How to Make Shea Butter Lip Balm
Shea butter, a natural product made from the nuts of the Shea-Karite tree of Africa has been valued for centuries for its moisturizing abilities. The fatty acids and tocopherols in Shea Butter are essential for healthy skin while the cinnamic acid will protect your lips from the elements. With a few natural ingredients, you can make a healthy shea butter lip balm that will nourish and heal chapped lips. You can also rest easy knowing that your lip balm is free of the chemicals and additives so common in commercial products. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Tin or old makeup container
- 1 tsp. beeswax
- 3 tsp. shea butter
- 4 tsp. sweet almond oil
- 1 vitamin E capsule
- Flavoring
Instructions
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1
Melt the beeswax, shea butter and sweet almond oil in a double boiler or in a heat safe bowl over a pan of a water on the stove. If you prefer, you can melt the ingredients in the microwave, but be careful not to overheat.
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2
Once melted, stir the ingredients together then add the oil from one vitamin E capsule. Vitamin E is a natural preservative and is very nourishing for dry lips.
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3
Add flavor to your lip balm. Use 1 to 2 drops of pure food grade essential oils in your mixture. Peppermint and orange essential oils blend well with shea butter. If you would rather use honey to sweeten the lip balm, add 1/4 to 1/2 a teaspoon of honey.
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4
Stir until all ingredients are melted and blended together.
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5
Pour the lip balm mixture into your tin or old makeup container.
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6
Allow the lip balm to cool at room temperature for a couple of hours or leave it in the refrigerator to speed the process.
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Tips & Warnings
According to Jessica Smith of Naturally Balmy, lip balms will harden as they set. They should be at their correct consistency by the second day. Consider buying organic ingredients for a higher quality and more potent product.
If you use an old makeup container, clean it with warm soap and water then wipe it out with rubbing alcohol.
