Easy Illipe Nut Butter Lotion Bars

I love lotion bars – both making them and using them! I’m firmly of the opinion that lotion bars are a treat for super dry and chapped hands as well as rough elbows and knees. Since lotion bars are easy and fun to make, I thought this would be another great recipe to showcase Illipe Nut Butter.

These bars fit perfectly in our 0.75 oz screw top tins.

One of the best things about lotion bars is that they only need to use a few ingredients. Of course, you can make your lotion bar recipes as simple or complex as you want, but sometimes simpler is better.

For this simple lotion bar, I chose to use equal amounts of Illipe Nut Butter, Yellow Beeswax, and High Melt Point Shea Butter. I had considered adding a small amount of an essential oil for scent, but I decided that I preferred the natural smell of the ingredients.

Come along as we give this recipe a try!

What you’ll need:

Recipe to fill 12 Big Lip Balm Tubes

Weigh each ingredient into a microwave-safe container. I microwaved for 1 minute 30 seconds, which melted the Shea Butter and most of the Illipe Nut Butter, but the Beeswax was still not melted. Another minute did the trick, with just a few bits of Beeswax still left unmelted. A bit of stirring was all that was needed and the mixture was ready to pour.

Close up view of ingredients. Creamy Shea Butter on top, chunky Illipe Nut Butter below, and Yellow Beeswax.

Pouring melted oils into a mold.

I poured it into my small square silicone mold. I had planned to let the mold sit overnight at room temperature to allow the bars to harden, and I was surprised by how quickly the lotion bars cooled. It only took a few minutes for the lotion bars to visibly change from a translucent mixture to a hazy opacity.

By the time 20 minutes had passed, the bars were hard enough to remove from the mold and package. At first, I was a bit concerned that the lotion bars would not apply easily to the skin. I didn’t need to worry! The lotion bar melted easily in the hand without rapidly melting all over the skin. It was very easy to hold my lotion bar and apply a light coat of lotion without feeling like I’d become as slippery as a melting ice cube.

One minute after pouring, the lotion bar had already begun to harden.

About five minutes after pouring, the bars were already completely opaque.

The lotion bar applies with a slight drag that feels tacky, but not sticky or oily. After a couple of minutes, the oil on skin can be rubbed in more thoroughly. I’m convinced that the best part about the application of this lotion bar is that it’s easy to give myself an enjoyable hand massage! Once the lotion is all absorbed, it leaves a wonderful protective coating on my hands that feels lovely.

I don’t think this lotion bar would be a good product to use when you need to do important things with your hands. Save this lotion bar for a time when you don’t need your hands for a while and then enjoy!

There are so many ways to make lotion bars unique. You can add essential oils, fragrances, specialty oils, or extracts to boost the scent, skin feel, or luxury feel of your lotion bars. Would you add another ingredient to this formulation? What sorts of additions would you make?