Paola's Coconut Lotion Bars ~ Soothing and Bug Off Bars

5:12 PM Posted by jo

We love lotion bars in our family and they have always been a big hit when we have given them to friends. A lotion bar is a great alternative to a liquid water-based body lotion. I make them for the whole family, and they make great gifts during the holidays. A body lotion bar contains oil and is solid, which makes it ideal for children to use.

Lotion bars are extremely cost effective since it melts on contact with skin. As a result, less of the bar is used. These bars are a little different than the other bars we made, these were made with coconut oil instead of liquid vegetable oil.

Paola has helped me make lotion bars before so she knew how to make them. She made three different versions for her girls camp fundraiser. This year the girls don't have a huge fundraiser bringing in money for the camp so they have to run their own individual fundraiser. Paola loves making natural products so she decided to make products to sell to raise money for her share. Last year her big brother, my oldest son, performed a magic show which covered almost the whole camp for all the girls and scouts at our church. Big brother is off to college now and I'm not sure people would enjoy another show two years in a row.

Version 1 ~ Lavender/Calendula Infusion

1 cup of lavender & calendula infused coconut oil

1/2 cup mixture of cocoa butter & shea butter. Paola used mostly cocoa butter and a couple of spoons of shea butter.

2/3 cups of beeswax

1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil

Essential oils ~ 40 drops lavender

How to

First Paola mixed 4 tablespoons of lavender and 4 tablespoons of calendula with 2 cups of coconut oil in our tiny crock pot. She left it on the crock pot for about 2 hours and then she strained the oil. 1 cup infused oil was used for the lotion bars.
Paola started melting the beeswax first since the beeswax pieces were larger and took a longer time to melt than the butters. She melted the butters in a separate double boiler and added the melted beeswax to the butters. She used a double boiler and she was very careful and made sure that water didn't get into the mixture.
Once everything was melted, she added the vitamin E oil and 40 drops of lavender, and quickly poured the mixture into silicon muffin cups. I don't remember how long we waited before we took them out of the molds, but you should wait at least 3-4 hours or leave them overnight.

Version 2 ~ Bug Off Bar

1 cup of coconut oil

1/2 cup mixture of cocoa butter & shea butter. Paola used mostly cocoa butter and a couple of spoons of shea butter.

2/3 cups of beeswax

1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil

Essential oils - Paola added 40 drops of our antibacterial oil blend to the mixture, plus added extra drops on top of each lotion bar before they solidified.

Our antibacterial blend contains the following oils:
Citronella (Cymbopogon nardus), lemongrass (Cymbopogon flexuosus), rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis), Melaleuca (Melaleuca alternifolia) lavandin (Lavandula x hybrida), and myrtle (Myrtus communis).

How to

The same way as version 1minus the infused coconut oil step.

Version 3 ~ Lavender

1 cup of coconut oil

1/2 cup shea butter. Yep, Paola ran out of cocoa butter, unfortunately, she preferred more cocoa butter.

2/3 cups of beeswax

1 teaspoon Vitamin E oil

Essential oils - Lavender

How to

The same way as version 1minus the infused coconut oil step.

Why these ingredients?

Shea butter

Shea butter is actually a wax in semi-solid form. It is made from the nuts of the Shea nut tree in South Africa. It is high in vitamin E, has a slightly sunscreen effect, and softens the skin. It is said to help with burns, dermatitis, psoriasis, and sores and may help reduce wrinkles.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter is a wax from the cocoa bean. It has emollient qualities and absorbs quickly into the skin. Good for all skin types, but avoid if prone to skin allergy reactions.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has wonderful antioxidant properties that protect the skin from free radical damage. Also, when coconut oil is consumed and used topically on our skin, it helps our bodies absorb other nutrients more effectively as well, such as Vitamin E, another powerful antioxidant nutrient that protects the skin.

- Coconut oil is anti-inflammatory.

-Coconut oil may also help in treating various skin problems including psoriasis, dermatitis, eczema and other skin infections.

- It is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being antiviral, antibacterial and antifungal, and contains no trans fat (even olive oil has some trans fat). It may help prevent wrinkles.

Antibacterial blend

Repels insects, bugs, and mice.
Is a good first aid oil and sterilizes wounds and cuts.
Is beneficial in neutralizing poison from bees, spiders, wasps and hornets.

Lavender

Has traditionally been used for eczema, burns, acne, wounds, insect bites, minor cuts and scrapes. It's anti-inflammatory and soothing properties have a balancing effect on the skin. It's cytophylactic, which means it encourage growth of skin cells, is ideal for mature skin and treatment of burns.

Calendula

Has anti-inflammatory, astringent, vulnerary, emollient, antifungal and antiseptic properties. It has traditionally been used for wounds, diaper rash, stings, warts, varicose veins, fungal infections,abscesses, cold sores, bruises, cuts, sprains, sores, scar tissue, muscle soreness and more.

After making several versions we came to the conclusion that we like the bars with the highest amount of cocoa butter because it smells so good. Next time we make lotion bars we are going to make sure we have plenty of cocoa butter at home.

Here is my daughter Paola showin off one of her small soaps.

Thanks for visiting!

Before you leave:

I recommend that you always perform a skin patch test when you try a new essential oil.

Check out my safety page to make sure you are aware of any contrindications before you use essential oils. Some oils are not suitable when suffering from certain conditions. Also, Read this Before You Start Using Essential oils. Some oils should not be applied prior to sun exposure so make sure you check this list before spending time in the sun.

Not sure how to apply the oils? Visit these pages to learn how to apply the oils:

If you're new to essential oils you might want to check out my Getting Started Guide.

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Johanna is an aromatherapist and she is passionate about educating people about health, essential oils, real food, natural remedies, and nutrition so they make healthier choices in their lives.
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