Snowman Mason Jar Lotion
I love this project for a few simple reasons. First of all, its easy so if youre still needing some sort of gift you can run and get the stuff and make several for the next day. Also, its a snowman which is super winter-y and great for any December holiday. Lastly, whose skin doesnt get super dry in the winter? Everybody needs lotion!
At first this was mostly going to be about making the lotion itself (which is super easy, yall) but then I saw how much pump lids were for mason jars and had to start thinking out a plan B. Rather than spend $12-18 for a lid, I spent $1.50 AND I got some soap to pour into my refillable dispenser. Um, heck yeah!
For this project you will need:
- Mason jar
- Bottle of soap with pump top
- E 6000 or other industrial strength glue
- Baby lotion
- Vitamin E cream
- Coconut oil
- Hand mixer
- Black buttons
- Felt (any color)
If you already have a few mason jars around the house but dont have the lids (as they arent reusable for canning you may not) you can purchase just the lids and rings. If you dont have any jars on hand, you can purchase them individually at lots of craft stores or by a case for around $9 at big box and grocery stores.
If youre just making lotion to be lotion you can choose any baby lotion to start. I purchased this equate version as it was the only one where the color was actually white. Lots were pink and I havent seen a ton of pink snowmen around.
I went to WalMart looking for the vitamin e cream and they sold me the oil for about $7 instead, assuring me that the cream was very difficult to find (which it hadnt been just last year but okay). HOWEVER on my way home I remembered something forgotten on the list and ran into Family Dollar. And guess what? They had the cream for $2. Score!
On the coconut oil, you can find this stuff anywhere these days. I purchase mine online and get the best quality I can afford because it is going on skin and nobody wants clogged pores. I prefer Viva Labs for quality and price (available online).
The ratio for this lotion is simple 1part coconut oil, 1part Vitamin E cream to 2 parts baby lotion.
To fill a pint sized mason jar perfectly, I used 1 cup coconut oil, 1 cup Vitamin E cream and 2 cups of baby lotion.
First beat and smooth out your coconut oil, then adding your lotion and cream. Beat on a high speed until well incorporated. Place the lotion inside of a clean mason jar.
Find a soap with a pump built in where the bottle is about the same height as your mason jar. This brand and size works super well for a pint sized jar.
Remove the pump and the straw-like thing that comes with it and clean out any soap that might be in there.
Youll need to make a hole in the lid of your mason jar to accommodate the pump. To do so shove the straw end through a piece of paper up to the bottom of the threaded bit that would normally hold on to the bottle. Trace the outer edge.
See on the paper how there is a drawn circle and then the torn out area in the middle? Youll need the hole in your mason jar to be in between those two circles to fit properly.
Use the hole you made in the paper to mark a hole in the center of your lid. See the X? That is the center as measured out with a ruler with the circle traced around it as uniformly as I could swing it. I used a marker board pen so when finished I could easily remove the marks but you wont really see them anyway so it was kind of in vain!
On a piece of scrap wood, hammer a nail around the outside edge of the circular mark you made.
Continue driving nails through as close as you can to complete the circle.
Flip the lid over and drive holes through the gaps to remove the circular piece.
If you bent your lid the wrong direction when flipped over, take a hammer and gently tap back into place.
Use something hard and round, like a screwdriver to push the spiky and very sharp and dangerous bits toward the underside of the lid. Use some pliers to cinch closed pushing the pointy bits into the underside.
Run the pump through the hole and glue into place with your industrial strength stuff. Because it was meant to thread on, the pump wont stay on any other way.
To turn into a snowman, glue three black buttons down the front. Youll need to be patient and allow the glue to dry completely before finagling with your jar very much.
Cut a strip of felt and wrap around where the pump meets the lid. I somehow made a terrible mess making my pump lid with the glue so I was pretty glad this was a part of the plan from the start!
Glue down in place and take another strip, tying it into a knot. Glue on top of the scarf. Trim and fringe the ends to complete.
The lotion, while using store bought items is homemade and the little jar is so cute! With as cheap as this project is to make, you can knock out a few for bathroom decor before your Christmas guests arrive or set up shop and bang out a couple for sweet little gifts!
PIN IT HERE!
