- The Anticancer Lifestyle Program Awarded Nutrition Accreditation
- Rediscover the Authentic Magic Bag: A Comforting, Therapeutic Classic
- Winter Thriving
- Warming Winter Entrées
- Before a Lump Develops
- Learn to Cook Healthy & Holistic Food
- Birthday Crepe Cake
- 3 Trendy Summer Salads with Protein
- 5 Causes of Chronic Inflammation and How to Prevent Them
- Be UTI-free with Utiva
- The Easy Way to Grow Your Own Food
- Grow Your Own Tomatoes
- Fresh Herbs for the Spring
- How to Grow Sprouts
- Top 5 Spring Superfoods
Make Orange and Honey Lip Balm
Looking for home made natural gift ideas? Here is a delish idea.
As the saying goes… you are what you eat! Petroleum is the active ingredient in many “name brand” lip balms. It’s estimated that the average woman consumes over 1 pound of lip product per year, by eating, drinking and licking her lips. Make a great gift for yourself and share with others. Soothe, condition and heal chapped lips without the side effects of harsh ingredients.
SELECTING INGREDIENTS
Whether you choose to try and make your own lip balm, or are looking for a natural lip balm to purchase, it’s important to pick proper ingredients. The first question to ponder when selecting ingredients is, “Would I eat that?” Many natural carrier oils, also referred to as vegetable oils or base oils, are derived from fruits and plants, such as, avocado, coconut or grape seed. Carrier oils have different grades, so it’s important to educate yourself on the differences between food grade, expeller-pressed, organic and solvent extracted carrier oils. Solvent extracting is a process that requires the use of chemical solvents to remove the oil from the plant or fruit. Even some food grade oils are solvent extracted, so look carefully into what types of oils the manufacturer uses. If you are seeking the most natural choice, expeller-pressed and organic oils are the purest form.
THE PROCESS
Carrier oils are combined with waxes and butters to create the end product we see in tubes and tins. These waxes or butters need to be melted down to a liquid form before combining with your carrier oils. A double boiler can be used to do this, or a glass measuring cup (such as pyrex) with short bursts in the microwave. If it’s your first time making natural lip balm, the double boiler method may be best as you can keep a close watch on consistency and monitor the temperature as the wax melts. Once your waxes and butters have melted, you can mix in carrier oils, flavour or essential oils and package the balms into containers before it hardens. You can experiment with different carrier oils and ratios to create your own signature blend.
FLAVOUR & FRAGRANCE
Another great option for making natural lip balm is to purchase a lip balm base and add your own essential oil, flavour or keep it simply unscented. The lip balm base will need to be melted using the double boiler or microwave method in order to add flavor and package into a lip balm container or tube.
For safety precautions, essential oils should not exceed 0.3% of the total formulation. Flavour oils can be used safety up to 1% of the formulation. Many flavor oils are not 100% natural, but are a small percentage of the formulation and can provide more flavor options than essential oils. Look for flavor oils that are approved for use in lip care products.
Making your own products can be a fun, creative experience, but keep in mind it does take time, monitoring and caution. If you are attempting to make a balm from scratch, keep it simple with a short ingredient list and a small test batch. If you are purchasing a natural lip balm or lip balm base, always read the ingredients on the label carefully.
Just because you are shopping at a natural store, doesn’t mean you’ll always find 100% natural products. Many brands that claim to be “natural” use petroleum and other harsh ingredients in their products, especially balms containing SPF.
Basic Coconut Lip Balm
1 tsp. of beeswax
2 tsps. of coconut oil
1 vitamin E capsule
(puncture and squeeze into mix)
2-3 drops of coconut essence or flavour oil
Heat beeswax, coconut oil and vitamin E in a double boiler, water bath or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave. Then, mix in flavouring. While warm, pour into tins, tubes or containers of your choice using a plastic transfer pipette.
A Long Lasting, Sweeter Kiss
Vitamin E Acetate is an antioxidant and extends the shelf life of your product. Vitamin E oil
gelatin capsules can be punctured and squeezed into the mix. If you prefer a sweet lip balm, add some honey.
Oranges & Honey Lip Balm
1/2 tsp. beeswax
2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. cocoa butter
1/2 tsp. honey
3 drops orange essential oil
1 vitamin E capsule
(puncture and squeeze into mix)
Heat the beeswax, oil and cocoa butter in a double boiler, water bath or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until beeswax is melted, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the honey and essential oil. Pinch open the vitamin E capsule and squeeze the contents into the mixture. Stir well. While warm, pour into tins, tubes or containers of your choice using a plastic transfer pipette.
Kristin Fraser Cotte founded The Grapeseed Co. in Santa Barbara, California. Kristin formulates organic skin care products from grape seeds, a byproduct of wine making. She writes the Green Skincare Blog and shares recipes, info and inspiration to green your beauty routine. http://thegrapeseedcompany.com http://greenskincareblog.com
Related Posts
Latest News
-
Winter Thriving
Are the shorter days and colder weather leaving you feeling...
- Posted November 1, 2020
- 0
-
The Anticancer Lifestyle Program Awarded Nutrition Accreditation
The Anticancer Lifestyle Program (ACLP) has been welcomed as an...
- Posted November 13, 2020
- 0
-
Rediscover the Authentic Magic Bag: A Comforting, Therapeutic Classic
Seeking relief from all these months of uncertainty? Looking to...
- Posted November 3, 2020
- 0
-
Warming Winter Entrées
The rich flavours of browned beef only get better when...
- Posted November 1, 2020
- 0
-
Before a Lump Develops
The statistics today are alarming: one in eight women will...
- Posted October 25, 2020
- 0
-
Learn to Cook Healthy & Holistic Food
Holistic Culinary Program now offered by CSNN Toronto East Branch...
- Posted August 31, 2020
- 0
-
Birthday Crepe Cake
Add a little Flourish to your next birthday with this...
- Posted July 16, 2020
- 0
Join our E-Newsletter
Quote of the day
Prize Giveaways
-
Win! A Sugarmat Yoga Mat
Sugarmat, the clever creator of the lightest (and most beautiful) yoga mats has teamed...
- April 8, 2019
- 0
-
Instant Pot® 6 Quart Prize Giveaway
Instant Pot® Duo is a smart Electric Pressure Cooker designed to be Safe, Convenient...
- October 25, 2018
- 1
Featured Events
-
Guelph Organic Conference 2020
Experience over 40 workshops: Jan 23 – 26, 2020The free Trade Show runs: Jan...
- December 13, 2019
- 0
-
Bentway Skate Trail’s Official Opening
Toronto’s Newest Public SpaceLocated Under the Gardiner Expressway Saturday, January 6, 2018 @ 11am#BENTONWINTER18...
- December 6, 2017
- 0
Product Profile
-
Be UTI-free with Utiva
A New Way to prevent UTIs…naturally. The all too familiar urinary tract...
One Comment