Lip Balm Recipes (Do It Yourself Recipe)

If the prospect of performing a little kitchen wizardry to prepare a customized, homemade batch of lip balm sounds like hard work, relax. It's really pretty simple. You can even save up and use your old tubes (applicators), rinsed and sterilized with alcohol. A batch of balm will last for months and costs pennies a tube. You also control the color, scent and flavor of the product you prepare.

If this is your first foray into making a cosmetic (or cosmeceutical) preparation, you've chosen a great, simple starter project.

A Word about Ingredients

There are four basic ingredients in lip balm: wax (or another viscous substance like petroleum jelly), oil, fragrance or flavor and a coloring agent (optional).

The biggest difference between say, a lip balm and a salve, is the thickness (viscosity) of the product. To create a moisturizer that will maintain a cylindrical shape and rich consistency requires increasing the amount of wax in the recipe. It's that simple. If you make sure you have a good, viscous ingredient (like beeswax), with a ratio of about two ounces of wax to every cup of oil, you're on your way to making an effective lip balm.

Materials Needed for Making Lip Balm

Although a double boiler is the best tool for melting and incorporating lip balm ingredients, because it insures the mixture won't burn, you can also use a heavy saucepan provided you're careful to stir the ingredients almost constantly.

You'll also need:

• A measuring cup with a pour spout
• A stirring utensil like a wooden spoon
• A disposable dropper (This one isn't absolutely necessary, but it will cut down on the mess.)
• If you plan on making lip balm regularly or want to experiment with other cosmetic preparations, having access to a digital scale is also helpful.

When making any recipe that uses hot oil, preparation is important. Have the containers you plan on using ready before you start heating the ingredients. As a frame of reference, a standard lip gloss tube will hold a quarter of an ounce of balm.

Easy Lip Balm Recipes

Here are some fast, easy and totally lip smacking good lip balm recipes for you to try:

Chocolate Flavored Lip Balm

This one is rich, dark and delicious:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 oz. sweet almond oil (you can also use extra virgin olive oil)
• 1/2 oz. beeswax
• 1 oz. cocoa butter
• 2 tsp. unsweetened chocolate
• 1 tsp. powdered sugar
• 1 tsp. honey

Directions:

• Melt almond oil, beeswax and cocoa butter.
• Add chocolate and powdered sugar and stir vigorously.
• Remove from the heat and beat in honey until the mixture is creamy.
• Pour into a measuring cup (one with a spout) and use the spout to transfer the chocolate lip gloss into tubes or tubs.
• This recipe should fill 10 tubes.

Small Batch Lip Balm

This is a quickie recipe that makes a couple of tubs of balm at a time.

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. beeswax (grated)
• 1/2 tsp. shea butter
• 1/2 tsp. honey
• 5 drops vanilla oil (or your flavored oil of choice)

Directions:

• Combine olive oil, beeswax, shea butter and honey.
• Microwave on low until completely melted. (This should take less than a minute).
• Add flavored oil and stir well.
• Cool for five minutes.
• Transfer to a tub and set aside to cool completely.

Creamy Moisturizing Lip Balm

If your lips are cracked and dry, this recipe is super creamy.

Ingredients

• 1 oz. sweet almond oil
• 1 oz. avocado oil
• 1 oz. shea butter
• 1 oz. cocoa butter
• 1/2 oz. beeswax
• 30 drops of essential oil (try orange, cherry, strawberry, lime, spearmint, cinnamon or ginger)

Directions

• Melt all ingredients but the essential oil in a double boiler.
• Stir to incorporate.
• Remove from the heat and add essential oil.
• Beat until smooth.
• Pour into individual tubes.
• Set tubes aside to cool completely.

This recipe will fill about 25 tubes

Kool-aid Lip Balm (gloss)

Crystalized beverage powder can be a great flavor and color base for a kid friendly lip balm. If you select a wild color, it can also be a fun Halloween makeup option (think blue or green).

Ingredients:

• 1 cup petroleum jelly
• 1 packet beverage powder

Directions:

• Melt petroleum jelly on low heat.
• Add powder and stir until the crystals melt.
• Spoon into small lip-balm (ointment) pots and cool.
• This recipe should fill 7 to 10 tubs.

courtesy of @Sarah Elliot.