I recently made some solid lotion bars, the recipe I used made an incredibly hard bar but I adapted it and it's now become the best seller at a local farmers market that I attend. I wondered if anyone knows of any other similar recipes?

I used:
equal weight measures of:
sweet almond oil
coconut oil
cocoa butter
beeswax

then added Jasmine essential oil (absolute but blended 6% in Jojoba oil)

I didn't do the stages, just shoved it all in a bowl, added the jasmine after it had all melted together & poured it into the soap moulds.

I have been suggesting people keep one by their sink so that when they have washed their hands & dried them, they rub a little on rather than a hand lotion. It is truly amazing stuff and lasts ages... best of all... it's so easy that even a muppet like me can make it!

My recipe:

This makes 6 1 oz bars

1oz Sweet Almond Oil
1oz Beeswax
1/2 oz Shea Butter
1/2 oz Cocoa Butter
A pinch of Jojoba Sheres (for color if you want to add color, this is optional)
Melt down, cool for a few then add what ever fragrance you desire)

These bars are yummy, just the right consistency, not to greasy, not to hard. My most recent hot seller was Pumpkin Spice.

Good Luck!!!!!!!!

Elle

Other people I have seen put in the deodorant containers do not seem to sell many. I don't know why, people seem to like the tins.

I have not had any melt thus far but I always tell people not to keep in car or direct sunlight etc.

I can't keep these in stock, it doesn't matter how many I make I always need more.

Good Luck!
Elle

After I melt the butter etc. I add fragrance then I put the tin on my scale and measure out an ounce of oil into each muffin round.

I let them sit for a little while until they are set then I stick in freezer for about 10 minutes so they pop right out of the muffin tins. I let them sit for a few then transfer to the 2" tins. I put a 1 1/2 inch round label on them when done.

You probably already know this, if you want colored bars use jojoba beads (just a little) for color.

OK, Good luck!!!

Elle

FYI-you cannot use food coloring or liquid color if you are putting in tins, they will rust. I am surprised your lotion bars turned out with the food coloring, when I first starting making them I added liquid color and they were a mess, the liquid color and oils seperated etc.

I even add pearly fine body glitter to one of mine, it is one of my best sellers.

Well, good luck with the lotion bars.

Do you by any chance have a salt scrub recipe that is thick instead of laying in oil. I am working on one right now, not as easy as I thougt.

Elle

I don't see why not.

I use 4oz flat tins from SpecialtyBottle.com.

Thanks, Carol

With a little research, you can learn what oils and items that would benefit your skin, and make lotion bars.

Figure out your costs per item, and times it by 3 or 4. 4 is ideal, but somewhere in between 3 and 4 tims the cost is usually where I put my prices.

Diane

This recipe doesn't stay "wet". It will feel like beach sand. Simply put a teaspoon (or perfered amount) into your hand, wet under the faucet then scrub!

The oils can be mixed and matched to personal preference. Remember that different oils leave different feelings on your skin. For example, olive oil is the closest you can get to your natural skin's oils but it takes a long time to soak in so you feel like a greased pig for a while. I like my combo becuase it doesn't sit in a grease pot -it actually feels like sand to the touch. Once you put your hands under water and scrub, you can feel the oils working into your skin. After I've dried, I have the same sensation as just putting on my favorite hand lotion. You can touch paper etc after using this product because there are no mineral oils. (I'm sure I don't need to tell this group why mineral oils are terrible!)

I'd love feedback on anyone who tries the recipe!

Sabrina

My question is: if you make the bar and realize it's too soft or too hard, can you melt it back down and add more ingredients?

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Bobbi, I've not heard of the pour and melt Shea.
I prefer to use other butters in place of Shea. Two of my favorites are Aloe Butter and Mowrah Butter.
You can interchange butters for each other in recipes. Find a butter you like and try it out.
Cocoa butter is a firmer butter. The Aloe and Mowrah are a soft butter, I'd say that Shea is in between in firmness. I also like Virgin Coconut Oil. It's closer to a butter than regular Coconut Oil.

thanks for help with my relentless questions!!
'toast

I am not a seller, just making things for personal use, but I am pretty pleased wit the results. If you are using molds to make bars, silicone muffun pans are great for this. It is really easy to get bars (or soaps) out.

Thanks so much!

Arkansas Girl, I'll try and remember to a picture and post it.

Roxy, yes the fo or eo, goes into the "mix" after oils, butters and wax are melted together.

thanks!

I am just wanting to get into making lotion bars. I live in Northern Arizona - all items shipped to me MUST pass thru Phoenix - which is extremely hot right now.

I was just wondering about the butters and do they melt? Is it OK if they do? Any input would be helpful. If it's not OK - I'll have to drive 3 hours to Phoenix to pick up supplies!

UGH!

here's a photo http://img67.imageshack.us/my.php?image=garden009rn9.jpg

The labels could have been fancier but I gave a couple of bars to each client with some magic gloves and packaged them with ribbon..plus I'm not real hot with graphics.

I did a lot of research for ingredients and recipes. Kelly at Soapy Supplies was wonderful to deal with. She returned emails promptly and was very knowledgable. Superior customer service!

this is my recipe and my supplier list

The recipe I used to make the lotion bars-
5oz of beeswax
4oz of sweet almond oil
2oz of cocoa butter
2oz of shea butter
1 capsule of vitamin E oil
3 teaspoons of essential or or less.

I just used a food scale to measure the oil, wax and butters. Pour the measured ingredients into a bowl and microwave it until it's melted..maybe stirring it a little.
Don't add the essential (fragrance oil) until after you've melted the measured ingredients. Some essential oils have a low flash point so you don't want to microwave them.
Be sure to stir the mixture after you add the essential oil and then pour it into the molds.
It was cool outside when I made mine so I would take it outside and let it cool.
If you try to rush it by putting them in the freezer/refrigerator they could crack or get moisture spots. Sometimes it takes a while to cool. If they're warm at all, they'll stick to the mold.

After one batch make sure your pour is right and the bars fit in the tins. I had to pour my flower molds a little "short" otherwise the tops hit the lid on the tins.

Super easy. I purchased blank, white round sticky labels on ebay and then printed them on my printer. If you have a laser printer you could make really nice clear labels.

The molds came from 3dmolds.com
http://www.3dmolds.com/mini-molds/index.php
Any guest soap mold or mini mold will work. The more detail there is in the mold, the higher the chance that pieces of the bar will get stuck in the mold when you remove it.

The tin containers are from here..
https://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=2 27
.32 a piece if you order 145 or more.

I purchased the almond fragrance and the oatmeal fragrance from here
http://www.sweetcakes.com/default.php?cPath=15
However, the most popular fragrance by far was the green tea & cucumber. I purchased that at JoAnns. It comes in tiny little bottles and it was expensive. If you can find a refreshing scent through sweetcakes.com it would be a lot cheaper.

Raw materials
Beeswax beads natural 10 lbs
shea butter 3 lbs
cocoa butter white 3 lbs
Sweet Almond oil one gallon (which doesn't have a scent..I assumed it would have an almond fragrance..it doesn't)

http://www.soapies-supplies.com/shop/

I think I ended up with about 265-280 lotion bars. I lost track of how many I made and just went by the number of tins I used...but I also gave away some bars that weren't in tins.

The molds hold a little over 1oz of lotion and the tins are 2oz tins.

Place wick into tin securely. Melt the above ingredients, scent with your favorite scent and then pour into containers. These are great.

I don't know what kind of wick to use. I think wicks have different temperatures so I'm clueless here.
Still researching...
I've seen more warnings than anything else. I plan on including a label that says "don't pour the hot wax directly on your skin- blow the flame out, let it cool a bit then scoop the warm wax out." Also- that it's not meant to be a candle..that it's a solid lotion with a warming wick...all that stuff. I'm not selling them, I'm making them as gifts for my clients..but I'm still very careful about the liability issue. I have insurance but I still don't want to get sued!

My modified solid lotion bar - vegetable only.
2 oz Soy Wax
2 oz shea butter
1 oz shea nut oil
20 drops essential. (During my experiment batch it was a purchased blend of tea tree oil & lavender oil)

It feels just solid enough without being too hard, doesn't seem too crumbly and just slightly more oily than a bar I purchased that used beeswax, shea &cocoa butter, almond oil

Since they were skin sensative to their lotion and were advised against it, there was no actual answer. Does anyone know if it is possible.

I have lots of lotions but am hopeless at using them and would prefer to use them as a solid bar.

Thanks

And also where do you sell your products?

Thanks Pam

I was also wondering if the lotion bar is still a hit, haven't seen many here in Michigan. Thanks =)

Is there any ingredient that can be used in the bars that would kill any germs? Otherwise, when I look at those bars, that is all I think - that I am rubbing great oils on my skin, yes, but lots of bacteria too.

Look orward to hearing/reading talks thoughts.

Syd

@ Chell- I am not sure if the lotion bars are like cold process soap any but the way that I keep the scent on my bars is put a few drops of the essential or fragrance oil on a cotton ball (not on bar) and put in the container with the bar. It seems to bring the smell back out of the bar and keeps it there, :) Hope this works for you!

@ Chell- I am not sure if the lotion bars are like cold process soap any but the way that I keep the scent on my bars is put a few drops of the essential or fragrance oil on a cotton ball (not on bar) and put in the container with the bar. It seems to bring the smell back out of the bar and keeps it there, :) Hope this works for you!