How to make beeswax lip balm

I love beeswax lip balm! For me, the following recipe is the perfect texture, and I love how it lingers and moisturizes long after applying. It’s soft, but not too soft. It’s not too oily, either. It’s just right. I use it on my cracked, winter hands and Stan used it today to lubricate a jig in his wood shop. It also uses great, whole food, natural ingredients.

This recipe is pretty forgiving, so feel free to experiment a bit. See PDF at the bottom for a printable recipe.

SUPPLIES.

You will need

1. A scale accurate to 0.1 grams. Our postage scale works well for this.
2. A wide-mouthed glass jar. We used an Adams peanut butter jar. Avoid this if you have peanut allergies, or if you may give lip balm to someone who does. We use the glass jar rather than a double boiler because some types of metal change the color of beeswax. Also, any dishes that come in contact with beeswax get a beeswax residue that is difficult to remove.
3. A saucepan filled with 3-4 inches of water
4. A filling tray with scraper. That’s the white plastic piece with holes. Ours is from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.
5. 40-50 plastic lip balm tubes
6. Paper towels or a rag that will have wax on it for the rest of its life.
7. A stirring spoon dedicated forevermore to wax.
8. A paper bag or butcher paper.

 

INGREDIENTS. Many of these ingredients came from a local soap-making company, Pine Meadows.

1.8 oz Beeswax

1 oz Cocoa Butter

2 oz Organic coconut oil

3 oz Liquid oil: The 3 oz I use include:

• 24 drops Vitamin E oil (8 Squirts). Vitamin E oil acts as a preservative.
• 12 drops Liquid Lanolin. Lanolin makes it more moisturizing.
• 0.9 oz Jojoba Oil. Jojoba oil is a liquid wax that helps the lip balm set up better.
• 1 oz Sweet Almond Oil. Almond oil adds a nice, sweet flavor
• 1 oz Extra Virgin Olive oil

45 drops essential oil(s), optional. Without the essential oils, the lip balm will taste like cocoa and cocoanut and is still amazing. Adding peppermint gives a nice icy/hot feel. I also like to blend citrus and lavender.  I’m not promoting any EO brands here, but this is what I have on hand.

 

PROCEDURES.

1. Prepare the filling tray. On the bottom of the tray, snap the lip balm tubes into the holes.

This tray holds 50 tubes.

Turn the tray right side up.

Mask off any unused holes with masking tape. This will reduce mess. Set tray aside.

Reserve the lids for later.

Measure out the beeswax and cocoa butter by weight. I used a chisel to chip the wax shown from a larger block and a screwdriver to break off cocoa butter pieces.

Place the wax and cocoa butter in the glass jar and place it in the sauce pan with water. Turn the heat on low/medium and heat until both are melted.

Measure and add the coconut oil.

Meanwhile, measure the liquid oils by weight. This scale has a tare button, which makes things easier. Place the bowl on the scale and press the tare button so the scale does not count the bowl’s weight. Then add ingredients. Below is Vitamin E oil (the clear liquid on the right) and liquid lanolin (the yellowish liquid on the left).

Next, measure the Jojoba, sweet almond, and olive oils.

Once the wax, cocoa butter, and coconut oil have melted, add the liquid oils. They will cause some of the mixture to cool and solidify. Waiting until this point to add the liquid oils will mean less cooking. We want things as close to raw as possible.

Remove the glass jar from the heat, then add 45 drops of essential oils (optional).

Place tube tray on top of a paper bag. Pour into lip balm tubes.

Use the tray scraper to move mixture so it fills all tubes completely. And then use it to scrape off the top layer of wax from the tray.

Allow lip balm to cool for about 30 minutes, or until hardened.

Carefully remove the tubes of lip balm from the tray. They will have a small rim of lip balm above the top of the tube. The lid will fit around this rim, or you could scrape it off.

Place lids on the tubes. Wipe clean with paper towels. Label as desired and enjoy!

 

Printable Recipe, CLICK HERE: lip balm recipe-Alicia’s

PS, If you are in Utah and want a local source for lip balm supplies, try Pine Meadows in Provo. They carry soap-making and lip balm supplies.

If you have success with essential oil combinations, please share below.

Thanks,

Alicia Moulton