Handmade Giving: Lip Balm

I know I say this about all my sweet guest bloggers, but you guys are really going to love Kelly.  She is just the sweetest thing and today she’s showing us how to make lip balm.  I mean, who makes lip balm?! Kelly does, y’all.  And she makes it look super dooper easy. She not only makes her own beauty products, but she’s a heck of a baker and makes tons of allergy friendly and shares them on her blog. Thanks, Kelly! Enjoy, everybody!

Hello, La Famille fans! I’m Kelly, and I blog over at The Pretty Bee, where I share lots of recipes (most of them allergy friendly!) and some simple crafts. I was so excited when Alicia invited me to be a part of this holiday series…I’ve been reading La Famille for a loooong time, and am always inspired by Alicia’s words and her beautiful taste in home decor.

Today I’m going to share a super simple recipe for making your own lip balm. I love to make handmade gifts at Christmas time, but now that I have two little boys, the crafts and projects I make need to be:

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A) Quick and easy! and B) Able to be completed in a sleep deprived state. Making your own lip balm fits the bill.

There are countless recipes for lip balm all over the internet. I tried a few different recipes, and adapted a few of them into my own recipe. I think it’s pretty foolproof. First you need to gather a few supplies.

Homemade Lip Balm

Makes 4 Tubes
 You will need:
 1/2 tablespoon beeswax
 1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
 1 tablespoon cocoa butter
 4 drops sweet orange essential oil
 2 drops vitamin E oil, from a capsule, just poke a hole and squeeze the two drops out 

lip balm tubes
 pipettes
 sparkly Duck brand duct tape, or other stickers or labels if desired

 Method
 1. You will need to grate the beeswax, unless you buy beeswax pellets. I bought the big chunks from Whole Foods and used a grater from the Dollar Tree. Don’t use your good grater, it is going to get kind of messed up. Just grate some beeswax onto a sheet of waxed paper, and set aside.
 2. The cocoa butter is quite hard at room temperature, so I just scrape at it with a spoon. The little shavings that are created melt really easily.
 3. Line a cookie sheet with wax paper. Stand your lib balm tube up without the tops on. I bought both the lip balm tubes and the pipettes on eBay. I would recommend trimming the very skinny end off the pipettes because I found that it was too skinny and the wax clogged them up.
 4. Melt the beeswax, cocoa butter, and almond oil. You can melt your ingredients in the microwave in a pyrex bowl if you want to . I did mine on the stove top. If you do it in the microwave, just microwave for 30 seconds at a time and stir in between until smooth. I took a canning jar and stuck it in a pan of water (about two inches) on the stove. I heated it on medium low, and just kept stirring until smooth.
 5. Once the beeswax, almond oil, and cocoa butter is smooth, turn off the heat. Add the vitamin E oil and the sweet orange essential oil if desired. Stir. Use the pipette to fill the lip balm tubes, but not all the way to the top yet! Leave about a 1/4 inch empty at the top.
 6. Wait about three minutes, and once the lip balm starts to harden, use the pipette to fill the tubes all the way to the top. That way you get a nice smooth finish.
 7. Let the lip balm firm up, it will probably take about two hours. Place the cap on once it is firm, and put your label on. I used this sparkly tape because it was so pretty, and conveniently the exact width of the lip balm tubes.

That’s it, you’re done! You can experiment with what works for you. If you like coconut oil, try that instead of the sweet almond oil. If you want to change essential oils, you can do that, too. Peppermint is nice, or lavender. Be cautious, some essential oils can cause photo sensitivity, like grapefruit and bergamot. Always make sure that you are using an essential oil that is safe for your skin. If you are not a fan of scents, just leave it out.

That’s it! A really easy and cute little gift or stocking stuffer. And if you are interested in making other beauty products, I also have a recipe for deodorant on my blog. (Yes, it really works! Better than store bought).

Thanks for letting me share this tutorial on your beautiful blog, Alicia! I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season.