How firm should a Lotion Bar be as Firm as a Bar of Soap

[bre]

Should it be Rock Hard or in the middle and how do you get it firm It's like a cake mix for me. :evil:

 

[lsg]

Here is an example recipe:

LOTION BAR
1.5 oz wt Beeswax 1.5 oz wt Shea Butter
1 oz wt Cocoa Butter 2 oz wt Sweet Almond Oil
or White Cocoa Butter 1/4 tsp Vitamin E Acetate
Melt and mix well and pour into molds, I use a silicone muffin pan.

 

[Sunny]

It should be hard enough that you can handle it without it being runny or falling apart... but I think you should be able to push hard on a bar of soap and not leave an imprint. That may or may not be true for a lotion bar, depending on your formula.
You can make it firmer by using a higher percentage of butters, solid oils, or wax.

 

[paillo]

i make mine a little on the hard side during warm weather and a little on the soft side in cool/cold weather months, having heard from buyers that some lotion bars are too hard to easily melt when massaged in their hands. i like to err on the side of bars that melt nicely when warmed up in the hands. and i don't ship in the hottest summer months for fear that no matter how hard, they might sit in a hot truck during transport and get all melty...