DIY – How to Make Lotion
I thought it might be fun to introduce a little segment called “Dottie does DIY.”
The plan? That I, Keir Dottie Bashmakov, attempt DIY projects I find on the internet and let you know exactly how they went down.
Phase One: How to Make Lotion
I’ve always wanted to try my hand at making all-natural and sustainable lotions. Skincare is expensive and trying to find the right product for your skin can be frustrating. So I figured why not make it a project?
I’ll either lose or save a bunch of money, but life’s short, it sounds like fun, and we’ll learn how to do something new in the process!
Let the Crafting Begin!
It started like so many craft projects, with a YouTube video… Or several. Ok, it was a whole rabbit hole, and I watched hours worth of lotion making content, only to learn that making lotion is complicated!
However, what I also learned is that making lotion bars is not at all complicated. So, I watched a few videos on that, got online, and ordered supplies. Then I watched some more videos and decided I was going to need a whole crafting set up.
Note: You don’t need to get craft-specific kitchenware, but I’m happy I did because beeswax really sucks off stuff.
Actually Making Losh Bars
So the actual process of making these lotion bars was way easier than I thought it would be.
1. Weigh out equal parts beeswax, shea butter, and either cocoa butter or coconut oil
2. Melt it over medium heat in a double boiler
3. While it’s melting, measure out your essential oil, basically 1% of the volume of everything else. (Play around with this cause I jacked it up.)
4. Then you just pour it into your mold and let it cool
Voila! Lotion bars!
How Do We Feel About It?
First of all, I’m totally stoked that I fulfilled a lifelong dream. Not only did I make a thing I saw on YouTube, but I made a YouTube video of my own. That part was rad.
The actual lotion bars, that I have mixed feelings about.
I made two rounds of bars, the first one I didn’t put enough essential oil in, and I totally had to remelt them and add more. The best part is I did the exact same thing on the second batch, so I had to remelt those too! LOL!
We all knew I wasn’t a professional. Still, it’s pretty hilarious to see that I managed to fuck up something that required 4 steps. But hey, we’re human, we learn, we make shit, we move on.
I knew from the video I watched, with my new favorite person Faith Hale, that the lotion bars would be a little oily. To be fair to Faith, I didn’t use the exact recipe she did because I’m cheap, and mango butter is not…
That being said, the bars I made were SOOOOOOOOO oily! It took somewhere between 30 minutes and my entire life for them to soak in.
But on the plus side, it’s excellent for nighttime, and you can use them as chapstick.
Lotion Bars, Hell Yeah, or Naw?
For real, naw.
These make an awesome present cause they can be super cute and they smell super good. These are also great if you have sensitive skin because you can use only the ingredients that work for you.
For real tho, I was kinda bummed. I guess I had hoped that they would rub on a little easier. The beeswax holds the bars together, the idea being that they will melt with contact with your skin. I guess they weren’t counting on my cold-blooded lizard skin when they invented this product.
I’ve given these to my friends and family, and no one has told me they love them, which means they probably hate them and are trying to be nice. Oldest trick in the book!
I’m not mad at it for real. I’m so stoked I made stuff, now there’s only room for improvement.
What do you think about lotion bars? Are you all about that hard losh life, or do you prefer your traditional goo? I’d love to know all about what works for you!
Do you have an idea for something I should try next? Let me know in the comments!
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