Why use lip balm?
Lip balm is my saviour, particularly in the winter, and my favourite is always strawberry-flavoured. I’m a big believer in making your own lip balms, mostly because they’re so fun, as well as being a great gift.
the recipe
First, I like to start with ~130 milliliters of coconut oil, which is available pretty widely and is never as expensive as I think it is going into making a new lip balm batch. I also use beeswax, preferably 30 milliliters. I then combine the two. To do so, you might want to use a microwave to melt the beeswax since it can get pretty stiff!Â
After that, I add the flavouring oil. My preference is a strawberry flavoured lip balm, so I purchase that. Again, these are available fairly widely, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to get your hands on it! There are other flavours out there too, since they can be used in cooking, so whatever flavour you want to have is possible.
If you’re feeling super extra, you can buy small heart-shaped molds and pour the mixture into those to make your lip balm even more special. I have always loved the idea of this but have never actually done that — instead, I’ve opted for circular molds since they’re easy to obtain and I use them for other things, like baking.
If you want your lip balm to turn out a certain colour, you can also buy food dye or colour dust. Since I wouldn’t really use them for anything else, I don’t tend to, but it’s definitely a viable option and can bring your batch just that extra mile.
Wherever you add your mixture, it will cool in there and be used from there, so make sure if you’re using a mold you often use in the kitchen you don’t mind it being your new lip balm home for as long as it takes for you to use up your mixture.Â
Once the mixture is in the pots, I recommend cooling them in the fridge to speed up the process. An alternative option is just leaving them to cool at room temperature, particularly these days in the Toronto winter. Once cooled, they’re ready to use!
With Valentine’s Day — or Galentine’s Day — coming up, these could be an extra special gift for someone close to your heart.
