Homemade Lip Balm

I know this isn't a food post, but there is some cooking and creativity involved so why not!? ;)

I sometimes like to make a little extra effort and actually make gifts rather than buy, especially (for some reason) for the Christmas season. Last year I made Red Pepper Jelly (delish'!) - which I just posted late so don't let the post date fool you. The year prior to that I made Orange and Cranberry Mini Loaves….. I really must make these again, Yum!
This year I will be doing some baking but haven't got around to it yet, however in the mean time I have decided to make…. wait for it….. Homemade Peppermint Lip balm!

I can't get over how easy this is. The only thing to be careful of is to make sure you don't wait too long before pouring the mixture into the containers. This stuff sets quite quickly. Oh, and be very mindful that the tins you're filling are probably very shallow, they fill fast! Don't let them overflow like I did; quite a mission to clean up! haha!

So here we go…

I found this recipe through a Pinterest trail (www.soulmama.com). All you need;

8 tbsp coconut oil
3 tbsp beeswax
1.5 tbsp raw honey
30 drops of peppermint essential oil
1/2 stick natural lipstick, colour of your choice (optional - didn't use any colour this time)

Place coconut oil, beeswax and honey in a  heatproof bowl or large mason jar resting over a pan of simmering water (this is called a bain marie). Or if you have a double boiler that is perfect!
Heat slowly until everything has melted.
Then remove  mixture from the heat and add the peppermint (and the lipstick if using). Stir to blend.

Now very carefully pour the mixture into the individual tins.
This should make approximately 8-12 tins, depending on the size of your tins.

You can use old mint tins if you'd like to re-use/recycle. I didn't have any though so I bought a few from a local soap making shop (where I also bought beeswax pebbles that the lady said was for cosmetic use). You could also try craft stores for the tins though.

One of my favourite parts is the wrapping… especially when finding an 'out of the ordinary' use for something. These little cloth sacs are reusable tea bags and fit the lip balm tins perfectly! How adorable :)

Happy Gifting!