Ok, this is barely mine. Barely. I saw this post Argan & Sandalwood Vanilla Lotion Bars on the Soap Queen and decided to give lotion bars another chance. These are just so pretty and look like pats of butter.
In the past the lotion bars I've made have been about 1/3 wax, this is too high. Especially for winter. My house gets really cold and rubbing a rock hard waxy bar on my hands or body just doesn't work and takes a really long time! I converted this recipe into percentages to see just how much wax/butter/oil was being used. 45% liquid oil, 27% soft butter, 18% beeswax and 10% cocoa butter. Even if I added the beeswax to the cocoa butter (two hard ingredients) it still wouldn't be up to 1/3. This looked promising to me.
I decided a 100g batch wouldn't depress me too much if I hated it and never used it. I don't have argan oil and I think it's over-hyped and overpriced. There are much better oils out there that aren't as trendy for body products (em olive oil!) but are hidden gems! I chose a mix of jojoba oil and hazelnut oil to sub for the argan. I made sure everything I put in it was ok for face and lips and beneficial to sad winter skin. I tweaked the percentages to add room for some vitamin E oil and a fragrance. I didn't add fragrance to mine since I wanted it to work for "everything" on my body, including lips and around eyes. If you would like the same, just omit the 2% and come up short, or add another 2% liquid oil.
The 100 gram batch made 3 bars in this Crafters Choice mold.
Everything piled up in a heat safe glass beaker. You want to heat this using the double boiler method. Add a few inches of water to a small pot and put the beaker of oils/butters in it, not getting any water in the oil mixture! Heat slowly, stirring until everything is melted and combined.
Once everything is melted you can add fragrance (if you wish) and some vitamin E (also optional).
Pour into a mold and either pop them in the fridge or let them sit out until firm.
You might want to put these in the freezer if they are a touch soft or dent when unmolding. They won't chip or become damaged as easily if they are frozen! I leave these out unmolded for a couple days to 'cure'. They don't really cure, but seem to become harder over time when allowed to set up a while.
You can store these in cute metal tins because there is no water! This is a 2" metal tin and fits the lotion bar perfectly. It allows you to take it with you in your purse! A plastic jar would work just as well. I'm partial to this tin because it is very low profile and perfectly fits this size bar. I've taken to keeping one of these bars in the bathroom and gently rub it on my face (around eyes, mouth and nose- the dry parts) then top with facial lotion. It really gives it a kick! I love this for my hands and lips too! It's a little trickier to use all over your body. I've had the most luck with warm, damp post-shower skin. Make sure to warm the bar by rubbing it between your hands and either use the bar to apply or use the amount that rubs off in your hands. Water on your skin will help the lotion bar disperse and spread easier in my opinion.
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