Make Your Own Lip Balm or Salve. Great Holiday Gifts!

I want to say before my mom sent me to this class at Herban Wellness I had no idea how easy and fun it is to make your own salves, lip balms and lotions! The following is the basic salve and lip balm recipe I was given at the class. Ingredients:

• 1 cup of the oil of your choice. Note you can mix two oils like 1/2 cup of mango butter and 1/2 cup of grapeseed oil. Pick our oils based on your skin type or what you are trying to accomplish with your skin. A great resource for beginners it the Readers Digest Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs. It gives you a quick synopsis of what different herbs and oils do for your skin and health.
•  1 oz of beeswax or about 1/4 of a cup
• Essential oils of your choice. I used peppermint for lip balm. 50 drops

Directions:

1. Heat the beeswax and oils together in a pyrex measuring cup in  hot water in a pot on the stovetop. Do not boil. Heat slowly. Boiling can produce rancid oils releasing free radicals into your lip balm or salve.
2. Remove from heat.
3. Add the essential oil of your choice (about 50 drops but adjust to your desired smell)
4. Pour the mixture into small jars or lip balm containers while it is still hot. It will harden and be a wonderful salve for your lips or muscles. In the picture the small dark container is the lip balm. The metal container is the lotion from yesterdays post.