Saturday, June 15, 2013

Collecting Recipes for Lip Balm

We've already begun to collect wax from our hives. Today the bees were starting to draw comb straight up out of the frames. Oops...they obviously needed more room so we added another super. But we are happy to be collecting the wax to use in making lip balm. Here are a few recipes I've collected and I look forward to my first experiment in making my own. Here's a recipe I found followed by one I did myself:
Beeswax Lip Balm Recipe 
1⁄2 ounce beeswax
1 teaspoon honey
4 ounces olive oil
Mint extract to taste (about 20 drops), optional
Weigh beeswax and measure remaining ingredients. In small double boiler, add beeswax and melt. Once melted, add honey and oil, and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Add extract and stir well. (Be aware that the honey will not fully mix with the oil because of the water content, but it’s a good healing agent for the skin.)
Pour heated mixture into a small glass container or beaker, then distribute into lip balm tins or tubes.

NOTE: Adding more or less beeswax will make the lip balm harder or softer depending on your preference; the harder it is, the longer it stays on your lips. You also can add vitamin E oil or grapefruit seed oil as a preservative. You also can mix oils, such as almond oil, sunflower seed oil and others, depending on the availability and the product you wish to make. Other oils and butters alter the texture and healing properties of the final product.
My Altered Recipe  
1/2 ounce beeswax
1/2 teaspoon honey
4 ounces coconut oil
3 or 4 drops of clove oil
Follow directions as in the previous recipe. It has a nice spicy smell.


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