When I make something I try to make it the easiest way possible. Sometimes I choose complicated projects, but not usually. Lip balm is one of my easy projects and I need it so much in the wintertime. I get chapped lips at the drop of the hat. I even use lip balm to soothe my dry, rough cuticles. When I’m sitting and waiting for something to happen I’ll whip out my lip balm and touch a dab to each fingertip and rub it in. It feels good.
Easy Orange Oil Lip Balm
Enough for 20 small lip balm containers
A word about used double boilers: They’re not easy to find. Maybe someone left them too long on the stove and they burned black. I’ve done that a couple of times over my long career so it’s not unheard of! There’s also the risk of leaving the boiling pot on the stove to boil dry and accidentally setting the kitchen on fire. I’ve never done that!
I don’t want to buy a brand new double boiler for melting wax and paraffin so I just use two pots that are similar in size. The bottom is a little larger and the smaller top pot sets inside the slightly larger one. I got my top pot from a second-hand store and it has a spout. Having a spout is very, very helpful. It’s almost a necessity here.
Ingredients:
• 4 tablespoons organic coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons organic olive oil
• 4 tablespoons grated beeswax
• 5 drops essential oil (lemon, almond, and orange are good choices)
Instructions:
1. Put these four ingredients into the top pan of a double boiler. The bottom of the double boiler should be filled with a few inches of water.
2. Melt the mixture on medium-high and keep watch as it will not take long before it melts. Stir it to so everything gets mixed evenly.
3. When everything is melted and blended completely, pour the mixture into your containers. I bought 20 small pots online. Sometimes I have used left over small jars from things I’ve bought. When you pour it into little containers, use a steady hand. If you spill don’t worry. Just scoop up the spill and melt it again. If you want to stop just before it spills over, you can try an eyedropper to top it off. I just pour very carefully and it works just fine.
4. Let everything cool and they’re ready for use.
A word of advice: Clean the top pot while it’s still warm. Otherwise, the wax will harden and be tough to clean up without it heating again. You can reserve this pot for melting only wax and paraffin. Then it doesn’t matter. That’s what I do. I also use this pot to make fire starters. I just wipe the pot clean after I’ve melted something in it.
