How To Make Your Own Lip Balm

Lip Balm, chapstick, lip gloss…it has many names. The majority of us use it often, and if you are anything like me, you are constantly losing them...so in reality you own at least 5 or more at a time. It is an item that is so easy to grab at your local drugstore….and what does it cost, $2-$3 dollars? So why in the world would you want to make your own? Well, what if I told you that you could make 20 of your own lip balms, using much better ingredients, for the same price? Not to mention the fact of having the empowerment of actually making it instead of buying it...Plus, it is SO easy… and I mean really easy.

Before we get started on the how of making your own lip balm, I would like to share with you some important reasons on why you might want to think twice about buying your lip balm from the local drug store. You see, unfortunately conventional lip balms are full of toxic ingredients that you don’t want anywhere near your mouth, or anywhere else on your body for that matter… let’s take a look;

Some Of The Toxic Chemicals Found In Conventional Lip Balms

• Parabens: are a wide range of chemical preservatives used in all sorts of products. Parabens are known to interfere with our hormone function, which in return, increases our risk of breast cancer and reproductive toxicity, having a huge affect in male reproductive function. There has been a large increase in thyroid and hormone disorders in the last decade, many believe parabens (and other items listed here) may be one of the causes.

• BHT (butylated hydroxytoluene): Has the ability to mimic estrogen (endocrine disruptor), causing an imbalance in hormones, and has been linked to developmental and reproductive disorders.

• Synthetic Colors and/or dyes: You know those Yellow # 5 & 6, Green 3, Blue 1, etc etc that seem to sneak their way into everything…including the majority of boxed foods. These synthetic coloring agents are derived from coal, and contain heavy metal salts that deposits toxins into the skin. Animal studies have shown almost all synthetic colors and dyes are carcinogenic. Many parents are reporting behavioral changes in their children when they are exposed to certain dyes, and see positive results when they are completely removed from their diet.

• Artificial Fragrance and Flavors: I spoke a bit about artificial fragrances in my last post, but the truly scariest thing about this specific ingredient is that because of a poorly written FDA federal law, manufacturers are legally allowed to put almost any ingredient into their product under the name “fragrance” without ever having to list the actual chemical. Independent testing has found high levels of phthalates listed under the ingredient “fragrance”, which has been known to increase the risk of asthma and other allergy symptoms, as well as hormonal imbalances.

• Petrolatum (petroleum jelly, mineral oil): In the last few years petrolatum’s (petroleum jelly) safety has been put into question. Because it is derived from petroleum (oil), it has to go through a refining process, some of these processes use toxic compounds and many times these toxic compounds are still present in the finished product. Even though The European Union requires extensive history on such a product, as well as insisting upon the manufacturer show that the substance from which it was produced is not a carcinogen, the US has no such requirements.

Yeah, we can do way better…

Making Your Own Lip Balm

The basic recipe for making your own lip balm is simply an oil (Coconut, Grapeseed, Almond, Argan etc.) and/or butter (Cocoa, Mango, Shea, etc), and beeswax. While that is all you technically need, you can really take the recipe to another level by adding in a few additional ingredients. I personally love the addition of raw honey, it has amazing moisturizing qualities, as well as having high levels of antioxidants, which help heal dry chapped lips. Then, we like to add an essential oil for a natural scent (this is completely optional though and will not affect the end product if you leave it out). The great thing is that the oils and butters in this recipe are completely interchangeable depending on what you have access to. I personally use Raw Shea Butter and Avocado Oil in ours, because I always have them on hand. I have also used Coconut Oil in place of Shea Butter and any other oil of choice ( ex Almond Oil, Grapeseed Oil, Argan Oil, Olive Oil, etc.) with great success.

The Recipe

½ Tbsp Beeswax
1 Tbsp Shea Butter (can use Cocoa Butter, Mango Butter, Coconut Oil etc. instead)
2 Tbsp Avocado Oil (can use Olive Oil, Argan Oil, Almond Oil, Grapeseed Oil, etc instead)
½ Tbsp Raw Honey
4 drops Homemade Orange Essential Oil
¼ tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

Makes 2 ounces

Scent Variations

This combination of Orange and Vanilla smells like an Orange Creamsicle Ice Cream treat and it is a favorite of our kiddos. They love that they can help make a lip balm and have one of their very own to carry around. Plus, I know the ingredients are completely safe for them to use as often as they want. You could use any combination of essential oils you wanted, just remember with essential oils less is more. Pure extracts found in the bakery isle work great as well, just make sure to check the ingredients. Here are some of our favorite combinations to get you started;

• Orange Creamsicle (Orange extract or essential oil and Pure Vanilla Extract)
  
  
  Peppermint Mocha (Pure Peppermint Extract or Essential oil and a pinch of Cocoa Powder)
  
  
  Lemon Bars (Pure Lemon and Vanilla Extracts)
  
  
  Strawberry (Pure Strawberry Extract)
  
  
  Vanilla Bean (Pure Vanilla Extract)
  
  
  Now Let’s Get Started On Making Our Own Lip Balm;
  
  
  
  
  

  The Process

  
  

  I like to use a small mason jar for lip balm making because it makes for easy clean up. So, we are simply going to measure out our wax and place it into the jar…
  
  

  
  
  

  Along with the Shea Butter and Avocado Oil…
  
  
  
  
  

  And finally the wonderful Raw Honey…
  
  

  

  Then we are going to place our jar into a saucepan of water over low medium heat until melted, this takes only a couple of minutes, so don’t wander off.
  
  

  
  
  

  Once the mixture is melted, remove from heat and add in your essential oil and vanilla extract….
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Give the mixture a very thorough stir (I like to use a wooden kabob stick) until combined, and pour into container of choice. I get these lovely containers online, but you could simply use an empty lip balm container that has been washed in hot soapy water. I’m sure you have one of those lying around somewhere right?
  
  

  

  
  
  And there you have it, you just made your own lip balm. I told you it was easy!
  
  

  

  
  

  We hope you have found this post helpful!
  
  
  Thank you for reading,
  
  

  Happy Homesteading!