QUICK SUMMARY
This DIY Lotion Bar With Essential Oils is a solid, water-free moisturizer made with beeswax, kokum, shea and mango butters, Mama Z’s Essential Oil Base, a carrier oil, and your choice of essential oils.
Melt the beeswax and butters in a double boiler, stir in the oil base and carrier oil, then mix 5 drops of essential oils into each ounce of the warm base and pour it into an empty deodorant container. Glide it over dry hands, elbows, knees, and heels right after washing, while your skin is still a little damp.
Dry skin can hit at the most inconvenient times. You don’t have to reach for a toxin-filled lotion to get supple skin, though. My DIY Lotion Bar With Essential Oils is a power-packed moisturizer that’s sure to get your skin looking good in no time!
The best part? It’s all-natural and free of the synthetic fragrances and antibacterial chemicals found in so many store-bought lotions. There is no water, no pump bottle, and no long ingredient list. You warm the bar with your skin, glide it over dry areas, and massage the butters and oils in. This lotion bar is going to be your favorite secret weapon!
For the best results, use it right after a shower or after washing your hands. Dermatologists recommend applying a rich moisturizer within minutes of bathing, while the skin is still damp, to trap that moisture in. (1)
Table of Contents
DIY Lotion Bar With Essential Oils
Quantity
Ingredients
- ½ cup organic beeswax pellets, yellow or white*
- 2 ½ tablespoons kokum butter
- 2 ½ tablespoons unrefined shea butter
- 2 ½ tablespoons mango butter
- ¼ cup Mama Z's Essential Oil Base
- ½ cup carrier oil**
- 70 drops essential oils***
Supplies
Instructions
- Use a double boiler, or make one by setting a glass jar or measuring cup in a medium pot with 1-2 inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, turn down to medium-high, and add the beeswax, kokum butter, shea butter, and mango butter to the double boiler.
- Melt the ingredients thoroughly and remove them from heat immediately.
- After 5-10 minutes, add Mama Z's Essential Oil Base before it starts to solidify.
- Store the base salve mixture in quart or pint wide mouth mason jars.
- To make a lotion bar – mix in 5 drops of essential oils per 1 ounce of the warmed base salve and fill up an empty deodorant, salve, or balm container.
Make a Homemade Lotion Bar With Essential Oils
When making your DIY lotion bar, be aware that it is a very thick base that does not melt very easily. I recommend using a double boiler or a quart-size mason jar as the inside of your double boiler so you don’t ruin your dishes.
Be sure to add essential oils only after melting the base oils together to avoid overheating them.
To reheat this mixture, you can place it on a gas stove after everything is turned off, outside in the sun, or in a room with a space heater. You will lose some of the benefits of the raw ingredients by heating your salve too quickly or overheating it.
Step One: Add Ingredients to Jar
Fill a medium saucepan with 1-2 inches of water and place a double boiler inside or put a glass jar inside to act as a double boiler. Bring the water to a boil and turn to medium/medium-high. Add the beeswax, kokum butter, shea butter, and mango butter to the double boiler. Melt the ingredients together and immediately remove them from heat.
Step Two: Add Oil Base
After 5-10 minutes, before the mixture solidifies add Mama Z’s Oil Base and carrier oil to the jar. Store the mixture in a glass jar.
Step Three: Make a Lotion Bar
To make a DIY lotion bar, mix 5 drops of essential oils per 1 ounce of the warmed base salve. Pour into an empty deodorant container.
How to Use a Lotion Bar for Dry Skin
Take a short warm shower or wash the dry area, then pat your skin dry instead of rubbing it. While the skin is still slightly damp, glide the bar over rough spots and massage the butters and oils in with clean hands.
My favorite places for it are hands after washing, dry elbows and knees, heels, cuticles, and any skin that takes a beating from cold, wind, or frequent handwashing. Reapply whenever those areas need it.
Keep the bar in a cool cabinet, away from direct sun, heaters, and hot cars. Butters and oils go rancid over time, so toss it if it starts to smell stale or sour.
If your dry skin keeps cracking, bleeding, or looks infected, or it isn’t getting better with regular moisturizing, see your doctor. (1)
The Best Natural Ingredients for Homemade Lotion
Using essential oils in your DIY lotion will soothe dry skin and add a beautiful aroma. EOs allow you to get creative with personalizing your cream.
- Lavender is a staple essential oil for relaxation and smells heavenly. A 2026 systematic review of 73 clinical trials on caring for episiotomy wounds after childbirth found that lavender oil, along with aloe vera and olive oil, may speed wound healing and ease pain; most of the trials reported better healing or less pain than placebo or routine care. (2)
- Tea Tree helps with fungal skin problems. A 2023 systematic review of 46 randomized trials found that tea tree oil on the skin worked about as well as standard treatments for clearing staph (MRSA) from the body. The review includes a 2002 Australian trial of 137 people with athlete’s foot, where far more of those who used a 25 or 50 percent tea tree solution for four weeks were cleared of the fungus than those using a placebo. (3)
- Orange is uplifting and energizing and gives a lotion bar a bright citrus aroma.
- Oregano has an intense antibacterial action. Its two main compounds, carvacrol and thymol, show significant antimicrobial activity in research. (4) It is also one of the hottest oils on the skin, so keep it to a small share of your blend.
- Rosemary is fresh and herbaceous and blends beautifully with lavender and orange.
Safety Tip: Cold-pressed lemon, lime, bergamot, and grapefruit oils are known to be phototoxic, so if you add them to this bar, choose steam-distilled lemon and lime or avoid direct sunlight for at least 12 hours if your skin is prone to a photosensitive reaction. Access a list of photosensitizing oils when using them topically. (5)
When making your DIY lotion bar and other skincare products, you can choose from various healthy oils to include in your products. Of course, this includes essential oils but also carrier oils.
Raw organic coconut oil is excellent for dry skin. In a 2004 randomized, double-blind trial of 34 people with dry, scaly legs, extra-virgin coconut oil improved skin hydration as well as mineral oil did. (6)
A 2024 review of plant-based cosmetic oils describes virgin coconut oil as moisturizing and anti-inflammatory, and notes that lauric acid makes up about 46 to 48 percent of it. (7) In a 2025 study from Thailand, monolaurin, made from lauric acid, stopped antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus taken from the skin of children and adults with eczema, at doses that did not harm skin cells. (8)
Jojoba oil is a liquid wax, more than 98 percent wax esters and related compounds rather than a true oil, and research has documented its anti-inflammatory activity. (7) Vitamin E is terrific for adding an antioxidant oil-soluble ingredient to a blend.
Beeswax: Beeswax is a great natural moisturizer. It works three ways at once: it seals the skin to slow water loss, it acts as a humectant that locks in hydration, and it softens and soothes. (9)
Many people rave about the light honey scent that beeswax brings to my DIYs, and I have to agree! Adding beeswax to products also makes them water-resistant. If you are allergic to beeswax, try Candelilla Wax or Bayberry Wax.
Carrier Oil: Carrier oils are fantastic because they help the essential oils disperse evenly. You have some great options when it comes to this ingredient. You can use fractioned coconut, jojoba, avocado, grapeseed, or sweet almond oil. All are lovely choices, and no matter what allergies you have, there’s one that’s right for you.
Kokum Butter: A must-have ingredient when making deodorant, sunscreen, or lotion bar. Kokum butter is rich in fatty acids that can help keep skin supple. It creates a firm lotion and moisturizes the skin beautifully.
Shea Butter: This butter is my absolute favorite! It creates an instant glow on the skin. Shea butter has anti-inflammatory properties, making it perfect for soothing the skin.
In a small 2026 study from Nigeria, ointments made from three compounds purified from shea butter were applied to 34 adults with wounds that had not healed in over a month. Every group’s wounds shrank, a marker of inflammation dropped, and a growth factor that helps skin repair rose, with no side effects, though in a group that small the shea ointments did not beat standard wound care. (10) I find that products including shea butter seem to have a long-lasting moisturizing effect.
Mango Butter: Mango butter comes from mango seeds, not the actual fruit. Shea butter and mango butter are generally compared to each other, and both make wonderfully rich body-care ingredients.
Mama Z’s Essential Oil Base: This oil base is a mixture of moisturizing components I came up with while pregnant. I wanted something deeply hydrating that would help keep my skin supple. This base did the trick! I love using it in many DIYs to increase the skin’s elasticity and add extra moisture.
Essential Oils: This is an optional ingredient but highly recommended. You can use any essential oils I suggest in the recipe card or create your own blend. The lotion bar is great on its own, but adding essential oils takes it to another level.
For children, sensitive skin, or pregnancy, stick with gentle oils like lavender and leave out the hot oils (cinnamon, cassia, clove, and oregano). Our guide to diluting essential oils gives the drops for every age.
Why You Should Avoid Storebought Lotion
Most store-bought lotions include artificial fragrances, which draw consumers in because everyone wants to smell great. Countless ingredients can hide behind that one word, because U.S. labeling rules let a fragrance formula be listed simply as “Fragrance,” and some of those components cause allergic reactions in sensitive people. (11)
The phthalate most often used in fragrance is diethyl phthalate. (11) Researchers have linked phthalates to changes in the male reproductive system.
A 2022 review of 19 studies found that a mother’s exposure during pregnancy to diethyl phthalate and three other phthalates was linked to a shorter anogenital distance in her baby boy, a measure of how his reproductive system developed. (12) This recipe uses essential oils to create fantastic fragrance blends instead.
Artificial fragrances aren’t the only reason I make my own. In 2016 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a ruling that bans triclosan, triclocarban, and 17 other antibacterial chemicals from hand soaps, bar soaps, and body washes. Manufacturers never provided the data to show they were safe for daily use over the long term or any better than plain soap and water at preventing illness. (13)
These products have been marketed as more effective than good old-fashioned soap and water, and consumers have been misled into purchasing them. I don’t need an antibacterial marketing claim or a mystery fragrance to moisturize dry skin. A lotion bar can be much simpler.
DIY Lotion Bar FAQs
What is a lotion bar?
A lotion bar is a solid, water-free moisturizer made from waxes, butters, and oils. Body heat softens the surface so you can glide a thin layer onto the skin.
How many essential oils go in the lotion bar?
Mix 5 drops of essential oils per 1 ounce of the warmed base salve.
Can I use this lotion bar on my face?
The recipe is designed as a rich body moisturizer. The heavy waxes and butters can feel too thick for acne-prone facial skin, so test a small area first and keep it away from your eyes.
Can I use a lotion bar on eczema?
Rich moisturizers are a big part of caring for dry, eczema-prone skin. During an active flare, make a batch without essential oils, or try our dermatitis salve.
Does mango butter work as sunscreen?
No. Mango butter is a wonderful emollient, but this homemade lotion bar does not have a tested SPF.
Can lotion bars melt?
Yes. The waxes and butters soften with heat. Keep the finished bar away from direct sunlight, hot vehicles, and heating vents.
Final Thoughts on This DIY Lotion Bar
This is exactly the kind of DIY I love: simple ingredients, easy storage, no synthetic fragrance, and a finished product that feels luxurious without being complicated.
Keep one by the sink, in your bathroom, or anywhere dry hands seem to sneak up on you, and use it every time you wash. Caring for the skin God gave you really can be this simple.
Keep reading: Whipped Body Butter: Nourishing DIY for Soft Smooth Skin · Homemade Body Powder Recipe: Talc-Free DIY Body Powder · DIY Lip Balm With Essential Oils: Easy Natural Recipe
References
- American Academy of Dermatology Association. Dermatologists’ top tips for relieving dry skin. AAD. Accessed 2026. Source.
- Refaei M, Shayan A, Fatholahi E, et al. Herbal medicine in episiotomy wound healing: a systematic review. Current Drug Delivery. 2026. Source.
- Kairey L, Agnew T, Bowles EJ, et al. Efficacy and safety of Melaleuca alternifolia (tea tree) oil for human health: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2023. Source.
- Nurzyńska-Wierdak R, Walasek-Janusz M. Chemical composition, biological activity, and potential uses of oregano (Origanum vulgare L.) and oregano essential oil. Pharmaceuticals. 2025. Source.
- International Fragrance Association. IFRA Standards Library. IFRA. Accessed 2026. Source.
- Agero AL, Verallo-Rowell VM. A randomized double-blind controlled trial comparing extra virgin coconut oil with mineral oil as a moisturizer for mild to moderate xerosis. Dermatitis. 2004. Source.
- Abdalla S, Aroua MK, Gew LT. A comprehensive review of plant-based cosmetic oils (virgin coconut oil, olive oil, argan oil, and jojoba oil): chemical and biological properties and their cosmeceutical applications. ACS Omega. 2024. Source.
- Laowansiri M, Suwanchote S, Wannigama DL, et al. Monolaurin inhibits antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in patients with atopic dermatitis. Scientific Reports. 2025. Source.
- Nong Y, Maloh J, Natarelli N, et al. A review of the use of beeswax in skincare. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology. 2023. Source.
- Anyanwu EG, Onuchukwu CL, Ojukwu CP, Anyanwu CN. Ethnopharmacological evaluation of Vitellaria paradoxa triterpenes for wound healing: in vivo evidence of lupeol and α/β-amyrin in promoting dermal regeneration. Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2026. Source.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Fragrances in cosmetics. FDA. Accessed 2026. Source.
- Yu C, Lu J, Zhao J, et al. Maternal phthalate exposure during pregnancy and male reproductive disorders: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The Turkish Journal of Pediatrics. 2022. Source.
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Skip the antibacterial soap; use plain soap and water. FDA. 2024. Source.
