DIY: Homemade Lip Balm

Chapped or dry lips? Supply your family, friends and neighbors with the gift of a natural lip balm.

“Homemade is less expensive than store-bought, and homemade gifts are great because you’re doing it out of love, for the people you love,” says Angela Stuhr of Jacksonville, who makes her own lip balm. “You choose the ingredients based on the needs of the person receiving it. Peppermint oil, vanilla extract or lavender oil are my favorites to add flavor.”

Ingredients

¼ cup oil, such as sweet almond or coconut

¼ cup butter, such as shea or cocoa

Enough wax to make ¾ cup (such as beeswax or soy wax)

A few drops of essential oil

1 teaspoon powdered herbs for color, such as beet root powder

Tubes or tins for the balm

Directions

• Measure the oil and butter into a heatproof glass measuring cup.
• Melt the mixture by setting the measuring cup in a pan of gently boiling water, creating a makeshift double boiler.
• Add enough wax to make a total of ¾ cup. Melt this in the double boiler. Handle carefully as it is hot.
• Mix everything with a stainless steel spoon. Pull the spoon out. Wait a few minutes until what’s left on the spoon hardens. Test to see if the texture is to your liking. Add more oil if you want it softer or more wax to harden it.
• When the consistency is where you want it, add a few drops of essential oil.
• Carefully pour into clean lip balm tubes or tins. Stuhr recommends taking the lids off the tubes and tying the tubes together with rubber bands. Then pour the mix over all containers at once to avoid spills.