Calendula Lotion Bars for Soothing Summer Skin

Calendula is more than just a garden beauty; it also has a long-standing reputation as a natural anti-inflammatory skincare treatment. These calendula lotion bars are the perfect way to treat sensitive, sun-kissed, or dry skin that needs a little bit of extra summer loving.

Calendula is one of my favourite herbs to grow. It looks beautiful in the garden, works as natural pest control, and is one of THE best skincare herbs you can find. What is there not to love!?

Each summer, I begin my calendula harvest by making a batch of these calendula lotion bars. 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.

Easy to use, these summer lotion bars glide on your skin easily, are absorbed quickly, and don’t leave you with a greasy feeling.

Here’s how to make them!

Why Make a Summer Lotion Bar?
Calendula for Skin Care
Oils for Lotion Bars
Grapeseed Oil
Coconut Oil
Cocoa Butter
Calendula Lotion Bars VIDEO
Calendula Lotion Bars Recipe
Ingredients
Makes eight 57.5 gram bars
Materials
Make It!
Gift It!
Calendula Lotion Bar FAQ
More Ways to Use Calendula

Calendula and Chamomile — For this recipe, you’ll want to use dried calendula.

Why Make a Summer Lotion Bar?

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 the 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.

How to Grow and Use Calendula — Calendula is a prolific bloomer, and just a couple of plants will get you plenty of dried flowers to use for your lotion bars.

Calendula for Skin Care

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.

Jar of dried calendula next to rosemary sprig — Use calendula flower heads harvested just before they fully open.

Oils for Lotion Bars

There are a number of oils that can be used to make lotion bars. I like this combination for the texture, hydration, and quick absorption.

Grapeseed Oil

Grapeseed oil is a by-product of winemaking made by pressing the natural oils out of grape seeds. The oil doesn’t have much of an aroma and is very light, quick to absorb into the skin, and full of antioxidants. Grapeseed oil is good for facial products and those with oily skin since it is so light and will hydrate skin without feeling greasy.

Coconut Oil

Coconut Oil contains a high amount of fatty acids, has antibacterial and antimicrobial properties, and smells like a tropical vacation. When combined with other ingredients, it is especially effective at moisturizing the skin. Coconut oil is good for hydrating sun-damaged skin and helps prevent the look of aging. Unrefined, virgin/extra virgin coconut oil is best for use in homemade skincare products.

Cocoa Butter

Cocoa butter comes from (you guessed it!) cocoa beans. It is an edible fat and is the main, essential ingredient in chocolate, which is why it smells so delicious. It is wonderful for hydrating skin and it contains antioxidants which you can absorb through your skin.

It is a solid at room temperature, but heating it will transform it into a liquid so that it can be combined easily with other ingredients for a beauty recipe. Cocoa butter has a strong chocolate aroma that holds well in recipes. If you don’t care for the scent, it can be purchased in a processed form that has the scent removed. I use organic, raw cocoa butter that adds a mouth-watering aroma to the end products.

Calendula and Chamomile Infused Herbal Oil — We’ll be infusing the calendula in the oils to harness its healing properties.

Calendula Lotion Bars VIDEO

If you aren’t sure if you can make these lotion bars this gorgeous at home, have a look at this video by Erin from the Impatient Gardener website and YouTube Channel.

Erin made the recipe on camera, and it’s fun and hilarious to watch. Erin is self-proclaimed to be not crafty at all, so she is a bit out of her element, and you just have to watch the video to the end to see her reaction!

Calendula Lotion Bars Recipe

Now that you have seen in the video, it’s surprisingly easy to make these lotion bars. Let’s walk through the step-by-step instructions with photos to help you out as well!

calendula lotion bars for summer skincare — Using a flower silicone mould gives these calendula bars a beautiful finish.

Ingredients

Makes eight 57.5 gram bars

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.

weighing ingredients for calendula summer lotion bars — I use a scale for the most precise measuring.

Stir the ingredients in the double boiler until they have all melted together.

melting ingredients in a double boiler — Make sure your container has a spout for easy pouring later on.

If you’re adding calendula petals and lavender essential oil, stir them in at this time. Pour the ingredients into the silicone mould, dividing the contents equally.

Using silicone molds to make lotion bars — Add the essential oils and calendula petals after you remove the melted oils/butter from heat.

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.

Making calendula summer lotion bars — Ensure the bars are completely cooled before removing them from the mould.

Remove from the mould and store them in the refrigerator when not in use.

remove lotion bars from molds — Since these have a low melting point, keep them in the fridge so they hold their shape.

Gift 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.

how to package summer lotion bars for giving

Calendula Lotion Bar FAQ

What is the shelf life of calendula lotion bars?

The product will last as long as the soonest expiry date on the ingredients. For example, if the coconut oil has the soonest expiry date, that will be the expiry date for the entire finished product.

Learn more about the shelf life of homemade beauty products here.

Can I substitute the coconut oil for something else?

I would add olive oil or sweet almond oil as a replacement. However, you may want to add a bit of beeswax to firm up the bar when it’s at room temperature if you’re replacing the coconut oil.

Can I substitute shea butter for the cocoa butter?

Shea butter is not as hard as cocoa butter, and it doesn’t melt at the same temperature. You can try it, but I would add some beeswax.

More Ways to Use Calendula

Print Pin