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

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