DIY Lotion Bars

I am finally getting through the pictures that I took for my visit in California! I'm still working on the majority of them, but I also did some DIY projects while I was there. It was much easier to do these beauty DIY things, because my family there literally had most of the stuff on hand. While, I, usally have to buy a lot of the stuff I want to DIY on Pinterest.

So, one thing I did while I was there was made some Lotion Bars. I was eyeballing this recipe forever on Pinterest, and we decided to make some. I took some photos along the way. I probably quickly became the family weirdo, taking photos of the process of making lotion bars. Hah.

Here's the ingredients we used. Not pictured, but we also used grape seed oil. I had forgotten to include it in the photo. Anyway, grape seed oil, unrefined coconut oil, essential oils (we had Lavender and Vanilla), beeswax, vitamin E oil, and jojoba oil. You'll also need a cupcake pan. We were not sure if this recipe was going to ruin her cupcake tins, so just to be safe, we picked up one from the local Goodwill for 25 cents.

Finding the beeswax was a chore. We had tried Joann's - they didn't carry it. Michaels normally carried it, but they were sold out. We ended up at a local health food store, where they finally had it, sold by the pound. We only picked up half a pound of it, which was plenty for us.

First thing we did was create a double boiler with a large pot and some Pyrex container that she had in her kitchen. It worked out well!

You'll want to mix equal parts together:

• 1/2 cup of grape seed oil
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil
• 1/2 cup of the beeswax pellets

Wait for the mixture to melt completely in the double boiler, which for us, took about 10 or 15 minutes. Once it's a pure liquid, you'll want to add your essential oils, and other things. We did a couple of drops of vanilla and lavender together, then about a teaspoon of each Vitimin E oil, and jojoba oil. Mix it together again, and have the cupcake pan ready.

Start pouring into your cupcake tins! It will probably be messy, and it will be hot! Mine was a mess, but you can't really tell now. I poured mine straight into the cupcake pan, but my particular family member poured hers into cupcake liners that she put in the tins. It's just a matter of preference. I've seen it done with soap molds, and silicone molds.

Once they are in the tins, allow to cool completely. I put mine in the refrigerator for about 3 hours. Once hardened, they just popped out of the tin with a little nudge from a butter knife. The 1/2 pound of beeswax we got made about 16 bars, which was not bad at all. My family kept 6, and sent the rest back home with me.

A few notes:

• These can be really greasy for a while after application. I personally love them right after drying off from a shower, I just wipe the bars on my body and get dressed. My family member, however finds them too greasy, so she applies it before drying off, which works better for her.
• Next time I make these, I think I will sprinkle some lavender buds on the bottom of the mold, so they have a bit more flair in appearance.