Coconut Vanilla Lip Balm with Beeswax and Honey

Here is the Coconut Vanilla Lip Balm recipe that I showed at Maker Faire!

This is a great base lip balm to get started with. The coconut and honey are moisturizers, and if you use unscented coconut oil, it is easy to add your own unique lip balm scent!

Ingredients

• 1/2 Ounce Beeswax. Pearls will melt the fastest, but you can also use bricks.
• 3 Tablespoons Coconut Oil or any other Carrier Oil you wish.
• 1 Teaspoon Honey
• 1/4 Teaspoon Organic Vanilla Extract**

* Coconut oil can be substituted for most other oils: sunflower oil, olive oil, or almond oil. I like the coconut oil the best because the result is very moisturizing.

** Vanilla extract is a very fool-proof scent (along with the scented coconut oil). To use a different scent, use an unscented coconut oil and remove the vanilla extract. Instead, add 3-5 drops of essential oil. USE CAUTION WHEN ADDING ESSENTIAL OILS - please research the side effects of essential oils prior to adding them to your lip balm. Some essential oils may cause sun or skin sensitivity.

Equipment

• Saucepan for boiling water. I use a 8" saucepan.
• Metal mixing bowl, preferably an older one that you don't care about or one from the dollar store. The bowl should be able to rest on the rim of the pot without touching the bottom.
• Whisk, again preferably an older one that you don't care about or one from the dollar store.
• 10 Lip Balm Tubes
• 1 or 2 Pipettes - you can avoid using these if you use lip balm pots instead of tubes. It's tricky to pour lip balm into the tubes, the pipettes make it cleaner.

Storage & Shelf Life

This lip balm will last for over a year - or at least that is the longest that I've had one so far. Usually I use them much more quickly than that :)

Make it!

1. Fill your pot with with about 1" of water. Heat it to just below a simmer, this is very low heat. The water should be producing steam. Place the bowl on top of the pot to create a double boiler. This will gently heat your ingredients. 
   
2. Place the wax in the bowl and melt it completely before adding additional ingredients.
   
3. Add the carrier oil. Since the oil is cool, it may solidify some of the wax temporarily. Whisk the mixture to dissolve the ingredients to a liquid again.
4. Add the honey and remove the bowl from the heat. 
   
5. Now is a good time to set up your lip balm tubes. Remove the caps and place 10 lip balm tubes upright near your bowl of melted ingredients. 
   
6. Now go back to your bowl and mix. The liquid should slowly start to cool until it is creamy. Allowing the liquid to cool like this will help keep your honey in suspension. If the liquid becomes too hot, the honey will sink to the bottom of the bowl, and the bottom of your lip balm tubes. 
   
7. Add your scent, in this case, the vanilla extract. Whisk until smooth.
8. Put your bowl back onto the heat. Whisk until the liquid just barely becomes a liquid again. You want to heat the lip balm as little as possible at this point because excess heat will cause your scent to degrade.
9. Use the pipette to transfer the lip balm into the tubes. If the liquid is too cool, it will solidify in the pipette as you try to transfer it to the tubes. This is why it is good to have a backup pipette, just in case. Fill the tubes right up to the top. It's ok if they bulge a little, the wax will shrink slightly as it cools and the surface will sink down.
   
10. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before capping, and cool for at least an hour before use. 
    
11. Now you can add on labels and enjoy :) You can find many printable labels on Amazon. I personally like the Clear Gloss Inkjet Lip Balm Labels from Online Labels the best - that way you can see how pretty the color of the beeswax is instead of covering it all up!

This is the lip balm recipe that I use for my Coconut Vanilla flavor. Check out some of my other lip balms in my new online store!