Lippy Lolly Lip Balm

In 2005, I started a company called Lolly Lodge Day Spa. As part of this company, I developed my own skin and body care products that support the treatments on offer.

I work with a laboratory and manufacturer to do this. Most of my products are made to my specifications, under my own brand (Lolly Lodge). Last year, I decided to add lip balm to my product list, but it wasn't a formula that the lab I use, wanted to take on. 

I decided that I still wanted to make it and it is the one product that I currently make completely on my own, from start to finish.  I started with 4 flavours.

1. Butterscotch
2. French Vanilla
3. Peppermint
4. and Cherry 

Today, I made batches of each flavour to have on hand for Christmas gifts. I usually keep my runs to 50 pieces each. 

Once the formula is made, the tubes are filled. Then, once the balm has solidified in the tubes, a cap is put on. Then the label is affixed, which is a peel and stick process.

Lastly, a heat shrink is applied to create a "finished" professional package.

Making the formula for the lip balm was a completely "trial and error" process, but the final ingredients and their percentage of the total formula that I ended up with are as follows:

1. 20% Cocoa Butter
2. 15% Olive Butter
3. 15% Aloe Butter
4. 21% Beeswax
5. 22.5% Coconut Oil
6. 1.5% Vitamin E
7. and 5% of the Specific Flavour 

Here's how to make it:

• Load the tube holder with 50 empty tubes.

This is a photo underneath the tube holder. You can see the bodies of the empty tubes. This tube holder, holds 50 tubes.

This photo shows the top of the loaded tube holder.

In this photo, you can see all the ingredients lined up, the tube tray filled and ready to go and the scale. It is important to weigh all the ingredients so that you can guarantee that each finished lip balm is consistent from one batch to the next. This is why I have used percentages instead of another form of measurement like tablespoons or cups. Measuring by weight is much more exact.

• Start to measure your ingredients.

20 % Cocoa Butter.

Plus 15% Olive Butter takes the total to 35.

Plus 15% Aloe Butter takes the total to 50.

Plus 21% Beeswax takes the total to 71.

Plus 22.5% Coconut Oil takes the total to 93.5.

Plus 1.5% of Vitamin E takes the total to 95.

Plus 5% flavour of your choice takes the total to 100.

• Once the solid ingredients are weighed together, they are then heated over gently boiling water to melt the oils into their liquid forms.

This is done in a double boiler fashion, where one vessel sits on top of boiling water. This allows you to have better control of the heat and prevents scorching of the formula.

The formula is completely melted now and will be added to a glass tea-pot to make filling the empty plastic tubes easier.

  

Once the tubes are filled, they need to cool for approximately 20 minutes. Once cooled the formula will return to its solid form.

In this photo, you can see filled lip balm tubes without caps in the background. In the foreground, you can see a tube with it's cap, label and shrink wrap.

Today, I made 250 tubes of lip balm and it took 3 hours.

I welcome your comments and invite you to follow me on my journey.

~ Rebecca Ryan