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Mother’s Day is coming up soon…and so is graduation and Father’s Day and a ton of family birthdays. And a family wedding. In other words, I have entered the season of gifts.
I pride myself in being able to find the perfect gifts for my family members (the ones that live with me) but I am notoriously bad about getting gifts for people who I don’t see every day. In the last few months, I have started making a few beauty products for myself and recognized immediately that the lotions and soaps and scrubs that I was making would be perfect to give as gifts.
Since I’ve started using my own natural, homemade lotions, scrubs and soaps, I can’t imagine using anything else. I have come to completely rely on them for my daily moisturizing.
Side note: I have had a recurring lip condition for years. My lips burn, tingle and then flake off, and the condition usually lasts for several weeks to months at a time. As soon as I started using these shea butter lotion bars on my lips, the condition went away and hasn’t returned. That was enough to sell me.
These little lotion bars are extremely easy to make, and based on the ingredients that I purchased (not including the optional essential oils or the mold), each 1.5 x 1.5 inch lotion bar costs about 31 cents.
Here are the ingredients I used (I purchased everything on Amazon so I didn’t have to shop around). The following links are affiliate links to the items I purchased for this project.
- Wilton 24-Cavity Silicone Brownie Squares Baking Mold
- Organic Coconut Oil
- Unrefined Raw Shea Butter
- Beeswax Organic Pastilles
- Essential oils (optional): Cinnamon Bark, Peppermint, Eucalyptus, Lemon, Sweet Orange, Grapefruit
Note: I have a huge collection of essential oils (I’m not a seller, just a user!) so I just made a few variations with some of my favorite scents. If you don’t have essential oils on hand, you can definitely make these lotion bars without them, but I do highly recommend scenting your lotion to your taste! I am partial to the cinnamon (combined with the shea butter and coconut oil, the lotion bars have a pleasant cinnamon bun scent) and the peppermint/eucalyptus combo (which is a very refreshing/invigorating scent). But use (or don’t use!) your favorites and make these lotion bars your own.
How to make your own shea butter lotion bars
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) shea butter
- 2 ounces (1/4 cup) beeswax pastilles
- 3 tablespoons coconut oil
- 10 drops of essential oils of your choice (optional)
- In a double boiler, melt shea butter and beeswax over medium low heat. (I just used a large glass bowl sitting on top of a small pot of water. I’ve also used a Pyrex measuring cup sitting inside a pot of water - this method makes it easy to pour melted lotion base into mold)
- When shea butter and beeswax are nearly melted, add coconut oil (which will melt very quickly). Stir. Add essential oils, if desired.
- Pour melted lotion base into mold (I used 1.5 inch square brownie molds, but any molds will do) and let cool until completely solid (this will take several hours).
- Remove lotion bars from molds and store in a cool, dry place. Note: heat will re-melt the lotion bars, so if for some reason you need to re-mold, just heat and start over.
- To use: simply rub lotion bars in between your hands to activate. Your body heat will melt/soften the bars just enough to give you some good lotion to apply anywhere, even your lips! I rub the bars straight onto my lips, just like lip balm.
For more easy gift ideas, visit a few of my favorite bloggers:
- DIY Lavender Facial by Confessions of an Overworked Mom
- Easy Cookie Platter Mother’s Day Gift by A Mom’s Take
- DIY Mother’s Day Herb Garden Gift by Mom Does It All
- DIY Vanity Tray by Style on Main
- Homemade Painted Glass Bottle by Our Family World
- Thanks a Latte Teacher Gift by Simply Southern Mom
- DIY Mother’s Day Coupon Book for Twin Moms by Mom on the Side
- DIY Butterfly Wall Hanging by Home and Garden Cafe
- Party Worthy Spinach Salad with Strawberries by Day by Day in Our World
- DIY Aromatherapy Shower Fizzies by My So Called Balanced Life
- Easy DIY Photo Coasters & a Delicious Mocktail to Spoil Mom by Two Boys One Girl One Crazy Mom
- Add Some Style to Your Sunglasses by Greta’s Day
- DIY Kitchen Herb Garden Gift by About a Mom
- Pasta Picture Frame by Upstate Ramblings
- Easy Marquee Letter Craft by Momma D Jane’s Blog
- School’s Out for Summer Gift by The Guavalicious Life
© 2015, Lolli. All rights reserved.
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These are really nifty and I think that I would like to try these, I was wondering, have you any ideas to store these or to carry them in your purse? I have some Altoids tins that might work.
I would love to have you stop by to linkup on FF Linkup this week on Oh my Heartsie Girl!!
I hope you enjoy your weekend!
Karren
Karren Haller ?´s last blog post ..The Ultimate Party on G+ Build Your Circles
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Lolli Reply:
May 15th, 2015 at 3:16 pm
Yes! I would recommend Altoid tins. I’ve also used little jewelry boxes (cardboard). I don’t recommend plastic baggies.
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Thanks for sharing at the #HomeMattersParty - We hope to see you again next week!
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
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I love Shea Butter but haven’t tried anything like this. I actually have everything on hand but the mold so I will be making these very soon.
Melinda Dunne´s last blog post ..Wordless Wednesday~Prom
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These look really great, and I love knowing that they helped your lips. My lips are always getting chapped and although I know it’s not the same thing, I’m still hoping that this will work for my lips. Best part is I have everything except the Shea Butter, so I will definitely be making some of these very soon.
Thanks for sharing.
Ricki @ The Questionable Homesteader´s last blog post ..Building a Pantry for $15
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Lolli Reply:
April 29th, 2015 at 9:44 am
I really hope it works on your lips! I was so grateful to find something that worked!
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This looks great and easy! I want to try it!!
Cheryl´s last blog post ..Do You Like Watering Cans??
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Not only does this sound like it would be amazing, they look super cute, too! Will have to make some!
Mistee Dawn´s last blog post ..DIY Mother’s Day Movie Night Gift Basket! #EntertainmentHOP
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I can’t believe how easy these are to make. And I bet they smell great in the chocolate flavor!
Pam´s last blog post ..Great Gift Idea- AMD FX APU – HP Envy Touchsmart Laptop
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oh my what an amazing DIY. I will make it. I love soap bars
Ourfamilyworld´s last blog post ..Comment on Painted Glass Bottle Homemade Mother’s Day Gift Idea by Lee
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I need to try this. I bet it would be super moisturizing and after the long winter we had, we need this!
Ellen Christian (@ellenblogs)´s last blog post ..Printable Pet Emergency Checklist
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I LOVE this idea for lip balm!
Janel´s last blog post ..Easy Cookie Platter Mother’s Day Gift #CreativeHOP
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Lolli Reply:
April 20th, 2015 at 2:26 pm
It’s seriously my favorite now! My only problem is that it doesn’t carry quite as nicely as traditional lip balm in the bottom of my purse. lol
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