**Let’s make a shea butter lotion bar with just 3 ingredients with an optional 4th & 5th depending on how you want to customize it!**

Simple Shea Butter Lotion Bar

This post may contain links but they are not affiliate links. I am not in any sort of affiliate program at this time. They are links to things I actually use.

As I make an attempt to consciously reduce my usage & consumption of plastics, while they are proving to be difficult to get rid of completely, I have started to replace some of my normal body care products with bars when I can. This means when possible I’ve made some switches from liquid shampoo to shampoo bars, traditional conditioner to conditioner bars & lotion to lotion bars.

Be sure to keep an eye out for more bar formulations coming to you in the future if this is something you’re interested in as well.

It can some days seem overwhelming in a world seemingly built off convenience to try to be more environmentally conscious. In my opinion & observation most products are made to be disposable & generally aren’t built to last.

We can sit here being mad at the world the way it is, I sure know I have from time to time, or we can find the places where we can practically make changes & switch from products that are stored in plastic to products that are not.

What if we all just made a few simple changes like this, how might things start to look differently? We don’t need this to be an all or nothing approach but rather walking the talk of environmental change with practical feet. Just something to think about in your contemplations & meditations.

This lotion bar is simple to make with just 3 main ingredients, Shea butter, Coconut oil & Beeswax.

**Shea Butter**

*Image courtesy of Canva.com*

Shea butter is the fat extracted from the nuts of the Shea tree native to West Africa which comes in either a refined (no scent & a white color) or unrefined (natural scent & beige to pale yellow in color)

Botanical name: Vitellaria Paradoxa or Butyrospermum Parkii

Melting point: 37C

Benefits for the skin:

Safe for all skin types & there has been no documented allergy to date
Won’t clog pores & is easily absorbed by the skin
Moisturizing due to its fatty acid content
Anti-inflammatory properties helping to minimize effects of dry weather & skin conditions such as eczema, dermatitis & psoriasis. There are studies indicating it may be helpful in reducing arthritis pain & sore muscles
Natural antioxidant
Antibacterial & antifungal properties helping to address acne, ringworm & athlete’s foot
May help boost collagen production while promoting cell regeneration
May reduce the appearance of fine lines, wrinkles, stretch marks & scars
Natural SPF of 3-4 & can help protect the skin from the harmful rays of the sun
Promotes wound healing as well as soothing the skin from burns including sunburns

**Coconut oil**

*Image courtesy of Canva.com*

Coconut oil is an edible oil derived from the kernels, meat & milk of the coconut palm tree.

Botanical name:

Coconut oil: Cocos Nucifera Oil

Coconut oil RBD : Cocos Nucifera Oil

Fractionated coconut oil: Caprylic/Capric Triglycerides

Melting point: See below under types of coconut oil

Benefits for the skin:

Anti-inflammatory properties are soothing for mild to moderate dermatitis, eczema, psoriasis, & dandruff
Prevents moisture loss & improves skin overall barrier function
May reduce the appearance of stretch marks
Wound healing properties & is an excellent ally for burns due to the fatty acid content
Hydrates the skin & locks in moisture
Antimicrobial & antifungal properties
Natural SPF of 8
Improves skin elasticity by improving the structure of the skin itself reducing fine lines & wrinkles
May be beneficial in fighting acne due to it lauric acid content
May reduce dark undereye circles

Types of coconut oil:

Traditional coconut oil → cold-pressed, white solid fat below 25C/77F and a clear thin liquid at higher temperatures. This is the type of coconut oil you would find in the grocery or health food stores
Coconut Oil RBD 76 degree → coconut oil that has been refined, bleached & deodorized but is still solid at room temperature. It has a melting point of 77F
Hydrogenated Coconut oil → RBD coconut oil that has been further processed to increase the melting point. This is not one you would use for making personal care products
Coconut Oil Fractionated → MCT 60/40 → coconut oil that has been heated as part to separate certain chains of fatty acids into components, refining, clarifying & deodorizing the oil. It remains a liquid regardless of temperature & is an ideal choice for making personal care products. It is less greasy than traditional coconut oil & coconut oil RBD 76 degree. This product can easily be found in stores that sell soap making supplies. It has no melting point & is sold as a liquid
MCT Oil→ supplement made from medium chain triglyceride. This form of coconut oil is easily digested by the body but is not a good choice for making personal care products. This product can easily be found at your grocery or health food store.

**Beeswax**

*Image courtesy of Canva.com*

Beeswax is a natural wax produced by honeybees that you can get in refined (white & scent free) or unrefined (yellow & smelling slightly of honey) versions. In low concentrations it thickens & in higher concentrations it hardens & solidifies a product. Beeswax does not emulsify & should never be used as an emulsifying wax.

Botanical name: Beeswax

Melting point: 63C

Benefits for the skin:

Can be used to treat & control acne due to its anti-inflammatory & antiseptic properties
Can work as a natural barrier protecting the skin from environmental damage & pollutions
Antibacterial properties
Can help relieve itchy skin
Healing to skin burns, including sunburns
May reduce stretch marks
Anti-inflammatory & antiseptic properties can help treat eczema
Acts as a humectant, attracting water to the skin, locking it in & helping the skin stay hydrated
Antioxidant rich helping to fight free radical damage

Vegan substitutions:

Candelilla wax

INCI: Euphorbia Cerifera Wax
Obtained from the coating of the candelilla shrub
Similar to beeswax but has a slightly drier feeling in the finished product
Brownish in color, with a faint aroma
Medium wax
Melting point: 70C
Generally used in: lipstick, lotions, hair wax & lip balms

Berry wax

INCI: Rhus Verniciflua Peel Cera
Extracted from the berries of the varnish or lacquer tree
May be referred to as Japanese wax
Soft wax
Due to its low melting point it may not be the best choice for a product you want to be completely solid
Gives a jelly-like structure & can help semi-solid products glide on the skin
Melting point: 48-54C
Generally used in: mascara, lipstick & lip balm

Myrica fruit wax

INCI: Myrica Cerifera Fruit Wax
Derived rom the berry fruit peel of the Myrica tree of Latin America
Soft wax
Gives a good hardness to the finished product despite having a low melting point
Melting point: 45-55C
Generally used in: candle making, soap making & ointments

Rice bran wax

INCI: Oryza sativa cera
Derived from the bran of rice kernels
Pale yellow, odorless & tasteless
Hard wax
Melting point: 80-86C
Generally used in: Body butters, lotions, face creams, lip balm, lipstick, mascara, cosmetics

Sunflower wax

INCI: Helianthus Annuus Seed Wax
Obtained through the winterization of sunflower oil.
Smooth, hard beige pellets
Melting point: 74-77C
Generally used in: body creams, lotions, lip balms, lipstick, hair care products, cosmetics

There are more vegan waxes we could choose from that weren’t on this list, so if you find yourself using one that wasn’t mentioned please share it so we can learn together

You could stop here & this will make a lovely, simple lotion bar. Let’s talk a bit now about some ways you could customize this & an optional ingredient recommendation

Simple Shea Butter Lotion Bar

If you’ve seen a few of my formulations you may have noticed I use a specific ingredient, Vitamin E MT-50 oil. It is an antioxidant & can play a few different roles depending on the amount of oil used in the formulation.

Vitamin E MT-50 is a non-GMO gluten free blend of 50% mixed tocopherols in 50% soybean oil.

D-delta tocopherols → the least active form of tocopherol
D-alpha tocopherols → the most common form & is considered the most biologically active, & is involved with immune function, DNA repair & other metabolic processes
D-beta tocopherols → plays an important role as an antioxidant in skincare
Gamma tocopherols → contains anti-inflammatory properties

It is sold under the INCI: Tocopherol

INCI stands for International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients which, according to Wikipedia “are unique identifiers for cosmetic ingredients such as waxes, oils, pigments & other chemicals that are assigned in accordance with rules established by the Personal Care Products Council”. Read more HERE.

At just .5% of a formulation it can increase & lengthen the shelf life of the oils in a product reducing delaying the onset of rancidity without the use of a preservative. Just to be clear this is not a preservative so it will do nothing to prevent microbial growth as it is an antioxidant.

Adding 2-30% will give you a plethora of skin & hair care benefits such as:

Reducing fine lines & wrinkles
Promoting brighter complexions & balanced skin tone, helping to reduce hyperpigmentation
Protecting the skin from ultraviolet (UV) damage, especially when combined with Vitamin C
May be beneficial in reducing symptoms of atopic dermatitis & psoriasis
Helps maintain moisture levels
Supports wound healing
May reduce the appearance of scars
When used in hair care products it promotes hair manageability, scalp & hair hydration while enhancing shine

The role of antioxidants is the skin's first line of defense protecting the body from oxidative stress which can be caused by external factors such as pollution, UV exposure & lifestyle choices. This damage can be caused by an imbalance between free radicals & the body’s natural antioxidant defense mechanism

Damage to the skin from oxidative stress:

Fine lines
Wrinkles
Hyperpigmentation
Skin cancer

Another alternative antioxidant you could use is rosemary seed extract

To be clear this is a different substance than you would usually find in a vitamin E capsule as that is a finished cosmetic product, not a cosmetic ingredient. If you come across a blog article or DIY video asking you to use a vitamin E capsule, please back away slowly, those formulations can be unstable & unsafe for usage.

Formulation:

Phase A: Heated oil

33.5% Refined Shea butter or Unrefined Shea Butter

33% Coconut oil Fractionated- MCT , Coconut oil RBD 76 degree or traditional coconut oil

33% beeswax

Phase B: Cool down

.5% Vitamin E, MT-50 (optional)

___ Essential oil or Fragrance oil (optional, see notes)

Equipment:

Heat proof container
Stove or hot plate
Whisk
Precision scale
Silicon mold, muffin tin or small measuring cups, avoid glass as it can be hard to remove once set

Instructions:

Weigh out phase A & put in a double boiler or water bath
Allow the mixture to fully melt stirring occasionally
Once the mixture is melted & fully incorporated remove from the heat
Add phase B into phase A stirring until fully incorporated
Pour into molds & allow to set in the refrigerator for at least few hours, ideally overnight
Remove the lotion bars from the mold & place on a flat surface for the first day or so. See notes

Notes & substitution recommendations:

If not adding Vitamin E, MT-50 add the .5% back into the oil portion

Any additions made can come out of the oil portion
If you wanted to make this scented use refined shea butter
This would be a good project to make if you have some grainy shea butter as we will be using a proper cooling technique so the grains will disappear
You could use a different butter instead of shea butter. I’ve made this with cocoa butter & it made a lovely bar as well
You could switch out fractionated coconut oil for traditional coconut oil
You could use any liquid oil in place of coconut oil
If adding a scent take the percentage out of the oil portion as per the manufacturers recommendations or the IFRA sheet & add it into the cool down phase. Be sure to watch the video that accompanies this blog post for more instructions on how to do this.
You could switch out the beeswax for a vegan option such as candelilla wax but you might need to adjust that ratio slightly. I would use 30% candelilla wax instead of 33%, adding the extra 3% into the oil phase
If choosing a different vegan option you may need to adjust the ratios of the oil & butters slightly, this is why it’s always a good idea to start with 100g batch or less
The reason you want to place the bar on a flat surface is because if the bar is not completely solidified it can start to bend slightly & you won’t be able to straighten it back out.
Since this formulation doesn’t contain any water a preservative is not required

Comment down below & let me know are you going to customize this bar? If so, what changes did you make & how did it turn out? I’d love to hear about it

Be sure to come back next week & learn how to make Lacto-Fermented Zucchini Relish, a powerhouse of probiotics!