Luscious Lip Balm and Beautiful Body Butter

One thing I always have in my bag is lip balm and until recently I never really thought that much about the ingredients but since I have become an "eco warrior"and begun waging my own personal war on unneccesary chemicals and plastics, I have to admit I was quite shocked at the long list of ingredients on my lip balm when I actually looked at it properly. So there was really only one option left to me and that was to make my own. It is pretty much one of the easiest and most rewarding things I have done with my finished product far exceeding my expectations. The recipe called for a double boiler but I just used a glass pyrex bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. It was also a bit messy transferring the liquid into tubes because it has to be done quickly before it solidifies but I managed pretty well but I would reccomend using little tins or tubs rather than tubes because it would be less faff. (The tubes that I used are easily washed and re-useable)

This is the recipe that I used and it made about 16 tubes.

Peppermint Lip Balm

2 Tbsp beeswax pellets

2 Tbsp shea butter

2 Tbsp coconut oil

30 drops peppermint essential oil

Melt everything except the peppermint oil over a double boiler.

When melted completely add essential oil and mix.

Transfer to tubes/tins/tubs and leave to cool to room temp and allow to become completely hard before capping.

You could definitely add different essential oils according to your taste but I'm a big fan of peppermint and I like the zing it adds.

Encouraged by the success of my lip balm I began to look for other things that I could make and I came up with a great and easy recipe for body butter. I make these quite regularly for myself and also as gifts for my friends and family. This body butter is especially good if you suffer from dry elbows and knees.

Turkish Delight Body Butter

1/2 cup Almond/Jojoba Oil

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

1/4 cup Beeswax

1 tsp Vitamin E Oil

2 Tbsp Cocoa Butter

1/2 tsp Rose Essential Oil

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essential Oil

1/2 tsp Sandalwood Essential Oil

Melt everything except Vitamin E Oil and Essential Oils over a double boiler.

When completely melted add Vitamin E Oil and Essential Oils and mix well.

Transfer to containers and wait until completely cooled to put lids on.

With Christmas looming and loads of presents to buy you might like to try some of these recipes to give as gifts. I have washed and kept the glass jars from moisturisers and other items to reuse for these recipes and I plan on making some fancy labels for mine. So if you are one of my friends and you're reading this blog, I guess your Christmas present from me is no longer a surprise!

As always, I would love any feedback and pictures if you have given these recipes a try!