This recipe for how to make yarrow solid lotion bars is a great recipe and makes luxurious lotion bars with great benefits for the skin. It is so amazing what we can do with flowers, herbs and weeds from nature!
Benefits of Yarrow for the Skin
Yarrow is a versatile and great herb with so many different possible medicinal properties. It is very easy to grow and is commonly found growing wild. Yarrow is one of my favorite herbs! This article discusses some of the many medicinal properties of yarrow. Yarrow has medicinal benefits for both internal and external use. For the skin, yarrow is known for treating many skin issues. Yarrow can be used as a first aid salve to treat minor cuts and minor burns. It also treats skin irritation such as poison ivy and other rashes.
The yarrow lotion bars are soothing for your skin as they can contain healing properties as discussed in the article above. Lotion bars are super moisturizing and great for dry skin, rough skin, irritated skin, itchy skin, cracked skin and for all skin types. These bars are a solid concentration of quick-absorbing oils and butters that protect your skin. This combination of oils, butters, and beeswax seal in moisture instead of letting it escape, providing a protective barrier for your skin.
How to Make Yarrow Lotion Bars
To make salves, balms, lotions and lotion bars, you need to start with an infused oil.
How to Make an Infused Oil
The first step is to pick the clover flower heads. Next is to dry the flowers or herbs. The drying process can include air drying by spreading them in a single layer on a dish towel or paper towel and letting them dry for several days. The other option is to use a dehydrator set at a low setting.
The next step is to make an oil infusion with the dried flower or herb by steeping the flower or herb in a carrier oil. Different kind of oils can be used including sweet almond oil, safflower oil, avocado oil, sweetgrass oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil or coconut oil.
Add the dried yarrow to a glass jar. I like to use a mason jar. The amount of oil you want will depend on how much lotion you want to make. You will add about twice as much oil as your dried flowers or herbs. For example, you can add the flowers or herbs to a pint jar about halfway and then fill the jar almost to the top. If you want less, you can fill the jar about 1/4 up with herbs and then 1/2 way with oil. Also, you can make more than you plan to use for now and save the additional oil for later.
There are several options for making the infused oil:
Slow infusion: Just add the lid to the jar and put it away in a dark place for 4 to 6 weeks. Shake the jar every once in a while. You can also put the jar in direct sunlight for a couple weeks to infuse the oil.
Fast double boiler method: Place the jar in a saucepan of a couple inches of hot water and heat the water on low for about 2 hours. Or add the oil and dried herbs or flowers to a double boiler pan and let it simmer but not boil for 1 to 2 hours.
Fast crockpot method: Add your dried herbs or flowers and oil to the crockpot, make sure that the oil covers the herbs. Heat the oil slowly and keep the crockpot on warm. Try to keep the temp between 120-130 F. Let it heat for several hours.
Making the Yarrow Lotion Bars
The next step is to strain the dried yarrow from the infused oil using a fine mesh sieve, cheesecloth, coffee filter, or other similar method.
Once you have the infused oil, you add the amount desired to a double boiler, then add the beeswax and shea butter. The measurements for lotions bars are equal amounts of oil, beeswax, shea butter. A lot of recipes for lotion bars and salves that I have seen use measurements in grams and oz. I feel it is easier with simple measurements. I wanted to start with a small batch, so I used 1/4 cup oil, 1/4 cup beeswax and 1/4 cup shea butter. Cocoa butter can be substituted for shea butter.
Stir until the beeswax and shea butter are melted.
Pour the mixture into small silicone molds or heatproof candy molds. I love these flower molds.
Option is to add your favorite essential oils or fragrance oils and coloring with mica powder to the mixture. I like to add lavender oil to give the solid lotions to give it a nice floral scent.
Let the mixture set up and harden. It does not take very long to set up to make these pretty yarrow lotion bars.
Enjoy!
Enjoy making and using these homemade lotion bars made from natural ingredients and dried yarrow. It is very easy to make small batches of these solid moisturizing lotion bars. These lotion bars make a great gift. Homemade gifts of the solid lotion bar made with simple ingredients are fun to make and the wonderful gift will be much appreciated!
I plan to continue to explore making salves, balms, lotions, and other similar items from plants and flowers found in nature and also from herbs and flowers that I grow.
See my website at www.HawkPointHomestead.com to learn more and for additional made from nature recipes, such as my yarrow salve recipe, sage salve recipe, purple dead nettle salve recipe, elderflower salve, elderflower lotion bar, rose lotion bars, peony lotion bar, white clover lotion bar and my flower jellies including my dandelion jelly recipe, redbud jelly recipe, lilac jelly recipe peony jelly and apple blossom recipe.
The website also includes canning recipes and other favorite great recipes, plus posts about other homestead-type activities, such as gardening and raising chickens.
For updates, please follow my Facebook page at Hawk Point Hobby Homestead.
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Yarrow Lotion Bar Recipe
This recipe for how to make yarrow solid lotion bars is a great recipe and makes luxurious lotion bars with great benefits for the skin.
Ingredients
- Dried Yarrow leaves and flowers and Carrier Oil, which can include sweet almond oil, coconut oil, sunflower oil, or olive oil to make infused oil
- 1/4 cup infused oil
- 1/4 cup beeswax
- 1/4 cup shea butter
- Optional: Essential oil of your choice
Instructions
- Create the yarrow-infused oil with the dried yarrow and the carrier oil- See Notes
- Heat the infused oil in a double boiler
- Add the beeswax and shea butter
- Heat and stir until the beeswax and shea butter are completely melted
- Pour the liquid into small silicone or heatproof candy molds
- Optional: Add essential oil of your choice, such as rose essential oil
- Let the lotion bars set up
Notes
There are several methods for creating the infused oil which are described in the article.
This was a small batch, that made 2 lotion bars. It can be increased as needed using equal parts oil, beeswax and shea butter.
