I like the idea of a solid lotion bar (this is basically moisturizer in a solid form that melts on contact with your skin). They are great to keep in a tin in your bag (less of a chance of the top coming loose and soiling the inside of your bag.) Lotion is a great thing to have on the go when you want to soothe those dry hands! I have a simple recipe I tried that I thought would make a great idea for Mother's Day or for any old time.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

There are so many variations of lotion bar recipes but this is the combination of ingredients I tried. The vitamin E drops are totally optional and the so is the color tint plus you can swap out the oils if these do not appeal to you or if you have sensitivities/allergies. Have some fun and customize the recipe to your liking. This is just what I had on hand to try. In addition to the above ingredients, you will need some kind of mold. If you have soap molds, they will work great but you can just use something as simple as a mini muffin tin.

O.K, let's go step-by-step. I made a few mistakes along the way which I am excited to share so that you do not have to make them! Here we go:

First you want to get your double boiler set up. I just put a bowl inside a saucepan filled with a couple of inches if water which I brought to a boil. This method works just fine but it is a bit of a mess to clean. You may want to designate a special bowl for this, which is your experimentation bowl. (The best thing to do is wipe out the bowl with paper towels while the mixture is still melted, being careful not to burn your hands. If you do not clean the bowl right away and it hardens, simple put the bowl over the double boiler and re-melt, then wipe out with a paper towel.)

Add the beeswax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil to the double boiler and melt them all together.

Melt the oils together and then remove from the heat to cool slightly.

Next add the 1/2 tsp of vitamin E oil......or don't! It's optional. I happened to have some on hand and thought it would be a nice addition.

Once the mixture is slightly cooled, add the essential oil of your choice. I added lavender.

I decided I wanted to add a little color. I jumped the gun and added mine a little too quickly and all the powder sunk down to the bottom. You want to wait until you see the mixture BARELY starting to harden. This way the color will stay suspended and not all sink to the bottom. If it starts to sink, just continue to stir until you see the edges of the mixture harden slightly.

Keep stirring if you notice all the color sinking to the bottom until the mixture hardens slightly and can suspend the color.

Now you want to pour the mixture into the molds.

I tried three different kinds of molds that I had on hand.

These were some lollipop molds I had on hand.

Let the mixture solidify in the mold (or be overly enthusiastic, like me, and pop them in the freezer until hardened (check in 15ish minutes or so).

All the bars popped right out of the mold with a very gentle tap. I used really small molds but you could make a few larger ones rather than a whole bunch of small ones. There is something fun and appealing about anything mini, though, isn't there?

As you can see I created a special surprise to go along with your lotions bars; a treat box with an "M" for mom so you can present them as a Mother's Day gift!

Click HERE to get your free printable PDF and make a special treat box to present your lotion bar to your Mom for Mother's Day!

These are a great size for your lotion bars but you can print as many as you like and fill them with candy, jewelry, small trinkets, pictures, or whatever you can dream up! I made them black and white so you do not need a color printer and you can even color or paint them. I love the way they look printed on brown cardstock craft paper.