Can someone please tell me the difference between refined and unrefined shea butter? There seems to be quite a price difference and I don't want to invest a lot in the wrong thing. Thanks!

Marthaclaudette, the simple fact is unrefined has much more "skin" healing value. But my favorite butters are Mowrah and Aloe in place of Shea and Cocoa Butter.

Arkansas Girl, I'll try and remember to a picture and post it.

Roxy, yes the fo or eo, goes into the "mix" after oils, butters and wax are melted together.

was hoping someone could tell me if aloe and avocado butter are supposed to be 'liquid' ? I ordered these 2 and palm oil and they came in the 2lb clear tubs with screw tops - which when they came were all over the place, but after a week in my pantry, they are each partly solid, partly liquid...If I try to shake them up to combine the oil, it looks like melted butter with solid small chunks floating around....does this sound right?? sure doesn't look right :-)

thanks!

I keep all my butters and oils in the fridge..so they are all solid.lol.they all have different "melt" points.
My Aloe butter doesn't take long to soften and liquify at room temp though.. Unless you are making a ton and going through alot, I'd put them all in the fridge..other wise they will go rancid.

Hi All!

I am just wanting to get into making lotion bars. I live in Northern Arizona - all items shipped to me MUST pass thru Phoenix - which is extremely hot right now.

I was just wondering about the butters and do they melt? Is it OK if they do? Any input would be helpful. If it's not OK - I'll have to drive 3 hours to Phoenix to pick up supplies!

UGH!

Hi there! I was wondering if anyone has a good lotion or cream recipe that is not greasy? I've tried a million different recipes and I just can't get something that is not too greasy. Thanks a lot.

I am new here and hope someone can help me. I make soy candles and bath salts. I am seeking a recipe for a massage candle. The only thing I can find out is that they are made with a lip balm, lotion base. Does anyone have a recipe? Thanks for any help you may provide.

skeeter- I made lotion bars last year for my clients for christmas- they turned out great.
I purchased my ingredients from a local place here in Scottsdale. I bought my ingredients about this time last year and everything was fine. I had them shipped too.

here's a photo http://img67.imageshack.us/my.php?image=garden009rn9.jpg

The labels could have been fancier but I gave a couple of bars to each client with some magic gloves and packaged them with ribbon..plus I'm not real hot with graphics.

I did a lot of research for ingredients and recipes. Kelly at Soapy Supplies was wonderful to deal with. She returned emails promptly and was very knowledgable. Superior customer service!

this is my recipe and my supplier list

The recipe I used to make the lotion bars-
5oz of beeswax
4oz of sweet almond oil
2oz of cocoa butter
2oz of shea butter
1 capsule of vitamin E oil
3 teaspoons of essential or or less.

I just used a food scale to measure the oil, wax and butters. Pour the measured ingredients into a bowl and microwave it until it's melted..maybe stirring it a little.
Don't add the essential (fragrance oil) until after you've melted the measured ingredients. Some essential oils have a low flash point so you don't want to microwave them.
Be sure to stir the mixture after you add the essential oil and then pour it into the molds.
It was cool outside when I made mine so I would take it outside and let it cool.
If you try to rush it by putting them in the freezer/refrigerator they could crack or get moisture spots. Sometimes it takes a while to cool. If they're warm at all, they'll stick to the mold.

After one batch make sure your pour is right and the bars fit in the tins. I had to pour my flower molds a little "short" otherwise the tops hit the lid on the tins.

Super easy. I purchased blank, white round sticky labels on ebay and then printed them on my printer. If you have a laser printer you could make really nice clear labels.

The molds came from 3dmolds.com
http://www.3dmolds.com/mini-molds/index.php
Any guest soap mold or mini mold will work. The more detail there is in the mold, the higher the chance that pieces of the bar will get stuck in the mold when you remove it.

The tin containers are from here..
https://www.specialtybottle.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=227
.32 a piece if you order 145 or more.

I purchased the almond fragrance and the oatmeal fragrance from here
http://www.sweetcakes.com/default.php?cPath=15
However, the most popular fragrance by far was the green tea & cucumber. I purchased that at JoAnns. It comes in tiny little bottles and it was expensive. If you can find a refreshing scent through sweetcakes.com it would be a lot cheaper.

Raw materials
Beeswax beads natural 10 lbs
shea butter 3 lbs
cocoa butter white 3 lbs
Sweet Almond oil one gallon (which doesn't have a scent..I assumed it would have an almond fragrance..it doesn't)

http://www.soapies-supplies.com/shop/

I think I ended up with about 265-280 lotion bars. I lost track of how many I made and just went by the number of tins I used...but I also gave away some bars that weren't in tins.

The molds hold a little over 1oz of lotion and the tins are 2oz tins.

As far as the massage candle goes-
I found this recipe.
I have NOT tried it. I plan on mixing and trying in the next week or so...
3 ounces of Soy Wax
5/8 Ounce of Shea Butter
.25 ounce of Coconut Oil
.25 Sweet Almond Oil

Place wick into tin securely. Melt the above ingredients, scent with your favorite scent and then pour into containers. These are great.

I don't know what kind of wick to use. I think wicks have different temperatures so I'm clueless here.
Still researching...
I've seen more warnings than anything else. I plan on including a label that says "don't pour the hot wax directly on your skin- blow the flame out, let it cool a bit then scoop the warm wax out." Also- that it's not meant to be a candle..that it's a solid lotion with a warming wick...all that stuff. I'm not selling them, I'm making them as gifts for my clients..but I'm still very careful about the liability issue. I have insurance but I still don't want to get sued!

Hi Everyone, Just joined this wonderful site. Found it while looking for lotion bar recipes. Thanks for all the help. Today I bought all my oils and butters from my local food co-op. Most of the oils came from uncleharrys.com. Though, after looking at the sites prices, I got a better deal at the co-op. Uncleharrys prices aren't bad and he has a huge selection.
Dale

Is the solid lotion still selling well? What companion items do you sell? And how do you sample the solid lotion? I'm new to this, so any help is much appreciated.

I was working on a recipe that didn't involve Beeswax. I want to thank you all first for helping me to learn a little bit more about the kinds of ingredients typically used.

My modified solid lotion bar - vegetable only.
2 oz Soy Wax
2 oz shea butter
1 oz shea nut oil
20 drops essential. (During my experiment batch it was a purchased blend of tea tree oil & lavender oil)

It feels just solid enough without being too hard, doesn't seem too crumbly and just slightly more oily than a bar I purchased that used beeswax, shea &cocoa butter, almond oil

Hi! I am loving this board! I just joined and have a question. I am just getting started in making lotion bars and balms and soaps and such. Does anyone have opinions about whether shea butter or cocoa butter is better for these applications? The shea is a little cheaper, but if the cocoa is better, then I don't mind spending a few dollars more. Is there much of a difference?

Someone asked a while back about using moisturizing lotion and mixing it with beeswax, whether that would work.

Since they were skin sensative to their lotion and were advised against it, there was no actual answer. Does anyone know if it is possible.

I have lots of lotions but am hopeless at using them and would prefer to use them as a solid bar.

Thanks

Woodenspooncreations, to answer you, either butter will make a nice lotion bar. If unrefined, either will have its own slight aroma. personally I am not crazy about the smell of cocoa butter, but that is just my own preference.(Both are also available in deodorized versions.) Both are good for skin. But I believe the shea butter is higher in Vitamins A & E, which can reduce skin irritation. So I stick to that one.

Hello everyone I'm new here from east TN, I have 2 questions, do you make any money making these products, I mean you have to have INS and we have to by the lil containers, and all the ingredients or do you just do it for fun and for gifts?

And also where do you sell your products?

Thanks Pam

Without using preservatives, did you notice any trouble with molds growing on the bar? Thanks.

I'm glad this thread got bumped up from the dead! I just bought some in a deodorant stick at a flea market..I just love it! What I hate is to get lotion all over my hands when I want to put lotion on my legs! HA! I don't know why but I hate it on my hands unless I need it on my hands, does that make sense? So the stick one is great for me! Now I can make it myself! YEEHAW! :)

Thanks for posting those lotion recipes Soap2go and Sabrina. I can't wait to try them out. I like to experiment with attractive packaging and give soap as gifts. I just found a nice place where I can get waterproof labels so that wet hands don't mess up my pretty packaging. I'll post the link below for anyone else that has that problem. I like my soaps pristine. :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: waterproof labels

I am making my first batch of lotions bars, and was thinking of putting them in small chiffon bags. Will this work or do they have to be in something solid?

I use soy was, shea butter, emu oil, jojoba oil, to make by lotion bars. I work in healthcare, gave one to a Dr. friend and he now sends patients to me to get lotion bars. I give the doc one every Christmas.

Hi there folks! I'm new here but am so happy to see there are others out there trying their hand at making solid lotions! I recently purchased some cute little push up containers for solid lotions. They are like a large clear tube with a screw on cap. After my melted ingredients have been poured into the container, they set up every time with a hole going straight down through the center. Is my mixture too hot??? Any suggestions?

It may be. The cooler it is, when you pour, the smoother the top will be.

hello all, I was intrigued when I found this forum post...I've never heard of solid lotion. I love the idea, btw. I was looking for a recipe for my own lotion and found this. I was wondering if anyone knows the sugar content in these recipes. My search is to find a recipe for lotion that diabetics can use without having to worry about absorbing the sugar and that smells great. The diabetic lotions that are on the market don't smell good and most don't want to buy them. Any thoughts?

Solid lotions don't have any sugar in them.

thank you,
now researching the best price for the ingredients so I can make them, can't wait to try it

does anyone have a recipe that doesn't contain beeswax for solid lotion bars???

You can substitute soy wax for the beeswax. It will make a softer bar.

I just made a lotion bar and while the essential oils smelled great when I first applied it, they wore off very quickly. Is this normal? Any way to get the scent to linger longer?

someone had mentioned putting sparkles into the bar. how did you get them to suspend in the bar instead of settle at the bottom?

Hi. I found this forum while researching new recipes for my product line. I just wanted to add that a local beeswax supplier is cheaper than on-line. I get mine for $1 per lb from a honey vendor in our farmer's market. It is unrefined, and I melt, clean ( through cheese cloth), pour into ice trays, and bag in a zippy.

I was also wondering if the lotion bar is still a hit, haven't seen many here in Michigan. Thanks =)

While I love the idea of the lotion bar, what about bacteria? In the best of circumstances, a person washes their hands before using the lotion bar - but even washed hands still can have bacteria/germs on them, which get transferred to the lotion bar, and then colonize that. And we all know people don't always wash their hands before using them. When I see sample bars set out for people to use, unless I am the first person to use it, I say no way!

Is there any ingredient that can be used in the bars that would kill any germs? Otherwise, when I look at those bars, that is all I think - that I am rubbing great oils on my skin, yes, but lots of bacteria too.

Hi redturtle...
i saw your post and using extra virgin coconut oil will help... its a natural disinfectant ... but also great for your skin

I am new at making solid lotion. I am wondering if I can use vitamin E oil or olive oil in place of the sweet almond oil? Thanks for any help you can give me.

I just started making lotion bars an I'm really enjoying it. I started selling them, but not sure if I'm charging enough. How much are y'all charging? I'm doing 1 for $9 or 3 for $25. Good? Bad? Thoughts please. My lotion bars contain various exfoliants in them. I made a peppermint foot scrub tonight and it's really nice.

Look orward to hearing/reading talks thoughts.

Syd

I never thought of lotion bars but am extremely excited for this!!! Do people recommend anything other than beeswax or soy? I am very new to this site and am so looking forward to learning from some very talented folks in here!

If you are selling the lotion bars at $9, then I would stick with that. It has been a while since I have sold my products but your price seems to be fair.

Ok so let me start by saying I am already addicted to this site! I am a new soaper/soapee lol and I have already learned a lot about lotion bars.

@ Chell- I am not sure if the lotion bars are like cold process soap any but the way that I keep the scent on my bars is put a few drops of the essential or fragrance oil on a cotton ball (not on bar) and put in the container with the bar. It seems to bring the smell back out of the bar and keeps it there, :) Hope this works for you!

Ok so let me start by saying I am already addicted to this site! I am a new soaper/soapee lol and I have already learned a lot about lotion bars.

@ Chell- I am not sure if the lotion bars are like cold process soap any but the way that I keep the scent on my bars is put a few drops of the essential or fragrance oil on a cotton ball (not on bar) and put in the container with the bar. It seems to bring the smell back out of the bar and keeps it there, :) Hope this works for you!

New to this site and very excited about what I am reading. I am looking at making solid hand cream and can't find where to buy the plastic push-up containers to pout cream into...any suggestions?

You can get them at Wholesale Supplies Plus. They call them Lotion Bar tubes.

Here is a link that might be useful: Get the tubes here.

I am as excited as you all are! I am making lotion bars in all shapes and sizes but need help on finding the cheapest place to buy tins? I have been all over the net looking. Any suggestions?

Newbie with a question. I stumbled on this thread in search of massage melts. I'm not really interested in making my own as much as curious If i can melt lotion bars in the candle Warmers (bowls on electric base) to make them a warm oil lotion. I've only found one company that sells these and I will probably try those. However I have some bars that where given to me as gifts. I would rather them be warm oil. I have been tempted to cut them to try but wondered what others would think. I've had the candles but would prefer to stick to my no flame candle warmer if it
would work so oil is not as hot. When you cool the candle if you get side tracked while cooling your back to step one. LoL

chartrbee2,
on melting them to use as oils.....
what would be the harm to try one? they melt with the heat of your hands so whats so diff about in a warmer. the only thing I see is leaving it melted (hot) for long periods of might diminish the smell ( being that when I make them the mix is removed from the heat before I add essential oils for smell because excessive heat makes the essential oil "break down" or evaporate in a sense)....
I love the bars and use them daily. they are a GREAT seller for us as well. My Dad and I keep bees so I am fortunate to have as much beeswax as I could possibly EVER need.
good luck with testing out the melting use, let me know i do have friends that also are massage therapists ( could be a new avenue for my bars!) LOL

I melted a piece of a lush lotion bar last night. It was a little hotter than I thought it would get. I use scentsy wax and the candle wax seems to be a little cooler at that point. I'm not sure which oils are used to make those bars so I will test others. I just let it cool a bit and used it. It seemed to separate oils but worked okay. The thing it seemed best for where my nails. Dipping it in the jar was like a sweet paraffin treatment for them that also absorbed and made them look awesome by morning. Im going to keep experimenting :)

I fell in love with a solid lotion bar that I bought at a street fair a couple years back. I have the brochure that lists what she puts in each bar and would like to try it on my own but I don't know the ratios - she used 6 oils, 3 butters & beeswax, and then whatever she put in for scent. Does anyone have any advice on what ratios to start with? Thanks!

I use equal part (by weight) of oil, beeswax & butter. So if you want to make a 3 ounce bar, use 1 ounce beeswax, 1 ounce(total weight)oils and 1 ounce (total weight) butters. I just use one type of oil, one type of better and beeswax, because it is a lot simpler and I still get a good result.

Hi everyone. I just started making lotion bars at home. I started with a basic recipe of 1 cup coconut oil, 1 cup beeswax, 1/2 cup shea butter, and 1/2 cup cocoa butter. The bars turned out just a bit softer than I would like. I'm trying to perfect the measurements so I can try and sell these in some local shops and markets. Any tips on making the bars a little harder? I read a suggestion of adding more beeswax - do you add just an ounce at a time, or more? Thanks for the help!

I suggest measuring your ingredients by weight rather than volume. That alone may solve the problem. Also, I use just beeswax, oil & shea butter and I get a good firm bar that way.

Does anyone have a recipe for a lotion bar that does not leave such an oily feeling on your hands.