DIY Lavender Bath Oil Melts
One of my absolute favorite things to get from Lush Cosmetics has always been their various bath oil melts. I have pretty dry skin, so using bath oils has always felt way more beneficial than just using regular bath bombs.
You can imagine my utter dismay, then, when Lush decided to continue almost all of their bath oils.
The silver lining, however, is that we can make our own at home pretty easily and save some money while doing it! Realistically you could even make some stripped down versions with just cocoa butter and shea butter, but I’m a little more extra than that and wanted to make something more luxurious.
Plus, there are so many fun silicone molds, and you could even do themed ones for holidays and special events! The cactus one is the only one I own at the moment, but they are just so darn adorable anyway.
These are also a great idea to give as gifts! You can include them in gift baskets, wrapped in parchment paper or in a small paper bag tied up with string.
How to Use Bath Oil Melts
Bath oil melts are super easy to use, just like bath bombs. Just pop them in a warm bath and let them melt! Of course, because they actually need to melt, they wouldn’t work in a cold bath (sorry Wim Hof) so unless you’re planning on taking an ice bath, you should be good to go!
Can I Get it in My Hair?
Everything used in this recipe is safe for your hair. In fact, it can even be beneficial! That being said, it really depends on your hair type. If you have drier hair, the bath oils can act like a hair mask and leave your hair nicely moisturized and protected. If you have more natural oils, you might want to try to keep the oils off your scalp.
Regardless, just remember to rinse your hair out with fresh water before you get out of the bath. Those with more oily hair may want to shampoo the oils out as well.
How to Store Bath Oil Melts
You should be able to store your bath oils in the bathroom without them melting, but it really depends on your climate and how hot your bathroom gets.
If your bath oils are melting too much, you can store them in the fridge or freezer instead. When I was experimenting with the recipe, I think I used too much jojoba oil which is already liquid, so my bath oils were a bit more “melty” than usual. I’m storing those ones in the freezer.
You can also include beeswax in the recipe, which can help them hold their form a bit more, but I wanted to offer a vegan recipe. I may also try candelilla wax in the future.
Where to Find Dried Flowers
One really important thing to keep in mind when including flowers or dried flowers in your diy beauty (or food) recipes is to consider your source. If you buy regular flowers from the grocery store, you could be buying and using all the pesticides and sometimes added fragrances that come with it. And you definitely don’t want to be soaking in pesticides when you’re having a bath!
Opt for food grade florals, or choose them from a trusted source where you know that no pesticides or other harmful treatments were used.
I can usually find a good variety of organic and food grade herbs and dried flowers or teas in the bulk section of my local health food store. You can also reach out to friends and neighbors, or grow your own!
Where to Find Shea Butter and Cocoa Butter
You should be able to find pure shea butter and cocoa butter at your local health food store. It will likely come in a small tub. You can also buy it online in bulk, which could help you reduce the packaging and save you a bit of money. That being said, this recipe makes a relatively small batch of bath oil melts, so the small tubs sold at health food stores should be enough.
You can also check the beauty section at some grocery stores or department stores. Just make sure you aren’t overpaying!
Additionally, if you can find a zero waste store or another store that sells shea butter in cocoa butter in bulk, you can fill your own jars! There is a zero waste store near me that sells both (and so much more), so when I run out of what I have, I’m going to refill my containers there.
I found this awesome website called Litterless which gives you a directory of zero waste shopping based on your state and city. Check it out and see what’s near you!
How to Make Your Own “Double Broiler”
If you already have your own double broiler, you can skip this part. Or if you’d like, you can simply purchase your own if you feel like you’ll get good use out of it.
But, you can also save your dollars and make your own double broiler situation that will work just as well!
There are many ways to do this, but an easy one that I learned from Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins is just by using mason jars! Fill a saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring to a simmer, then put a mason jar ring (from the lid) in the center of the pan and set your mason jar on top, which you can then melt your ingredients in.
The only thing I noticed with this is that sometimes the jar tries to fall over, so just be careful. Holding it up with tongs can help.
I also like using the trivet from my Instant pot to put in the bottom of my saucepan and set the mason jar on top of that. It’s much more stable then the canning lid, but either one works!
Ingredients and Supplies:
2 tbsp Cocoa butter
2 tbsp Shea butter
1tsp Jojoba oil
10 drops of lavender essential oil
Silicon mold
Dried lavender buds (optional)
Dried chamomile (optional)
Recipe:
Use a double broiler, or create your own (see above), and add in your cocoa butter, shea butter, and jojoba oil. Stir until completely melted.
Remove from heat and allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Then add 10 drops of lavender essential oils, and stir together.
Sprinkle a small amount of lavender and chamomile buds in the bottom of the molds.
Pour your bath oil mixture into the molds, almost to the top. It might help to transfer your mixture into something with a spout before trying to pour it into the molds.
Carefully move the mold into the freezer, and leave until completely solid. Once they are solid, you can carefully pop them out!