Did you know that there are no oil glands in our lips? This is why you should use only nourishing ingredients that will condition and moisturize so that you can achieve smooth and flawless lips and an irresistible smile.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon organic coconut oil

1 tablespoon organic mango butter

1 tablespoon organic baobab oil

2 tablespoons beeswax

10-20 drops total essential oil (see suggested combinations below)

Containers and Tools

measuring cup

melting jar

12 5.5 ml (0.183 ounces) chapstick containers or 9 7.5 ml (0.25 ounces) silver salve tins

Pipette for filling

Container rack or test tube tray

Instructions

1. Place a saucepan of water over medium heat.
2. Place all ingredients except the essential oils into a small glass jar.
3. Set the glass jar into the saucepan of water and continue to heat until the beeswax is completely melted. Occasionally swirl the ingredients to mix.
4. Remove from heat and add any essential oils, mix well.
5. Stand the lip balm tubes on end in a test tube tray to keep them stably upright.
6. Use the pipette to fill individual lip balm tubes. As they cool, the balm may shrink a little. More can be added if desired (keep any remaining mix warm and liquid).
7. Cool completely.
8. Label the lip balm tubes—hint: clean residual wax off the tubes with rubbing alcohol on a cotton swab—and, if desired, shrink wrap them.

Tip: Instead of a tube holder, cut an “X” in the bottom of each cup of an egg carton. Make the X just big enough for the lip balm tube to fit snugly. You can also fit another 5 tubes in the space between the cups. This will stabilize the tubes while you fill them.

Important Notes:

It should go without saying to avoid using oils on the mouth or near any body cavity that should not be used internally. But, unfortunately, there are a lot of Wintergreen lip balm recipes floating around, and Eucalyptus. They smell great, but both Wintergreen and Eucalyptus are deadly even in small amounts.

Cautiously use oils that are phototoxic! A phototoxic essential oil in a lip balm could cause serious lip sun burn.

Most citrus oils are phototoxic but a few are safe for the lips: Distilled Lime (not cold pressed Lime), Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis), and Mandarin (Citrus reticulata).

Choose oils based on taste. Many essential oils do not taste as good as they smell. Exactly how much to add is a personal taste. Start by adding half the recommended amount then smell the lip balm. If it’s not as strong as you’d like, add a few more drops. The amounts listed are in ratios that I find pleasing. Experiment.

Healing Balm

12 drops Tea Tree (Melaleuca alternifolia)

8 drops Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)

10 drops Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis)

Healing Balm II

10 drops Peppermint leaf oil (Mentha piperita)

10 drops Lavender oil (Lavandula angustifolia)

Miracle Heal

13 drops Peppermint leaf oil (Mentha piperita)

7 drops Tea Tree oil (Melaleuca alternifolia)

1 Drop Clove bud oil (

Springtime in the Savannah (a real girl’s balm)

6 drops Ylang Ylang (Cananga odorata)

6 drops Geranium (Pelargonium graveolens)

4 drops Lemon (Citrus limon) note: phototoxic

Gently Ginger

10 drops Tangerine (Citrus reticulata) rind oil

10 drops Ginger (Zingiber officinale) oil

Sassy Balm

20 drops distilled Lime oil (Citrus latifolia)

Sunscreen Balm

20 drops Carrot Seed oil (Daucus carota)

*Carrot Seed oil has an SPF of 35-40. Combined with the Coconut oil and Mango butter SPF 4-6 the final product is probably near SPF 10 or so. But the FDA requires actual testing on actual people to make claims — so… no claims

Why Beeswax: Beeswax is an emollient (moisturizer) and also helps protect your lips from the elements, but its most important role is to give the lip balm its stiffness and body so that it remains solid in the tube and is easily applied.

Why Coconut oil: Coconut oil moisturizes deep down and doesn’t clog and smother your skin like petroleum based products. Its fatty acids hold onto moisture, and can help reinforce the skin’s natural lipid (fat) layer to make them soft. Coconut oil also has a slight Sun Protection Factor (SPF) of 4-6.

Why Mango butter: Full of antioxidant vitamins A, C and E, mango butter can neutralize the effect of free radicals that damage healthy skin cells. Mango has been used for ages for healing, moisturizing and rejuvenating properties.  Mango butter also has a slight SPF of 4-6.

Why Essential oils (optional): I like to steer clear of flavors and fragrances in all my body care products. But sometimes they are fun. Whether you are looking for a playful flavor or a functional healing action, oils can provide either or both.

Irritating culprits you won’t find: Most chapstick or lip balm include camphor, phenol, and menthol which, though they feel cool and refreshing, promote dry your lips and can lead ultimately to cracking. Most are also petroleum based which coats and clogs skin, and often mixed with various alcohols to dry out quickly so you reapply it often but also dry and chap your skin. Finally there’s salicylic acid, which is added to help flake off dry skin, but can make your lips peel even more.

Adjusting lip balm consistency: Did your lip balm turn out too soft? Re-melt it and add more beeswax. Too hard? Re-melt and add more oil. Pour one tube to test your mix. Even if the rest of your perfect batch hardens, you can always remelt it to pour your final vials.

Also, consider adjusting your recipes with the seasons: harder lip balms are better for warm summer weather and softer lip balms during cold fall and winter months.

About Young Living Essential Oils: After personal inspection of many companies—and there are a number of reputable companies—I elected to become a distributor for Young Living as a provider of consistently high quality and even food quality oils. I’d love to have you join my team and explore the world of essential oils together.

For 24% off the cost of Young Living Oils, sign up here: www.youngliving.com/signup and say member #2838107 sent you.

Disclaimer: None of the recipes on these pages are intended to be taken as any medical advice whatsoever. These are fun and aimed at giving safer options than their chemical counterparts.