I've been making my own lip balm for a few years now, and I love the recipe I use so I thought I'd share it here. It's very, very simple. This makes about 3 tubes.
-2 tsp. beeswax (chop or grate it, then measure)
-2 1/4 tsp. jojoba oil (you can use any oil you like, but for me jojoba's the only way to go)
-about 6 drops of peppermint essential oil (again, you can use anything you like. Grapefruit would be good!)
Melt wax and jojoba oil together in the top of a double boiler, or you could probably put it in the microwave for a bit. Stir to combine. Then remove it from the heat and add the essential oil. Pour into your containers, but don't fill up completely yet. Wait a minute or two, keeping the reserved mixture melted, then top the containers with the rest of the mixture. This gives you a nice looking top. Let cool for about 20 minutes and enjoy!
I like a bit of a waxier lip balm, so if you want it glossier just add a bit more jojoba oil.. maybe 3 tsp? Experiment to get it how you like it, that's half the fun!
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Edited to add:
There's been a few questions, so I thought I'd add my answers here so they're all in one place.
-Where do you get those screw bottom containers?
I get them from a variety of places but the prices on ebay are the best I've found. Just do a search for "lip balm tube." I also save old ones I've used up and reuse those (only for myself of course!)
-How do you pour the balm in the tube? Do you just pour it from the pot?
I used to use a plastic pipette to get the melted balm into the tubes, but I found a little enamel pot at the flea market and I use that now. The pipettes work fine but the balm will harden in it if you're not fast enough. You can also find these on ebay. Search for "plastic pipette."
-Where do you get your beeswax? Online? Or can I use the left over wax from my honey and just try to remove the remaining honey?
I buy my beeswax from Mountain Rose Herbs or from local beekeepers (check farmers markets). Often they will have little chunks of wax by their displays of honey. I don't see why you couldn't use the wax that's in honey.. I've seen other lip balm recipes calling for honey but whenever I try it the honey separates from the balm, but if you get most off it should work!
-Any suggestions for what type of beeswax to use or where to get it? I noticed "pure," "unfiltered," "pellets," and all other sorts online. What's the difference?
I would take the term "pure" to mean it's just beeswax, no other ingredients are added (also look for 100% beeswax).
Filtered would mean that it's been strained of any other matter that may be in the wax (dirt, dead bees, etc). For use in lip balm I would look for filtered.
The pellets are just beeswax that is formed into little pellets. The pellets would be very easy to use, but I've never bought it because it's a bit more expensive, and, well, I can be sort of cheap sometimes. :)
One type of beeswax I would avoid is the "white" beeswax. The whiteness is obtained by bleaching the wax and I would think some of the many good, healing qualities of the wax would be lost when it's bleached. And I would be worried that some of the bleaching residue would remain on the wax.
I buy everything from Mountain Rose Herbs and I'm always impressed. They're the best company I've found that sells this type of supplies and I love that most everything is organic. They also supply lots of information. You can find the jojoba oil and the peppermint essential oil there as well.
-What sort of other oils would be nice in the lip balm?
I’ve seen different lip balm recipes calling for different carrier oils, including: olive oil, safflower oil, almond oil, castor oil, coconut oil, and sunflower oil. Sometimes they’re combined in one recipe; like castor and coconut oils; or almond, olive, and castor oils. I’ve never tried any of them because I love the jojoba oil.
And as for essential oils, I would think the citrus oils, like grapefruit, lemon, lime, or tangerine would be nice. Stick with edible stuff.. I don’t think lip balm scented with fir needle essential oil would be good, for example. Also be careful which oils you choose, some need to be avoided if you’re pregnant and others can’t be used on your lips or other sensitive areas. Mountain Rose Herbs has all of this information with their essential oils.
-Do you know about any laws in selling lip balm to say a local co-op?
No, I’m not familiar with the laws regarding selling products you’ve made. I would think some sort of preservative would be necessary, like vitamin E or grapefruit seed extract but I could be wrong.
http://greenbeesbees.blogspot.com/2008/09/homemade-lip-balm.html
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Simple Chap Stick
Makes about 1 oz (4 1/4-oz chap stick tubes)
Ingredients
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup beeswax flakes or pellets
- 4 large-sized vitamin E capsules
Instructions
Place all ingredients in heat-safe measuring cup or bowl and place in double boiler, or a medium saucepan of water over low heat. Allow hot water to melt ingredients, but prevent from boiling. When all solids have melted, remove from heat and stir until well combined. Pour into chap stick tubes or lip balm jars and allow to cool completely, uncovered, before sealing or using.
http://hubpages.com/hub/Lip-Balm
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Ingredients: 3 teaspoons grated unbleached beeswax; 5 teaspoons carrier oil (sunflower, castor, or jojoba); 6 or 7 drops essential oil; 1 teaspoon honey, for flavor
1. Melt the beeswax and carrier oil together in the top of a double boiler, stirring to combine. Remove from heat; add honey and essential oil. Mix thoroughly so the honey does not clump.
2. To add a little color, stir in a tiny dab of lipstick with a coffee stirrer. Pour the mixture into containers; let sit 20 minutes before covering or moving. For glossier lip balm, use 2 teaspoons wax and 8 teaspoons carrier oil.
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Chocolate Lip Gloss
3 tablespoons cocoa butter
4 or 5 chocolate chips
1 capsule vitamin E
Melt all ingredients in a double boiler, then blend with a spoon until smooth. Put into a container and refrigerate until solid.
http://recipegoldmine.com/beautypersonal/chocolate-lip-gloss.html
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Vanilla Lip Gloss
1 tablespoon grated beeswax
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1/8 teaspoon vitamin E oil
1/8 teaspoon vanilla extract
Place the beeswax, coconut oil and vitamin E oil in an ovenproof container. Heat gently until the wax and oils are melted. Stir in the vanilla extract and mix well. Pour the mixture into a clean container and allow to cool completely.
http://recipegoldmine.com/beautypersonal/vanilla-lip-gloss.html
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