Here’s a list of things you should avoid:

• Smoking can cause lack of circulation and wrinkles.
• No SPF (sun protection factor) can lead to sun burn. A few natural oils that offer sun protection are carrot seed oil, raspberry seed oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, and sesame seed oil.
• Parabens, which are present in most commercial lipsticks, can damage your skin.
• Fragrance, also in some lipsticks, can dry out your skin.
• Artificial sweeteners could cause health problems.
• Camphor and menthol, while natural, are drying ingredients often found in lip care products.
• Dry air, created when air conditioning is used, can dry out your lip

There are some ingredients in lipsticks and lip balms that are good for you. Glycerin and aloe vera are humectants. They pull moisture out of the air and attach it to whatever they are on, such as your lips.

 DIY Lip Balm Recipe:

For this recipe, you’ll use coconut oil since it is readily absorbed into the skin without being too heavy, along with your choice of shea or cocoa butter. I personally like to use shea butter in most of my lip balm recipes except the Mint Chocolate flavor. Cocoa butter is a must to get a good chocolate flavor!

Essential oils provide the flavor, but it’s important to choose and add oils carefully. Since the final product is put on your mouth, I like to use organic essential oils. It’s also important to avoid phototoxic essential oils since lip balm is put on skin regularly exposed to the sun.

And of course, essential oils should be added at a gentle dilution since lip skin is very sensitive and lip balm is often reapplied throughout the day. These formulas are at 1% or lower, giving the lip balm flavor without the risk of irritation.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp beeswax pellets
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil (I prefer organic, virgin, and unrefined)
• 2 Tbsp shea or cocoa butter

Olive oil, sweet almond, or apricot kernel are other good options.

Citrus Lavender:

• 10 drops lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) essential oil
• 10 drops steam distilled* citrus essential oil, like grapefruit (Citrus paradisi), lemon (Citrus limon), or orange (Citrus sinensis)

Sweet Cinnamon:

• 15 drops cinnamon leaf (Cinnamomum verum fol.) essential oil
• ½ Tbsp honey

Mint Chocolate:

• 20 drops peppermint (Mentha x piperita) essential oil
• 1/2 tsp cocoa powder, optional

Instructions:

Get around 12 empty lip balm tubes ready to be filled. Set them up on your counter with the caps off or place them in a lip balm tube tray for extra convenience. I made lip balm for years before I got one of the tube trays, but I wish I’d had one from the start. They are so handy! Time: around 2 minutes. Using a double boiler or a glass measuring cup in a pot of simmering water, combine the base ingredients. (If you’re using a glass measuring cup in a pan of simmering water, be sure to set a dishcloth or canning ring in the bottom of the pan so the glass cup isn’t in direct contact with the heat.) Allow them to melt, stirring gently. Time: around 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, allow to cool slightly, and add your essential oils. If the lip balm hardens or clumps, return to the heat and stir until melted again. Time: around 5 minutes. Very carefully pour your lip balm into the tubes. Getting your lip balm into the tubes will take a couple of minutes. Let the lip balm rest and harden for 1-2 hours before moving or capping. Time: around 3 minutes.

You can also pour the lip balm into small plastic containers or litle tins if you don’t want to mess with the tubes. Either option works fine.There are many more flavor combinations you can try with different essential oils, so use these as a springboard once you start feeling confident and adventurous.