DIY: Dandelion lotion bars

By Megan Keller

Woman

With all the hand washing and sanitizer we’re using these days, I thought a home remedy to help soften and heal hands would be the ideal thing to try for our DIY project, so I went to Pinterest for ideas. And, as I looked outside my window, I saw blankets of dandelions in my yard. That’s when I discovered how to make dandelion lotion bars!

I ventured into the yard to carefully choose dandelions. I wanted those big fluffy ones. I filled a 1 quart canning jar about ¾ full, then carefully laid them out on a towel on my patio table to dry for a couple of days in the sun. Also, since dandelions make quite the home for many insects, letting them sit for a couple of days allows those little bugs to find a new home. When the dandelions were dry, I placed them in a 1 quart canning jar, added 2 cups of sunflower oil, screwed the lid on and placed the jar into a crock pot. I added enough water to the crockpot so the jar wouldn’t float, turned it on high and let that sit for about four hours to slow cook. Do not put the lid on your crock pot. Be sure not to boil the sunflower oil, that is why I used the slow cooker.

Next step, empty the contents of the jar over a thin wire strainer or cheesecloth into a measuring cup. This separates the dandelions and the oil. Discard dandelions. Once you see how much oil you have, you will use equal parts of sunflower oil, beeswax and shea butter. Add all ingredients into a jar or pan to slowly heat. I do not recommend using your good cooking pots, I did that and they were not easy to clean! Heat the sunflower oil, beeswax and shea butter until everything looks like liquid. Stir in many drops of your favorite essential oil, shut off the heat and pour ingredients into your silicone molds. Let cool.

The batch I made was 2 cups sunflower oil, 2 cups shea butter, 2 cups beeswax and many, many drops of lavender essential oil, which made 12 lotion bars. I have to say, this is a must try! It was so easy, very organic and might be the best lotion bar I have ever used. I consider this a Pinterest win! D

Tips

• I would suggest filling the quart jar entirely with dandelions, rather than ¾ jar. They shrink a lot when dried out.

• Don’t leave the dandelions outside too long to dry. Mine blew away and I had to find them after they blew off the deck! But be sure to dry them for a few hours, however, so the insects can leave.

• Don’t use your nicer kitchen items as this is highly scented and hard to clean.

• If you want to start your project and save until later, you can dry out your dandelions, place them in a sealed jar with oil, and leave in your pantry for months, so you can make your lotions later.

Fun fact

Dandelions have natural oils that are beneficial for dry, chapped skin.