It's a Beautiful Life

My DIY Adventures: Peppermint Lip Balm

By: Marisa Belger

Next to under-eye concealer -- for those hereditary dark circles -- my desert island cosmetic item of choice would be lip balm. I like it all: flavored, tinted or plain, just as long as it does the job (its job is to hydrate and protect my lips, in case you’re wondering) and is made with safe and natural ingredients.

Recently, I attempted to make my own lip balm. I was hoping it would be cheaper than stocking up on the latest lip goo and maybe even better. I used a simple combination of beeswax, coconut oil, shea butter and essential oil. Try it:

DIY Lip Balm Recipe
(Makes 8 tubes)

Ingredients
1 tablespoon cocoa butter
2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon beeswax
5-10 drops peppermint essential oil

Combine all ingredients except essential oil in a double boiler over medium-low heat. When all ingredients melt, remove them from the burner. Stir in essential oil. Pour hot mixture into empty lip balm tubes or containers. Allow to cool completely before placing caps on tubes.

Heed these tips too to ensure DIY lip balm success:

• If your lip balm is too hard ... you probably didn’t add enough oil. A bit more carrier or base oil -- sweet almond or olive in this case -- will soften things up.
  
  
• If your lip balm is too soft … add some more beeswax to firm it up.
  
  
• To up the eco-factor of your DIY creation … reuse empty lip balm tubes or containers.
• To increase the overall safety of your lip balm … use organic ingredients.
• Don’t make your lip balm sting. Peppermint oil is a refreshing and uplifting choice for homemade lip balm. But too much peppermint is painful. Trust me. Limit yourself to five to 10 drops of a quality essential oil.
• Try other essential oils as well. Peppermint is not the only option. Oh, no. You can make lip balm of any flavor by using five to 10 drops of a different essential oil. I also like orange, grapefruit and cinnamon.
• Give them as gifts to your friends. Make a couple of different flavors, wrap them in some cute paper and you’ve got an instant cheer-me-up gift for a girlfriend.

In the end, I was pleased with the results of my homemade lip balm, though I will confess that there was something decidedly handcrafted about my product. Not bad, just homemade.

Up next: tinted lip gloss. I think I’ve got what it takes!

Have you ever made your own beauty product? Talk about it below or tweet me @Completely_You

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