Homemade Lip Balm

So today I tried my hand at homemade lip balm.  Since we've started our organic/natural lifestyle, I've made an effort to try to only use things on my skin (and lips) that are natural.  Right now my go-to lip balm is Dr. Bronner's Magic Organic Lip Balm--peppermint flavor.  I love it, but I wince every time I see the price!  Anyway, I've researched recipes for making lip balms at home and finally decided I would no longer pay $2-$3 per tube!  This way, I can also control the flavor, all the ingredients, and make my kiddos their own lip balms...sounds like a win-win in my book!!  :)

What You'll Need

1 part beeswax
2 parts shea butter, cocoa butter, or mango butter
2 parts coconut oil
25 drops essential oil (optional)

Double boiler, a make-shift double boiler (which is what I used...a small sauce pan inside of a larger sauce pan), or a glass bowl/measuring cup inside a sauce pan.  I tried the glass measuring cup for the first batch and the sauce pan inside another sauce pan the second time...I preferred the latter.

Step 1
Set about an inch of water to heat in the bottom pan on medium-low to medium heat, and set the other pan or glass container inside it.

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Step 2
Measure out your ingredients (except essential oil) and put them in the top pan or container to melt.  I filled four lip balm containers and used 1 TB shea butter, 1 TB coconut oil, 1 1/2 tsp white beeswax (you can use yellow, but I'm saving that for candles later).

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Step 3
Once all ingredients have melted down, turn the heat to low or off completely (if off, work quickly).  Add your drops of essential oil--I like peppermint, so I used peppermint oil.  I made another batch where I added Almond Extract (though next time I'll add a little more since the flavor got lost in the mixture).  Make sure you give the mixture a quick swirl to ensure everything has been combined.


Step 4
Start pouring the mixture into your lip balm containers (some people use glass droppers...I used a small stainless steel measuring spoon).

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Step 5
Let mixture stand for about 1-2 hours to solidify. As the mixture solidifies, it will turn slightly opaque.

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Step 6
Enjoy!!  :)