Spicy Vanilla Mint Lip Balm

This lip balm is my all time personal favorite! It is nice & thick with a delicious yin and yang.  Peppermint provides a wonderful cooling tingle while the cinnamon adds a warm bite. My balm is incredibly healing & long lasting. It is also an amazing bedtime balm, that will last well through the night!

Note that my lip balms don't require any preservatives as they are free from water or any watery types of ingredients. It is nothing but fats and waxes. It naturally preserves itself!

Before you get started, I want to stress to you that for the most part, these are guidelines.   I want you to be comfortable with the whole process. This isn't a chore, or a stress, it's a simple relaxing way to make your own lip balm free from synthetics - at a fraction of the cost. 

My personal preference for heating the ingredients is to use a paper bowl & a cast iron grill over the stove top or if it's during the winter, I forgo the grill & use a paper bowl on top of my wood stove. I prefer this method for it's easy clean up & the fact that I can toss the used bowl in the burn pile &/or compost pile. If you do not feel comfortable with my method/s, you can always opt. for a small crock pot, putting the ingredients directly into the pot. If you have a gas stove you may not feel comfortable with an open flame around your oils. This is perfectly understandable. You too, can use a small crock pot directly or make clean up easier by using a large oval crock pot and heavy duty paper bowls. Yet another option is to heat the oils directly in a glass canning jar rather than a paper bowl. 

Clean up is a bit more difficult if you directly heat your oils & waxes in a glass jar or crock pot, but it can be done. Once you have finished, use plenty of straight soap no water. This is the same method I use to clean up after soap making. Water will only make the cleaning process more difficult. Once the vessel is sufficiently cleaned, you can then rinse it with hot water. If after rinsing, it still has residue, clean it again with plenty of straight soap no water. Repeat this process until it's clean.

There are no hard fast rules, except to please use common sense. Remember you are dealing with oils which are highly flammable. If for whatever reason, you do have a kitchen fire, do not use water! You can quickly toss baking soda on the flames, or quickly smother it with towels, or the best option (although very messy), use a fire extinguisher. I don't know about you, but I'd rather have a messy kitchen then burn it to the ground! 

Ready?  Lets begin!

Spicy Vanilla Mint Lip Balm

Ingredients:

• .07 Ounces Organic Cocoa Butter is the ultimate all natural moisturizer. It keeps skin soft & supple. It is one of the most stable, highly concentrated natural fats known. It melts at body temperature so that it is readily absorbed into the skin. It is often recommended for the treatment of skin conditions such as eczema & dermatitis. When applied topically, it creates a barrier between sensitive skin & the environment & also helps retain moisture. Pregnant women have long used to cocoa butter formulations to prevent & treat stretch marks.
• .30 Ounces Organic Beeswax is an all natural anti-inflammatory, anti-allergenic & antibacterial skin softener that helps lock in the skin's own natural moisture, & creates a protective, long-lasting barrier against the elements.
• .65 Ounces Organic Vanilla Bean Infused Sesame Seed Oil (see recipe below) easily penetrates lips, is antibacterial & is a potent antioxidant.  It balances mood, reduces stress, & is a calming aphrodisiac.
• 10 Drops Organic Peppermint Essential Oil (adjust to preference as needed) is a cooling antiseptic.
• 10 Drops Organic Cinnamon Essential Oil (adjust to preference as needed) is warming, has antiseptic & antibacterial properties.

Supplies:

Kitchen Scale & (optional) Adapter
Paper Bowls
Large Wide Stainless Steel Pot or Cast Iron Grill Pan (better)
Metal Slide Tins

Lip Balm Directions:

1. If you are using a large shallow stainless steel pot or large deep stainless steel pan, you will need to fill it half way with hot water. Put it on the stove on the lowest heat setting. If you are using a cast iron grilling pan (my preferred method), put the pan on your stove using the lowest heat setting.
2. Measure out your ingredients using your scale. Put your paper bowl on the scale first.  Then hit the tare button to zero out the scale. Next add .07 ounces of cocoa butter.  You can then hit tare again to zero out the scale or add .30 ounces of beeswax next making the scale total .37 ounces. Again, you can either hit tare a third time to zero it out or add .65 ounces of vanilla been infused sesame seed oil (pour very slowly) making the scale total 1.02 ounces.
3. Carefully place your paper bowl containing all three ingredients either floating in your pot of hot (not boiling) water or on your cast iron grilling pan (my preferred method).
4. Keeping the stove heat on the lowest setting, allow the beeswax and butter to slowly melt. Do not leave the mix unattended. This is a good time to prep your slide tins so they are ready to receive the melted product.
5. Once everything is fully melted and incorporated, turn off the stove heat. Add the essential oils. Carefully lift up the bowl, bend one side of the lip to form a little crease that will act as your pour spout. Pour the hot liquid into your tins of choice.
6. Let the tins sit until fully cooled & hardened. Place the lids on the tins. Label the tins.
7. Enjoy!

Vanilla Bean Infused Sesame Seed Oil Directions:

1. Pour your sesame seed oil (or oil of choice) into a small amber glass jar (8 ounces or larger usually works best).
2. Cut two whole vanilla beans lengthwise down the center with the point of a sharp knife.
3. Stuff the vanilla beans into a amber glass bottle.
4. Store in a cool location out of direct light.
5. Shake daily.
6. Let the beans infuse with the oil for at least a month before using.
7. When you use the infusion for a recipe, add more oil to the beans as needed.
8. Oil infusion should be good for at least a year.

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