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As I was growing up in the countryside, peppermint was an indispensable herb in our garden. I often rubbed leaves between my hands and inhaled deeply, filling my nostrils with a fresh, minty aroma. So it’s only natural I couldn’t resist adding this wonderful herbaceous scent to lotion bars when I discovered the joys of homemade skin care. This recipe is easy to make, doesn’t take long and has a long shelf life. Let’s get to it!
Table of Contents
- What are Peppermint Lotion Bars
- How Do They Work?
- How to Use Them
- How to Make Peppermint Lotion Bars
- FAQs
What are Peppermint Lotion Bars
Peppermint Lotion Bars are firm bars created to moisturise the skin. Infused with nourishing avocado oil and the fresh aroma of peppermint essential oil, they help nourish the skin and relieve dryness. In addition, the refreshing scent of peppermint essential oil provides natural deodorant properties.
How Do They Work?
Butter and wax in the bar help create a barrier between the skin and the environment, helping to restore moisture in the skin, and conditioning it, whilst essential oils provide a refreshing aroma.
Here is the list of ingredients I have included in the formulae and how they benefit the skin.
Berry wax is a natural occlusive, helping improve skin hydration by creating a thin film and locking the moisture in, making the skin smoother and supple.
Cocoa Butter: Abundant in omega-9 fatty acids, cocoa butter helps to nourish, repair and protect the skin from irritants and other environmental stressors while keeping it moisturised.
Avocado Oil: In today’s recipe, I’ll use cold-pressed, unrefined avocado oil, well-known for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and softening properties. Applying it to the skin helps repair and moisturise dry, rough and chapped skin. In addition, it will add a beautiful green hue to your lotion bars.
Sunflower oil: Rich in linoleic fatty acid, oleic fatty acids and vitamin E, sunflower oil helps moisturise the skin and possibly improve elasticity, making it an excellent carrier oil for lotion bars.
Essential oils: Peppermint essential oil’s refreshing scent and cooling effect, combined with the lemony scent of melissa essential oil, work in harmony, creating a fresh, invigorating aroma, helping to boost energy and relieve tension.
How to Use Them
For the best results, massage the lotion bar into your skin after the warm shower while your skin is still moist – it will help lock the moisture in. To get started
- Rub the bar between your palms for a minute to soften it.
- Then, glide the bar over your skin, rubbing it in a circular motion, not forgetting dry areas. The oils and butter will spread over your skin, leaving it soft and smooth.
How to Make Peppermint Lotion Bars
DIY Peppermint Lotion Bars
Difficulty: Beginner Formulator100
grams5
minutes20
minutes25
minutesIngredients
- Phase A
72.90g unrefined cocoa butter
10.00g shea butter
6.00g avocado oil
5.00g sunflower oil
5.00g berry wax
- Phase B
0.50g vitamin E
0.50g peppermint essential oil
0.10g melissa lemon balm essential oil
Directions
- Bring 2-3 cm of water to a simmer over low heat in a saucepan.
- Weigh the cocoa butter, shea butter, avocado oil, sunflower oil, and berry wax in a heat-resistant glass beaker and place it into the water bath to melt the ingredients.
- When fully melted, remove the oil mixture from the water bath, and stir gently until the mixture’s temperature drops below 40°C. It will help to prevent graininess in the bars.
- Add vitamin E and essential oils.
- Continue stirring until you notice the trace building up. Now you can pour the mix into the mould, allowing the bars to set overnight.
- Once firm, remove them from the mould, label and store them in an airtight jar.
How to Video
Skin Patch Test
- Although the ingredients included in the recipe are natural and generally safe to use on the skin, some people may be sensitive or allergic to some of them. Apply a small amount of the product onto a clear patch of skin. Somewhere you can leave it alone for 24-48 hours. If your skin turns red or itchy or you experience any irritations, discontinue using the product.
- If you are pregnant or have any medical condition, please contact your healthcare professional before incorporating essential oils into your skincare regimen.
Shelf life and storage
Lotion bars should keep well for six to twelve months if stored well. Keep them away from direct sunlight in a dry, cool room or a draw. If they change colour, smell or texture, dispose of them and prepare a new batch.
Equipment
silicone mould
Substitutes
Please remember that swapping the ingredients in the formula will alter the final product. Consider how the ingredient you switch will affect the final product’s texture and smell when making changes.
Berry wax: Myrica fruit wax is a beautiful soft vegan wax that helps to stabilise lotion bars and can be used instead of berry wax.
Butters: Cocoa butter is a unique hard butter that is difficult to swap as it gives a frame to lotions. Although you could try switching it with illipe butter, I would stick with cocoa butter. If you dislike its overly sweet scent, use refined, deodorised cocoa butter instead.
Avocado oil is a highly stable and nourishing emollient that you can replace with olive oil or acai oil.
Essential oils: If you are looking for another fresh herbaceous essential oil, rosemary, clary sage, eucalyptus or tea tree essential oil will make a lovely substitute for peppermint essential oil. Before switching essential oils, be mindful that some can cause sensitisation. You can learn more about the safe use of essential oils by visiting https://ifrafragrance.org.
FAQs
Will my lotion bars melt?
Even though these bars are formulated to stay firm enough for easy application, I live in the UK, where we are blessed with very mild weather. Those who live in a warm climate might like to replace berry wax with harder wax like beeswax or rice bran wax to prevent lotion bars from melting. Alternatively, you can keep them in the fridge.
Do I need to use a preservative?
If you plan to use them after a shower while your skin is still moist, adding a preservative will prevent contamination and keep your lotion bars bacteria and fungus free. However, if you’re unlikely to expose them to a wet environment, feel free to skip preservative eco altogether.
