DIY Organic Mini Lotion Bars

Now, I know this isn't the most amazing looking pictures, but let me tell you, these homemade lotion bars are truly amazing. All natural and very easy to carry around with you as well as smelling magnificent. They're a great weapon against dry skin- especially for the winter. I've been meaning to try and make a lotion bar for a while now, so when my friend, Emma, was complaining about dry skin, I decided that was the perfect motivation to do so. 
This quick and easy recipe is very convenient for those of us who are very busy, whether it be with school work or actual work. Taking ten minutes out of your day to make these adorably useful bars will be well worth it. Not only do these bars moisturize supremely well, but they also help to relax a stressed body and put the mind to rest (at least a little bit.) 
These bars are solid at room temperature, but will soften as you rub the bars on your skin, whether it be hands, arms or legs. Your body heat will melt these adorable little bars just enough as you use them. 
You may be wondering, how can she be speaking such great things about these after only having them for a short period of time? Well, my skin is extremely soft and smooth after only using them a couple of times, so just imagine what these fantastic bars can do after using them for a while. 
Essential oils are something that seem to be becoming increasingly more popular these days. And I can see why. Not only are they useful in projects like soap and candle making, but they also have certain healing properties. Such as lavender essential oil is great for calming and easing tension in the body. I've recently found that school is horrible for my sleep- like I'm restless and it takes me a lot longer to fall asleep on a school night than a regular night. Last night, however, I rubbed some of this soothing lotion over my hands before bed and, to my surprise, felt relaxed a lot faster than usual. Now, if you don't like the scent of lavender, you could always use a different kind of essential oil, but it would cause the properties of the bar to be different. Some good ideas for other scents might be lime (great for the immune system), Sandalwood (promotes healthy looking skin), grapefruit (helps to avoid oily looking skin), Clary Sage (supposed to lighten the mood), cedar wood (promotes clear skin), or bergamot (calming.) 
Coconut oil is very popular these days. I'd be surprised if you haven't heard about it yet. Its moisturizing qualities are amazing and it's quite good for you. An acid in coconut oil can help keep your body healthy by killing bacterias , virus and fungi- how cool is that? It can also protect hair from damage, moisturize skin(as mentioned before) and even work as a sunscreen. Coconut oil is used in so many DIY's you'll stumble across these days, and this one will be no different. Actually, the last DIY I posted involved this marvelous oil as well and I don't intend to stop using it any time soon.
And shea butter is just all around good for moisturizing purposes. A lot of lotion bar recipes require cocoa butter, which I do not have abundant amounts of. Though, if you'd prefer to use cocoa butter, feel free. You could also use any kind of moisturizing butter (Mango, avocado, etc.) 
You can, of course make these bars full sized, but if these mini ones are easy to carry around with you- you no longer have to worry about your mini bath and body works lotion spilling in your bag! (Not that that ever happened to me... ha...) 
This recipe originated from onegoodthingbyjubillee.com. If you're interested in lots of DIYs like I am, feel free to follow my Pinterest board How to/DIY where I post awesome DIYs all the time. (Pinterest: Anjicooper)
Now, when I made this, I split the recipe in half but I will definitely be making more in the near future! 
Organic Mini Lotion Bars
What you'll need
Equal parts beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil (will work in any recipe as long as they are all equal) 
1/2 cup organic beeswax (I got mine from amazon) 
1/2 cup organic shea butter (yet again, I got mine from amazon) 
1/2 cup organic coconut oil (I got a giant tub from Giant, it's probably sold in your local grocery store) 
15-30 drops of Lavender (or any) essential oil
A mold (I got mine from AC Moore, but they are sold on amazon (as is basically everything), just look around for what you have. You could even just line a dish, pour the mixture in there, and then hand cut the bars) 

Directions:
You'll need either a double boiler or a makeshift double boiler for this recipe. To make a makeshift double boiler, you'll need a heat safe container (I used a pyrex cup because it made pouring easier) and a pot of water. Place the heat safe container inside the half filled pot of water and you're good. 
Now just add your beeswax, shea butter and oil into your heat safe container and let melt over medium heat, stirring occasionally. This will take a while to melt. Be aware that the beeswax will most likely take the longest.
Once all the ingredients are melted, remove from heat and add your essential oil. Add until you're satisfied with the smell of it and then mix for a couple minutes so the ingredients can bond together. 
Now all you have to  do is pour into your mold or dish. How easy was that? 
To cool off, I gave these cute little bars about twenty minutes. They probably took less time because I put them outside and it was wayyyyy below freezing when I did so but just to be safe... When all is done and well, just pop these cuties out of their molds and store in a cool, preferably dry place. 
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. :) 
​-Anji