Making your own body products is an excellent way to reduce exposure to environmental toxins, and, TBH, I like them better. I whipped up a batch of lip balm recently and as my daughters eagerly took a couple tubes, I thought I would share my recipe and pro-tips with you, my friend.
Ingredient List
- 30 grams (3 tbs) coconut oil
- 20 grams (1 tbs) beeswax
- 10 grams (1 tsp) coco butter
- 20 drops of peppermint essential oil (adjust to your sensitivity, I love the cooling effect.)
Optional Ingredients
- For sun protection and nourishing compounds: 2 droppers of red raspberry seed oil (about 1/2 tsp)
- For skin defense and repair: squirt of Vitamin E Oil (about 1/4 tsp)
- For extra shine, add a dab of castor oil.
- If you decide to use all three, you may want to add a couple grams of additional beeswax to maintain hardness.
Directions
- Melt coconut oil, beeswax and coco butter in a double boiler.
- Turn off heat.
- Stir in honey, red raspberry seed oil, vitamin E oil, and peppermint essential oil.
- Turn heat back on if needed to blend and remelt.
- Remove from heat and let sit for a minute or two.
- Pour into lip balm containers of choice.
Pro-Tips
Materials: kitchen scale, sauce pan, tempered glass measuring cup, 15 or so 5 ml lip balm tubes. (If you have a small double boiler, that will work too.)
Set a small or medium sauce pan on the stove with a few inches of water and bring to a gentle boil. While that is heating, pull out a small kitchen scale and a tempered glass measuring cup. Add ingredients one by one setting the tare to zero each time you begin to add a new ingredient. (Beeswax, coconut oil, and coco butter are solid at room temp, making it difficult to measure with spoons.) Place the measuring cup in the hot water, handle on the edge.
Melt the butters. Stir with a disposable wooden skewer or popsicle stick.
When melted, turn off the heat. Stir in peppermint essential oil, and optional oils. If it cools you may need to re-warm.
While the mixture rests, round up your lip balm tubes (about 15) and put a rubber-band around them to help them stand up. Set on a paper towel. Pour from the measuring cup into the tubes.
Done! And you have—ONE dish to clean.
For easy cleaning of our one dish, return it to the double-boiler setup and warm it up. Then wipe it out with a paper towel and pop it in the dishwasher.
That’s it! Keep a supply for yourself, or share with your friends.
Let me know what you think!
Second Breakfast Gardens 