the burn is even on each side.  Today, It was about moving sticks so when you plop down in the middle of the flowers you don't get impaled!

We are lucky to have tons of wild violets on our property.
In the spring, hubby is kind enough to mow around!

My tip for the lazy person is to just sit down and scoot around while picking ground flowers, bending and twisting is too much like exercise!  So, while with lilacs it was all about reaching up, today with violets it was all about finding a comfortable seat where I can still reach lots of flowers. I'm glad I don't work in a factory or on a farm because I would get fired quickly, even with impending rain it took me so long to fill the mason jar, and I wouldn't call it 'full'. If my hubby hadn't come out to work in the yard as well, I would have gotten one of the mini-jars and called it a day. Then, after all that work the violets didn't smell 'flowery' they smelled 'earthy'. So, I guess I just made an 'earthy' scented blend....oh, well!

Well, my husband was going to mow here anyway, I just helped flatten the area.

The Lazy Diva's 'Earthy' Violet Oil Mix  

1) Cram Violets into a Mason Jar

2) While adding flowers 'bruise' them and pack them in with a spoon.

3) Add 1/2 a cup of Sweet Almond Oil.

4) Stir, bruise, blend, slap a cap on and shake it up

Now, just like the lilacs in the previous blog, you keep it warm, out of sun, and shake it everyday for a week. Then you put it in a dark spot for two weeks, wait, drain, strain, and re-contain (in a dark bottle or bottles).
  

So, there you go, two blogs of making scented oils, I figured I'd get them out while the flowers were still in bloom.  Thanks to all those that have checked out the blog so far, I've started a facebook page too, so if you've enjoyed it so far... please 'like' my page.  https://www.facebook.com/VeronicaTheLazyDivasQuasiCraftyBlog

Next up, I'm thinking of making something for the bath...