DIY Massage Bar! (Great Valentine's Day idea)

There's a store in the US called lush, and they have wonderful handmade products (soaps, lotions, bath bombs, bubble bombs, scrubs, bath gel and jellies etc). Around Christmas time they came out with this lovely little massage bar with a cute little mustache on it with glitter called 'Once a year'. They also have others with chocolate, cinnamon and spices.

For those who don't know what a massage bar is, it's basically a solid lotion. It looks like a bar of soap, but you take it and rub it between your hands to melt it a little and rub the bar all over your body and then you can massage it in. It's quite a cute gift and a great idea for Valentine's Day. It's super moisturizing!! You can give your boo a massage with something you made!! And if it smells like chocolate...BETTER YET! (guys & girls will love it).


You need:
1/2 Cup Cocoa Butter (sold in bars, raw...)
1/8 Teaspoon of vitamin E oil
1 Tablespoon coconut/sweet almond oil
Several drops of your favourite essential oils (cinnamon, bergamot, pepermint etc)

*Cocao Powder (if you want to make a chocolate-y bar).
*Coffee (caffeine is an antioxidant and vasoconstrictor)
*Brandy (this is one of the ingredients used in the Lush bar).
*Fine glitter/sparkles (if you want to give your skin a shimmery look).

1. Grate the cocoa butter as this will make it easier to work with and easier to melt.
    
2. Melt the cocoa butter over very low heat and add the coconut/almond oil. You need the heat to be very low because cocoa butter melts at a very low temperature and you want it to melt slowly, not burn! It's best if you place the grated cocoa butter into a bowl and put it into a bowl of hot (not boiling) water and stir slowly.
    
3. You can add the cocao powder here and stir. If you're wondering how much to put, I would say about maybe 2/3 the amount of cocoa butter you have in your bowl.
    
4. Remove and add the remaining ingredients.
    
5. Stir well and add to your mold (silicon molds are best as the massage bar can be popped out).
    
6. Let harden and remove from mold. You can place it in the freezer/fridge to quicken the hardening.
   
7. Keep in a cool place. Let cure 1 week before use (though it's not that necessary if you're impatient like me).

Solid cocoa butter

Heart shaped example.

Lush's Once a Year Massage Bar.

xoxo