lotion bar recipe...

Lotion bars...so luxurious.

The recipe, so simple.

All you need is equal parts of:

Beeswax

Shea Butter

Coconut Oil

and add to that your choice of essential oils

(If I use 60 g of each ingredient, I add about 1tsp of essential oils.)

I used this 'Tiare' infused coconut oil.  I love the smell of this flower so much that I named one of my daughters Tiare!



You could also use Sweet Almond Oil or another oil instead of coconut  if you want to...remember this is YOUR lotion bar !




The method, is also simple:


Melt the beeswax

(I use a pyrex jug and put it straight into a pot of hot water)

Then add the shea butter and coconut oil.

(Shea butter doesn't  like to be heated for too long, it might get grainy when it cools.)


Take off the heat and let it cool for a couple of minutes.


If using essential oils, add them now, and stir well.


Then pour it all into your molds.



I use cupcake molds and if I use about 60g of each ingredient, I get 2 nice sized lotion bars.


They will set in no time at all, but if you want to speed up the process, just put them in the fridge.



Bear in mind, that your recipe may need to change with the seasons...when it's cooler you might need to add more coconut oil to make a softer bar.


Play with it and see what works for you, you can always re-melt it if it's not quite right.


In our tropical climate this recipe is perfect for summer, it glides on beautifully.




Storing your lotion bars

I had been storing my lotion bars in paper cupcake cases - it worked for me!

Then I read somewhere (can't remember where) that a lady stores her lotion bars in giant tea bags - what is a giant tea bag??

  Anyway, that got me thinking...  I have a roll of biodegradeble nappy liners in the cupboard that I never really used.  They are made of a papery, tea-baggy kind of material and it's quite strong...

so I pulled out the sewing maching and sewed a couple of little bags, just big enough for 1 lotion bar. 

...look at that, a perfect fit.


But don't just take my word for it...there are lots of other lotion bar recipes out there, have a look here, here and here for more ideas.

homemade deodorant...

Ahhhh...deodorant.  It's one of those things you just have to use.  Well in this climate you do.  I live on the Centeral Queensland Coast of Australia.  It's hot and it's very humid here, especially now with all the wet weather we've had.   You wake up in the morning and you're feeling sticky.  So you get up and have a cold shower, get dressed, and 10 minutes later, you're feeling sticky again.  Gotta love it though!  This is a beautiful part of the world. 

I'm not a heavy sweater, thank goodness, and for the last year or so, I haven't worn any deodorant (aaaahhh!!!!!!!!  it's OK, i do shower every day !! ).  Reason being,

1.  I refuse to buy a commercial deodorant that contains too many ingredients that I can't pronounce,

2. My 'natural' crystal deodorant shattered, and I just never got around to buying another one, coz I figured it would shatter too.  And it hurts trying to rub fragments of shattered crystal on your arm pits - really, it does !!

3.  I was too tight to spend money on a chemical free - green - type deodorant from the health shop, becuase I knew deep down that I could find a recipe and make one myself.  I'm a bit like that. 

So....I finally got around to making one.  Last year actually.  Around about October, so I've been testing it for almost 4 months now during the hottest and most humid part of the year,  And the verdict - I'm very happy.  It's easy  to make, cheap to make, easy to use, and I can pronounce the names of all the ingredients - that's the BEST part!  OK, so lets get down to it.

There are lots of different recipes out there but the one I liked and tried was this one from the Angry Chicken blog.  Why?   I had all the ingredients, and I love shea butter and cocoa butter on my skin because they feel so luxurious.  Yes, even under my arms that matters.

(Please note that I have changed the recipe a bit, so check the above blog for the original recipe.  I chose to omit the Vit E, and essential oil, and I added some glycerin.)

The recipe:

2 Tblsp Cocoa Butter

3 Tblsp Shea Butter

3 Tblsp Baking Soda

2 Tblsp Cornflour

1 tsp glycerin (optional)

Melt the cocoa butter in a double boiler, or a set up similar to what I did here.

When it's melted take it off the heat and add your shea butter.  Stir it in to melt.

Note:  Shea butter may become grainy if heated for too long.  That's what happened to the batch I made for christmas presents, but I didn't know that then!!

Now add your baking soda, cornflour and a teaspoon of glycerin. 

Sift the baking soda if it has lumps.  Trust me, it will make your life so much easier! 

And don't be afraid to enlist the help of a little 'stirrer'.  She will love you for it.

Let her stir until is is completely smooth.

Then pour it into a small container, and put it into the fridge to set.  I keep mine in the bathroom for convenience, but you can keep it in the fridge if you prefer.

To use it, I just scrape a pea size piece out with the back of my finger...

And rub it a bit between my fingers to soften it.  When it gets creamy like this, smear a thin layer under your arms.  Easy !

I don't particularly like 'smelly' things in my homemade skin care products, so I choose not to use essential oils.  I like my stuff fragrance free, but that's just me.  Feel free to add whatever essential oils you like to this recipe.  TeaTree, Lavender, Rosemary and Eucalyptus all have anti- bacterial qualities and are great for odour protection.  Oils of orange and ylang ylang are also a nice combination to use.

I used glycerin in this recipe, simply because the first batch I made was quite hard, and took a bit of effort to soften it.  Using the glycerin makes it much softer and easier to use.

You can also add Vitamin E to your deodorant.  Vit E is a powerful anti-oxidant.  Great for your skin, and also great in homemade preparations as it increases shelf life by slowing the oxidation of any oils you might be using, so they don't go rancid.


OK,. so that done, bear in mind that this is a DEODORANT, not an ANTIPERSPIRANT.  Big difference.  An antiperspirant stops you from sweating, which is not necessarily a good thing.  Antiperspirants contain aluminium salts which clog your pores, thereby stopping you from sweating.  Sweating is a natural process that allows your body to cool itself when it gets too hot.
The aluminium can accummulate in your body and your brain.  Are the alarm bells ringing yet??  AND aluminium accumulation has been linked to Alzheimers Disease and Breast Cancer.  Now, although the evidence for these things may be inconclusive, would you risk it?  Really, would you?

OK, enough of the scary stuff, I was talking about deodorants and antipersiperants.  A deodorant won't stop you from sweating, however it will stop you from smelling stinky, and that's what I'm talking about !!  Deodorants neutralize odour, if you want the more proper term !

Another interesting point to consider - the more toxins you consume in your diet - I'm talking junk food, processed foods etc - the more stinkier your stink will be than if you eat a clean diet consisting of more whole foods, fruits and veges etc.

I hope you give this a try at home, it really is an easy step towards 'greening' your bathroom.  I guess the hardest part will be sourcing the shea and cocoa butters.  Here in Australia,  I buy most of my ingredients from Escentials of Australia in Noosa, QLD, they have pretty much everything you could possibly need to make your own skin care products, and more.   You can also try your local health store, they may sell some raw ingredients in small packets.
I'll be posting more skin care recipes this year, so you'll have the opportunity to use up your ingredients.

keeping clean...

I made soap !!  I'm so excited about it too!  I've been wanting to make soap for years but always put it in the too hard basket.  Then a few months ago I bought the ingredients, but was still too scared of using the caustic soda to make the lye - necessary to make the soap.  aaaaaaahhhhhh!! Then I read this tutorial about making soap - sounded so easy, and I had the ingredients for her recipe.  So I kicked the family out of the house last Saturday - was still scared about using the lye, but I had safety goggles and gloves and lots of newspaper and...and..and I went ahead and did it !  WOW! what a feeling !  It was so much easier than I expected and not scary at all.  I mixed the caustic soda and water outside to avoid the fumes, and no time at all I was pouring the mixture into my mold.

24hrs later, I had soap - it worked !  I cut it up into bars and and have been turning it everyday to aid the drying process.  Give me 6 weeks and I'll be using my very own, luxurious soap.  Can't wait !

So here is my first batch of soap - in it's natural state - no colour or fragrance added

Look at it's beautiful smooth texture...just like a proud mummy I am !

ooh, and I also used this tutorial as a reference too.  Soap making looks like so much fun.  I'm gearing up to make some more already.

By the way, are you feeling crunchy ??

haha...what do YOU use to wash your face with?  I've used all sorts of things from the kitchen cupboard - or fridge -  like buttermilk and sour cream.  But now I'm using honey.  Why would you pay money for a cleanser with chemicals in it, when you can use something you already have at home - honey ! Honey has heaps of beneficial properties and you can find them  at

this blog and see if it works for you.  I've been washing my face with honey for a week now, and I'm loving it.  Try it for yourself and let me know what you think.