How To Make 30 Minute Lip Balm

How To Make 30 Minute Lip Balm. Image – NatureHacks.com (with permission)

Here’s an awesome tutorial that we just discovered on how to make your own lip balm. This is a superb natural formula which only uses four ingredients. The link follows after our commentary and introduction to the topic.

Lip balms are an essential part of the day-to-day “survival kit” for many people. Sun, wind and cold can take their toll on the lips and for them to remain fresh-looking and un-cracked, many people carry a lip balm on them at all times. We all want to attain maximum kissability, right? 😉

Nowadays, the nicer quality lip balms are often several dollars per tube. However (ironically), these are the ones that contain the natural, pure ingredients which are readily available. It is super easy to make your own lip balm and another benefit is that you don’t have to contribute to the “plastic mountain” – you could either re-use old lip balm tubes or simply use a small jar or other container and apply the balm with a good ole’ fingertip.

Another thing that I really like about this formula is that you could just as easily make different flavors. For example, instead of using 10 drops of orange essential oil, you could just as easily use peppermint essential oil or vanilla. (see the links above for full tutorials about the uses and benefits of these essential oils!)

One essential tip – it’s quite important to use the “double boiler” method as outlined in the tutorial. Don’t be tempted to skip this part and just melt the beeswax in a pan. The reason for this is that it is easy to overheat beeswax and it can become burnt and discolored. The double boiler (a simple “pan within a pan” with the outer pan filled with water and the inner pan containing the beeswax only) regulates the temperature and gives you greater control and a gentle, even heat.

Beeswax has a relatively low melting point range of 62 to 64ºC (144 to 147ºF). If beeswax is heated above 85ºC (185°F) discoloration occurs – so you do not want the water to be boiling. As with candle making – heat gently and patiently and allow the beeswax to melt slowly. Just like any other projects using heat, be prepared and focused, making sure that you are not “doing 2 things at once” and can give your full attention to the work. The flash point of beeswax (the temperature at which it spontaneously catches fire) is 204.4ºC (400ºF). ^[1]

One last tip – you can control the hardness of the finished product by adjusting slightly the quantities of beeswax and coconut oil. More coconut oil = softer end result. More beeswax = harder end result.

Ok here’s the link to the full tutorial, have fun! https://naturehacks.com/beauty/this-is-the-only-lip-balm-recipe-youll-ever-need/