How to Make Chocolate Peppermint Lotion Bars
These lotion bars are one of my favorite things to make. They smell delicious and moisturize very well.
My goal here at A Delightful Home is to only share tutorials for homemade products that are simple and easy. These chocolate peppermint lotion bars fit the bill perfectly.
I'm not exaggerating about them being simple and easy. In fact, once, about an hour before a group of people started showing up at my house, I decided it would be nice to have a gift for everyone. I busted out the butters and made some lotion bars. It took me just a few minutes to melt the ingredients and they were ready before my guests arrived!
This recipe comes from one of the My Buttered Life ebooks (there are four). These are excellent books for those wanting to make natural body care products without doing anything complicated. The great thing about these books is that you can jump in right away. There is very little to learn, just follow the directions (as you would a basic recipe) and you'll end up with a natural body care product to use or give.
Chocolate Peppermint Lotion Bars
The following video shows you exactly how to make lotion bars. The ingredients and method are also listed below. The video and recipe are shared with permission from Renee, of MadeOn Hard Lotion, author of My Butter Life eBooks.
Ingredients
- 3 ounces beeswax (available on Mountain Rose Herbs or Amazon)
- 3 ounces cocoa butter (available on Mountain Rose Herbs or Amazon)
- 3 ounces coconut oil (available from Mountain Rose Herbs or Amazon)
- 1 teaspoon peppermint essential oil (available from Mountain Rose Herbs or Amazon)
Method
Melt beeswax, butter, and oil in a heavy pot on very low or over a double boiler.
Once melted, remove from heat and leave to cool for a few minutes.
Add peppermint essential oil and stir with a wooden skewer to distribute.
Pour into molds (I use a muffin pan or these fun molds – silicone molds work very well for lotion bars)
Allow to cool.
These lotion bars can cool on the counter, but I usually put my muffin tray in the freezer for about 30 minutes. They are ready very quickly that way and it's also easier to pop them out of the tray.
Because I make these in a muffin tray, the lotion bars don't easily fit into a container (although I did find some perfectly sized ones at the craft store). To give as a gift I usually place the lotion bar in a small dish (like a ramekin) and tie with cellophane and some raffia.
I keep one of these bars in a small dish in a drawer of my nightstand so I can apply lotion to my hands before bed. A dish close to the kitchen sink also works well.
If you have rectangular shaped molds, it will be easier to find containers that fit the bars.
Isn't that easy?
As always, I buy most of my ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. The beeswax, cocoa butter and coconut oil are all reasonably priced there.
Some ingredients are also available on Amazon.com. I buy there in an emergency. Their prices on beeswax and cocoa butter are reasonable.
If you are looking for cute lotion bar molds, I recently purchased these and love the way lotion bars turn out in them:
This recipe is from the My Buttered Life Gift edition.
All four of the My Buttered Life books are excellent!
Renee, from MadeOn also sells Lotion Bar and Lip Balm Kits which make the whole process super easy.
Have you ever tried lotion bars?
This post contains affiliate links.
Hello, and thanks for the great recipe. I love lotion bars, as I have no dishwasher so my hands are always dry. Being a quilter, I find that using fabric also drys my hands.
Just a hint for you and your readers….if you have kitties and use the small plastic cup type wet food, (meow mix, etc.) they make great molds for lotion bars, and you can keep them wherever you need them. Just pop out the bar, enjoy the goodness, and put it right back.
If you don’t have “kittehs”, ask your friends who do!
Thanks for the tip!
Great idea! I think I have the to-go fruit cups saved that would also work!!
Hi, I love your idea for lotion bars as gifts! It’s great to have a gift that’s made with love and still not “stuff” to be stored. Also, nice to have a homemade gift the nutritional content of which we do not need to be concerned. 🙂 Curious, though–how do you get the lotion bar out of the ramekin once it’s cooled? Thanks a bunch, Lauri
Lauri,
I actually pour the mixture into the muffin tin and let the bars cool in there. Once I pop the bars out, I place them in a ramekin for gift giving.
Sorry, I should have been more clear about that in the post.
Gotcha. Thanks, Stacy!
Exactly how do you get these out of a metal muffin tin? Will they truly “pop out”?
Yes, they do pop out. After they are in the freezer, I twist the muffin tin slightly and they come right out. I’ve never had any trouble.
Hope that helps.
These look lovely, Stacy! Sharing on FB right now.
Thank you, Adrienne!
How solid are these? Can they be handled and kept at room temperature without losing their shape? Or do they need to be stored in their own container?
Thanks!
They are pretty solid. I keep mine out year round. That said, I don’t live somewhere that gets extremely hot, so if you live somewhere that really heats up in the summer, you might want to keep it in the fridge or in a container in a dark, cool cupboard.
I usually carry mine around in a small ziplock bag in my purse and have not had any trouble with it.
Are you measuring 3oz by weight? Thanks!
Pamela,
It’s always more accurate to weight rather than measure, but if you were to measure, it would be approximately 1/3 cup.
Renee
http://www.hardlotion.com
These look amazing! I’m wondering if you could speak more about the peppermint oil. Is that an essential oil or a flavoring oil? It seems like a lot for an eo… Can’t wait to try these!
Kim,
You would use an essential oil. And see the note below about the amounts. Switch to < 1 tsp.
Renee
IN MY EXPERIENCE AS A HANDCRAFTED ARTISAN SOAP AND BATH AND BODY PRODUCT MAKER THE AMOUNT OF PEPPERMINT OIL (WHETHER FLAVORING OR AS AN EO) IS MUCH, MUCH TOO HIGH FOR THIS SMALL OF A RECIPE. SINCE YOU ARE MEASURING YOUR OILS IN OUNCES, YOUR FRAGRANCE SHOULD ALSO BE MEASURED IN OUNCES, GRAMS OR MILLILETERS. AS HIGH AMOUNTS OF PEPPERMINT CAN CAUSE IRRITATION AND INFLAMATION, I RECOMMEND NO MORE THAN .001 OZ TO .14OZ FOR THIS RECIPE (.26, 1.28 or 3.83 grams) OR BETWEEN 1/8, 1/4, 1/2 AND 1 TSP AT THE MOST!! PLEASE DO YOUR RESEARCH ON ANY OILS THAT YOU MAY BE Shiny AND THEIR RECOMMENED USAGE RATE FOR SKIN CARE PRODUCTS BEFORE POSTING RECIPES. I WOULD HATE FOR ANYONE TO BE HURT DUE TO ESSENTIAL OIL TOXIXITY.
Just so there’s no confusion on the amount of essential oil being used in this recipe: it’s not a recipe for a massage oil or other liquid cream, or even a spray on perfume. It’s designed to go in a hard, heavily-beeswax-based product, and as it’s added to a hot oil, there is some amount of evaporation (which is why for best results, you want to wait a bit before adding, stirring and pouring into your mold.)
That said, it would be akin to taking a strong peppermint lip balm and rolling over your skin. You wouldn’t apply to to your entire body. It would take a good month to use up a 2 oz lotion bar, used several times a week.
Certainly start with 1/4 tsp for the recipe and if it’s not enough after cooling, re-melt and add more. That’s the beauty of this recipe – there’s plenty of wiggle room to work it the way you want it. For those with true skin irritation issues, I wouldn’t use any scent, essential oils or fragrances of any kind. I’d stick with a regular unscented hard lotion bar (do the recipe above without adding scent).
Thank you for your input, Becky. I’m going to go back and make adjustments and recommendations to the recipe.
Renee
Wonderful recipe, thanks so much for sharing! I was wondering using muffin tins, what the yield is for this recipe? Thanks so much! 🙂
I would love to know how many lotion bars this particular recipe makes? Thank you!
Do you know what the creator’s policy on selling made products based on her recipe is?
Thanks!
I don’t! That would be interesting to find out.
I love my home made hard lotion bars! I had originally bought the starter kit off of Renee’s website and now I make them on my own all the time. I found some great silicone ice cube trays in heart and flower shapes at IKEA that I usually pour into. It is a great size to give away as a little gift. I also buy small, aluminum containers from Paper Mart. They fit the lotions perfectly!! I live in Southern California and I have never had a time where I couldn’t leave my lotion out on my nightstand and worry about it melting. I also keep on in my purse!
I have never added peppermint to the cocoa butter lotion I have made. What a great idea! Perfect for Christmas.
I made these on Friday and they turned out really well. I was out of Cocoa Butter so I used Shea Butter instead. The only thing was I didn’t know how long to wait to let it cool until I added the peppermint. So it ended up a little lumpy when I poured it into the muffin pan. I’m about to make a couple others w/Lavender EO. But I think they would be just fine plain, too. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
Thanks for letting me know! I’m so glad they turned out well for you.
I am allergic to coconut. Are there any substitutions for the coconut oil?
I haven’t found a suitable substitute yet, but I’m working on it. I will let you know.
Thank you, I was going to ask about a substitute for coconut oil also. I was using it alone as a lotion on my legs, and it caused a great deal of itching…
Wow! I have bought so-o-o many books with recipes that I thought would help my dry skin and not be filled with products that either gave me sinus issues or made my skin itch… Your recipes are wonderful and I would love to try them and they are simple and easy to follow…Thank you for being willing to share and bless…
Blessings be to you…
You’re welcome! I hope you like this recipe. It’s one of my all time favorites!
Hey there,
Love the recipe. Could I add oatmeal (would I leave it whole) for exfoliating and/or add different essential oils to this same recipe? Just wondering how “chocolatey” the cocoa butter is…..
Love this recipe! It’s so simple and the bar is very moisturizing. I have tried to use all over my body but find it very difficult and time consuming to apply. Is there a trick I’m missing or is this better for hand and feet applications?
I’ve read the recipe and watched the video. My question is how much and when do you add chocolate? As you have none listed on the page? Thanks.
Sherry, there is no chocolate per se, but cocoa butter. Unrefined cocoa butter smells like chocolate. I hope that helps answer your question.
I love this recipe! I made them tonight. I halved the recipe to 1.5 oz each and used my own judgement for the peppermint EO ( I used about 7 drops) I had some plastic soap molds of sea creatures left over from when my daughter was little. They worked fine but I will be happiest when I find some silicone shapes on sale…!
Using the muffin tins,approximately how many bats does this make? I am wanting to make and give these as gifts and need to know so I can determine how much product to buy. Thank you,can’t wait to make these!
I’ve actually never made hard lotion bars, but I LOVE that this is simple and easy with minimal ingredients. It’s perfect for a beginner like me. Thanks for this post Stacy, and thanks Renee for sharing your video and recipe. I think I’m gonna love these things!
Any suggestions on how to clean everything up after you have made these? My measuring cup and bowl are covered in it and hot tap water and soap aren’t cutting it.
Thanks!
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
I often use very hot soapy water and a scouring pad. Sometimes it takes a few washes to get it all off.
Hope you are able to get your cup and bowl clean!
I take my containers outside after and our boiling water over them 🙂 Love this recipe!
I just made my first batch tonight and I am so excited to give these as gifts! It was very easy to make and smelled wonderful! This just might open up a whole new world to me, love, love, love! Thank you <3
I made these as Christmas presents this year. Everyone seems to really like them. Thanks so much for sharing the recipe and instructions. 😀
Great tutorial thank you. I didn’t realize how easy the lotion bars will be to make.
Hello. I made these for gifts, but I did 4oz instead of 3oz and added a teaspoon of the peppermint oil – this was before I saw the comments about using less. I’m worried that it’s too much now…should I be?
Hi Julie,
I’ve always made this using the original recipe from Renee, with no issues.
If you are worried, you could remelt the bars and add more of the beeswax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil (in equal parts).
I’m sorry for the confusion!
Hi again,
Just wanted to confirm that you meant you used 4 oz of each ingredient? So, 12 ounces total?
Wanted to be sure of the actual dilution.
Thanks 🙂