Lip Balm Recipe
April 17, 2014
Lip Balm Recipe
Over the last few months I have been having a great time tripping down memory lane and digging through my old Aromatherapy notes, books and my recipe logs. I have re-ignited an old passion that I let fizzle out – that for creating natural skin care products from beautiful plant based ingredients.
About ten years ago I was making my own skin care range. I became very bitter and disillusioned towards the time I decided to stop selling them. I was fed up with the powerful media channels at the time that were pushing the notion of “Natural” in the market and aggressively promoting products that were NOT natural products. They were promoting products made to be shipped around the world, to hold up in various climate extremes and to sit on a shelf for (sometimes) years before making it to a bathroom cupboard. It was exhausting trying to explain and educate people about my definition of natural skin care – that was no additives, organic where possible, and made entirely from plant based or naturally occurring ingredients. PHEW! I got sick of the battle that I felt I was engaged in and shut up shop. I continued to create some basic items for myself but mostly packed up everything.
I can’t explain the joy I felt at unearthing a big dust covered box of cosmetic jars from the shed a couple of weeks ago, or finding my hand scrawled notes on tried, tested and loved recipe for one of my products. I missed it and didn’t even know it. I have re-purchased many of my staple ingredients and been back at the stove stirring my potions.
A few weeks ago I introduced you to my Honey Herb Body Bar Moisturiser and also a Gardeners Hand Scrub. They are newly created products that I had not made as part of my range previously.
This recipe is one from my archives. It is very similar to the product I used to make and sell. I made some minor modifications to it. It is not a difficult recipe, it is actually very simple to make. It will take you less than 20 minutes to create.
Ditch those balms filled with chemicals, colors, stabilisers, thickeners, emulsifiers and preservatives and start treating your lips with this gloriously silky soft balm. It has great staying power. I find that it lasts for a number of hours.
Lip Balm Recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
Ditch those balms filled with chemicals, colors, stabilisers, thickeners, emulsifiers and preservatives and start treating your lips with this gloriously silky soft balm.
Course:
Skincare
Ingredients
- 15 grams beeswax
- 15 grams cocoa butter
- 5 grams shea butter
- 10 grams macadamia oil
- 7 drops spearmint essential oil
- 5 drops lime essential oil
Instructions
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Fill a saucepan 1/3 full with water and set to a low simmer
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Add all of the ingredients except the essential oils to a mixing bowl that will sit on top of the saucepan without touching the water
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Gently heat and stir until the ingredients melt
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Do not allow the ingredients to reach a temperature over 70 degrees celcius
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Remove from the heat as soon as they have melted
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Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes
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Add the essential oils and stir (the mixture will be starting to thicken and harden)
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Pot into a steralised jar
Recipe Notes
Due to the beeswax content in this balm it tends to be a firmer consistency in the cooler weather. It will soften with the warmth of your fingers when applying if this is the case.
Have a fabulous Easter weekend. x
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So inspiring and delicious. 🙂 I’ve been making my own skin care products this past year and it has made me so happy. I can imagine it would be so discouraging and frustrating for you to see such outright lies told.
Thanks Krista for your lovely comments. x
Amazing! The world has changed so much since then I recon you’d have a pretty engaged base if you started making products again, but how wonderful that you are sharing your recipes here! xx
Things have changed JJ, I agree. Thanks for your support.
I am definitely going to have to give this a go. I’ve been trying to find natural lip balm for a little while now after the one I bought went off the market. Since there are no preservatives in it, how long will it last for (given that even the cleanest of fingers will still add yucky stuff when using it)?
Hi Glenda, this recipe is very stable. Provided it is not exposed to high heat it will last until used. To give you a real example of this – I made Mr Fresh a jar of my lip balm in the “good old days” when we first met (8+ years ago) and as I have been testing this recipe I made quite a few jars. I left one jar out for him to take to work, or put in his car if he needed to use it. He told me this week that he still has the original jar that is still in use on his desk at work! I know he uses it as he gets dry lips once in a while from the air conditioning…..but you never can be sure with men. I think if I smelt it I would ditch it after this amount of time! I generally refresh my own within a year or so and have never had an issue with rancidity.
Hi Kyrstie,
Thrilled to hear you are back to making your great lotions and potions. It is always a worry using products that are full of chemicals and to have an alternative we can be sure is not full of stuff is great.
Thanks so much for stopping by Kate. I am really enjoying getting back into it and pleased that others are interested. K xx
Do you think I can use mango butter instead of the coco butter? I was wondering if it would still call for 15grams. Also would is your recipe firm enough to go into lip balm tubes? Thank you
Hi Annita, yes you can do a straight swap with this ingredients. I have never tried to use lip balm tubes so I can not say for sure I am sorry. I’d love to hear how you go if you try it. Regards, Kyrstie
hi can you recommend an alternative to shea butter its not easy to get in ireland
Hi Noel, if you can replace with coco butter it will work well and maybe add a little more oil macadamia oil also as coco butter is a little denser than shea butter. I hope you enjoy it. Kyrstie
Your timing is perfect Kyrstie. I have been experimenting with lip balms for two years now and my last attempt separated so I am very grateful for this lip balm post. Your combination sounds delightful, thank you 🙂