Lips are important part of our Face and Body. Intended to seal in moisture and keep your lips from getting dry and cracked, lip balm usage has increased steadily over the years. This year, the global market for lip products is set to reach an all-time high, with lip balm being one of the most popular lip products, and its sales significantly contributing to the value of the industry. However, lip balm addiction is being seen more and more, resulting to heated debates on the topic in both dermatology and psychology.
1. Homemade Lip Balm with Coconut Oil and Shea Butter
What You Will Need:
1/8 cup Coconut Oil (available at most grocery stores or health food stores)
1/4 cup Beeswax (available at craft stores)
1/8 cup Shea Butter (available at craft stores or health food stores)
1 tsp Coconut or Vanilla Extract
1/4 cup Rose Petals (fresh or dried), feel free to substitute a different flower or herb here
1 tsp Sweet Almond Oil (available at craft stores)
*This recipe makes enough for about 6 tubes or small containers
*This recipe makes enough for about 6 tubes or small containers
How to Prepare:
Measure all of the ingredients into a small saucepan or Pyrex container
Heat on low until everything is melted, or if using microwave heat in 30 second intervals until completely melted
Strain petals if you wish, I left them in, they look really pretty!
Pour into sanitized containers of your choice
Let cool completely (couple hours) and they’re ready to use!
*Since this recipe uses beeswax (melting point is 145 degrees fahrenheit) it will harden enough to put into empty tubes
*Since this recipe uses beeswax (melting point is 145 degrees fahrenheit) it will harden enough to put into empty tubes
2. Peppermint and Beeswax Lip Balm
Peppermint and Beeswax Lip Balm
Peppermint Essential oil is widely used in many cosmetic and skin care products. It is mostly added to give a flavor, and to stimulate the skin . Carrier oil is required because peppermint oil must be diluted before applying it to the skin .
To make this balm, get 8 drops of peppermint oil, 1 tsp of beeswax, 2 tsp of carrier oil, and shavings of lipstick (optional, to give color). When done, you are ready with an amazing lip moisturizer.
Alternatively, you can also add 1 tbsp of Shea butter to the balm.
Ingredients:
8 Drops peppermint oil
2 Tbsp carrier oil (such as almond oil—this dilutes the peppermint oil from a burn to a tingle)
1 Tbsp beeswax pellets
Glass dropper
Glass jar
Containers (hit up a department store for sample jars or order your own)
Optional: lipstick shavings for a hint of tint
Directions:
Put the two tablespoons carrier oil and one tablespoon beeswax in a glass jar and close the lid. Heat the jar in a pot with water on medium-high heat until wax is melted. Remove jar from pot and stir mixture. Add peppermint oil with a dropper (not too much or it’ll burn your lips—we recommend starting with eight drops and adding more if necessary). If you’d like your balm to be tinted, stir in your lipstick shavings until your desired color is achieved. Then immediately pour the mixture into your containers. Let stand for two hours until hard.
2 Tbsp carrier oil (such as almond oil—this dilutes the peppermint oil from a burn to a tingle)
1 Tbsp beeswax pellets
Glass dropper
Glass jar
Containers (hit up a department store for sample jars or order your own)
Optional: lipstick shavings for a hint of tint
Directions:
Put the two tablespoons carrier oil and one tablespoon beeswax in a glass jar and close the lid. Heat the jar in a pot with water on medium-high heat until wax is melted. Remove jar from pot and stir mixture. Add peppermint oil with a dropper (not too much or it’ll burn your lips—we recommend starting with eight drops and adding more if necessary). If you’d like your balm to be tinted, stir in your lipstick shavings until your desired color is achieved. Then immediately pour the mixture into your containers. Let stand for two hours until hard.
3. Lip Balm using Mint
This mint lip balm will not only make lips soft and smooth but also give a flavor and a cooling sensation, as well. It has been used commercially in many lip balms to protect chapped or cracked lips. You can use mint in your very own homemade lip balm.
You will only need 2 tbsp of beeswax pellet, a dash of mint flavor, 4 tbsp sunflower oil, and some teal food paste to give it a beautiful color.
You will only need 2 tbsp of beeswax pellet, a dash of mint flavor, 4 tbsp sunflower oil, and some teal food paste to give it a beautiful color.
Recipe Procedure
Start by placing 2 tablespoons of the beeswax pellets and 4 tablespoons of sunflower oil in a glass jug.
Heat in the microwave on low to medium power until the beeswax pellets have melted. Remove jug from microwave and stir with a metal spoon. Using a pipette, add a few drops of mint oil. Add a tiny amount of food colouring to jug of liquid. Stir mixture with metal spoon and continue adding colouring till you achieve desired shade and colour is even.
Hand made cool mint lip balm
Using a clean pipette, transfer lip balm to pots.
Making lip balm leaves
In a small glass pot, melt half a teaspoon of beeswax pellets with a teaspoon of oil in the microwave until beeswax pellets have melted. Add a drop of cool mint oil and stir with a metal spoon. Then using a clean pipette, fill leaf mould with lip balm.
As soon as the lip balm turns white, use a sharp knife to remove excess from back. Wait a minute then turn out leaf on to top of aqua cool mint lip balm. Repeat until all cool mint lip balms have a white leaf atop. Leave to set for one hour.
Wrap washi tape round lip balm
Wrap washi tape around each jar to secure lids.
Hand-made mint lip balm labels
Download the artwork and print onto a sheet of P1 address label. Cut a rectangle of self adhesive film large enough to cover all the labels and adhere to printed labels. Carefully, using a sharp pair of scissors, cut around edge of labels then remove backing paper from the labels and attach to bottom of cool mint lip balm jars.
4. Hemp & Honey Lip Balm
This week I tried another recipe from the current Book Club selection, A Green Guide to Natural Beauty, Hemp & Honey Lip Balm.
For ages now I’ve been making manuka honey lip balm because of the extraordinary healing properties of the magical golden goop. Hailing from New Zealand, manuka honey comes from bees that pollinate the Leptospermum scoparium, a shrub or small tree that can grow up to 4m tall with profuse star-shaped flowers. Manuka honey is claimed to have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties. Applied topically, it is said to promote healing and reduce inflammation, with some sources saying it even prevents or heals the cold sore virus. While I’m not able to quantify these claims, I can say that it makes a darn good lip balm and that’s good enough for me.
Photo credit: Avenue
For ages now I’ve been making manuka honey lip balm because of the extraordinary healing properties of the magical golden goop. Hailing from New Zealand, manuka honey comes from bees that pollinate the Leptospermum scoparium, a shrub or small tree that can grow up to 4m tall with profuse star-shaped flowers. Manuka honey is claimed to have anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, and anti-microbial properties. Applied topically, it is said to promote healing and reduce inflammation, with some sources saying it even prevents or heals the cold sore virus. While I’m not able to quantify these claims, I can say that it makes a darn good lip balm and that’s good enough for me.
Photo credit: Avenue
Raw manuka honey is rated using “Unique Manuka Factor” (UMF) that rates the antibacterial factor. I generally use UMF 16+ as that is the highest that is sold in these parts.
Now the book clearly states that this recipe makes a softer lip balm, suitable little pots not tubes, but since I only had tubes I added more beeswax and some carnauba wax. It is still a bit soft but holds up fine in the tubes if you don’t smash it on your lips like my dear husband did this morning. The worst that’ll happen if you are a bit rough is you’ll get a bit too much applied but it will still hold its shape.
Now the book clearly states that this recipe makes a softer lip balm, suitable little pots not tubes, but since I only had tubes I added more beeswax and some carnauba wax. It is still a bit soft but holds up fine in the tubes if you don’t smash it on your lips like my dear husband did this morning. The worst that’ll happen if you are a bit rough is you’ll get a bit too much applied but it will still hold its shape.
Hemp & Honey Lip Balm
Ingredients:
15g beeswax
1g carnauba wax
10g cocoa butter
5g shea butter
20ml almond oil
5ml hemp oil
10ml manuka honey
8 drops citrus essential oilGet the ingredients here:
Equipment
Double boiler
Metal spoon
Small glass jug
12 lip balm tubes or 4 pots
1g carnauba wax
10g cocoa butter
5g shea butter
20ml almond oil
5ml hemp oil
10ml manuka honey
8 drops citrus essential oilGet the ingredients here:
Equipment
Double boiler
Metal spoon
Small glass jug
12 lip balm tubes or 4 pots
Digital kitchen scale (this wasn’t listed in the recipe but it is essential for weighing your ingredients)
Milk frother
2. Add hemp oil and honey and stir until liquid. The recipe notes that as honey is not soluble with oil, it won’t totally dissolve with heating and needs to be mixed with the milk frother.
3. Remove from heat, add essential oils, and blend with the frother while the mixture cools but still pourable.
4. Pour into tubes and leave untouched to set.
First, the hemp oil aroma is, well, hempy. Yick. So that’s why I added the essential oils. I wish the honey had a stronger aroma but…the second issue was that they honey really doesn’t combine that well. I’m pretty used to this from making lots of honey lip balm. In my experience the honey sinks to the bottom of your jug, even with mixing constantly, and by the time you fill the last tube it’s just a sticky honey mess (shown below). There is definitely some honey in the rest of the tubes though, you can tell just by licking your lips.
There are also a few other interesting looking recipes in the book: a bee-free version, cocoa butter lip balm sticks, and chocolate orange lip pots (um, yummy). Please drop me a note if you try any of these, I’d love to hear all about it. Pl comment or post email.
Milk frother
Instructions:
1. Melt the beeswax, carnauba wax, cocoa butter & shea butter in the double boiler along with the almond oil.2. Add hemp oil and honey and stir until liquid. The recipe notes that as honey is not soluble with oil, it won’t totally dissolve with heating and needs to be mixed with the milk frother.
3. Remove from heat, add essential oils, and blend with the frother while the mixture cools but still pourable.
4. Pour into tubes and leave untouched to set.
First, the hemp oil aroma is, well, hempy. Yick. So that’s why I added the essential oils. I wish the honey had a stronger aroma but…the second issue was that they honey really doesn’t combine that well. I’m pretty used to this from making lots of honey lip balm. In my experience the honey sinks to the bottom of your jug, even with mixing constantly, and by the time you fill the last tube it’s just a sticky honey mess (shown below). There is definitely some honey in the rest of the tubes though, you can tell just by licking your lips.
There are also a few other interesting looking recipes in the book: a bee-free version, cocoa butter lip balm sticks, and chocolate orange lip pots (um, yummy). Please drop me a note if you try any of these, I’d love to hear all about it. Pl comment or post email.
No comments:
Post a Comment