Most, if not all, of us, are making the shift to a more natural way of living. And this includes switching from chemically manufactured beauty products to more natural handmade options. I don’t know about you, but it now excites me every time I find ways of giving myself a little pampering at home using natural ingredients without thinking about how much I’d have to spend on fancy spas/sprays, lotions, and potions. So I’ve turned to make my own luxury beauty products – and after I discovered how easy and fantastic it was, I’ve never gone back to store-bought products. I have recently become fond of lotion bars because they offer a protective covering layer that seals oil and moisture.
One ingredient I’ve learned to not be without is a lavender essential oil when it comes to manufacturing handmade cosmetics. And with the weather changing and my skin getting dry, I’ve come to love my homemade lavender lotion bars. They are a great project to share with children, friends, and family, and an excellent quick gift idea.
And if you’re like my like-minded friends and me, you probably have made (for yourself or for giving out) lavender lotion bars or was generously gifted some, so you end up having this massive collection of lavender lotion bars so today we’re going to learn a little bit of everything about Lavender lotion bars.
Lavender lotion bars have a relaxing fragrance to it. Whether homemade or purchased, the lavender lotion bar should be stored in a cool, dry place away fr direct sunlight like the other lotion bars of the same kind. It has anti-bacterial and moisturizing properties, which makes skin soft and smooth. Lavender lotion bar is excellent, and we all are going to know everything about the specialty of the lavender lotion bar. So let’s start it to know about the lotion bars.
What’s a lotion bar?
A lotion bar is a lotion in solid form, a concentrated bar of moisturizing goodness, that looks like a bar of soap at room temperature. It’s a natural alternative to commercial lotions and moisturizers.
Why lotion bars?
Aside from the fact that they’re a real bombshell of moisture, lotion bars are natural (made with natural ingredients), portable (even for the very busy traveller or the sleepover master), they are very customizable (you can use any scent you like and also customize the lotion to meet your skin’s needs), they are easy to use (mess-free), and are easy to make cute gender neutral gift ideas. And if your skin can’t take the different weather changes, they’re very efficient homemade solutions.
Why lavender lotion bars?
I mean… why not? Lavender essential oil (Lavandula angustifolia) has been known to possess antibacterial proprieties, it is gentle to both dry and oily skin, and has the ability to relieve conditions such as muscle pain, insomnia, headaches, burns, bug bites, eczema, psoriasis, and acne making it the most versatile of essential oils. It is also one of the few essential oils that can be used as a middle or top note in perfume due to its fresh, floral lovely soothing smell. Imagine all this goodness in a lotion bar… just the good stuff your skin needs – it will forever thank you for this.
What ingredients are in lavender lotion bars?
For us to better understand how to store lavender lotion bars, we ought to look at the ingredient list.
A typical recipe contains the following ingredients: coconut oils, beeswax, shea butter, lavender essential oil, and optional fresh or dry lavender. Keep in mind that since lotion bars are completely customizable, this does not constitute a definite ingredient list you could always add or replace some of the ingredients.
How are lavender lotion bars made?
Now that we know the ingredient list, a step closer to finding out how to store them is to know how lavender lotion bars are made. The process goes like this:
- Create a double boiler and mix coconut oil, beeswax, Shea butter into the bowl or pot. Stir occasionally until it is fully melted, then remove from heat.
- Allow the mixture to cool a little before adding the lavender essential oil and the fresh or dry lavender. Mix, then pour the liquid into your moulds.
- Allow the lotion bars to cool fully before unmolding them. Putting them into the fridge or freezer for few minutes speeds things up.
How to Package lavender lotion bars?
The packaging is part of storing lavender lotion bars. When it comes to packaging, there are several options, and it’s up to you to select what best suits you and your needs. Some of my suggestions:
- Sealed dry containers (metal tins like containers) or bags (Ziplocs for example): in those, you’re sure to perverse the lovely smell of lavender; they also keep the bacteria out.
- Paper towels or old newspapers: I do not particularly approve of this method, but if that’s the best you could do, go for it.
- Tubes/deodorant containers: this makes the lotion easier to apply and is one of my favourite way of packaging my lotion oils.
Even in those nice packaging, lavender lotion bars still have to be appropriately stored.
How to store lavender lotion bars?
Because lotion bars are far more concentrated than a typical liquid lotion (they do not contain any water), they do not require any preservatives.
The process of making the lavender lotion bars being literally melting and moulding, the bars are temperature sensitive, so they should be stored in a cool dry place, out of direct sunlight and away from heat.
If exposed to heat above room temperature for a long period, the lavender lotion bars might turn rancid sooner, and the heat can damage the properties of the ingredients inside.
How to use lavender lotion bars?
Lavender lotion bars are very easy to use: either rub the bar directly on the desired dry area or rub the bar first on your hands then apply the lotion to other parts of your body.
Since the lotion bars are solid, it’s the heat from your body that softens them and facilitates application.
How long do lavender lotion bars last?
The expiration date of lotion bars depends on a few variables. What ingredients are in the lotion bar? How is the lotion bar stored daily? Is the lotion bar or its container exposed to water?
Depending on how they are done, or how they’re stored, the lotion bars become exposed to dirt, microorganisms (bacteria, yeast, moulds) found in the air or skin (that affect their lifespan), so it’s important to keep in mind that the lotion bars are not meant to be stored forever.
Before making and storing your lotion bars, you should consider the shelf life of the ingredients you intend to use.
From the recipe above, the lavender lotion bars (like most lotion bars actually) have a shelf life of about 12-18 months.
If you didn’t know yet, lavender oil has a shelf life of 6 years, coconut oils a shelf life of 2 years, beeswax has a shelf life of 20 years, and shea butter has a shelf life of 24 months. We have another post on the shelf life of natural beauty product ingredients – you should check it out here.
That’s it all about about the lavender lotion bars for now. We have a lot of other posts about the lavender lotion bars. Here are some of our top-rated posts
Different Uses Of Lavender Lotion
Best lavender lotion for sleep
Best Lavender Essential Oil For Sleep
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