How to make Solid Lotion Bars

Solid lotion bars are a complete necessity in this weather.  But what are they?  And how are they made?

Unlike commercial moisturisers and body butters, home made lotion bars need only contain a handful of natural ingredients.  Because of the long shelf life of the butters oils and waxes used in making them, and as they are formulated without water, they don't need additional preservatives.

If you suffer from dry or irritated skin, need to moisturise on the move (much easier to carry a lotion bar through airport control than a bottle of lotion!) or simply want to find a cheaper way to keep your skin in great condition, why not give them a try.

You don't need fancy moulds; if you already have PVC or Silicone soap, candle, bath bomb or chocolate moulds or even ice cube trays then you can use these.  Alternatively you can use paper souffle cases, or recycled plastic containers - just be sure that whatever you use can withstand a fairly high degree of heat.  If travelling with solid lotion you might want to use a Dip Pot.  These food grade pots are semi disposable containers that are also micro safe and have a hinged lid allowing you to make and store your bars in one container.

Of course you can get fancy with them especially if planning to give them as gifts.  Heart shaped soap moulds make a really pretty looking lotion bar.

Solid Lotion Bar Recipe

50g Beeswax or Vegetable wax such as Candelila
50g Sweet Almond or similar vegetable base oil
50g Shea Butter

Optional

1.5ml toiletry grade fragrance concentrate or essential oil of your choice
Suggestions; Lavender & Patchouli essential Oil, Clary Sage & Lavender EO, Coconut fragrance oil, Ylang Ylang EO (doubles up as a very very good massage bar for two!), Vanilla & Chocolate fragrance oil (though licking your arms after applying isn't wholly recommended)... experiment, we think you will enjoy!

Method

Using either a microwave or a pan, slowly melt your Beeswax until almost completely liquid. Remove from the heat and stir in the Shea and Sweet Almond.  If necessary return to the heat briefly but be sure to remove from the heat immediately that all the butters are liquid.  Doing this part of the process slowly and gently will preserve the qualities of the butters/oils.  Shea butter in particular does not like to be overheated and can react by separating and becoming grainy.

Cool for a few minutes before stirring in your chosen Essential or Fragrance Oil.

Once the mix has cooled* for a few minutes, pour into your moulds/containers and cool completely before use. You can pop the moulds in the fridge if you're feeling especially impatient.

*Allowing the mix to cool is especially important when using plastic moulds - you don't want to melt them!

Et Voila!  All done.

Vary the recipe by using different "butters" - Mango for instance.  If you want to include Cocoa Butter then we suggest that you reduce the Beeswax - perhaps use 25g of Beeswax with 25g of Cocoa Butter plus the other ingredients as above.  And if you find the recipe either too hard or too soft for your preference, then either reduce or increase the Beeswax.

Hot Tip! Want to add a touch of colour?  Try Jojoba Beads - teeny tiny spheres of Jojoba Wax that's had cosmetic colour added; suitable for use in scrubs these can also be added to your mix to add a touch of colour - only a few grams needed.

Functionally all of the ingredients work for your skin - other than fragrance of course, but that's a sensory necessity!  Beeswax will help provide a barrier to the elements whilst the Shea and Almond Oil will moisturise and soften.  You can include Essential Oils for therapeutic value as well as for their particular fragrance or simply make up a fragrance free version which can be used to tackle very dry skin and even eczema.  The choice is yours, we hope that you enjoy :)

How to Make Prim Heart Bath Melts

We so wanted to share these lovelies with you, as they are simple to make but better yet, they are truly fabulous to use.  So finally, here they are!

So what is a bath melt?

You simply pop one into  your (running) bath.  The natural Cocoa, Shea and Natural Vegetable oils will melt in the warmth of the water, but as you probably guessed they will not disperse fully.  Instead, the oils will be drawn to your skin providing instant moisturising without the effort!

When you finally get out of your bath (take care, it will be slippery and we strongly recommend the use of a bath mat) all you need do is pat your skin dry.  A film of skin loving oils will remain, leaving you with a wonderful pampered feeling.

We're using our Prim Hearts Mould which can also be used for fizzers and soaps, but you can of course use any suitable mould.  Keep the size small, there is no need to have a huge chunk of a melt in your bath.  Novelty ice trays will work as will guest soap moulds.  As this is an oily recipe, it will work well with re purposed yoghurt pots etc too. and should not give you too many de moulding issues whatever the shape.  As with soaps, chilling before de moulding will help tremendously.

What you need to make around 6 melts. (Multiply up if you want to make more)

A mould with a capacity of around 120-130g divided between cavities of around 20-25g (If you don't know the capacity, weigh your mould empty and then again with water in it to calculate the rough capacity)

65g Shea Butter or similar (a butter of similar consistency at room temp such as Mango)

32g Cocoa Butter unbleached (still has its natural aroma)

32ml Vegetable base oil such as Sweet Almond (substitute with your favourite if you prefer)

0.5ml of Thyme fragrance oil

0.5ml of Rosemary fragrance oil

(both fragrances can of course be substituted for your preference)

Due to the oil rich nature of this recipe, the melts that you make are known as a "leave on" product.  That is, there is an increased element of dermal exposure to the fragrance; the oil and the fragrance within the melts will cling to the skin and not be washed away.  

This is in contrast to a melt and pour soap for example that you rinse away and is termed a "wash off" product.  These two classifications are especially relevant for those making and selling products - the two have different permitted levels of fragrance and allergens in the final product.

Of course at home there are no regulations covering your own creations made for personal use, but the rules exist as a point of safety. For this type of recipe, use no more than 1% fragrance or essential oil in your mix in total. This recipe uses around 129g of ingredients and so using 1ml in total of fragrance will keep you within the recommendations.  Our suggested fragrances Rosemary and Thyme have relatively low levels of allergens in their formulation.  Allergen free fragrances are available here

Rosemary & Thyme make a fabulous fragrance combination that should not be kept for stuffing!  But you may also have other ideas. Don't be shy - you can combine any of our cosmetic grade fragrance concentrates to create your own classy combinations but please don't mix Essential oil and fragrance oil.  How about Vanilla & Cinnamon for a warm spicy autumnal soak? Or English Rose & Patchouli for a sensual soak?

Method

Using a saucepan over a very low heat, melt your Cocoa Butter first.  When half liquid, add your Shea Butter and Oil.  Stir gently until completely liquid but do not overheat.

Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes.  Add your fragrance and stir.

Cool for a further 5-15 minutes, observing the mix to ensure it is not setting.

Pour into your moulds.

Allow to cool, refrigerate until cold before popping out of the mould.

For our Prim Heart mould, turn the mould upside down and press firmly but gently in the middle of each cavity.  Your melts should release easily.  If not, they may not be cold enough - pop them back in the fridge.

Wrap & Enjoy!

All Natural Bath Bomb Recipe

This is a really simple recipe that uses no artificial fragrance or colour.  

Even if you find fragrance overpowering, you can still enjoy a relaxing and cleansing bath filled with fizz and the sensory delights of aroma & colour that comes only from gorgeously natural ingredients.  

The pure Cocoa Butter in this recipe will literally feed your skin, leaving you feeling pampered and moisturised without any effort.

As you would expect, the aroma of these beautiful bath bombs is gentle and soothing; perfectly suited to those who struggle with strong smells or indeed anyone who needs that bit of me time.

What you might not expect is that the aroma from this recipe is soooo nice! Enjoy :)

Ingredients

250g Sodium Bicarbonate

125g Citric Acid

50g Corn Starch (Corn Flour)

50g Dried Mango Powder

Orange flower water in a spritz bottle to bind (about 15-20ml needed here)

Grated Natural Cocoa Butter (unbleached to keep its natural properties and aroma)

Handful of Calendula flowers
(All of the above ingredients are available at www.bathbomb.biz)

The above will make around 5 Bath Bombs when using a 60mm two part mould, or will make dozens and dozens of little fizzers using silicone ice tray type moulds.  We also used a PVC soap & bath bomb tray type mould and these worked really well.

Method

Place the bicarb, citric and corn flour in a large plastic bowl & using gloved hands, combine the ingredients

Add the Mango powder & combine, squashing any lumps between finger & thumb (Mango has a tendency to clump)

Taking a lump of Cocoa Butter, grate in around 10-20g and stir through the mix

Add a handful of Calendula Petals (Not too many or you may have problems getting the mix to hold its shape)

Spritz with Orange Flower water 5-6 sprays at a time whilst moving the mix around with your hands.  When the mix is holding together if squeezed in your palm, its ready for moulding. (Think damp sandcastle sand - do not over wet)

Place into your moulds and allow to dry.  Wrap to preserve the aroma until required.

As this recipe contains a "butter" please use caution - the bath will be slippery.

Tip when you get out of your bath, just pat your skin dry allowing the film of Cocoa Butter to remain and work its magic!

If you prefer a stronger aroma you can simply adapt this recipe by adding your favourite fragrance or essential oils.  We recommend using a citrus Essential oil - Tangerine or Mandarin work really well with the ingredient combination here.  Use around 1% so for this quantity you'd need around 4.5ml.

What do you think?  Let us know if you'll be giving these a try we would love to hear from you.

And if you'd like to share pictures of your own creations please do join us on Facebook here