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Updated November 2026
These homemade shea butter bath melts are little solid bars made from shea butter, cocoa butter, and coconut oil, scented with essential oils, that melt in a warm bath or shower and leave your skin soft. My recipe makes 4 melts with just four ingredients and takes about 15 minutes, plus chilling time.
Below is my step-by-step tutorial with photos, a gentler version for kids, a drop chart for other strengths, and the essential oils I love most in bath melts. For more ways to use shea, see my 10 shea butter uses with DIY recipes. Jump to the recipe.
What Are Bath Melts?
Bath melts are a blend of butters and oils that sets into solid little shapes. Drop one into warm water and it melts, so your bath water feels silky and your skin is left moisturized. They're a simple way to turn an ordinary bath into an at-home spa night.
No time for a bath? Rub a melt over damp skin in the shower. It softens as it touches warm skin, then rinse lightly and pat dry.
The essential oils are mixed into the butters, so they're already diluted. Butters don't blend into bath water, though. The melt floats as a thin, silky layer that coats your skin as you soak, which is why I keep the drops low. For a scented bath without butters, mix your oils into castile soap first; see can I put lavender oil in my bath?
Why Shea Butter, Cocoa Butter, and Coconut Oil?
- Shea butter is rich and softening and is one of my favorite butters for dry skin.
- Cocoa butter is firm, so it helps the melts hold their shape, and it adds a light chocolatey scent.
- Coconut oil softens the blend just enough so it melts easily in warm water.
Can you substitute ingredients? Sure you can, but I've only made this recipe with the ingredients listed. I tried adding beeswax once to make them more stable at room temperature, but the melts didn't melt in the shower and became sticky instead.
Homemade Lemon Bath Melts Recipe
Lemon Bath Melts
Bath · Ages 12+ · About 1.5%
Fresh, bright bath melts that leave your skin soft and the bathroom smelling clean.
- 1 oz cocoa butter wafers (by weight). Here are the cocoa butter wafers I use (affiliate link).
- 1 oz shea butter (by weight). Here's the shea butter I use (affiliate link).
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil (affiliate link)
- 20 drops lemon (Citrus limon), or the essential oil of your choice
- Kitchen scale and glass measuring cup
- Silicone mold. Here is the silicone mold I used (affiliate link). It's flexible, so the melts pop right out, and I've used it for lots of other DIY projects.
I chose lemon because I love its fresh, bright scent. Lavender is lovely for bedtime melts, sweet orange for cheerful ones, and frankincense for a warm, grounding scent. My essential oil substitution chart has more swaps.
Step 1: Weigh the cocoa butter wafers and shea butter. Place a glass measuring cup on the scale, turn it on, and press "TARE" to zero it with the cup in place. Add wafers until you reach 1 oz, then add shea butter until the scale reads 2 oz.
Step 2: Set the measuring cup in a pot of gently simmering water to melt. It won't take long.
Step 3: Once melted, carefully lift the cup out of the water. It will be hot, so use an oven mitt.
Step 4: Stir in the coconut oil and essential oil. In the photo I made my second batch with coffee essential oil, which is why the oil is brown. :)
Step 5: Pour into the silicone mold. One batch makes 4 bath melts. I made two separate batches, one with lemon and one with coffee, so my photo shows 8. Place the mold in the refrigerator to set.
Step 6: Once they're firm, pop them out of the mold and into a container. Store them in the refrigerator, because they get too soft at room temperature. I wanted my melts made only with butters and oils, with no wax. They keep in the fridge for up to 3 months. Label the container with the name, the date, and "1.5%."
To use: Drop one melt into a warm bath and swish the water as it melts. Soak, then pat your skin dry. In the shower, rub a melt over damp skin and rinse lightly.
Note: At about 1.5%, cold-pressed lemon stays under its 2% sun-safe limit. Butters make the tub slippery, so step in and out carefully and wipe the tub afterward.
Little Bath Melts
Bath · Ages 5+ · About 1%
Soft, sweet-smelling melts made gentle for kids.
- 1 oz cocoa butter wafers (by weight)
- 1 oz shea butter (by weight)
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 8 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
- 4 drops sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)
- Silicone mold
Directions: Make them the same way as the lemon bath melts, using lavender and sweet orange in step 4.
Note: Stay with little ones in the tub, since the butters make it slick. Label the container with "for kids" and the dilution.
Bath Melt Drop Chart
One batch makes roughly 1/4 cup of melted butter. Here's how many drops to use for other strengths:
| Strength | Per 1 Tbsp of butter | Per batch (4 melts) | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1% | 3 drops | 12 drops | Kids 5 to 11, sensitive skin, peppermint |
| About 1.5% | 4 to 5 drops | 20 drops | My lemon recipe, ages 12+ |
| 2% | 6 drops | 24 drops | Ages 12+, the most I use for bath melts |
See my dilution chart for more.
Best Essential Oils for Bath Melts
Lemon
Lemon (Citrus limon) has a clean, sunny scent that I find uplifting and refreshing. It's for ages 5 and up, and its scent comes mostly from limonene, so use a fresh bottle. Learn more in my lemon essential oil spotlight.
Lavender
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is my favorite for a bedtime bath. Its soft floral scent feels calming and pairs well with cocoa butter, and it's gentle enough for ages 2 and up. More ideas in uses for lavender essential oil.
Roman Chamomile
Roman chamomile (Chamaemelum nobile) has a sweet, apple-like scent that's nice for unwinding, and it's a gentle choice for dry or sensitive skin. It's for ages 2 and up; skip it with a ragweed or daisy allergy. See what blends well with Roman chamomile.
Sweet Orange
Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) smells cheerful and cozy and is lovely with the chocolatey note of cocoa butter. It's for ages 2 and up. See my sweet orange spotlight.
Peppermint
Peppermint (Mentha × piperita) gives a cool, invigorating bath that's nice after a workout. It can feel tingly on sensitive skin, so keep it to 1% (about 12 drops per batch) or blend a few drops with lavender. It's for ages 6 and up.
Bath Melt Tips
• Butters make the tub slippery. Step in and out carefully and wipe the tub afterward.
• Skip "hot" oils like cinnamon, clove, oregano, and lemongrass in bath melts, since they can irritate skin.
• Use warm, not hot, bath water.
• Shea comes from a tree nut. If you have a nut allergy, check with your doctor first.
A Few Safety Basics
• Keep essential oils away from babies under 2, including diffusing in a room they're in.
• Always dilute oils before they touch skin, and patch test a new blend on your inner forearm for 24 to 48 hours. Here's how to do a patch test.
• Check the age on each recipe. Kids 2 to 4 use only six starter oils at 0.5%, after checking with your pediatrician. Kids 5 to 11 stay at 0.5 to 1%.
• If you're pregnant, check with your doctor or midwife first. For the first 16 weeks I use only six oils, and only in a diffuser or inhaler: lavender, sweet orange, lemon, ginger, cedarwood (Virginian), and frankincense. After that, skin blends and baths stay at 0.5 to 1%, in warm, not hot, water.
• Store bath melts where pets and little hands can't reach.
• Never put oils on pets, and diffuse with a door open so they can leave. Cats are especially sensitive; see my essential oil pet safety guide.
• Never swallow essential oils. If someone does, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.
Keep Exploring
- 10 shea butter uses with DIY recipes
- Best essential oil to mix with shea butter
- Can you mix shea butter and mango butter?
- Can I put lavender oil in my bath?
- How to use essential oils for bathing
- Aromatherapy bath recipes
- 7 essential oil bath salt recipes
Shop my Aromatherapy Supply Kits and grab one of my free essential oil guides.
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