Shea and cocoa butter lotion bars scented with peppermint essential oil for a cooling effect.

These lotion bars are the perfect way to nourish your skin and cool down during hot summer days. When stored in the fridge, they have a nice cooling effect which is a great way to cool down after spending a few hours in the sun. The peppermint adds to the cooling effect and gives the bars an invigorating and refreshing scent. The peppermint lotion bars are also a great sunburn relief and can be used gently on areas that were exposed to a little bit too much sun.

Peppermint is often associated with Christmas and everything containing hot cocoa and candy canes. Today however, we are using it for a different purpose. Due to the refreshing and cooling effect peppermint has, I thought it would be the perfect oil for these summer lotion bars. If you’ve ever used peppermint oil before, you know what I am talking about. The cold chill you feel on your skin when applying peppermint oil is a great way to beat the summer heat. It’s actually a trick I learned from my mother. When using peppermint oil in lotion bars the effect isn’t nearly as intense which is why I decided to put these in the fridge for an additional cooling effect.

Making lotion bars is simple and easy, but the process is a bit different in the summer months than in the colder months. Due to the room temperature being substantially higher in the summer, bars with less ‘hard’ fats tend to not set or melt when stored at room temperature. To solve that problem there are two solutions. Either you increase the amount of cocoa butter or beeswax, or you store them in the fridge at all times. For our peppermint lotion bars here we are doing a mix of both. We are increasing the amount of cocoa butter in relation to the other ingredients and we are letting them set in the fridge.

Putting the lotion bar into the fridge will give you a nice cooling effect and using it during a hot day is a real treat, it will however also make the bar slightly more wet. Because the bar is stored in the fridge, it draws in the moisture of the fridge which changes the texture slightly. I really didn’t mind it and loved the chill of the cold bar, but if you prefer a slightly more firm or dry bar, you may not enjoy it. Also keep in mind that diy skin care products are typically more rich than store-bought because they do not contain any fillers.

Lastly I wish to brush up on the molds a bit. You can use any kind you have at home. I used these silicone molds which are great to work with because the bars can be removed incredibly easy. You can make the bars as small or large as you wish but keep in mind that smaller bars will melt more quickly and might not be as handy.

Love diy lotion bars? Try these elegant rose lotion bars!

Peppermint Lotion Bars

Refreshing lotion bars that are a great sunburn relief.

Yield: 2

Ingredients

70g shea butter (1/2 cup)
60g cocoa butter (1/2 cup)
60g coconut oil* (1/2 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
30 drops peppermint essential oil
molds of choice*

Instructions

In a double boiler, melt the shea butter, cocoa butter and coconut oil on high heat.
Remove from heat and stir in the vitamin E and peppermint essential oil. Pour into your molds and let the bars harden completely.**