This DIY lotion bar is crafted from a blend of coconut oil, shea butter, beeswax, calendula flowers and fragrant essential oils. The calendula lotion bars are incredibly easy to make and will leave your skin feeling soft and hydrated.

Soft and smooth.

That is what a child’s skin feels like. As I was carrying around my 2 year old nephew the other day reminded me of how velvety smooth a young kiddos skin can be. We all start out that way, I guess but as we age our skin changes. The effect of aging, sun rays, cold winter weather, stress, nutrition, and so many other variables in life transform our skin.

Thankfully there are an assortment of natural ways to keep skin looking and feeling great, practically renewing what was lost and giving us soft smooth skin, yet again. One of my favorite ways to moisturize my skin is by hydrating it with whipped body butter. I like to cleanse my body with goats milk soap. And when I need to moisturize dry patches of skin, my go-to is a calendula lotion bar. The little bar is packed full of all-natural ingredients along with my favorite herb, calendula. The best part is this lotion bar is portable! Should I need a touch of protection on my knuckles during the winter, I can pull a tin of lotion from my purse and soothe those dry spots instantly.

Whip up a set of these homemade lotion bars and stash them in all of your favorite places, so that no matter where you go, you’ll be certain to have soft, smooth, hydrated skin. These herbal lotion bars also make great gifts! I don’t know how many times I have made lotion bars, only to end up with one or two for personal use due to everyone snatching them up as soon as they are made.

What is a Lotion Bar?

A lotion bar is made up of natural ingredients, without any preservatives, to form a solid block of lotion. In the DIY lotion recipe below, the bar is kept solid by using a mixture of shea butter and beeswax. Lotion bars are incredibly moisturizing and can be made using a variety of oils. These bars will last about 6 months, if stored properly.

How to Use a Lotion Bar

For dry hands, legs, back or feet, rub the lotion bar onto your skin to deeply hydrate. The heat from your body will melt the lotion bar, making it easy to apply. Continue to rub onto your skin as needed.

Benefits of Using a Lotion Bar

Unlike traditional liquid lotion, lotion bars are much more concentrated making them perfect for those with skin that needs some extra care. Lotion bars are a great way to hydrate and protect skin. Due to their small size, they can easily be stored in a small tin, making them convenient to transport and use when needed. Most importantly lotion bars do not contain added artificial fragrances, colors, preservatives or chemicals that can often aggravate skin.

How to Store Lotion Bars

My favorite way to store lotion bars is to stack them in a glass jar with a little bit of wax paper or parchment paper between each bar. The paper helps to prevent the lotion bars from sticking together. Other great ways to keep the bars fresh is to store them in an airtight plastic container or or a sealed bag. If you’re giving the lotion bars away as a gift, they can be wrapped in parchment paper, beeswax wrap or a plastic bag. Whichever way you decide to store the bars, do keep them in a cool, dry place to prevent them from getting damaged.

What is Calendula?

Calendula also known as the pot marigold is a beautiful cheery herb that not only looks lovely in your garden but also has wondrous healing benefits. It has anti-biotic and anti-inflammatory properties, helps to decrease pain and accelerates cell division in the body, helping to heal it faster, which makes it the perfect addition to an DIY herbal lotion bar.

Easy DIY Lotion Bar

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Makes: 7 bars (depending on what size of mold you use)

Natural Ingredients to Make Herbal Lotion Bar

1/2 cup (104 g) melted coconut oil
1/2 cup (110 g) shea butter
1/2 cup (58 g) beeswax pastilles
14 dried calendula flowers
1/4 tsp orange essential oil
3 drops cinnamon essential oil
Mold

How to Make Lotion Bars

In a pint size mason jar, add the coconut oil and calendula flowers. Set the jar into a saucepan with a few inches of water over low heat. Infuse the oil for 2 hours at a gentle simmer. Do not boil. When the oil is ready to use, strain the herbs out of the oil using a fine mesh strainer.

Return the infused oil to the mason jar. Add the shea butter and beeswax. Place the jar back into the saucepan with water and heat over low heat until the beeswax has fully melted.

Remove from heat. Cool for 5 minutes then stir in the orange and cinnamon essential oils. Pour mixture into your desired molds. Allow the lotion bars to cool completely before removing from the molds. Store in cool, dry place.

To use the lotion bar, rub over dry areas of skin such as your hands, heels or legs. I love to spread a thin layer over my legs after I have shaved them. It leaves them smooth and silky.

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