Homade Lotion Bars

September has been a busy time of returning to work and getting resettled into a regular schedule of work and home.  We have started a couple of home improvement projects that we had hoped to get to before summer was over but it was just too hot.  Now that we are enjoying cooler fall temperatures, it is time to move forward with some painting and replacing of carpets and flooring.   At the moment, the house is a bit torn up and everywhere I look there are things to be done.  But it's Sunday, time to take a break and do something fun.  So, after church while The Investigator was watching his football games I decided to try something new.  

I have been doing a little research on homemade lotions bars and I wanted to try making them for myself.  It turned out to be quite easy to do. 

 For my first try I decided to use three simple ingredients, coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax. 

The use of beeswax dates back to ancient Egypt where it was written by historians that Cleopatra used it in her cosmetics and bath soaps. It's a natural anti-inflammatory and seals in moisture to the skin.  I chose pure white beeswax pearls because they are more refined than the yellow wax which is used for candles.

Next, I chose refined shea butter which comes from Africa and is extracted from the shea nut.  It helps with skin elasticity. 

This is what the shea nut looks like.




 Finally, I chose organic coconut oil which is rich in fatty acids, penetrates the skin and helps keep moisture in.  It is also soothing to skin that has been mildly damaged by the sun.

 

I measured equal amounts of each ingredient into a large mason jar.  After placing the jar into a pan of water I boiled the water and stirred constantly until all the solids had melted into a clear liquid. At this point I could have added an essential oil but I wanted just the light clean scent of the coconut oil. 

I poured the liquid into my "molds" which which was just an old muffin tin filled with cupcake papers to give the bars a small ruffled edge.  Once they were filled I set them aside to cool.  It took only too a few minutes for them to begin to harden.

Now all I needed to do was sit back and have a drink of cold lemonade and relax as I waited for everything to harden.  It was Sunday after all.

After a couple of hours I came back and removed my bars from the molds.  They came out perfect, pure and natural, no chemicals.  Just lightly rub on your warmed skin after a shower.  The warmth of your skin melts a little of the oils onto your skin to moisturize and protect with just a hint of coconut.  Now don't you think these would make a lovely gift?