Late Night Lip Balm

Last night I was desperate.  Our whole family has a bit of a head cold and between that and the cold weather, my lips were falling apart.  I was freshly out of Burt's Bees lip balm and really didn't want to have to resort to Bag Balm (really - have you ever tasted it?!).  After considering my options, I finally decided that I could spare 10 minutes of my life to make some homemade lip balm.

One of the things I haven't liked about the lip balm recipes I have used in the past is the number of ingredients they require.  I like simple.  And easy.  Generally, lip balms call for exotic things like coconut oil, glycerin, jojoba and cocoa butter (not that all of these are exotic, but most of us don't have them sitting around in our kitchen cupboards).  So, I got to thinking and searching on the internet (what a wonderful tool!) and came up with a balm recipe that meets my "simple" and "easy" criteria and is wonderful to boot.

You really don't need anything special to put lip balm in, although tubes or little pots are handy.  I actually made more lip balm than I had tubes for and put the overflow into 35mm film containers.  Whatever you have on hand will work.

The only ingredient in the balm that you may not have on hand is beeswax, but it is fairly easy to come by and will last forever.  The amounts of wax you use are very small in comparison with the rest of the ingredients, so a little will go a long way.  I bought 4 twenty pound bricks of beeswax about 8 years ago and have used it in everything from lotion bars to lip balm to candles and have only used about 1/4 of 1 brick.

The lip balm takes about 10 minutes to make, including measuring and heating and another 20 minutes or so (depending on what containers you use) to harden.  I do have to admit that I love using it when it is warm and not fully hardened yet - oh, so wonderful!

Most Wonderful Lip Balm
1/2 oz. beeswax
1 tsp. honey
4 oz. olive oil (1/2 cup)
Peppermint oil or peppermint extract to taste

In a small saucepan (or double boiler) melt wax.  Add honey and oil.  Stir for two minutes.  NOTE:  The honey will not really combine, but it is great for your lips and doesn't adversely affect the lip balm.  Add peppermint (or other flavor).  Stir well.  Pour.

Melting the beeswax

Measuring the oil

Pouring into the tubes

The overflow went into film canisters

When I made my balm, I used 1 oz. of beeswax rather than 1/2 oz. because I like a more solid lip balm.  I also added a little Vitamin E oil when I added the peppermint.  My lip balm turned out beautifully and feels wonderful.  Because I added extra beeswax, it stays in place for quite a long time and hopefully won't be prone to melting when carried in a pocket.

For mere pennies, you can make lip balm in your own kitchen.  Not only is it a great winter evening project, it will bring you one step closer to preparedness.

Lotion Bars

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Lotion Bars

We made lotion bars this weekend. I have to admit, I am not the least bit "crafty". In fact, I hate making crafts! I do, however, love to make useful, beautiful things. I love making soap, candles, lotion, cheese, bread - that sort of thing. It is useful. It is at least slightly longer lasting than a clean house or clean laundry. While I love a clean house and clean laundry, there is something very satisfying about "creating" something!

Lotion bars are best used after you wash your hands or when you first get out of the shower or bath. They are somewhat greasy until it is thoroughly rubbed in. It feels WONDERFUL on work roughened hands! I add a little essential oil, usually Lavender or Tea Tree for the ladies and Fir Needle Balsam for the guys, but you can use whatever you want, or leave it plain, and it smells slightly of beeswax and cocoa. Yum!

Lotion bars are quite simple to make, and make wonderful gifts. For those of you that are interested, here is the recipe that I use:



4 oz. Beeswax
4 oz. Coconut Oil
4 oz. Coco butter
1 tsp. essential oil (optional)


Melt the first 3 ingredients in double boiler or over low heat in sauce pan, just until melted.

Remove from heat and stir constantly with wooden spoon. When starting to cool but still liquid, add the essential oil, stir and pour quickly into molds.

When solid and cooled, remove from molds. Package in baggies until ready for use.

That's it!


Measuring ingredients:


Melting the beeswax, oil and butter:

Filling the molds:

The finished product:

You can use any number of different things for molds. An empty, cut down yogurt container works well (you will have to have about 6 - 8, depending on how large you want your bars). Jello molds from thrift stores also work well. Use your imagination!

I love the feeling of having made something beautiful and useful. I enjoying giving gifts of things that we make ourselves. It is so much fun to engage our children in the making and giving of homesteady gifts. And someday, if we can't get lotion, we will be able to make our own!

Note: Some of these ingredients have been stored in our "container" for the last 10 years. The shelf life appears almost indefinite. I think it might be a good idea to stock up on some of these ingredients (what you can't grow yourself, ie. coconut oil and coco butter), so you can whip up a batch whenever you might need it!