Lip balm recipes that you make yourself reassure you that you are only using natural ingredients in your formulas. Many commercial formulas use petrolatum in their recipes, which is a derivative of mineral oil. The problem with petrolatum and mineral oil is that it tends to interfere with the body's own moisturizing mechanism. Why use a product that leads to dry skin and chapping, when these are the very same problems that using a balm is supposed to correct?
Lip balm recipes are easy ways to keep your lips soft and supple during the winter months. Making lip balms is as easy as melting a little beeswax, and adding a few other ingredients. From start to finish, the whole process only takes a few minutes, and can yield enough balm for your own use as well as to share with friends and family. You can even color your recipes by adding a few drops of beet juice or crushed fresh cranberries to your ingredients.
Lip balm recipes should not incorporate food coloring in their ingredients. Food coloring often contains alcohol, which is known to dry the skin. Again, don't use an ingredient that promotes dry skin and chapping, since these are the conditions we are attempting to correct by using this product.
Containers for your lip balm recipes can be found in discount stores in the cosmetic section. They often have small vials for travelers that are perfect for this purpose. If you have some old 35 mm film canisters around they can also be used, but make sure that you take the time to sanitize them in a bleach solution first. The proper proportion of bleach to water in a sanitizing solution is one teaspoon per quart of water. The containers should remain in the solution for a minimum of two minutes, then should be allowed to air dry. It is actually a good idea to sanitize all equipment for making any type of skin care product in this manner as to avoid microbial contamination.
Lip balm recipes may be unflavored, or incorporate flavors from essential oils such as mandarin, chocolate, lemon, orange and vanilla. Some recipes incorporate honey for its sweet taste, but also for its moisturizing and preservative properties. A great way to add to the shelf life of your homemade balms is to squeeze in a few Vitamin E capsules. Vitamin E is a powerful anti-oxidant, which helps keep your products fresh, and also is very soothing to the skin.
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