In the second installment of making Christmas goodies, I bring you lotion bars.  No, these aren’t edible, but they work wonders for dry skin.

The recipe is from Little House in the Suburbs.  She provides two recipes on her blog, but I went for the more “luxurious” one.

These bars don’t contain all the bad ingredients normally found in commercial lotions.  I got my beeswax from a local apiary; the shea butter is unrefined and fair trade – there were so many differing opinions about shea and its sellers on Amazon, so I found mine with a Google search.  It was pricey after shipping and I’m interested in where you get your unrefined shea butter for body products.

Lotion Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 part shea butter
• 1 part avocado oil
• 1 part beeswax
• 1200 IU vitamin E per every 6-8 ounces other oils
• Essential oil (optional)

Instructions:

Weigh all ingredients.

Melt shea butter and beeswax in a double boiler on low heat. Stir in avocado oil, vitamin E, and essential oil (if using).

Pour into molds and/or tins and place into fridge to avoid grainy shea butter.

Pop out of molds (or leave in tins).

To use: Let the warmth of your hand melt the bar a little before rubbing into dry skin.  If it’s in a tin, scrape a little off and rub into skin.

Cost:

1. Avocado oil = $1.25 / ounce
2. Shea butter = $1.28 / ounce
3. Beeswax = $0.70 / ounce
4. Total = $1.07 / ounce —> 1 tin, $0.63, holds 1 ounce of lotion
5. FINAL COST PER FILLED TIN = $1.70

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I’m also participating in the following carnivals today!  You can find many more great blogs and fantastic ideas here:

• DIY Day @ A Small Place