Lip balm is one of the first things I made with our own beeswax and for good reason. Beeswax can help protect the lips from the harmful rays of the sun, has a pleasant smell, and it can help prevent infections and cold sores. In a pinch it can also be used to moisturize other body parts such as rough elbows or ragged cuticles.
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A lip balm in a tube needs to be stiff enough to hold its shape and should not melt if kept in a pants pocket, yet when applied to lips, it should glide on easily. Pour that same lip balm into a tin, and it will probably be too stiff to be picked up with a finger and applied to the lips. I prefer lip balm in tubes, and the following recipe is one of my favorites.
1. Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Weigh the ingredients. Place the beeswax, oils, and lanolin into a small pot or heat-safe bowl. Gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax and oils have melted.
2. Once melted, remove from the double boiler and add essential oils and Vitamin E oil, stirring with a stir stick or wooden kebab skewer to combine. While it is still hot, pour the mixture into lip balm tubes. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers.
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Here is a lovely variation that includes cocoa butter. Cocoa butter comes in either the “natural” scent, which some describe as somewhat chocolatelike, or deodorized. There is no difference between the two, except personal preference.
1. Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Weigh ingredients. Place the beeswax, butter, sunflower oil, and lanolin in a small pot or heat-safe bowl. Gently heat the mixture in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax and butter have melted.
2. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oil and Vitamin E oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip balm containers.
3. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers.
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Lip gloss is generally a softer balm that is stored in a jar or tin rather than a tube and usually has ingredients that add a bit of shine as well.
1. Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Weigh the ingredients. Place the beeswax, butter, and oils and put into a small pot or heat-safe bowl and gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax and butters have melted.
2. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip gloss containers. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip gloss containers.
Much like lip balms, solid body-care bars are very simple to make, but it can take a while to achieve just the right combination of butters, oils, and wax for both personal preference and regional weather conditions—a person in the tropics, for example, may want a completely different lotion than someone in the Arctic. Experimentation is key. My aim when making a solid lotion bar is to find a balance between emolliency and skin feel. Let’s face it, solid lotion bars will leave skin feeling greasier than a liquid lotion, since there is no water to cut the greasy feeling, but with a good recipe, that greasiness can be significantly reduced.
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Solid lotion bars are an anhydrous blend of butters, oils, and waxes, not emulsified products that contain a large percentage of water.
This blend yields a bar that can be handled easily without making a mess, but melts on contact to soothe and create an emollient barrier. Although butters such as shea butter and cocoa butter are wonderful for the skin, they do not directly moisturize the skin. The moisture needs to come from other sources, such as the dampness that remains after hand washing. When these butters are paired with the beeswax, however, they work together to create an occlusive barrier that seals in that moisture. Various butters also contain fatty acids that help to nourish the skin.
1. Melt beeswax, coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and jojoba together in a double boiler on low to medium heat until the beeswax is completely liquefied. Add cocoa butter and mango butter and melt until liquefied and then remove from heat.
2. Slowly add small pieces of shea butter to the mixture and allow to melt.
3. After the shea butter has melted into the mixture, add the Vitamin E oil, ROE, and scent and pour into molds.
4. Put the molds with the lotion into the freezer for about 15 minutes and then invert the mold onto a clean work surface. The solid lotion bars should come out easily with a light tap.
5. Place one solid lotion bar in each of the tins.
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This massage bar is essentially a solid lotion made with the oils and butters that work well for massage.
With massage, it is more important to have enough slip and adequate working time rather than a product that doesn’t feel greasy and absorbs quickly. I like to use a butter that creates both a hard bar and a bar that melts around body temperature, so cocoa butter is a stellar choice. Mold these in nice large pucks so that they are easy to use and can cover large areas.
1. Heat the beeswax with the sesame oil in a double boiler over low heat until melted, then add the cocoa butter.
2. Once the cocoa butter is melted, add scent, pour into molds, and chill for 15 minutes in the freezer.
3. Unmold the bars onto a clean work surface and place each bar in a tin or some other container to keep the bar clean.
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My cuticles take a beating, so I like to keep cuticle balm stashed throughout the house and car, so it is available to me whenever I remember to apply it. This balm will help to keep cuticles looking nice while improving nails at the same time. I love to include lanolin and lecithin in my cuticle balm. These two ingredients act as barriers, preventing nails from absorbing too much water, and the phospholipids in the lecithin keeps the nail flexible and less prone to breakage.
1. Heat the beeswax, mango butter, and soybean oil together in a double boiler until completely melted.
2. Add the lanolin, lecithin, and Vitamin E oil, and when completely melted and mixed, add the essential oils.
3. This will be a stiff mixture when cooled, so I like to pour it into lip balm tubes. If more of a balmlike consistency is desired, cut back the beeswax to 15 percent and add the difference to the oils.
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My heels are especially prone to cracking, and applying this heel balm consistently over a two-week period always does the trick. This recipe has emu oil in it, which is supposed to penetrate skin and help to bring other ingredients into the skin as well.
1. Heat the beeswax, shea butter, and coconut oil together in a double boiler until completely melted. Remove from heat.
2. Add the emu, sweet almond, and Vitamin E Oil, stirring with a stir stick to ensure it is thoroughly mixed and all the oils are completely melted. Let the mixture cool slightly and add the essential oils. Stir to incorporate.
3. Transfer a small portion of the balm to the deli cup and return the rest to the double boiler to stay warm. Pinch the deli cup to form a pour spout and pour the balm into a tube. repeat until remaining tubes are filled. Allow to cool undisturbed.
4. When the balm has cooled, add the caps.
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Although chest rubs can be purchased commercially, most are made with petrolatum. My version is a soft balm recipe utilizing essential oils that improve respiratory congestion. For very young children, use half the amount of essential oils.
1. Heat the beeswax and olive oil in a double boiler until melted.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the Vitamin E oil and essential oils.
3. Pour into salve containers.
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Nonpetroleum Jelly is a product that looks and feels a lot like petroleum jelly, but it is made with nonpetroleum products. Castor oil and beeswax have a symbiotic relationship. When heated beeswax is whisked into heated castor oil and whipped to a jelly consistency, the mixture provides a protective barrier to the skin, holding in moisture and helping to prevent chapping or irritation.
1. Melt the beeswax in a double boiler and warm the castor oil in a separate pot.
2. Add the castor oil and Vitamin E oil to the melted wax, gently whipping the mixture as it cools. When finished it should have a jellylike consistency.
3. Package jelly into jars.
