2-Ingredient Homemade Lotion Bars
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy for more information.
I love having lots of strategies for moisturizing my dry skin. I always keep ordinary lotion on hand, but in addition to that I often make my own glycerin moisturizing spray, and every so often I make my own lotion bars too. And that’s because lotion bars are very quick and easy to make!
Ordinary lotions are usually an emulsification of oil and water, often with an emulsifying wax mixed in too. Lotion bars take the water out of the mixture and instead can be made by just mixing an oil and a wax. The end result is a soft bar that can be rubbed on skin for softening and moisturizing in a form that doesn’t evaporate as quickly as a water-based lotion.
How To Make DIY Lotion Bars
I decided to keep things super simple this time around and used my easy homemade lotion bars recipe that only needs two ingredients: Beeswax Pastilles + Coconut Oil. I use equal amounts of each so that also keeps things easy!
These two ingredients then need to be melted together. To do this I always mix them together in a cleaned out, empty tin can. Why use a tin can? Because when you’re done you can just toss the can out with no worries about trying to clean up dried wax.
I use a water bath method to melt my ingredients. I fill a saucepan with a few inches of water and then set the tin can with the ingredients into the water-filled pan. This gets heated on the stove over medium heat for a few minutes until the ingredients are melted. I keep disposable wooden chopsticks from the dollar store around to use for stirring these types of mixtures. I can’t ever just let it set there – I always have to poke the mixture around until everything is melted.
Once the ingredients are melted you can pour them into the mold of your choice. This time around I used a silicone mold. These are kind of fun to use because they’re available in many pretty shapes. However in the past I’ve also just used my mini loaf pan to mold lotion bars!
And as mentioned earlier, this is why I love to just use old tin cans for this project. Whatever container you use to melt the wax will have hardened wax on it when you’re done. If you use a disposable container, it can just be tossed out when the melting part of the project is over.
Your homemade lotion bars will harden up quickly. I usually let them set for about a half an hour just to be sure they have hardened, and then they can be popped out of the molds.
To use a homemade lotion bar, simply rub it between your hands or onto your skin and the heat from your body will soften it so that the ingredients can moisturize your skin. And for one final bonus of these lotion bars – They can be a very portable way to keep a moisturizer with you too!
More DIY Moisturizing Ideas:
Homemade 2-Ingredient Lotion Bars
Equipment:
- Clean Empty Recycled Tin Can with paper label removed
- Small Saucepan
- Silicone Mold (or other mold)
Materials:
- 1/3 cup Beeswax Pastilles (sometimes also called Pellets)
- 1/3 cup Coconut Oil
Instructions:
- Place the beeswax and the coconut oil into the empty tin can.
- Fill the saucepan with a few inches of water. Place the tin can with ingredients into the water-filled pan.
- Heat on the stove until the water around the tin can is just starting to bubble. Keep at this heat level until the ingredients in the tin can are melted together.
- Pour the melted wax/oil mixture into the molds.
- Let harden for about a half an hour. Then pop the hardened lotion bars out of the mold.
- To Use: Rub the lotion bar between your hands or onto any area of your skin that needs moisturizing. The heat of your body will soften the lotion bar so that it can be rubbed into your skin.
