DIY Lip Balm That's Perfect for Dry Days!
As we come indoors and then go out, the dry winter air causes static hair, parched skin, and—especially—cracked lips. It’s easy and inexpensive to make your own moisturizing lip balm from natural ingredients.
You need only two ingredients for the most basic product: a little beeswax and a good-quality oil.
The oil and wax together seal in moisture; the beeswax (which contains healing anti-inflammatory and antibiotic compounds) stiffens the product. I add a little raw honey to mine for its flavor, healing properties, and moisturizing effects.
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If you know a local beekeeper, he or she probably sells food-grade beeswax as well as honey. Health food stores usually carry beeswax in blocks, “medallions,” or beads. A dollar or two will buy enough to make quite a few batches of lip balm.
How to Make Your Own Lip Balm
For preparation and storage, you’ll also need:
- A small stainless-steel or Pyrex pot you can dedicate to melting the wax. (You may want to use it again to make other balms, salves or ointments.)
- A small wooden spoon or stainless-steel whisk for stirring.
- A small glass jar or other container (e.g., a new or recycled lip-balm tube).
For the basic recipe:
- 1 Tbsp shaved or chopped beeswax (or beads).
- 3 Tbsp oil (I usually use olive oil, since I have it on hand, but you could use almond, grapeseed, or another oil).
- 1 tsp raw honey (optional).
- Melt the beeswax with the oil over a low heat (double boiler, inside a low oven) or microwave at low power (under careful observation to avoid fires).
As soon as the wax has melted, remove the pot from the heat, whisk in the honey. Pour into a container and let set until firm.
If the solidified mixture feels too firm, remelt and whisk in a little more oil. If you want a firmer product (e.g., one that will fill and push out from a lip-balm tube, add a bit more beeswax). The process of remelting takes only a few seconds, so you won’t mind the work of getting it right.
Once you’ve succeeded with the basic product, you can try new batch using ingredients such as a few drops of a medicinal tincture or an essential oil; cocoa butter, shea butter, or coconut oil for some of the oil; and carnuba wax in place of beeswax.
By the way, this stuff also works well to smooth unruly eyebrows, treat chapped hands and moisturize cuticles and fingernails, so you may want to make a bigger batch on your second try.
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Thank you for your excellent News
Thanks for sharing – so easy and very similar to my lip balm I just ran out of. Will be making it again soon!. I have also read an article on "hnh style" about making lip balm at home. It was really helpful.
Hey I've been making a lip balm from local beeswax and cold pressed rapeseed oil with vitamin E, (had tried Olive oil but people complained the oil smell was too strong) and ive a few people come back and say its drying out their lips have you any recommendations on what could be added to stop this?
Thanks
I love making lip balms and I use those pretty golden tins as shown in your post. Your recipe is a fine one and will work very well for anyone who makes it. Here in Florida, I have to add a bit more beeswax for these in the summer, but I'd make it just like you did for the cooler days.
Dear Ms. Boyles!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I buy lip balm from our local honey man's Thai wife - she says that she uses a traditional Thai recipe and mixes coconut oil and beeswax, and it the favorite lip balm of all time for me and my son! It is wonderful, and so great obviously that it is not petroleum-based!
So to the commenter asking about coconut oil -- yes, it working fantastically!
We will get some beeswax from them and starting making our own! She charges $2 per little stick of it, so this way we will be able to save tons of money!
Warm greetings from Washington State from
Krysiulek
Can I use coconut oil for all of the oil content for this balm?
Recipe looks simple enough and I'm looking forward to making some to use for our freezing weather here as of late. Thanks,
Irene
We have not tried coconut oil ourselves, but believe it should work fine in this recipe.
I have really been wanting to make my own lip balm, but the problem is that neither beeswax nor any of the substitutes for beeswax that I have found online are sold in stores near my house. I am wondering if petroleum jelly will work although I am aware that it is not natural. I am not a fan of online shopping, so even though I have found beeswax being sold online, I do not wish to purchase it there. Also, I am not confident enough to use the fire, so I would like to know if I can simply put my whole concoction in the toaster to melt it, or use recently boiled water. Thanks so much for your help!
~Michelle Lauren (michellelaurenxe.weebly.com)
Hi Michelle,
You can use vaseline (petroleum-based) on your lips if you want, but it won't work as a substitute for beeswax.
Perhaps you could find candelilla wax somewhere in Singapore. You would use only half as much of this plant-based wax as the beeswax in your recipe.
And please don't try melting anything in your toaster! Get help from someone, and use the stove.
its wonderful, have 2 practice. thx
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