Store-bought lip balms are expensive and contain ingredients that probably aren't very good for you, so I decided to make my own.

Lip balm is one of those essential things that you have lying around the house in various places; in pants or jacket pockets, in the bathroom, or in various handbags. I have several tubes in case of a dry lip emergency and if I ever forget a tube and have to go a whole day without, my lips definitely suffer.

I've usually been buying the store-name brand, just because they are usually cheaper than the Chapstick or other brand names, but the ingredients are sketchy and I felt like I was always slathering up my lips more than should seem needed.

So the last time I ran out, instead of going and buying more, I decided to take the matter in my own hands and make my own. After making my own non-chemical house cleaners, I also started thinking about all the other store-bought things like cosmetics, shampoos, lotions etc. that have harsh chemicals that probably aren't that good for you either and decided to see if making these things would be possible and easy.

If you search up lip balm recipes on the internet, there are so many ones that I decided I should take the plunge and make my own. First I had to decide what type to make; I tried Burt's Bees once and liked it (but not the price of over $4) so I thought making a similar one would be easy.

There were lots of different ingredients but I chose to use a beeswax base with familiar moisturizers like cocoa butter, shea butter, and olive oil.

The one essential melting tool I needed was a glass Pyrex measuring cup; this can either be microwaved or used as a double-boiler to melt all the waxes and oils together.

Once I ordered the ingredients online and got my lip balm tubes and everything else, it was time to experiment. I chose to mish-mash a few of the recipes I found online together since none had the exact oils I wanted to use. So I just measured out equal parts of the beeswax and the oils into my Pyrex cup, which I put into a pot of water slowly heated up. I mixed my waxes as they melted and after they were done, I removed the Pyrex from the heated water, added the essential oil (this is a natural preservative), and poured the mixture into the lip balm tubes.

After they cooled I tried one out and it was a tingly peppermint surprise that really moisturized my lips. I was amazed at how easy it was to make and more than happy with the results.

keeping the earth ever green

Lisa Tae-Ran Schroeder