Hello, my name is Gina and I have an addiction to lip balm. Anyone else? I am not sure exactly how or when it happened but some decades ago, I had my first hit…and well, the rest is history. Lip balm is one of those things that is always with me. Right now there is one sitting in my coat pocket, one at my desk, and one on my nightstand. They are also akin to socks in terms of going missing and ending up some place only God knows. The house eats them I guess along with the bobby pins and such.
Since we like our lip balm in this house and they tend to go MIA, I make them. Besides those reasons, if you haven’t gotten to know me already, I don’t like putting junk in, on, or around my body…nor anyone else in my family. It is important to me. Aside from having control over ingredients, these are SO inexpensive to make. In addition, they are also very easy to make. This post will be short as there is not much to it!
Let’s talk about supplies for a minute. You will need only a few things.
Infused Oil
To make an infused oil for lip balm, I usually use a pint wide mouth jar, dried calendula flowers, and organic olive oil. I place the dried flowers in the jar leaving about 3” of head space. I then cover the flowers with the olive oil. Next, put a lid & screw top on and place in a sunny window for at least two weeks. I use metal lids to enhance warmth. I use this same method for salve only adding many other herbs. I date the top of the jar or tend to forget when I did. After the time has passed, strain the liquid off and compost the flowers. I grow calendula but you can buy the flowers already dried too.
Beeswax
I buy beeswax in bulk, filter it, and mold in ounce bars for this but you can buy them already done. I used to buy it ready to go. There will be links at the bottom of the post.
Add Ins
I add in carrot seed essential oil just because it is really good for skin in general. I also like the way it smells. I use it in my lotion too. I keep my balm pretty simple. In years past I have added in beet root powder for a tint of color. You could also use dried berry powder. I teach English online so sometimes use tinted lip balm to help the kids see my mouth better for pronunciation.
Containers
I like tubes for this but have used tins too. If you don’t want fingers in your balm, go with tubes. Tins are cute however.
Step 1
Start your infused oil & order containers. Date the infusion. Wait the allotted time (at least two weeks).
Step 2
Strain off liquid into a clean, dry jar. Measure out 1 cup of the infused oil and pour into a double boiler.
Step 3
Add in 2 ounces of beeswax to the infused oil and melt together.
Step 4
Prepare tubes or tins. Take off tops. I recommend getting them as close together as possible. You will likely spill some. I always do. I use a rubber band to keep them tight.
Step 5
Once the wax is melted and stirred in well, this is when you would add in any extras such as carrot seed essential oil. Shut off the burner and pour into containers. Don’t overheat the blend. You only need to melt & stir in.
Step 6
Once cooled, clean them up! I don’t waste the spilled balm. I scrape it into empty containers. After I get all I can into containers, I use a paper towel and wipe off any residue and cap them. I use the shoved in ones first. I wouldn’t give one of those away.
That’s it! I put them in a bag and put them in a cabinet. These last us a long time! Sometimes I give some away.
These are another thing you don’t need to buy. I have used the same bottle of carrot seed essential oil for many years. I buy containers each time but you could definitely reuse tins. It would be difficult to reuse tubes and get every bit of the older stuff out. I paid $12.99 for 50 tubes. That comes to .26 cents a tube. I don’t count the rest as I always have olive oil on hand, and beeswax, and calendula flowers. As I said, I have used the same carrot seed oil for so many years…probably 10! So the cost is minuscule. I also love building up our stock for a while. It is the same for me as putting up food for the year. We raise enough chickens for the freezer for a year. I make a good sized batch of dish soap bars, shampoo bars, and regular soap for a long while. The cost of these is also small. I use tallow from the beef we purchase in bulk for the year to make soap. It makes the cost very low. I make enough candles or prepare wax to do so for a year plus. I love this stuff! But those are more posts for other days. I hope I have given you one more thing to stock up on for the year! One less thing to buy! Happy making!
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If you are interested in lip balm with beeswax, check out this other post!
