Burts Bees Style Lip Balm Recipes

EVEN BURT'S BEES USE MY LIP BALM =)

Steps:

• Cover counter with a piece of newspaper. Lay out clean lip gloss containers or Altoids tins. The colorful plastic makeup "pots" that you see in the pictures are available in any craft store or online. I picked up the round ones at my local "big box" store in the travel-size section 2 for 97 cents.
• Place beeswax pellets, coconut oil and sweet almond oil, if using, in the top of a double boiler. (I place approximately 1 inch of water in a saucepan and then top that with a metal mixing bowl containing the beeswax and coconut oil.)
• Over medium heat, melt stirring gently, until just liquefied. Turn off burner and add a few drops of your favorite essential oil. (See tips below.) Essential oils are extremely concentrated. Remember, a little goes a long way. You can always add more, but you can't take it out. I sometimes place a drop of the melted mixture on a piece of aluminum foil, wait 30 seconds and test the scent. Then, I can add a drop or two more, if needed.
• Using a small ladle or ladle and small funnel, fill your chosen containers, leaving a little room at the top. Let sit on counter until hardened, usually an hour or two. Give as gifts or enjoy yourself!
• A few notes about scents and essential oils: ~Coconut oil has no scent and no flavor, so don't worry about scents clashing. I've included a photo at the left to show beeswax pellets and coconut oil. Yes, it's the same coconut oil that has become popular to cook with. ~Essential oils vary in quality and strength. They are highly concentrated. Add just a drop or two at a time to avoid adding too much. It's also a good idea to select a flavor/fragrance of something that you would eat for lip balm, such as vanilla, almond, citrus, mint, etc. Floral scents, lavender, rose, etc. probably shouldn't be used. ~Next time, if you like a little softer lip balm, add a little more coconut oil. For a firmer lip balm, add a little more beeswax. Very easily customized. Solid coconut oil starts to melt between 76-80 degrees, depending on what you add to it, which makes it perfect for instantly nourishing your lips. If your home is warmer than that, say in the summer, you could store in the refrigerator for a cool soothing summertime treat.

BURT'S BEES STYLE LIP BALM

Steps:

• Melt 2 oz. organic beeswax in a pan on low heat. While that was melting, I measured out 3 oz. coconut oil, 3/4 oz. pure shea butter, and 1/4 oz. pure lanolin. Important note: I ordered lanolin because that's what a few other recipes had mentioned. But honestly, I won't use it the next time I make it because it SMELLS like an old doctor's office. I would experiment with keeping it out. You should have twice as much oil as you do beeswax, so if you decide to try only coconut oil and shea butter and keep out the lanolin, OR if you'd like to experiment with other solid oils, just make sure it's 4 oz. total.
• Drop the coconut oil, etc. in with the beeswax. Stir on low heat till it's melted. Drop in your desired amount of peppermint and rosemary oil. I like my lip balm VERY peppermint-y, so I dropped in probably a good 25 drops, and probably 10-15 drops of rosemary oil. As you can see, I got a little excited with the peppermint oil and dropped it in the wax. Oops. I also felt like I needed a lot of peppermint and rosemary to cover up the lanolin flavor. Again, when I do this again, I'm definitely trying it without the lanolin.
• Once it's all melted, definitely make sure you try a little bit on your lips (after it has cooled on your finger) before you settle. Now, if you're just going to drop this in a massive bowl and keep it for yourself, you can solidify it, try it, melt it, and change the recipe up. If it cools too quickly before you're done filling your tubes, just pop it in the microwave till it melts again.