I started making lip balm about 12 years ago.  Yes, TWELVE years ago!  This was looooooong before I was into natural living or had discovered blogs or Pinterest.  What I did read back then, though, was forums.  And being the incurable creative that I was and am, I of course was a member at Craftster.org!  It was there that I first read about making beauty products as home.

Making Lip Balm is Incredibly Easy!

As I checked out all of the DIY beauty recipes, I found a lot of ingredients that I had never heard of before and some of complicated processes that intimidated me.  But then I stumbled upon the lip balm recipes and was blown away by how simple they looked to make!  A common recipe that I found there used only three ingredients in equal parts (all items that I could get at my local health food store), and the whole process was said to take a mere 5-10 minutes.  Yippee!  This was the perfect way for me to inch my way into DIY beauty!

DIY Lip Balm also makes the perfect gift!

I enjoy making lip balm for myself, but over these twelve years of DIY’ing it, have also come to find what a fool-proof gift it can be!

• It is gender neutral
• It’s completely practical and literally everyone can use it at some point!
• It is easy to make in bulk, making it awesome for classmates, team mates, or other big groups of friends that you want to give gifts to
• It is small, making it a great stocking stuffer or something you can slip into a card or mail inexpensively

DIY Natural Lip Balm Recipe:

(see the measurement & quantities cheat sheet and tips on which essential oils to use below)

Ingredients:

1 part Coconut Oil or Sweet Almond Oil (find organic coconut oil here and organic sweet almond oil here)
1 part Shea Butter (or other skin care butter) (find unrefined Shea Butter here)
1 part Beeswax (vegans can use 3/4 part Carnauba wax instead) (find beeswax here and organic Carnauba wax here)
Optional: Essential oils, extracts, or absolutes to add scent

Other Equipment:

Mason jar and saucepan
Storage containers: chap stick containers, mini tins, or small screw jars

Method:

Add the oil, butter, and wax into your glass jar and place it in a pot of water over medium heat.

Once ingredients have melted, remove the mason jar from the heat and swirl the jar to ensure that they mix well.  I also tend to use a wooden craft stick to stir it at this point.

If you will be adding scent, then continue first to swirl the jar around for about a minute to help it to cool slightly without hardening.  Then add essential oils or absolutes of choice (see tips on which ones to use below).  Swirl jar a few more times to combine.

Pour the mix immediately into your molds.  If you are using chapstick tubes, be sure that they are screwed all the way down (they should come this way new).  I pick the tube up in one hand, and pour from the jar using the other hand.  I like to set my tubes a few inches apart once poured, to avoid knocking one over and having them all go down.

Allow the lip balm to harden at room temperature and then use the lip balm as normal.

Quantities & Measurements

Which Essential Oils or Scents Should I Use/Not Use?

A few of my favorites are:

• Mint: Peppermint essential oil on its own, or a blend of peppermint and spearmint oils
• Vanilla Blends: Vanilla absolute primarily, with a few added drops of fruit extract, Juniper Berry essential oil, or spiced essential oils (like Cardamom or Cinnamon leaf)
• Calming: A blend of Lavender and Roman Chamomile essential oils
• Foodie: Coconut, Strawberry, Almond, or Lemon extracts

Use caution when using photosensitive oils that could make your lips more sensitive to sunlight.  Also, strong spices (like cinnamon or clove essential oils) can be used minimally with a tamer oil, but it may cause tingling or irritation if you use too much.