Honey Lotion Bars

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Do it yourself gifts are my favorite kind to give. These honey hard lotion bars would make great teacher gifts, neighbor gifts, stocking stuffers. Really, they can be perfect for almost anyone.

If you’re wondering what a ‘hard’ lotion bar is, let me explain. Hard lotion bars are basically the same as liquid lotion, except they are solid at room temperature. The warmth of your skin is what activates the bar. As your rub the lotion bar across your body it softens the bar and allows you to glide on the lotion.

You will need three main ingredients for these DIY Honey Lotion Bars: coconut oil, shea butter, and a honeycomb from a jar of Don Victor Honey. If you want to you can add some drops of Essential Oils for scent.

Combine all your ingredients, except for the essential oils, in a quart size mason jar glass. Then fill the bottom of a saucepan with water. Place the glass jar in the saucepan and turn on the heat. Bring the water to a boil, and stir ingredients constantly until they are melted and smooth.

Turn off the heat and remove the glass jar from the saucepan. Add in the essential oils is you are using any, and stir until they are combined. Filter your melted ingredients through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of any pieces of honeycomb that didn’t melt. Carefully pour the melted lotion bar ingredients into your molds. I used silicone baking cups because I already had them on hand. Allow the lotion bars to cool completely. Once they are completely hard, pop the lotion bars out of the molds. They’re ready to wrap up to give as gifts or start you can start using them.

Of course you don’t have to craft with your honeycomb, you can also eat it! For breakfast toast a piece of bread or an English muffin. While it’s hot spread it with some butter and then cut a chunk of honey comb and spread it over the top. The heat will soften the comb and make it easier to flatten into the toast, along with the honey. Scrumptious! You could also add it to the top of hot biscuits, French toast, or pancakes. I picked up my jar of Don Victor Honey at Walmart.

And it’s not just for breakfast. Add a piece of honeycomb to a cheese and cracker platter.

A few honey tips: make sure you’re storing your honey at room temperature. Your kitchen counter or pantry shelf is ideal. If your honey crystallizes, simply place the honey jar in warm water and stir until the crystals dissolve. Don’t worry, crystallization is not an indicator of spoilage, age, or quality. It’s simply the natural process of glucose molecules aligning into orderly arrangements known as crystals. 

Honey Lotion Bars

Ingredients
1/2 cup Coconut Oil
1/2 cup Shea Butter
Honeycomb (from a jar of Don Victor Honey)
Optional: Essential Oils for scent

Instructions
Combine the coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax in a quart size glass mason jar. Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch of water. Place the glass mason jar in the saucepan and turn on the burner. Bring the water to a boil, and stir ingredients constantly until they are melted and smooth.
Turn off the heat and remove the glass jar from the saucepan. Add in the essential oils is you are using any, and stir until they are combined. Filter your melted ingredients through a fine mesh sieve to get rid of any pieces of honeycomb that didn’t melt.
Carefully pour the melted lotion bar ingredients into your molds. I used silicone baking cups because I already had them on hand. Allow the lotion bars to cool completely.
Pop the lotion bars out of the molds and wrap them up to give as gifts or start using them.

What are some of your favorite gift giving ideas for this holiday season? I’d love to hear about it!