Lip Balm

 

 



You might remember when I made a big batch of lip balm for my co-workers at Christmas time.

Well, my own personal stash was running low and my niece was asking for a refill as well. I decided I wanted to make a more natural version with no petroleum jelly. I tried a recipe I found via Pinterest  and then experimented with a few other versions.

What's great about these recipes is you can customize them to suit your preferences. If  your experiment doesn't work, just re-melt and add more hardeners (beeswax) or oils to make it the right texture. I used a food scale we have at home while I was measuring out my ingredients so I could keep my ratios even.

The directions for all versions are the same:

• In a glass vessel (I used a Pyrex measuring cup but you could use a jar too) combine all your ingredients except the esse
• Place the glass container in a small pot/saucepan of boiling water. Just a couple of inches of water is perfect. You are essentially creating a double boiler.
• Mix ingredients often until everything is melted.
• Add your essential oils and any other ingredients. Stir to combine evenly.
• Pour into your waiting containers. You can use small bead containers (my favorite), lip balm tubes (new or recycled) or any other small container you see fit. Think mini-tins, etc. It's your project.
• Let cool until everything is firm and enjoy!

Here are the ingredients I had on hand. You don't need all of these. Generally, you want an oil of some sort, a hard butter option, beeswax and the essential oils of your choice.

What I used:

Oils:
Sweet Almond Oil
Coconut Oil

Butters:
Shea Butter
Cocoa Butter

Oils:
Peppermint (didn't use this one)
Cinnamon
Orange
Lemon

Beeswax
Various things from the cupboard (cocoa, nutmeg, allspice)

Here's the recipe I originally started with:

 Lemonade Lip Balm

I made a mistake and added my oils in during the initial melting instead of at the end. As a result, this one is more Lightly Lemon due to oils evaporating out during cooking.

Here are a few of the recipes I made up as I went.

Orange Chocolate:

This one smells just like those foil-wrapped chocolate oranges I used to get at Christmas time.

1 1/2 oz. sweet almond oil
1/2 oz. beeswax
1/2 oz. cocoa butter
cocoa for color (mine was unsweetened)
orange oil

Pink Lemonade:

3/4 oz. sweet almond oil
1/4 oz. beeswax
1/4 oz. shea butter
1/4 oz. cocoa butter
sliver of lipstick (I used an inexpensive red one, a little goes a long way. You can use more beet powder for a natural alternative)
10-15 drops of lemon oil

Warm Autumn Spice:

1/4 oz. beeswax
3/4 oz. sweet almond oil
1/4 oz. shea butter
a dash of nutmeg, allspice (I just sprinkled a little in, forgot to measure)
orange oil
cinnamon oil

The nutmeg and allspice will add some light speckles to your final mix. Most of the spice will settle to the bottom of your glass before pouring. I just poured most of the mixture into the waiting containers and disposed of the thicker residue.

Mix and match your own recipes.

Let me know in the comments below what "flavor" of lip balms you made.