Calming & Relaxing Lotion Bar Sticks (Non-greasy)

There are many things in life that I’m afraid of.

I’m afraid that I’m going to be able to see ghosts because then I’d have to nag dead people for the messes they’d leave on top of Mr.V’s.

I’m afraid to lose my fake musical genius in me because I did not pretend to cultivate it. Whoa, what? I have no idea where that came from.

I’m afraid of stepping on a banana peel, slipping and then epically falling in front of Matt Damon.

Ok seriously though, I’m afraid to die. Even the slightest notion that something may possibly kill me, I’d like to avoid it thank you very much.

It was roughly 365 days ago that I proudly told Mr. V we’re never going to buy store bought body lotions ever again because of this very fear. And it has been 365 days that I’ve yet made a homemade one and let’s just say, our skins, well… they’ve seen better days.

Yes, I know there are lotions out there that are clean and toxin free but they are exponentially more expensive. The irony of why products containing natural ingredients cost more than artificial ones still baffles me. Cheaper ones contain crappy ingredients and those that don’t cost so much that they can buy me a steak dinner every other month. To steak dinner or not to steak dinner, that is the question.

Steak dinner it is.

Quick Method

what you need:

By weight
1 part beeswax
2 parts mango butter
2 parts grape seed oil
12-16 drops essential oil per 30g or 2 tbs carrier oil
1 vitamin E oil capsule per 30g or 2 tbs carrier oil

So for example:
7.5g or 1 tbs beeswax pellets
15g or 1 1/2 tbs mango butter
15g or 1 1/4 tbs grape seed oil
12 drops lavender oil
4 drops eucalyptus oil
3-4 drops vitamin E oil (or 1 capsule)

directions:

1. Use a double boiler, add the grape seed oil and beeswax. Once beeswax has completely melted, turn off the heat and add the mango butter.

2. Add the vitamin E oil and essential oils. Gently stir until thoroughly mixed.

3. Carefully pour the mixture into clean containers. Let it cool and set.

4. To use lotion, gently rub the bar sticks on your skin (like you would a deodorant). Let the warmth of your body soften the lotion. A little goes a long way.

Notes:

1. Carrier Oil:

a. Grape seed oil is used here as it has a fast absorption rate therefore will feel less oily on the skin after application. Other substitutes for grape seed oil are apricot kernel oil, safflower oil or hazelnut oil.

b. If you want a more moisturizing lotion (where you probably can’t touch anything for 20-30 minutes), you can use coconut oil, sweet almond oil or jojoba oil. Even more moisturizing oils are macadamia oil and avocado oil.

c. Mango butter can be replaced by shea butter. Cocoa butter is harder and not a suitable substitution. But if you really want to use it, you will have to adjust the amount of bees wax or oil according.

2. ‘Glide’ of lotion: The ratio above gives a good glide on the skin. If you like it ‘less’ glide increase the beeswax. If you like give it even more glide, increase the carrier oil (mango butter or grape seed oil).

3. Greasiness: To make it even less greasy, increase amount of mango butter and decrease grape seed oil accordingly. Eg. 3 parts mango butter and 1 part grape seed oil. Also, decrease the beeswax a little to adjust the firmness of the bars.

The beauty about making these are they’re very flexible. Just remelt and adjust ingredients and ratio.

4. Vitamin E oil is to help slow down the grape seed oil from going bad.

5. Essential Oils:

Lavender calms and relaxes the body and helps with sleep. Eucalyptus helps decrease mental exhaustion or sluggishness by creating a cooling and refreshing effect. Citrus oils should not be used if your skin is going to be exposed to the sun within 24-48 hours. For more information on citrus oils or other essential oils, read my guide here. Add more essential oils to this recipe 1 drop at a time if you want the smell to be more prominent.

6. Containers: I bought my containers here. If you want to use other containers or mold is fine too. I find putting on sticks easier to apply.

7. Double boiler: Put a saucepan with about 1 inch of water to boil. Once boiled, bring the water to a calm simmer and place a heatproof bowl on top. Melt the ingredients in the heatproof bowl.

8. How much to make: Measure your container(s) to see how much liquid it can store and calculate from there to see how much ingredients you need.

9. Utensils: Use a silicone spatula to help take out as much mixture out of the bowl. I use separate utensils to make homemade beauty products and do not mix them with the food utensils.

10. Clean up: Place bowl back on the saucepan. While it’s still warm, use a paper towel to wipe the bowl before washing. Wipe utensils before washing as well. Citrus enzyme cleaner helps with greasy wash.

My last post: Baking soda vs baking powder in muffins.

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What are you afraid of? What are your fears?