The season of chapped and dry lips is upon us. If you're like me, you have tubes of lip balm stashed in every bag and coat pocket, always ready for reapplication. A relevant concern for many these days is that some lip balms contain agents that are actually drying, like petroleum, as well as carcinogenic chemicals that can cause negative health effects.
For healthier, toxin-free lip balm, try making it yourself! You can easily whip up this nourishing homemade lip balm in your kitchen and use it to keep your lips soft, moisturized, and healthy this winter. It also makes a wonderful gift to share with friends and loved ones.
What you'll need:
A pan of water
Glass measuring cup, such as Pyrex (an old glass Mason jar works too)
1 ounce beeswax
2 ounces coconut oil
20 drops of an essential oil or oil blend
6 half-ounce tins
You should be able to find most of these ingredients in one place, depending on where you live. You can buy beeswax from most health food stores and organic grocers, typically in a 1-ounce or 3-ounce size. For the most health benefits, use high-quality, unrefined beeswax. This applies to coconut oil as well. I order my tins from Amazon. They come in different sizes and styles, as well as traditional tubes.
How to make it:
Heat up the pan of water to boiling, then set the glass measuring cup in it. (My Pyrex cup is now used only for lip balms as it can be hard to get completely clean.) Add the beeswax and coconut oil to the measuring cup. Turn the burner down to simmer and gently stir as the wax and oil melt together. To achieve a faster melt, you can grate the beeswax with a cheese grater (though that cheese grater will be unusable for food afterward).
Once the wax and coconut oil have melted, remove the mixture from heat. Now you can add essential oils and pour the mixture into the tins. Once the lip balm has cooled, which can take up to an hour, you can put the lids on. If you’d like, you can decorate them using stickers or stamps or make real labels.
Here are two of my favorite essential oil blends to use:
For chai lip balm:
6 drops cinnamon oil
6 drops ginger oil
6 drops vanilla oil
6 drops cardamom oil
For grapefruit vanilla lip balm:
10 drops grapefruit oil
10 drops vanilla oil
