A post about how I am now making my own homemade lip balm! I used to put on some kind of chap stick or lip balm every night before bed but managed to break myself of the habit when I realized the commercial (chemical laden) products I was using were actually making my lips more chapped! Since then I keep a product called Mela-Gel on my night stand for really bad chapped lips (winters here in northern MN can be brutal) and it also works incredible on bug bites, burns and pretty much anything you can put it on that needs healing… But I wanted regular chap stick of my own to carry with me.
So, I got to looking online for a chap stick recipe and stumbled upon this one from Wellness Mama. (*waves at Wellness Mama* I love you!) I changed the recipe a tad though, using a little more coconut oil as opposed to shea butter because I liked the consistency a little better. So here’s my recipe:
1 tablespoon beeswax (what I use)
1 tablespoon shea butter (what I use)
2 tablespoons coconut oil (what I use)
1 teaspoon vanilla (what I use)
15 drops peppermint oil (what I use)
Melt beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil in a double boiler or in a small glass bowl over a pot of boiling water (honestly you could pop it into the microwave too but lets pretend we/I didn’t do that…) stirring constantly until melted and then remove your pan from the heat (but keep your bowl over the hot water so it stays melty) Add the vanilla and peppermint and then pour into what you’ll be keeping it in (click here to check out the tubes that I use). You can reuse old chap stick containers and even your Eos containers too! Those little funnels I’m using in the picture have been incredibly handy, you can check them out here.
My choice of peppermint oil is probably pretty obvious, it is a common ingredient in chap sticks and lip balms. It is cooling and it smells nice. But I also wanted to change it up a little bit and create a warmer and sweeter smell and taste so I went ahead and added the vanilla to it too. I love the combination! As opposed to just hard core peppermint the smell and taste of this lip balm is more reminiscent of a peppermint cookie. I am definitely going to have to remember this recipe come Christmas time for gifts! Next time I’m going to try using lemon grass oil in place of the peppermint – thinking it might even taste a little like lemon meringue pie ๐ One note here you have to BE CAREFUL when adding your vanilla to the hot oil because it will explode if the oil is too hot lol you want to add it after the oil has cooled quite a bit but is still pour-able. Remember what they say about mixing oil and water? Its the same when trying to mix vanilla and oil here too, they don’t mix unless the oil is cool enough and then you can fully disperse the vanilla throughout before pouring. (Looking for even more lip balm recipes, check out these ideas at MorningChorse.com!)
One thing you need to take note of with this recipe is that, like most other chap sticks and lip balms, it will melt. So, I do not keep one of these in my car! I do keep one in my purse, one on my night stand and one at my day job though. I also gave my husband one that he keeps in his lunch box.
Hello Tarah,
This looks quite simple and easy to make.I will try to make it.Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for coming by Stella!
I bought some homemade lip balm from a fund raiser and they are wonderful! Thanks for sharing the how to’s with SYC.
hugs,
Jann
Thanks for coming by Jann!
Doesn’t get any better than peppermint and vanilla! Saw this on the Homestead Hop! Love it!
Thanks for coming by Cindy!
I’m not much of a chapstick person, but my husband can’t live without it. We’ll definitely have to keep this recipe on hand so his stash never runs out. Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
Thanks Leslie, yup we’re set on chap stick for a LONG time!
I need to try making my own in tubes like that. Love your DIY. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Sharing.
Thanks Theresa! The tubes were really inexpensive on Amazon and I plan to just keep using them, have a great weekend!
I love mint and vanilla lip balms! My son prefers Chai spice.
I wouldn’t recommend using lemongrass since it is a skin irritant, but a low dilution of lemon would still be sun-safe (or use steam distilled). PlantTherapy.com has a sun safety chart you can download for free.
HTH
Great thank you for the info!
Love this! Thanks for sharing. I will have to make some.
Thank you Julie!
It is always preferable to use natural ingredients instead of those indecipherable chemicals. Well done Tarah!
Thank you Mary!
I can’t wait to try this!! I love knowing what goes into my lip balm. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Tracy!
This looks much easier to make than I thought it would be. Thank you for sharing your recipe with us for lip balm and linking up at #BloggersPitStop. Have a great day!
Thanks for coming by Sue!
This recipe calls for Cocoa Butter, but the directions use Shea Butter. Should I buy Cocoa Butter
or Shea Butter?
Hey Diane, sorry about that! There is no cocoa butter in the recipe – I used shea butter instead. I fixed the post, have a great weekend!
Hi Tarah,
I made this recipe, its amazing thank you for the share.
Glad to hear it Lana, thanks for coming by!