Ever since I made my first basic lotion bars, I’ve been experimenting with fun variations and natural scents. Lotion bars are wonderful because they are used on dry skin and are a concentrated lotion that leaves skin feeling like silk.

Along the way, there have been Pain Relief Lotion Bars and End the Eczema Lotion Bars. I’ve made lotion bars to keep the bugs away and homemade deodorant bars.

Moroccan Oils Lotion Bar Recipe

At first, I just made these in silicon molds (and I still love making them this way) but once I discovered that I could make them in empty deodorant containers and that this would make application easier, I’ve been making them as gifts.

These Moroccan oils lotion bars combine so many of my favorite ingredients:

Shea Butter to soften and protect skin
Coconut Oil to nourish skin (I get it at a discount here)
Beeswax to form a protective barrier on skin and make the lotion bars last longer
Optional: Argan Oil to hydrate skin (also good for getting rid of stretch marks) It is expensive but amazing for skin. I use one drop per day to moisturize my face
Bronze Mica Powder for color (also optional) This adds a faint shimmer to the skin

I used these empty white deodorant tubes to make these lotion bars in but there are more decorative ones available if you are planning to give them as gifts. If I give them as gifts in these tubes, I usually glue a piece of burlap around them and tie with twine for a natural look.

4 from 13 votes

Bronzing Lotion Bar Recipe

Make nourishing lotion bars that smell amazing with the addition of moroccan oils like mint, citrus, basil, fennel, and chamomile and add a slight shimmer with bronze mica powder.

Prep Time20

Yield:

Author: Katie Wells

Materials

½ cup shea butter (measured solid)
½ cup coconut oil
½ cup beeswax pellets
1 TBSP argan oil
10 drops peppermint essential oil (optional)
10 drops basil essential oil (optional)
10 drops orange essential oil (optional)
10 drops lemon essential oil (optional)
5 drops neroli essential oil (optional)
5 drops chamomile essential oil (optional)
5 drops fennel essential oil (optional)
1 TBSP bronze mica powder (or more)

Instructions

In a double boiler, melt the shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax.
Add the argan oil and essential oils, if using, stirring well to incorporate.
Stir in the bronze mica powder.
Quickly pour the mixture into empty deodorant containers or molds.
Apply to dry skin as needed.

Notes

Makes enough to fill five empty deodorant containers.

What are your favorite essential oils to use?

Sources

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

38 responses to “Bronzing Moroccan Oils Lotion Bars”

Jana

November 16, 2015

I love the lotion bars and they have been life-changing for my daughter’s eczema. The problem is cleaning the deodorant containers after for refilling. What is the trick??

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  November 17, 2015
  
  Since all of the ingredients are shelf stable, I just wipe down with an old rag before refilling and never let it touch water at all. I also save the rags I used as a way to polish furniture
  
  Reply
Jody

October 29, 2015

How much coconut oil is used in this recipe? On my computer is shows a ? , not a number so don’t know if it’s 1/2 cup or 1 cup????

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  November 2, 2015
  
  It is 1/2 cup… thanks for the catch…
  
  Reply
Penny Gumm

March 1, 2015

Sweetheart!
I am living the recipes and I’m ready to charge ahead! I do have a question though, where do you find the containers to put them in? I have a baby girl (she would argue she’s grown) but she’s always going to be my baby. ….nonetheless she’s barely pregnant. I would like to make something quickly and get it to her for her expanding belly! I would also like to make her some baby soaps and soap got her as well.

Reply
Mandi

February 1, 2015

You should not use Lemon essential oil on the skin if your skin is going to be exposed to the sun. It is a phototoxic oil.

Reply
Teresa

January 3, 2015

Lotion seems to cause a “rolling up effect” on my skin so that when I shower, if I don’t scrub really well, it just rolls up like dead skin. I exfoliate with a tea tree/espom salts bath once a week. Any ideas on why this may be happening. I thought lotion was supposed to absorb…I switched to oil, but it doesn’t give me the ahhh effect. I’m 63 with strawberry blonde/freckled complexion if that helps. Thanks too, for the blog and sharing years of knowledge with us that you have worked so hard on! I love it!

Reply
Rachel

December 15, 2014

I finally took a close look at the recipe and instructions and… I see the ‘five lotion bars’ expected result written in at the bottom. I guess I missed that! Thank you for your kindness 🙂

Reply
Rachel

December 14, 2014

Hey! This is fabulous! I’ve just ordered all the necessary supplies for the bars… How many ounces of lotion bars will this make? I am aiming for 15-20 2.5 ounce bars… Should I double the batch? Thank you! I love your site… happy happy holidays 🙂

Reply
Rachel

December 12, 2014

How much does the above recipe make? I would love to make a batch for holidays presents this year. I’m aiming for… 6-12 lotion bars!

Thanks for the lovely idea 🙂

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  December 14, 2014
  
  It should make 4-5 depending on the size of the container you use.
  
  Reply
Donna Godfrey

December 11, 2014

I am wondering if the bronzer Mica powder in this recipe is by any chance supposed to be 1 teaspoon instead of the 1 tablespoon? I made it and mine seems to be much darker than your picture and its quite expensive to use that much! I love it tho!

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  December 14, 2014
  
  You can absolutely customize to your taste. I think mine looked lighter because I was using photo lights when I took the picture but feel free to adapt to your liking!
  
  Reply
Jenny

December 10, 2014

Hi Katie,

I was wondering if the argan oil can be substituted for jojoba oil? Also can tho lotion be applied to the face? I am excited to make many of your lotions and lip balms to give as gifts this year. It will be my first time doing DIY products. 🙂

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  December 10, 2014
  
  Yes and Yes 🙂
  
  Reply
Fiona

December 9, 2014

To answer your question; I have so many favourites and have bought essential oils all over the world. I love Jasmine, Hyacinth, Orange, Patchouli (reminds me of my errant hippy days) and of course Ylang Ylang.

Currently my local oils provider has a Christmas blend that smells like caramel/egg nog.

Reply
Nadia

December 1, 2014

Hi Katie,
I am constantly learning so much from you blog and truly appreciate all the help you have given me in raising my seven children to be as happy and healthy as I can.
I have tried to buy your new recipe book but amazon says that there is a problem and it can’t ship overseas. I live in Australia and I would love to get your book as I already use many of your recipes frequently and it would be much simpler to have it all in the one book.
Is there any way that I can buy the book? I am prepared to pay postage as I know that it will be something very beneficial for my family.
Yours with a shared love for what in wholesome and good.
Nadia

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  December 2, 2014
  
  We are working on getting this set up 🙂 I’ll keep you posted…
  
  Reply
Nina

November 28, 2014

Hey there!

Great idea, thank you so much for sharing.
I was just wondering if the lotion will stain clothing? How long do you usually wait before getting dressed after using the lotion?

Thanks very much and greetings from Switzerland

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  November 30, 2014
  
  I haven’t had a problem with that… I wait about 5 minutes.
  
  Reply
courtney

November 28, 2014

You are inspiring! I have learned so much.

Reply
Cyndie

November 26, 2014

I’m allergic to shea butter. Can cocoa butter (or some other substitute) be used, and if so, is the amount equal?

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  November 30, 2014
  
  Yes and yes 🙂
  
  Reply
Maryea

November 26, 2014

I just wanted to let you know that you are inspiring me to DIY more of my personal products. Thanks for all the great recipes!

Reply
Lillian

November 26, 2014

Hi Katie! I’m so excited to find your site! My neighbor introduced me to the Weston A. Price Foundation a few months ago, and ever since then, I’ve been trying harder to eliminate poisons from my diet and plan to raise my future children on a natural diet from the start. I am a sixteen-year-old girl and very skinny. My body doesn’t, therefore, produce a lot of estrogen, and my period is unpredictable as a result. I used to never know when it was coming, and it was extremely heavy. I bled all over a chair once–straight through a maxi pad (sorry for slight graphic, but I need help!). Since then, I have been taking birth control (for that reason only 🙂 ) Do you know an alternate way to increase my hormone levels to keep my cycles in check? Thank you so much. I’d really appreciate an answer. I’m also planning on ordering some cod liver oil from your recommended site as soon as I have the money! I applied for my first job and have an interview tomorrow, so if it goes well, I should have that soon! I’m looking forward for the next lazy day I have to dive deeper into your blog. Thank you so much for what you do!

Reply
1. deb
  
  May 27, 2015
  
  Dear Lillian,
  I too have had this problem. It wasn’t a lack of estrogen, but an overabundance. I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Have your doctor check you for this. There are several genomes of this condition. The classic is overweight, balding, facial hair etc. I had none of those things. Extremely thin, no hair loss, no facial hair until I was older. I didn’t even get a period until I was almost 18. I was 45 when they diagnosed me for this and had many issues along the way before discovering this condition. Read up on it and see if your doctor can test you. Simple blood test or clinical symptoms. Go to a good endo or gyno for help with this. Go prepared for your visit. Print out information from reliable websites such as NIH etc., so the doctor will believe what you’ve researched. Don’t suffer from this your whole life as I did.
  
  Reply
2. Karensa
  
  June 13, 2015
  
  Hi Lillian-talk to your gynecologist about black cohosh, chaste berry and dong quai, singly or in combination. All are plant based estranols (mimic estrogen in the body) and have been used for centuries by native American and Chinese women to regulate cycles, mediate the affects of menopause and increase fertility. If you are already on the pill, I wouldn’t take any of them without first discussing with your doctor.
  Good luck!
  
  Reply
Capri

November 25, 2014

So I love the idea of the lotion bars, but haven’t made them yet. I’ve held off so far because my son has very bad contact dermatitis with coconut. I already make our detergent and use an organic olive oil based soap. I also use pure organic food grade grape seed oil and essential oils for his eczema, but would like to try one of your recipes. Any suggestions on an alternative to coconut oil?

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  November 30, 2014
  
  Olive oil, almond oil, jajoba, etc just reduce the amount by 1/3
  
  Reply
cheryl

November 25, 2014

Hi there,
Interesting about making your various lotion bars. Do you or any of your readers have a suggestion for Psoriasis of the skin? (i.e. not the psoriatic arthritis kind).
Thank you. 😉

Reply
Sara

November 25, 2014

I’m wondering how does one know how much bronze powder to use. Do you have any input on how to determine how much to use for certain results?

Reply
1. Tammy Chrestman
  
  May 18, 2015
  
  I am so Enjoying your post, one reason for the difference in some Items you make & make sound Really Great like This Bronzing SoapType Lotion Bar. I have made very similar body butter’s to what you made. However I’m a Every Yr Fan of Subless products & can’t wait to try this Lotion Bar, Especially with Argan Oil in which is in my Cart on next order. They Call Argan Oil “Liquid Gold” The two Main Ingredients in All these Anti-Aging, Wrinkle Recovery products that Everyone is in Competition to Sale the Two main ingredients in ANTI-AGING, ETC ARE THE ARGAN OIL & HYDRAULIC ACID In which I’m sure you already know. I’ve been researching to make my own. Again Thanks and I do plan to try this bronzed Lotion Bar. Best Wishes Always!
  
  Reply