My Favorite Lip Balm

It is still winter in my neck of the woods, and likely will be for several more months. Our Colorado climate is cold, dry, and windy at times, and my lips get dry and cracked if I don’t keep them protected. I have tried so many commercially available products and never been really satisfied with their performance, their ingredients, or their cost. Since I am all about solutions, I rolled up my sleeves and got to work on creating a lip balm recipe that not only works well, but doesn’t entirely break the bank. I’m sure you know where this is heading, so let’s dive in and make some of my favorite lip balm!

Supplies

• Lip balm tubes or tubs. You can get these from a lot of suppliers, including Amazon, or use empty tubes you have. Just make sure to clean them first. This recipe makes approximately 6 ounces of product, so plan accordingly.
• A double boiler or makeshift. See my deodorant post for what I use.
• 2 tablespoons Cocoa butter
• 3 tablespoons Beeswax ( I like pellets.)
• 1 tablespoon Coconut Oil. (Solid, not fractionated)
• 1 teaspoon Jojoba Oil
• Essential Oil for flavor and scent. You can leave this out if you don’t like a strong flavored lip balm. Do your research on what types will work best for you.
• Heat proof rubber spatula or wooden spoon

Steps

1. Set up your double boiler.
2. Melt your beeswax first. It makes it easier to tell if it is fully melted if it is the only ingredient.
3. Add the cocoa butter and coconut oil, stir occasionally until fully melted.
4. Make sure your tubes or tubs are open, upright and ready to use.
5. Add the jojoba oil, stir to combine, and remove from heat
6. Add essential oil if using, between 15 to 30 drops depending on strong you want the scent/flavor.
7. Pour the warm liquid into your containers, slowly so you don’t overfill.
8. Allow to harden before capping.

Variations and substitutions

So my lip balm recipe as written, is rather waxy feeling. I like how it really protects my lips from the wind and keeps them soft and moisturized at the same time. If you want a softer, less waxy feel you can reduce the beeswax by one tablespoon. You could also swap out the jojoba oil, which is rather waxy for another oil, maybe sweet almond oil or olive oil. The cocoa butter has a lightly chocolate scent that I don’t find overwhelming, but you could swap it out for another butter, like shea butter.

My current batch of lip balm is chocolate mint flavored. I added a tablespoon of natural cocoa powder and about 25 drops of peppermint essential oil, once the melted oils were removed from heat. It does leave a slight tint to my lips, but it is barely noticeable. Here’s how it looks:

Final Thoughts

This is a very easy and forgiving project. You can change things up and truly make something you will love. This also makes a great, thoughtful gift. Who doesn’t need a great lip balm?

Like all natural products, this will have a limited shelf life. Based on personal experience, I believe it will remain good for about 12 months. Always use your best judgement, if you see visible signs of mold or rot, if there is a rancid smell, or something just doesn’t look right, play it safe and throw it out.

As always, I would love to hear if you made this yourself! I would also love to answer any questions you have. Please leave a comment below.

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