Sure you've got your weekend all planned out,to-do lists flying left right center. I need you to do 1 thing for me though, just 1 little thing...throw out the harmful chemicals you use on your skin and make this all natural coconut lotion bars. We don't want to be looking like a high class 55 year old when we turn 35,do we? Thought so too.
Now I picked this recipe to share because of the availability of the ingredients, I mean what's the point of sharing an amazing recipe if no one eventually uses it right...right.
Let's get to it
There are lots of recipes available but many recommend the use of lots of beeswax. Beeswax is a natural hardener secreted by bees which has the wonderful ability of trapping and holding moisture,
this recipe however, recommends the use of less beeswax so that you don't end up damaging the elasticity of your skin because of too much pulling just to apply,this recipe also has more coconut oil for better skin absorption and less essential oil of your choice so you don't go around smelling like an air freshening gel tub.
Let's get to it
Ingredients are
1/2 cup of shea butter or ori.
3/4 Cup of coconut oil
1/2 cup of beeswax(can be gotten from the men who sell honey at the market)
10-15 drops of an essential oil of your choice.
Mix the coconut oil,beeswax and shea butter(ori) in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir the ingredients until they melt and are homogeneous. Remove from heat and add essential oil e.g lemon essential oil. Gently stir until the essential oil is fully incorporated.
Pour the mixture into a small baking pan or a moulding block of your choice. I recommend a 5x9 baking pan,it will come out the size of the former canoe soap bar. This makes a 4 and half inch bar. Leave this to cool or put in the fridge at 30 minutes.
Wrap in wax paper until you are ready to use them.
Wax paper can be gotten at your local supermarket. If you don't have that, store in a plastic container and keep in a cool dry place cos it can melt on exposure to heat..
To use, simply rub bars onto your skin as if you were rubbing your cream with gentle pressure and it will melt off in small nice doses.
Benefits of these ingredients
Coconut oil
Contains high level of vitamin E and is wonderful in skin hydration
It mimics the sebum of the skin so it naturally clears and removes dirt and dead skin cells
It has both antibacterial and anti fungal properties.
Shea butter
Ori has massive amounts of essential fatty acids and natural skin moisturising antioxidant compounds which make the skin really soft
It contains high contents of vitamin A and E which restores elasticity and soothes rashes on dry skin.
It also has antifungal and antibacterial properties.
Beeswax
Is amazing at locking in moisture to shield the skin from damaging environmental conditions .
It softens the skin
It's a natural moisturiser.
It has antifungal, antibacterial,anti-allegernic and germicidal antioxidant properties
Lemon essential oil
Even if this gives a beautiful scent to the product, it too has a busload of benefits.
It contains 68 percent d-limonene which is a powerful antioxidant and has great cleansing and purifying properties added to its anti microbial properties.
