DIY Lip Balm with Kara

This past Christmas, I wanted to personally make something for all the lovely ladies in my life. My knitting skills are lacking and my candle making needs work, so I considered what every woman I know reaches for at some point in her day, lip balm!  Who knew making it was so easy and so inexpensive? Creating it yourself also allows you to leave out all those nasty chemicals no-one can pronounce.

Some of the ingredients are likely already in your cupboards at home. Those that aren’t, can easily be sourced through a health food store or even online. Have fun when choosing your containers; repurposed mint tins can be adorable and you can even re-use old lip balm tubes, just be sure to sterilize them with boiling water first. The dollar store also sells lots of fun little containers to try out.

The other aspect you can play with is scent. Essential oils are everywhere these days, and the choices of scent are endless. Personally I’m a big fan of peppermint, sweet orange and even cinnamon, however be aware small amounts of cinnamon cause your lips to plump, too much and you can potentially get a burning feeling.

So without further ado here is the recipe:

1.5 tbsp Beeswax (pellets if you can find them, alternatively just grate a solid piece with a cheese grater)

1 tbsp Coconut Oil

2 tbsp Shea Butter (Use Cacoa butter if you want a chocolately smelling base)

1 tbsp Sweet Almond Oil

¼ tsp or 1 gelcap broken open Vitamin E oil (Not only does Vit. E have healing properties it also acts as a preservative)

15 – 20 drops of your chosen essential oil(s)

I like to melt all my hard ingredients in a measuring cup in a double boiler, you can also do so in a microwave oven in bursts of 15 – 20 seconds, stirring between heatings. Stir until the beeswax, coconut oil & butter is melted. Remove from heat & add the almond oil & vit. E oil, stir until completely combined. Add your essential oils 5 drops at a time until you get the scent to your liking. Once you are satisfied, put your lip balm back over the steam or into the microwave for a few seconds until the mixture is completely liquefied.

Pour into your containers and leave them be for at least 3 hours. I promise beautiful smooth tops if you do not move or touch them. They will be fully hardened in 24 hours.

Clean up is easily done by wiping the measuring cup with paper towel. Any residual beeswax can be removed with boiling water, just don’t pour the wastewater down your drain or you will be calling a plumber.

These lip balms do melt easily in higher heats, in warmer months add an extra ½ tablespoon of beeswax for better holding power.

So what are you waiting for? Go! Create! Really, just have some fun!