DIY Lush Buffy Bar

I’m so excited to share this exfoliating lotion bar recipe with you!

It is my absolute favorite.  If I could only have one thing for my dry, winter skin, this copycat Lush buffy bar would be it.

It exfoliates.  It moisturizes.  It softens my skin. And it smells fantastic!

Plus, this is one of the only things that I’ve found to help me get rid of those annoying little red bumps on the back of my arms.

It might sound a little weird, but here’s how it works:

• You use this lotion bar in the shower.  Yes, that’s right, you use it in the shower.
• After you finish your usual shower routine (wash hair, soap, shave, etc) and just before you would normally get out of the shower, you use this lotion bar.
• Want to know why it’s called a buffy bar?  it’s because it gently buffs your skin.  That’s right.  It’s a lotion bar that both exfoliates (aka buffs) and moisturizes.
• So when you’re still in the shower and your skin is wet, you gently rub this homemade buffy bar over your skin.  You can use it everywhere or just on dry, bumpy skin.  Your choice.
• As you glide the buffy bar over your skin, the little bits of rice, almonds, and adzuki beans in the buffy bar exfoliate and smooth your skin.  But because of the lotion bar’s butters, it’s extra gentle and works even for sensitive skin like mine.
• And the nourishing butters moisturize and soften skin, making it feel silky smooth.
• Then you rinse off and pat skin dry with a soft, fluffy towel.
• Skin is smooth, soft, and deeply moisturized.

How to make Lush Buffy Bars at home

yield: 5 buffy bars

step 1: use a coffee or spice grinder to grind up the rice, almonds, and beans that are the buffy bar’s exfoliants

measure ingredients before you grind them

• 1/2 cup white rice
• 1/2 cup unsalted, raw almonds
• 1/2 cup adzuki beans

Grind them to a fairly fine powder.  You want there to still be a slight grit to the ground mixture, but don’t want it to feel too rough.

This ground rice, almond, bean mixture is what gently exfoliates your skin in the shower.  Sloughing away dry, rough skin.  Smoothing bumps and uneven skin.

step 2:  Set the ground rice, almonds, and beans aside.  In a separate heat-safe bowl or measuring cup, add the following butters:

• 1.5 cups cocoa butter
• 3/4 cup shea butter

Substitutes

• If you don’t care for cocoa butter, you can substitute kokum butter for the cocoa butter.  They have similar hardness and melting points, so kokum better is a good 1 for 1 substitute for cocoa butter in this recipe.
• If you don’t like shea butter, you can substitute mango butter for it.

step 3:  melt the cocoa butter and shea butter

To melt butters:  Place heat-safe glass measuring cup/bowl in a saucepan of simmering water over medium-high heat.  Stir occasionally.  Heat until everything is completely melted.

step 4:  let butters cool for 1-2 minutes

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step 5:  add essential oils and stir well

40 drops lemon essential oil

40 drops lavender essential oil

step 6:  add in the ground rice, almonds, and adzuki beans

step 7:  stir well making sure that the rice, almonds, and adzuki beans are equally mixed throughout.

tip:  If the rice, bean, and almond particles are falling to the bottom of your butter mixture, it means that the butter mixture is still too warm.  Continue to mix until the butter mixture cools enough that the almond, rice, and bean particles stay suspended in butters.

tip:  Don’t let the butter mixture cool too much.  You need it to still be somewhat liquid so that you can pour it into the molds.

step 8:  pour mixture into silicone molds

I used these square silicone molds with cavities that are 2.5″ by 2.5″ by 1″ from Amazon.

I found that size to fit perfectly  in my Lush tins.  This works great for me because the Lush tins keep the buffy bars nice and dry in the shower.

However, you can make these copycat buffy lotion bars in any size or shape you’d like.

step 9:  let bars solidify and dry completely before removing from molds

How to use

• shower as usual
• at end of shower (while still in the shower), gently rub the buffy bar over wet skin to exfoliate and smooth skin.  Great to use all over.  Pay special attention to any areas with bumpy, dry skin such as elbows & back of arms.
• then massage the butters into skin
• rinse off — just enough to rinse off exfoliant, but not too long as to rinse off all the butters
• pat skin dry with soft towel

caution:  Because of the butters in the buffy bar, the shower floor can become slippery.  After showering, you may want to wipe shower floor clean.

storage:

• I keep my copycat buffy bars in Lush tins.  You can get the tins at Lush stores, and they’re the perfect size for these copycat bars.
• Be sure to keep you lotion bar clean and dry.  If using infrequently (such as once a week), I’d store the lotion bar out of the shower to make sure it stays nice and dry.  If you store in the shower, keep it in a closed container our of the stream of the shower.  You don’t want your lotion bar to melt and run down the shower drain.

Where to get supplies?

This website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link. 

coffee & spice grinder (find it here)

white rice – This is regular white rice you can buy at the grocery store.

almonds- Almonds are also easy to find in the baking aisle of most grocery stores, Sam’s, and Costco.  Just be sure to get unsalted, RAW almonds.

adzuki beans- Sometimes you can find adzuki beans at the grocery store, but if you can’t, you can get adzuki beans online here

cocoa butter (find here) OR substitute kokum butter (find here)

shea butter (find here) OR substitute mango butter (find here)

lemon essential oil

lavender essential oil

silicone mold (each square cavity is 2.5″x2.5″x1′”

Lush tins for storing lotion bars – you can buy these tins at Lush stores.

click here for a free printable of buffy bar recipe

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Please note: Products mentioned in this article have not been evaluated by the FDA. These products and information on this page are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. This website is not a substitute for professional care.  Always consult your medical doctor regarding your medical care. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.

Disclaimer: Please know that this website contains affiliate links. This means that should you click on certain links, and then subsequently purchase a product, I will receive a small commission. The price is exactly the same for you as it would be without the affiliate link.