How to make natural lip balm

I've been making my own skin care lotions and potions for a while, but the one that is the favorite of my friends (and my husband!) is an all-natural, easy to make, beeswax lip balm.

These sell in stores for $3 to $6, but it won't cost you more than a few cents each per container for the ingredients.

The most time-consuming part of the process is simply assembling the stuff and setting out your containers on a flat surface covered with something to catch the drips – and where you won’t have to move them for 30 to 60 minutes while they cool off and solidify.

I use just 7 ingredients:

• 2 oz. beeswax
• 2 oz. cocoa butter
• 5 tablespoons sweet almond oil
• 2 oz. coconut oil
• 1 ½ oz olive oil
• (optional) 3 tablespoons peppermint essential oil (or other essential oil favorite)
• ½ tablespoon vitamin E

You can buy most of these products at your local natural foods store, or if you have trouble finding anything, save yourself the trouble and buy online. Since I was making so much, I bought a large chunk of beeswax from a dealer but it’s hard to cut and I recommend getting beeswax pearls or one ounce blocks instead.

This makes about 10 to 20 small tins or pots, depending on the size of your containers. It’s a manageable amount, and it takes only about 30 minutes to melt, mix and pour.

You’ll also need:

• A small saucepan to melt the beeswax
• Small tins or other containers (available online or sometimes at the natural foods stores)

It takes very little time to melt the beeswax at low heat, and then you add the cocoa butter. Mix it just a bit, taking care not to splash (ow!) or spill on your stovetop. The wax is not my most favorite thing to clean up.

Take it off the heat and mix in the rest of the ingredients in the order above. Pour quickly while it’s still warm and liquid, since it will set up and solidify in just minutes.

Let your creations cool off and in an hour, you can put your caps on to finish.

It’s easy to make labels for your lip balm by getting ink jet stickers at an office supply store. Avery makes templates that are free so you can design them right online and print them out with whatever pictures, graphics or text you like.

I give them to friends and family for gifts, and I keep extras in the cupboard for when something unexpected comes up and I need some little thoughtful something to give.

Don’t forget – you can experiment with different essential oils and flavors, so find your favorite and have fun!