Calendula is more than just a garden beauty; it also has a long-standing reputation as a natural anti-inflammatory skincare treatment. These lotion bars are made with grapeseed oil infused with calendula petals to give them a beautiful golden hue and all the delightful skin properties of calendula. These summer lotion bars glide on your skin easily, are absorbed quickly, and don’t leave you with a greasy feeling.
During the summer, we put our skin through a lot. We expose it to the sun’s rays. We spend days at the beach swimming in salt water which is drying on skin, and we generally spend a lot more time playing outdoors, which is wonderful but can lead to more scrapes, bruises, and minor cuts than usual. Calendula-infused lotion bars heal and moisturize skin without the heaviness of my winter lotion bar recipe that I use during the colder months.
Throughout history, calendula has been used in ointments, salves, and poultices to treat burns, wounds, bruises, and inflammation of all kinds. Calendula speeds up the growth of tissue, which means that it does wonders for healing minor cuts and scrapes quickly. It is also moisturizing and extremely gentle, so it is a good choice for children or those with sensitive skin. This lotion bar harnesses the healing and moisturizing powers of calendula and is perfect for summer skin.
Makes eight 57.5 gram bars
Ingredients
- 200 g calendula-infused grapeseed oil (see how to make it)
- 100 g virgin coconut oil
- 100 g beeswax
- 60 g cocoa butter
- A pinch of dried calendula petals (optional)
- 2 ml (40 drops) lavender essential oil (optional)
Materials
Make it!
Infuse the grapeseed oil with calendula petals as described in this post.
Weigh your ingredients and add them to the top pot of a double boiler.
Stir the ingredients in the double boiler until they have all melted together.
If you’re adding calendula petals and lavender essential oil, stir them in at this time. Pour the ingredients into the silicone mold, dividing the contents equally.
Leave the lotion bars undisturbed until they are set. If you are making them in a warm room, move the silicone tray into the fridge to firm up.
Remove from the mold and store them in the refrigerator when not in use.
Give it!
Package up one lotion bar in a metal tin on a bed of shredded paper and calendula petals. Create a 2.5” round craft paper canning lid label on a printer and use a 2.5” hole punch to cut out a perfectly round circle. Add the label on to the top of the tin and the lotion bar is ready to give.
mica garbarino says
June 3, 2018 at 10:41 pmdo you have an alternative to using coconut oil? My daughter’s boyfriend can’t use things with coconut oil. Just wondering if there’s an alternative if I were to try this recipe. thnx
Raynell says
December 26, 2018 at 7:08 pmMaybe tallow?
Terri says
December 14, 2018 at 8:21 amWhere did you buy the tins for the lotion bars?
Stephanie Rose says
December 15, 2018 at 6:04 amI got them at a local candle making shop but they also have them at craft stores.
Minerva says
January 15, 2019 at 6:27 amThe Calendula lotion soap recipe is great….but is there a way to make tgem so that no refrigeration is necessary? could vegetable glycerin be added or vitamin A oil so it can be kept in the bathroom? Thanks👵
Stephanie Rose says
January 15, 2019 at 10:54 amHi Minerva, you do not need to keep the lotion bars in the fridge. They have beeswax to keep them firm.
Karen says
February 25, 2019 at 6:09 amI would appreciate the weights being listed as ounces instead of grams. I have no way to weigh them in grams.
Stephanie Rose says
February 25, 2019 at 7:03 amSure Karen, here you go http://lmgtfy.com/?q=Convert+grams+to+ounces
Karen says
February 25, 2019 at 6:16 amI would like to mention that several in my family love the lotion bars made with cocoa butter, beeswax and coconut or almond oil. Smell good and wonderful for dry skin and eczema.
Stephanie Rose says
February 25, 2019 at 7:05 amGreat!