Lip balm tutorial.

So I've been wanting to make homemade lip balm for at least a year ever since I first saw this recipe in a Martha Stewart magazine. Last year I couldn't find any beeswax locally and could only get it after Christmas when I finally made it into a craft store. Then every time I thought about making it, I could never find any appropriate containers. Since a quick internet search solved that problem, I decided this was finally the year when I'd make a bunch of lip balm to give away as a gift. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was and so thought I'd do a little photo tutorial in case anyone else out there wants to make some this year.

1. Ingredients: beeswax, carrier oil (I used a combo of sunflower and almond), and essential oil in the scent of your choosing. (These can be purchased fairly inexpensively at a grocery store like Whole Foods if you are lucky enough to live near one, or a GNC which is where I went since my town doesn't have Whole Foods. Sigh.) I found a block of beeswax on sale a while ago, but the pellets would work better if you can find them.

(before it's melted)

2. Combine 2 TBSP. of carrier oil for every 1 TBSP of beeswax in a jar sitting in a pan of boiling water or over a double boiler. I used a big glass bowl which allowed the wax to melt well, but was fairly annoying to clean up afterward. Let all the wax melt. You know it's all melted when the wax is completely clear and liquid. According to the website, this should make enough for 2 0.5-oz.-tins, so I usually at least tripled it since I was making such a big quantity.

(after it's melted)

(the final color I had)

3. Remove from heat and add a few shavings from an old lipstick if you want it to be slightly tinted. When the lip balm sets, it will be a much lighter color than it looks now, so add more than you think you need. This is also the time to add the essential oil. The recipe says to add the oil one drop at a time, but at least for the scents I was using (orange and grapefruit) it took a LOT to make it have any noticeable scent. I added probably at least a tsp. each time to about 4 TBSP of beeswax, and the lip balms still weren't that strongly scented. I also tried to add some vanilla extract, but FYI - vanilla contains mostly water and alcohol, both of which are immiscible in oil. Oops. Apparently I forgot that bit of basic chemistry momentarily. You can use vanilla bean, though.

4. Using a cheap turkey baster, suck up some of the liquid and pipe it into the container of your choice. Allow to sit for at least 20 minutes, then you are ready to go.

Finished product. Doesn't it look great?