Combine the beeswax, shea butter, coconut oil, and dandelion-infused oil in a double boiler. (Double boiler inserts are perfect for this sort of recipe.)
Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until everything is completely melted.
Once melted, carefully remove the mixture from the heat source.
Stir in any optional ingredients (such as vitamin E or essential oils for fragrance).
Pour the mixture into molds and allow it to rest until completely cool. Depending on the size of your mold, this could take anywhere from half an hour to a few hours.
The lotion bars should pop right out of the mold. If they don't, put the mold back into the freezer for a few minutes and try again.
Notes
Recipe provided by Cari from Everything Pretty. She blogs about beauty for real women, health, and wellness, sharing a lot of DIY bath and beauty recipes on her blog. She also loves using herbs and different carrier oils to create the perfect recipe.
Making dandelion oil
Collect about two cups of dandelion flowers.
Rinse them thoroughly to remove dirt and bugs and then let them dry completely.
Place the dried dandelion petals in a canning jar and completely cover them with a carrier oil.
Let them sit in a warm place for two weeks. Shake the jar every day to help the flowers infuse in the oil, but make sure that the flowers are always covered in the oil so mold doesn't grow.
After two weeks, strain the oil through a cheesecloth. Discard the flowers. You are left with a beautiful golden-colored carrier oil that can be used in many different DIY recipes.
Optional ingredients
Vitamin E is an antioxidant that can be added to the recipe to help prolong the shelf life (and impart its beneficial properties to the skin). Ideally, it should be added at around 0.5% of the recipe by weight. Cari provided volume measurements, but I've calculated an approximate total weight of 187grams for the recipe. So, adding around 0.9-1 grams of vitamin E is ideal.Essential oils can also be added to provide a pleasant fragrance to your lotion bars. Add up to 2-3 grams for this recipe.