One of my favorite things to use when winter's dry weather settles in is a good lotion bar. One of my least favorite things to use when winter's dry weather settles in - is using a good lotion bar. "What do you mean?", you might ask? Well, for those of us who have used lotion bars before there is sort of this love-hate relationship you develop while using them. On the one hand, they are amazing for restoring moisture to the skin, while on the other hand, they can be quite the attraction for all manner of debris.

Storing lotion bars can be a bit of a chore too so I got to thinking about ways to keep a lotion bar fresh and easy to use and decided to just make it into a stick.

And would you guess what? It works perfectly! Halleluiah!

I may not ever make traditional lotion bars in molds ever again.

Thin Mint Lotion Bar Stick Recipe

Putting this recipe in a tube has been an amazing way to not only keep the lotion bar itself as fresh as possible but also keep the fragrance of the essential oils strong as well.

I've used regular ol' lotion bars in the past only to have the carrier oils turn and the EOs lose their finesse. Making this recipe into a stick nixes these issues by increasing shelf life and fragrance by keeping everything nice and sealed.

Problem solved!

Lately, I have really been drawn to cocoa butter and it's amazing moisturizing properties for especially dry skin, so I knew it needed to go into my next lotion bar recipe.

When I first decided to make this, I forgot about the fact that cocoa butter smells like chocolate. This isn't a bad thing in and of itself, but I HAD planned on using a rosemary-lavender essential oil combo to make something that was both relaxing and stress relieving when used.

However, once I recalled the chocolate aroma of the cocoa butter, I knew that might not be the scent I was going for, so instead, I switched out the rosemary and lavender essential oils with fresh peppermint.

And holy moly, this lotion bar recipe smells JUST like Thin Mints! It's freakin' delicious! Like, I can't stop smelling my arms after I apply it delicious.

You can of course sub out the cocoa butter for shea butter or mango butter or even used refined cocoa butter which won't have a chocolaty smell.

Here's what you need to make my thin mint lotion bar stick recipe:

• An accurate kitchen scale like this one
• A Pyrex measuring cup or beaker
• A flexible spatula
• One 2oz deodorant tube (empty, clean, and dry - water grows bacteria)
• 15g cocoa butter (this gives the lotion stick its chocolate aroma!)
• 15g beeswax
• 20g avocado oil
• 12 drops peppermint essential oil

Loving Preparation - DIY Thin Mint Lotion Bar Stick

This recipe is super simple to throw together, all you need to do is:

• Measure out all the ingredients (except the essential oil) using an accurate kitchen scale into a Pyrex measuring cup.
• Next, bring about 1 inch of water to a gentle boil in a saucepan.
• Place the Pyrex measuring cup in the pan of water and allow the cocoa butter, avocado oil, and beeswax to completely melt together.
• Once melted through, carefully remove the Pyrex measuring cup, wipe the bottom with a cloth, and place it on the kitchen counter to cool 5-10 minutes.
• Now add in the peppermint essential oil and use the spatula to mix it in.
• Pour the final mixture into the empty deodorant tube. If the mixture has started to thicken, you might have to tap the deodorant tube to settle everything nicely and remove any air pockets.
• Allow it to cool completely or pop in the fridge to set (with the cap on so it doesn't absorb any fridge odors) and voila! You've just made the perfect thin mint lotion bar stick!

To Use

Simply glide the lotion bar stick across any dry patchy areas of skin and rub it in!

What's great about this recipe (other than how delicious it smells), is that it melts on contact with the skin and sinks in with little effort, leaving your skin happy and smooth.

I've been using it on my elbows, knees, and at times, the bottoms of my feet when I'm fresh out of the shower. My husband likes to use it as an effective cuticle treatment before bed and I have to say, it's been working wonders!

I hope you give this simple lotion bar stick recipe a try!

What have been your favorite lotion bar recipes? I'd love to know ?

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How to Make a Warming Homemade Body Lotion
Quick and Easy Lotion Bar Recipe
Pumpkin Spice Foaming Hand Soap