Little Green Blog

is lip balm safe

Whatever the weather, many people use lip balm several times a day, every day. We have lip products to protect us from the wind, cold and sun. Many of us don’t just have one lip balm on the go, we have several dotted around our homes, offices, cars and bags. But are these little tubes and pots we seem addicted to sustainable, ethical, safe, environmentally friendly or green?

Many lip balms contain an alarming array of ingredients that are best kept well away from our lips. Up to 60% of what is applied to the skin, ends up inside our body.

Ingredients from one lip balm manufacturer includes a petroleum derived base, artificial flavours, sweeteners, fragrances and colourings along with butyl paraben.

Eek! Time to let that addiction go dear people and love our body’s with natural products instead. I can feel my liver churning at the very thought of all those chemicals.

cocoa butter

The good news is that it is easy and rather fun to make your very own homemade natural, eco friendly lip balm. Doesn’t that feel good and just give you the tiniest of smug self sufficient brownie points!

Little Miss Green and I frequently use this recipe to make home made gifts for friends and family. With a pretty, personal label, it makes a lovely pressie for anyone.

Using sandalwood, myrrh and honey means it’s not too girly, so is cool enough for all you lovely guys out there too.

Healing Lip Balm recipe
Taken from Do It Yourself Pure Plant Skin Care by Carolyn Stubbin. ISBN 0646383183

Ingredients

15gm beeswax
5gm cocoa butter
5gm honey
75ml jojoba oil
3 drops sandalwood (sustainably derived please!) and 2 drops myrrh essential oil.

sandalwood

1) Put an inch of water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and put on a very gentle simmer
2) In a small bowl, place the beeswax and cocoa butter. Put the bowl over the saucepan and gently melt the wax and butter.
3) Keep the mixture over the heat and add the honey and jojoba oil. Stir gently to help mix the ingredients
4) Once everything has melted, remove from the heat and keep stirring gently to ensure even dispersal of the ingredients. Make sure the honey does not sink to the bottom!
5) When the mixture begins to cool, stir in the essential oils
6) Pour into small jars, label and date. Remember to ooh and aah and feel generally very proud of your achievement.

If you are vegan, here is a recipe for you. I’ve not tried it, so can’t speak from personal experience.

Vegan Lime and mandarin zesty lip balm recipe
Also taken from Do It Yourself Pure Plant Skin Care by Carolyn Stubbin. ISBN 0646383183

Ingredients

10gm Candelilla Wax
5gm cocoa butter
80ml sweet almond oil
5ml vegetable glycerin
10 drops lime essential oil
10 drops mandarin essential oil

Method

1) Put an inch of water in a saucepan, bring to the boil and put on a very gentle simmer
2) In a small bowl, place the candelilla wax and cocoa butter. Put the bowl over the saucepan and gently melt the wax and butter.
3) Keep the mixture over the heat and add the almond oil and glycerin. Stir gently to help mix the ingredients
4) Once everything has melted, remove from the heat and keep stirring gently to ensure even dispersal of the ingredients.
5) When the mixture begins to cool, stir in the essential oil
6) Pour into small jars, label and date.

home made lip balm

A dab of warmed cocoa butter, a smear of almond oil or a drizzle of olive oil will all start the healing process by providing a barrier against those pesky elements.

Now turn that central heating down a notch, drink plenty of water and go and kiss some gorgeous person in your life. You look sensational - Mwah!

More Related Posts ...