I fly often and like to give small gifts to flight attendants. Usually I bring chocolate, but I started thinking about what I could offer from my farm store instead. Sachets are simple but have limited use, while essential oils and hydrosols can be messy or leak during travel. I asked several flight attendants what they would actually like, and nearly all of them mentioned lotion for dry hands. That started my research into how to create a lotion that would travel well, and be both easy to carry and simple to produce.
At first I looked into bottles and squeeze tubes, but both can leak in a flight bag if not sealed perfectly, especially with altitude and pressure changes. That led me to the idea of lotion bars. They are certainly not new, but a personal-sized bar seemed ideal for travelers or anyone wanting a less messy way to carry lotion on the go.
As I studied lotion bar formulations, I found countless recipes online to experiment with. I wanted something with both moisturizing and soothing properties. Since customers buying my essential oils generally prefer the scent of L. x intermedia ‘Abrialii’ over ‘Grosso’, I decided to use ‘Abrialii’ lavandin oil in the bars.
The appeal of a lotion bar is that it stays solid until warmed in your hands, where it melts into a lotion that can be applied easily. Most lotion bars are built around fats, oils, and waxes, so I started with a simple formula of white beeswax, jojoba oil, shea butter, and essential oil. I measure everything by weight in grams for consistency. I melted the beeswax, jojoba oil, and shea butter together in a small pot on a portable induction burner, which allowed better temperature control. Once fully melted and mixed, I turned off the heat, stirred in the essential oil, and poured the mixture into silicone molds.
After the bars cooled, I tested them and found they were softer and greasier than I wanted. For the second batch, I added tapioca starch to reduce the oily feel. That version was less greasy but slightly gritty, and it still melted too easily. I was aiming for a melting point between 92 and 95 degrees. More research led me to expand the formula rather than simply increasing the beeswax content. I also switched to refined, odorless ingredients so they would not compete with the lavender scent.
Finding high-quality ingredients at a reasonable price was not always easy. I purchased many supplies through Amazon, but sellers do not always disclose added ingredients clearly. One batch of beeswax pellets appeared pure but melted at a higher temperature than genuine beeswax, so I replaced it with a verified 100% white beeswax, even though it cost about 40% more.
I also switched to refined jojoba oil and refined shea butter, then added aloe oil, refined odorless cocoa butter to help raise the melting point, and Brazilian purple clay for both its skin benefits and its ability to reduce the oily feel. The finished bars are packaged for sale in small, labelled screw-top aluminum tins.
I brought sample bars on my next flight and received a very positive response from the flight attendants. A few even asked where they could buy them online, so I directed them to my website. Later, I participated in a local farm makers market, where the lotion bars became my second best-selling product after culinary lavender buds.
Ingredients & Equipment
The bars themselves are fairly easy to make, although sourcing the right ingredients can take time. My ingredient cost is currently about $1.20 per ounce. The ingredients, in order of quantity, are:
- Refined odorless cocoa butter (31-31.5%)
- White beeswax (22-22.5%)
- Brazilian purple clay (17.5-18%)
- Refined odorless shea butter (13.5-14%))
- Aloe oil (8.5-9%)
- Refined odorless jojoba oil (6-6.5%)
- Lavender or lavandin essential oil (2-2.5%)
The best pricing I have found for the aluminum tins comes from bulk purchases on Amazon at roughly $0.40 each. Including labor, total production costs are about $2 per ounce.
Other items you will need for the preparation of these lotion bars:
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Non-reactive pot, stainless steel, 2 gallon.
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Induction hot plate ( if you use a stovetop burner, use a double boiler to avoid overheating)
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Kitchen scale with tare function
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Silicone spatula and spoon (or stainless steel)
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Thermometer, infrared or cooking immersion type
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Silicone candy/soap molds sized for the metal containers
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Bowl for measuring ingredients
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Small pot or ladle for pouring
Instructions
- Gather equipment and all ingredients before starting.
- Pre-measure all ingredients by weight, keeping the essential oil separate.
- Add ingredients to a pot or double boiler. Heat to 150–160°F, stirring occasionally, until fully melted. The beeswax will melt last at about 147°F.
- Remove from heat and stir in the essential oil.
- Pour into silicone molds, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to cool completely.
- Once cooled, use clean gloves to remove the bars from the molds and place them into tins or other containers.
Contributed by
Rob White
Lavender La Center
Edited & formatted by
Michael Lemmers
RavenCroft
