I’m still learning to love winter. As a southern girl originally from Texas, I’ve had to adjust to cold weather, but I’m finally starting to make the best of it by filling the house with cozy and natural touches that celebrate the season.
This Winter Bliss Lotion Bar recipe is a recipe I first made years ago and an absolute must-try DIY project even for beginners. Not only are these bars deeply moisturizing, but they are scented with natural oils like wintergreen and peppermint.
Imagine what a great gift basket these would make along with some hot chocolate mix, a bottle of wine (or wassail), and some simple homemade bath salts!
How to Make Winter Bliss Lotion Bars
I wanted to find a lotion recipe that tied in my favorite smells and flavors of winter while nourishing my skin. I’d made many variations of lotion bars before but I wanted one that would be perfect for winter and make a great (and great-smelling) gift for winter. These lotion bars were the result.
The Recipe
This recipe is so simple! Just melt and mix coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax. Add essential oils. Pour into molds and let harden. What could be easier?
The “secret sauce” here is the wintry blend of essential oil scents that make the bar extra special for the season.
The Equipment
Unlike my standard lotion bar recipe, I usually make/gift my Winter Bliss Bars in some kind of tube (to keep the peppermint oil off hands and away from eyes). Any empty deodorant tube works beautifully, but if you’re making this for friends and want it to look extra nice, try:
- A standard push-up deodorant tube (I recommend one like this that fills from the bottom so the top is smooth like a new deodorant would be)
- A plastic-free cardboard push-up tube (very attractive and seems sturdy, but I haven’t tried personally yet)
- Amazingly… silicone wine glasses also work well! Just wrap in gift wrap or tissue paper and tie with twine for a nice presentation. Bonus, it’s reusable 🙂
You can also simply use a silicone mold like this and use the lotion bars without the tube.
Here’s how to make it!
Winter Bliss Lotion Bars Recipe
Yield
Materials
- ⅓ cup coconut oil
- ⅓ cup shea butter
- ⅓ cup beeswax pellets
- 10 drops each of essential oils (I used wintergreen, peppermint, lavender, and orange)
Instructions
- In a double boiler, melt the shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil.
- When everything is melted, remove it from the heat and add the essential oils.
- Carefully pour into empty deodorant containers and let set until hardened. If using bottom-fill containers, I found that a plastic dropper or tiny funnel (like a flask funnel) helps a lot.
- To use, rub carefully on dry skin to nourish and moisturize.
Notes
Also try these other easy beauty DIYs, perfect for gifting:
- Homemade Lip Chap Recipe
- Aromatherapy Shower Melts
- Homemade Bath Bombs Recipe
- Decadent Vanilla Mint Chocolate Massage Butter Recipe
- Vanilla Latte Sugar Scrub Recipe
- DIY Sugar Cookie Lip Scrub Recipe
You’ll find my full list of homemade natural beauty DIYs here!
Ever made lotion bars? What was your favorite?
Can you suggest an alternative ingredient to replace the coconut oil? I’m allergic. So hard to find all-natural recipes without coconut oil.
You can substitute a mixture of a natural butter like shea butter or cocoa butter and a liquid oil in a 3:1 ratio. For instance, replace one cup of coconut oil with 3/4 cup shea butter and 1/4 cup olive oil.
I was wondering if you ever have a problem with the coconut oil interfering with the lotion’s absorption? I have made numerous homemade lotions, including your recipes, and often find myself feeling greasy and don’t feel that it truly absorbs well/penetrates the skin. I have read on other blogs that coconut oil can create a barrier on the skin that prevents penetration of the skin layers and inhibits moisturizing properties. Do you have any opinions on this? Would it be possible to sub the coconut oil with something else? On another note, thank you for all that you do and the recipes you provide to inspire all of us to use better and more affordable ingredients for ourselves and families. I truly appreciate the work you do.
Some people don’t seem to do well with coconut oil and it can be greasy. You can substitute a butter like shea butter or cocoa butter but add in 1/4 of it as a liquid oil like olive, almond or jojoba. for instance, if it calls for a cup of coconut oil, you could use 3/4 cup shea butter and 1/4 cup of a liquid oil
I have been making your Lotion Bars and also the face one (with added almond oil) for years now. And am very grateful for them all. We discovered that the lotion bars were excellent for African dry skin and then discovered – for bee (and other insect stings) best to take away the itch of mosquitos (my twin baby grandchildren call them skeetos) and because I live in South Africa we call all your wonderful products Muti (a Zulu word for medicants). However I do have one question, how does one make the Lotion Bar mix softer in winter? It gets so hard then is almost impossible to rub onto skin. My daughter lives in Italy and uses the bars continuously. She too wants to know how to make them softer in winter.
Thank you. Ros
So glad you like them and thanks for the thoughtful comment! You can reduce the beeswax and hard butters like shea and cocoa and add a liquid oil like olive or almond or jojoba instead. I’ll have to experiment with ratios a little since it doesn’t get very cold where I live, but I’d guess reducing the beeswax by 1/3 and using a liquid oil as 1/2 to 1/3 of the butter.
Did you use all of these oils (peppermint, lavender, etc.) together in the same batch of lotion, or did you use them all separately?
I don’t have wintergreen. what would you use as another option?
Hey Katie. Thanks for all your great tips, advice and recipes! As a person that is allergic to everything I come in contact with, your DIY recipes have been revolutionary and have truly changed my life. I am very interested in your lotion bars, but I’m allergic to beeswax. Do you have a recipe that is beeswax free?
Thanks again!
Can I replace Shea Butter with Cocoa butter?
Yes.
Can cocoa butter be substituted for shea butter in this recipe, or can I use 1/2 of each?
Yes.
I make my own lotion but it is rather thick.. I use a bit of organic castor oil, but haven’t tried adding the beeswax. I may have to try that with my next batch. I buy my shea butter from THRIVE… it is a organic Fair Trade product. Very nice quality. I like the bar idea.
Just tried your peppermint lip balm…. Excellent!
I want to try your winter bliss lotion but can you tell me what are the equivalent weights in Grams?
Hello, thanks for all the DIY recipes.
I have a question, I bought a block of bees wax from a local bee keeper, but the block has some dust (maybe even dirt?) and I wonder if there’s any way to clean it.
I feel it would be a shame to just throw it away.
Thank you.
IT’S GREAT FOR ECZEMA! I made this cream without any essential oils for my eczema and it worked out great! I’ve had severe eczema all over my body for a while now, and this is the very first time I use a cream that actually keeps my skin hydrated. It’s the best!!! Now, I’m finding other tricks to heal my eczema, but a good hydration cream was definitely the first step. Thank you so much! 🙂
Hi, I am a newby to the DIY stuff and your Blog, and after a week of readings I am already in love with all of it!
I tried this recipe, made 3 bars. I gave one bar to my husband to try and he didn’t like it too much, because it’s too greasy. I used unrefined Shea butter, yellow bee wax pellets and coconut oil bought off Amazon. We also live in Florida (if that matters). I was wondering if I melt them down and add more beeswax or maybe coco butter would it make a difference? (Husband is a big fan of Palmers lotion and chopstick, but I would like to him to make the leap and use all home made lotions)
Also I would like to ask how can you tell if a Shea butter is good? The one that I got came as chunk and is kinda grayish?
Thank you!
Try adding more beeswax to see if it hardens to a consistency you desire. Here is the shea butter I recommend: https://wellnessmama.com/go/shea-butter/
Definitely more beeswax would help. You might also make a few small batches with different oils to see if something else works better for him. I like sunflower and jojoba in many cases, as they absorb more readily and are non-comedogenic. I still love coconut, but different oils may work better for different people and skin types. For dry skin, I add olive or avocado oil. I almost always buy organic, non GMO. I am fortunate to have a local Green Market, a Costco and Whole Foods in driving distance, and a really impressive Wal-Mart that has started to carry some pretty good options. Support your local stores if you can, then look to Amazon.
Could I fluff up this lotion by using a mixer and not making it so hard?
How many tubes does this recipe make/fill? Thank you
If you just want to use peppermint oil on it’s own, is it 40 drops or is it 10 drops..
I want a strong peppermint fragrance, thank you.
I’d experiment and find what you like for scent. Peppermint is strong, so you probably would not need the full 40
It’s best to put the glass jar into cold water then heat..
Putting a cold glass jar directly into boiling water can cause it to crack and break, hope this helps ?
OK, I’m new to all this, and I made one batch of lotion bars, which are amazing!!! Wanted to make a different scent today, and the mason jar broke in the pan of water! What am I doing wrong? Too much water? Too big a burner? Please help!!!
Love you blog and posts on healthy recipes for you body. I have been doing no poo for 9 months and the oil cleansing method for 5 months and all is well. But what about cleaning your body? I do a lot of hot yoga so I find acne sometimes on my back and chest and was interested to hear on what the cleanest and healthiest mix is to use for your body. Thanks!!!
I purchased the pink and white for lotion bars and they leaked 🙁 I have the green and black but before I use them I wanted to know if they leaked for anyone?
Hi Katie,
I have been waiting to order shea butter from Mountain Rose Herbs but they have not had it in stock for a while now.
Can you suggest some other places where we can get reliable unrefined organic shea butter.