How to Make Your Own Coconut Oil Moisturizer Bar! (Weekly weigh in)

Happy Monday all!

I have been keeping my calorie counting streak for two weeks now and still going strong. It's amazing how logging everything you eat helps you lose weight.

Current weight: 206.0 lbs (-1 lb from last week and -4 lbs from last month)

Not bad, not bad. The more exciting news is that I've lost 0.5 inch from my waist. That's a HUGE deal for a woman dealing with PCOS and that dreaded apple shaped figure.
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Enough of that though because what I wanted to focus on in this post is how I've come up with making my own moisturizer using coconut oil. This moisturizer doesn't make you smell like last nights dinner and best of all, it's NOT MESSY! yay!

Background info:
When I developed eczema last year I broke down. The only thing I've been consistent about is taking care of my already sensitive skin. Suddenly getting a splotchy, itchy, burning and red face and arms was killing me.

I was already reading about the importance of taking harmful chemicals away from toiletry items and learned how coconut oil can be used as a moisturizer. Now I had already converted to using coconut oil for my food so when I tried to put the oil on my hair as a conditioner, or on my skin as a moisturizer, it was messy and I could not take going to bed smelling like the dinner I had just eaten a few hours ago.

I looked up different ways of making your own moisturizer and learned how using essential oils can help. I also learned the hard way that you can't use tea tree oil by itself. It irritated my skin soo much when I tried that. I read that you're supposed to diffuse it using another oil, like olive oil etc.
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For a while last year I converted to jojoba oil. It was awesome but really expensive. When I finally talked to a nutritionist about it they convinced me to use coconut oil again. More nutrients apparently. This time I had a plan though.

Fiddling with it I finally created a great coconut oil bar, that smells amazing, slides through my skin without making a mess or uses too much oil. In the end my skin is silky smooth. Mmmmm...

Here's how I do it:

First off I bought these great little round containers from REI. The plastic top pops off so the plastic is flexible. I'll explain how that's useful later.

First, fill the container with coconut oil.

I bought this huge thing of coconut oil from Costco. It's lasted me over a year for cooking and moisturizing.

Second, I put the container with coconut oil in the microwave for 20-30 seconds to make the oil in to a liquid. If the thought of microwaving plastic freaks you out you can heat the oil in a pan just long enough to melt it, and then pour it in to your container. 

Third, I add essential oils to nourish the moisturizer and make it smell amazing. I learned that you need to have a base (coconut oil) and then use essential oils to add to it. One essential oil will be the main ingredient and any others are add ons. You don't need to add much. I added 

15 drops of lavender, (I LOVE lavender.)

5 drops of tea tree oil,

 and 3 drops of rosemary oil.

 Do not underestimate the power of these oils. It ended up smelling a lot more like tea tree than one would expect. Because you don't need much of these oils those little expensive bottles can actually go a long way. I bought these bottles slowly and they've lasted me for almost a year, still relatively full.

Fourth, pop the top on the container and stick it in the fridge! Yup, you heard that right. In order to make the coconut oil in to a bar it needs to be cold. 

Fifth, wait until the oil cools long enough to turn completely solid again. I usually wait over night. 

Sixth, pop your new moisturizer bar out of it's container (this is why having flexible plastic is so useful) and you can slide the bar a long your body. The oil melts with your body heat and doesn't use too much of the bar at once. I usually just swipe it a long my arms, legs, neck and middle. I put the bar down and then rub in the oil with my hands. 

Stick the bar back in the container, the container back in the fridge and there you go! I usually use it right after I shower. It makes my skin feel soooo smooth. :) The bar usually lasts me quite a while. It just depends how often you use it. I use it a few times a week. I learned that I don't have to use it daily. The moisturizing power lasts a couple of days for me.

PRO'S:

It doesn't irritate your skin. 

It smells great because you used your favorite essential oil smells. 

You don't use up too much of the oil at once.

It's not messy because the cold keeps the bar compacted together. 

You can use any kind of container because the melted coconut oil can be molded. Just make sure you can take it out of the container so you can actually use the bar!

CON'S:

You have to keep it refrigerated so it's cold when you put it on your skin. Brrr!

It's hard to travel with it because you have to keep it cool most of the time. However if it melts you can just stick it back in the fridge, later and wait until it hardens again.

So there you go. How to make a coconut oil bar. It's not hard and it's fun to make your own smell.

I admit I've gotten some good feedback on how smooth my skin feels. Try it. 

love,

-E.