A few months ago I was roaming one of my favorite zero-waste shops and I came across a beautiful lotion bar for sale. The bar was light pink, and smelled absolutely delightful! What set this lotion bar apart from other lotion bars is it was a 100% vegan and beeswax-free lotion bar. As a DIYer with a passion for clean skincare products, I was up for the challenge of creating my own version at home and for the blog.
I just loved the idea of using both Cocoa Butter with Rose. Maybe it was the feeling of romance and self-love for Valentine’s Day? The combination of cocoa butter and rose is so silky smooth, relaxing, and just emanates self-love. If you have been following the blog for a while, you know roses are one of my biggest inspirations to create with. For months, I’ve had this idea just lingering in my mind and I had to get it perfect before I shared it. Finally, after a lot of research, some trial and error, I found a beeswax-free lotion bar I’m absolutely in love with. I am so happy to finally share this recipe with you all and can’t wait to hear how you like it!
Why a Beeswax-Free Lotion Bar?
So there are a lot of reasons why I chose to make a beeswax-free lotion bar. First, I received a lot of questions on Instagram after launching my last lotion bar recipe about how to make them without beeswax. Some prefer not to use beeswax when following a plant-based lifestyle. Beeswax isn’t considered to be a vegan ingredient and I wanted to honor their lifestyle and make a lotion bar that can be enjoyed by everyone.
Others, like a dear friend of mine, are allergic to beeswax. When you are allergic to beeswax, you can develop a serious rash when using beeswax products. Others just want to honor the bees and be thankful for everything they do for our planet.
Whatever the reason, I wanted to be inclusive and honor those who needed an alternative to beeswax. That’s why I choose to look for other options while designing a recipe that could be enjoyed by everyone. The other challenge was to make it as soothing and restorative as my other lotion bars. I have to say, this rose cocoa lotion bar might even be my favorite so far!
What makes a good beeswax substitute?
Finding a good beeswax substitute was the first challenge for this beeswax-free lotion bar. That’s when I found carnauba wax on Mountain Rose Herbs. Carnauba wax comes from the “Brazilian Palm tree, also known as the tree of life” and is 100% organic. When used as a beeswax substitute in a clean skincare product, the result is very similar. A lot of salves and balms incorporate Carnauba wax for its moisturizing, glossy texture and durability to be easily transported. It was literally perfect for this lotion bar! When using Carnauba wax, I feel the same (if not better) moisturizing effect on my skin. Combined with the rose my skin is soothed and left smelling absolutely amazing!
A Few Tips on Working with Carnauba Wax
Carnauba Wax is very easy to work with and has most of the same properties as beeswax. However, the main difference is that Carnauba Wax has a very high melting point of around 185 degrees Fahrenheit. With that being said, there is much more energy transferred to heat the wax so I recommend being extra cautious since it will burn easily upon contact.
I’d also recommend melting the Carnauba Wax by itself and not mixed up with the other oils and butters that are used in this recipe. Since the melting point is much higher, you risk burning the other ingredients before the wax melts.
Can I Use Beeswax?
If you don’t have Carnauba Wax accessible you can absolutely use beeswax! Beeswax is a little easier to come by. Using Carnauba Wax just enables this recipe to be a 100% vegan, beeswax-free recipe. However, I’d make a smaller batch first. The ratios used in this recipe are designed to be used with Carnauba Wax and it’s not a 1:1 ratio with beeswax.
To thoroughly test without wasting ingredients, I’d recommend melting and mixing a small number of your ingredients. Then take a spoon and place the spoon into the refrigerator or freezer. When you take out the spoon, check to see if the mixture is the desired consistency. What you are looking for is a consistency that isn’t overly hard or stiff. I look for a mixture that melts fairly easily with body temperature when placed on the skin.
How to Get That Pink Rose Hue Naturally
I have to say, this was one of the hardest parts of designing this beeswax-free lotion bar recipe. After much research and failure, I found that using a light pink mica powder and rose clay were the best solutions. Using rose clay or mica powder is a simple, and natural way to turn the rose cocoa lotion bars into a perfect, soft pink rosy hue.
I tried a lot of different ideas. Beetroot powder was one that was recommended as well, but with my experimentation, I was not successful. One question I researched thoroughly was how safe and natural mica powder was when used in a clean skincare product. I found out it’s very natural and safe. Just make sure you get a cosmetic-grade mica powder.
Substitutes for Rose Essential Oil
The most expensive ingredient in this recipe was rose essential oil. If that’s not accessible to you do not worry. Yes, it adds a wonderful rose scent but you can get the same lovely floral scent a few other ways. I’d recommend using geranium essential oil for a similar, subtle floral scent you will absolutely love. However, you could use any of your favorite skin-safe essential oils.
If you don’t want to use essential oils, that’s alright as well. I really love infusing rose petals into olive oil. You will just have to plan a few weeks in advance to let your roses properly infuse. It’s also a more sustainable and affordable remedy that brings the same rose joy to the recipe!
Keeping With the Rose Design
Wanting to keep the design to match the recipe, I used a rose silicone mold, similar to this one found off of Etsy. Silicone molds are perfect for this recipe since they are easy to work with, can handle the heat of the oil, and make the lotion bar look absolutely gorgeous! The lotion bar will pop out very easily when cooled and you can use it right away.
Other Clean Skincare Recipes
One of the goals of this blog is to provide simple, affordable, DIY clean skincare recipes that anyone can make. I am a firm believer in clean skincare. Taking care of our skin, being conscious of the ingredients we use, and making sure the recipes are sustainable are vital to our own health and the health of the planet.
If you loved this beeswax-free lotion bar, you’ll love my DIY Rose Milk Self-Love Bath Soak Recipe. Similar to floral scent, this recipe is perfect for honoring your skin during your bath.
Another one of my favorites is the Homemade Berry & Honey Face Mask Recipe. It’s a simple, natural way to take care of your face that you can make with a few ingredients you’d have around the house.
One way I take care of my dry skin is with my Chai Infused Beeswax Salve Recipe. This recipe is great for anyone who has dry skin and is looking for a simple, clean solution.
If you are looking for a clean skincare substitute for the skincare products that you use regularly, feel free to reach out! I’m always creating new DIY recipes that are heart-centered, sustainable, and use clean ingredients.
I’d Love To Hear Your Thoughts
I’d really love to hear your thoughts on this beeswax-free lotion bar! Personally, I love it! The scent is beautifully floral with the rose and leaves my skin nourished and moisturized. Feel free to comment below or tag me on Instagram (@mytinylagunakitchen). Hope you enjoy it!
Cocoa Rose Beeswax Free Lotion Bars
This 100% vegan, beeswax-free lotion bar is silky smooth, full of self-love energy that your skin will feel oh so grateful for.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1 cup) Rose Infused Olive Oil
- 8 ounces (3/4 cup) Cocoa Butter Wafers
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) Carnauba Wax
- 4 ounces (1/2 cup) Mango Butter
- 5 drops of Rose Essential Oil (or 5-10 drops of Geranium Essential Oil) (optional)
- 1/4 tsp of rose clay or pink hued mica (optional)
Instructions
- Make your rose-infused olive oil 4-6 weeks before making the lotion bars. You can also make the infused oil the day off on the stove on a low temperature Follow the full instructions here to make a Flower-Infused Olive Oil.
- Pour the Carnauba Wax into a double boiler, or a bowl placed into a pan on the stove over boiling water.
- Carnauba Wax has a very high melting point (180-185 degrees Fahrenheit) therefore, I recommend heating and melting the Carnauba Wax first that way you don't burn the more sensitive, oils and butter that we are using in this recipe.
- Once the Carnauba Wax is melted, slightly let cool, and add in the Cocoa Butter Wafers.
- Once Cocoa Butter Wafers are cool, turn off the heat, and add in Mango Butter, Olive Oil, and Essential Oils.
- Once melted, quickly separate the melted mixture into glass cups with a pour spout. Add the rose clay powder to one of the pouring cups, and mix well.
- If the mixture starts to harden simply warm the mixture again in the double boiler.
- Carefully pour the pink mixture into silicone molds first, then the plain mixture right after. Be careful as the glass could still be very hot! Use your sleeve or an oven mitt to safely pour!
- Let the lotion bars cool and harden. After an hour or two, the lotion bars were still soft due to high weather temperatures. Therefore I placed them in the fridge overnight to fully set.
- Gently remove the lotion bars by pulling on the silicone molds around the lotion bars.
- Store the lotion bars in Push Top Tins, with parchment paper. If you live in a very warm climate store the lotion bars in the fridge.
Notes
- Carnauba Wax has a very high melting point (180-185 degrees Fahrenheit) therefore, I recommend heating and melting the Carnauba Wax first that way you don't burn the more sensitive, oils and butter that we are using in this recipe.
- A note on letting the lotion bars set, after an hour or two, the lotion bars were still soft due to the high weather temperatures we were having in Southern California. Therefore I placed them in the fridge overnight to fully set.
- A note on ratio size, depending on the size of your silicone molds, you might end up with more or fewer lotion bars, as every mold ranges in size.
- The push-top tins that I used are 4 ounces from Mountain Rose Herbs.
- If you have very sensitive skin I would recommend leaving out the mica powder and leaving the bars a natural color. Use rose powder or rose clay instead!