Lip balm is truly one of the easiest and most inexpensive products to create. Not only is crafting your own surprisingly simple, you'll have full control over all of the ingredients and the satisfaction of knowing that you're putting pure, natural, and organic elements on your lips!

Three recipes are listed below, but feel free to experiment and create your own! See our guide at the end for tips on making your own recipes.

Peppermint Cocoa Lip Balm

A refreshing, cooling, and nourishing lip balm with Cocoa Butter and Peppermint for that quintessential fusion of chocolate and mint.

1 Tablespoon Cocoa Butter
2 Tablespoons Sweet Almond Oil
1 Tablespoon Avocado Oil
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Beeswax
12-15 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
A few drops of Vitamin E Oil (optional, but recommended)

Lip balm preparation: Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Place beeswax, butter, and oils in a small pot or glass Pyrex measuring cup and gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax and butters have melted. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oils and Vitamin E Oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip balm containers. You can purchase lip balm tubes and jars, or you can reuse glass or plastic containers. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers. Your lip balm is finished! You can now add labels, ribbons, twine, or any other decorative elements. Makes approximately 1.5 oz of lip balm, enough to fill 10 lip balm tubes, 6 of our 1/4 oz plastic jars, or 3 1/2 oz tins or plastic jars.

Lime Coconut Lip Balm

Reminiscent of tropical places, this blend is perfect for warmer weather or for those who prefer a lightweight and glossy lip balm.

1 Tablespoon Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons Sunflower Oil
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Beeswax
15 drops Lime Peel Essential Oil
A few drops of Vitamin E Oil (optional, but recommended)

Lip balm preparation: Coarsely chop the beeswax or use beeswax pastilles. Place beeswax, butter, and oils in a small pot or glass Pyrex measuring cup and gently heat in the top of a double boiler until the beeswax and butters have melted. Once melted, remove from the stovetop and add essential oils and Vitamin E Oil. Immediately pour the mixture into lip balm containers. You can purchase lip balm tubes and jars, or you can reuse glass or plastic containers. Allow to cool completely before placing caps onto the lip balm containers. Your lip balm is finished! You can now add labels, ribbons, twine, or any other decorative elements. Makes approximately 1.5 oz of lip balm, enough to fill 10 lip balm tubes, 6 of our 1/4 oz plastic jars, or 3 1/2 oz tins or plastic jars.

Experimenting with Lip Balm

It's fun to concoct lip balm recipes using your favorite botanical ingredients and essential oils! As a general rule, use 3 parts of carrier oil to 1 part of beeswax (omit butters from your calculations since they are solid at room temperature). If you feel as though your lip balm is too soft, re-melt it and add more beeswax and if it is too hard, re-melt and add more oil. You can also adjust your recipes with the seasons: harder lip balms are better for warm summer weather and softer lip balms during cold fall and winter months. Add essential oils at your discretion, a general amount is 2 drops per container, but this varies depending upon the essential oil used. Less is better when it comes to essential oils; you don't want to end up with lip balm that will sting or irritate your lips.

Happy lip balm making!

Content and recipes written by Irene Wolansky. Irene Wolansky is the Marketing Director at Mountain Rose Herbs. Born and raised on the Oregon coast, she spent her childhood learning about beekeeping, growing and preserving fruits and vegetables, herbal medicine, and the surrounding forests. A few of her interests include making her own body care products, mushroom harvesting, gardening, art and craft projects, photography, crafting mead and beer, camping, herbal medicine, baking, traveling, hiking, and spending time with her boyfriend and friends.

All content Copyright Mountain Rose Herbs