Wilt fresh dandelions on a drying screen for 24 hours, without letting them puff into seed.
Combine wilted dandelions with olive, coconut, and sweet almond oils in a jar. Cover with a lid and shake to blend.
Cover the jar with a lid and let the infused oil sit for a week or so in a dark place out of direct sunlight. (See notes for other infusion methods).
Dandelion Lotion Bars
Strain the dandelion flowers from the oil infusion with a fine mesh sieve. If the coconut oil has solidified in the infusion, put the jar in a pan of warm water to gently melt the oil prior to straining.
Use a double boiler, or a makeshift double boiler by putting a smaller pan, bowl, or glass measuring cup in a larger pan that has an inch or two of water in it, and bring the water to a simmer.
Measure out 1/2 cup of the dandelion infused oil, reserving the rest for other uses.
Put the oil and beeswax in the double boiler and heat until they are completely melted together. A wooden skewer works perfectly to stir.
Stir in the shea butter until it is completely liquefied. Remove the pan from the heat.
Quickly pour the liquid into the silicone molds, before it begins to solidify.
Let the lotion bars cool and solidify fully, it will take several hours. Once set and cooled, pop the lotion bars out of the molds and store in tins or other containers.
Notes
Since the dandelions are not completely dry do not let the oil sit for more than about 10 days to avoid mold from forming.
To infuse with a dehydrator, I recommend using an Excalibur dehydrator (or a similar box dehydrator with temperature control). Set the temperature to 100 degrees F, and place the wilted dandelions in oil in the dehydrator for 24-48 hours.
Alternatively, you can also do a quick heat infused oil method on the stove, but be sure to not let the oil get too hot.