DIY Herbal Lip Balm For Chapped Winter Lips
When winter sets in, we heat the insides of our home. The heat dries out the air. Dry air can dry out our skin and lips.
With chapped lips, you reach for that tube of lip balm you bought at the drugstore or health food store. Sure, it feels better, but what if you’re going through several expensive tubes this season? Is there a cheaper or more natural way?
You bet! DIY herbal lip balm!
Making your own herbal lip balm is super easy. It only takes 4 or 5 ingredients:
- herbs with skin-healing properties
- a moisturizing carrier oil (see options below)
- shea butter adds bulk and makes your lip balm creamy so it “glides” on your lips
- beeswax keeps lip balm solid so it doesn’t melt and make a mess in your pocket or purse
- essential oils (optional) add scent, slight flavor, and more skin-healing properties
Simple enough, right?
Herb-Infused Oil = DIY Herbal Lip Balm
Before you can DIY that herbal lip balm, you have to infuse a carrier oil with herbs. You can choose any of these skin-friendly oils:
- Jojoba oil has anti-inflammatory properties and is great for chapped lips.
- Coconut oil softens, soothes, and eases the discomfort of dried lips.
- Almond kernel oil softens, soothes, and protects the lips.
Add 1/2 cup of the carrier oil of your choice to an oven-safe bowl. Then place 3 or 4 tablespoons of dried herbs into the oil, and stir gently to combine. Place in a 200° oven for 2 hours to infuse the oil with the properties of the herbs. After 2 hours, allow to cool, then strain all the herb matter. Your infused oil will keep for 3-4 months in a cool, dry place.
Herbs & Essential Oils For DIY Herbal Lip Balm
- Calendula (Calendula officinalis) –– has anti-inflammatory properties and helps to heal skin
- Chamomile (Matricaria recutita) — is calming and comforting with a light scent
- Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis) — is great for skin healing, and studies suggest it also speeds healing of cold sores.
If you want, you can also add some essential oils to make a flavored lip balm.
I prefer to stick with oils that are safer to ingest, such as citrus. Choose lemon, orange, sweet orange, or lime for a flavor kick. Peppermint is also a great choice and leaves a nice, cool, tingly feeling on chapped lips.
Here are some flavor combinations to try:
- Chamomile infused into coconut oil with lime essential oil
- Lemon balm infused into jojoba oil with sweet orange essential oil
- Calendula infused into coconut oil with lemon essential oil
- Lemon balm infused into olive oil with peppermint essential oil
Now that you have your ingredients assembled and your herb-infused oil, let’s make some DIY herbal lip balm!
- 2tablespoons herb-infused oil
- 1tablespoon shea butter
- 2teaspoons beeswax
- 3 to 5drops essential oils of choice(optional)
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Carefully infuse your oil with chosen herbs, as instructed above.
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To the infused oil, add shea butter and beeswax in an oven safe container.
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Allow the oils and butter to melt together in a 200 oven.
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Stir to combine and allow to cool slightly.
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If adding essential oils, add when the base oils are slightly cool, but not solid.
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Pour into chosen containers.
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Allow to cool completely, label and date.
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Store extra pots in cool, dry place. Use within a year.
The best container to use, I have found, is a glass measuring cup with a pour spout. This helps to pour the lip balm into your chosen containers with less mess.
The post DIY Herbal Lip Balm For Chapped Winter Lips appeared first on Wildly Organic.
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