The thing that I love about these moisturizing massage bar is how they are solid at room temperature and then they melt when they make contact with your skin. These massage bars are formulated with a mix of oils and butters to protect, nourish and moisturize our skin.
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The massage bar is formulated with a slow absorbing oil to extend the massage time. You can definitely make a larger massage bar, but I like to make them smaller to be more of a one time use bar. When you want to use the moisturizing massage bar, you can either rub it directly on your skin or between your hands. You skin will warm the oils up enough that they will start to melt. Do this until you have melted as much of the massage bar as you desire.
What ingredients do you use in a massage bar?
Cocoa Butter is hard at room temperature, but it melts when it comes in contact with your skin. Not as quickly as coconut oil does, as it is a little bit of a harder butter. We use this to help with the consistency of the bar and for the skin loving properties.
I used Beeswax to help to harden this massage bar up a bit, because we need it to hold its shape. Beeswax is an emollient that helps to soften skin and creates a thin barrier on the skin that holds moisture in. It is said to have anti inflammatory and antioxidant properties. If you wanted to make this a vegan massage bar, you can swap the beeswax out for camellia wax, but you may have to adjust the recipe a bit to get the right consistency.
For the carrier oil, I went with Sunflower Oil. We want to choose an oil that absorbs a little slower and leaves your skin feeling soothed and nourished. You will want to stay away from oils that absorb too quickly, as you really want to be extending the massage as long as possible.
Since these are oil based and there is no water or chance of coming into contact with water, we do not need to use a preservative. The shelf life of them is going to be determined by the shelf life of your ingredients.
For the fragrance, I went with Island Oasis Fragrance Oil. It smells like your on an island and surround by fruits and flowers. I was concerned that the hint of chocolate wouldn’t mesh well with the fragrance oil but it did!
Troubleshooting Massage Bar
Although this bar stays hard where I live, you may have to adjust it a bit if you live in a warmer or colder climate.
- If it melts too easily, remove some of the carrier oil and add beeswax.
- If it is too hard, remove some beeswax and increase the carrier oil.
Making Moisturizing Massage Bars
Measure – out all of your ingredients.
Heat – Place the beeswax, cocoa butter and sunflower oil into a heat safe container. (Preferably one with a pouring spout). Put on a double boiler until it is completely melted.
Scent – After removing oils from double boiler and wiping any water from the sides of your container, add your Island Oasis fragrance oil. Mix well.
Pour – Pour into a silicone mold and allow to cool completely. Unmold and enjoy.
Moisturizing Massage Bar
Equipment
- Scale
Ingredients
- 1.14 ounce | 38% Cocoa Butter
- 0.90 ounce | 30% Beeswax
- 0.90 ounce | 30% Sunflower Oil
- 0.06 ounce | 2% Island Oasis Fragrance Oil
Instructions
- Measure – out all of your ingredients.
- Heat – Place the beeswax, cocoa butter and sunflower oil into a heat safe container. (Preferably one with a pouring spout). Put on a double boiler until it is completely melted.
- Scent – After removing oils from double boiler and wiping any water from the sides of your container, add your Island Oasis fragrance oil. Mix well.
- Pour – Pour into a silicone mold and allow to cool completely. Unmold and enjoy.