Poor Man's Lip Balm + A Brief Guide to for Adding to the Recipe

In anticipation of ordering and receiving the few amount of materials needed to make natural cosmetics, I decided I wanted to get started right away. I felt lip balm would be an easy approach to start with, but all the recipes I could find out there either had shea butter, cocoa butter, or was more of a lip gloss with coconut oil. I didn't yet have any of those and I knew there had to be a way without the butters. I did a quick google search of beeswax to oil ratio and found this post, where the author did an experiment to find the results of different ratios of beeswax mixed with oil, and thankfully shared it with the rest of us. From her results I decided 1:4 ratio was best, and if one would like a glossier, jelly lip balm, a ratio of 1:5 could be attempted.

Poor Man's Lip Balm

For a quick two ingredient lip balm, all you need is beeswax and a plant-based oil you can safely use to nourish your lips. This can be used as a base for lip balms with color, scents, flavor and healing herbs.


For at least 1 1/4 tsp lip balm you will need:

A makeshift double-boiler - I like to use a little metal cup with handle I have that can just rest on the side of a saucepan. If you are making a little, you will want a small container like this, otherwise, it will be hard to stir with just a thin layer on the bottom.

A container - You will want to disinfect this first. It will make your lip balm last longer.

At least 1/4 tsp beeswax (grated or in pellets) - If you live near a natural market, you may be able to find beeswax pellets in their bulk herbs and spices section. This way you can get just a little bit instead of purchasing a full pound bag.

At least 1 tsp oil - you may be able to find this in your cooking cupboard, but be careful, don't use just regular cooking oil. For choosing your oil you will want something plant-based that is used in skin care products. These include, but are not limited to, olive, grapeseed, coconut, rosehip seed, jojoba, avocado, and apricot kernal oil. If you have some options to choose from, here is a little guide for choosing the best carrier oil for your skin.
I prefer grapeseed oil, not only because that was my best choice in the cupboard, but also it is rich in vitamin E, therefore nourishing for the lips.  I also like it for the linoleic acid (Omega-6) it contains, which is gaining popular use in cosmetics for its moisture retentive (among other) properties.

Heat water to boiling and reduce the heat to very low, or simply just heat to 145 - 155 degrees Fahrenheit if you have a thermometer. Heating the beeswax too high can turn it brownish and it will lose its aroma, (and maybe properties too!)

Add the oil to the top part of the double boiler.

Remove the top part after giving the oil several minutes to warm up. I do this so I don't heat the wax too much.

Add the beeswax and stir. If it doesn't melt to an even consistency, the oil simply wasn't warm enough, so put it back on the boiler, and stir until it reaches an even consistency.

Add your mixture to a container, wait for it to solidify and Voila! You made a very simple lip balm.

If you would like to add any color, scents, flavor, herbs, or essential oils, please continue reading.

Natural Cosmetic Additives that Can be Found in the Home and Garden

Adding Herbs

You can heat large amounts of the herb in oil for a few hours, covered in a double boiler on low, or in a crock on low. Then strain out the herb. Instead of heating it in a double boiler you can set in a covered clear glass jar in a sunny window, for about 3 weeks.

This is commonly done with Rose Petals or Calendula Petals for use in lip balms.  Peppermint and Rosemary (in extract and essential oil form) are found in the basic Burt's Bees recipe.

Other Herbs Found in Lip Balms include:
Lavender, Plantain, Chamomile, Violet leaf, Sweet Orange, and Spearmint

Adding Essential Oils, Essences,

Since this recipe is such a small amount, start with just one drop of essential oils (or less if you can achieve it). If you are making more, 2-4 drops per tablespoon might be a good place to start. Add drops at the end before the lip balm solidifies until the desired scent is reached, but you don't want it to turn out too strong. Give it a quick stir and pour it into your container as usual.

Essential oils can be pricey. You can affordably add scents to your lip balm by making your own essence oil. Not to be confused with essence waters, essences are weaker essential oils made from your favorite herbs by using the sun. Since these are less concentrated than essential oils, you may need to add more, depending on the strength of the essence you add.

To make your own essence oil:
(Yields about one tablespoon oil per pint of fresh herb.)

Gather herbs, flowers, or citrus peels that are safe for external use, and maybe internal use as well since we are making a lip balm. To know which part of the plant to use, you can look up what is used to make that plants essential oil, and Mountain Rose Herbs includes what part of the plants they use in their inventory database.

Flowers that can be made into essences include:
Camellia (tea flowers), Cardamom, Chamomile, Geranium, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, , Rosemary, Vanilla, and Vetiver

It is best to pick the herbs early in the morning just before the sunrise, just after a day of rainfall. Take off whatever parts you don't need, (stems, roots, etc.), and place the rest in a small sterilized jar and pack it tightly.  Cover with an airtight seal (a regular jar and lid is sufficient) and place in a sunny window. (Do not add any water! All you need is the plant.)

Watch the jar. In my experience three weeks seems to be about the best time to harvest the oil, but after only a day will you begin to see drops on the sides of your jar. Once the oil is ready to harvest, your plant material may look shriveled and it wont be releasing anymore oil. If you miss your chance to harvest, you get the opportunity to watch the oil seep back into the plant material and come back out again.

If something smells off or fermented when you go back to your jar, don't use it. Just make sure you wash your hands well and sterilize your materials next time. You can check to see if the plants are grown in a clean environment.

Adding Herbal Colorants 

Most of these will just tint your lips and will add a gritty powder to your lip balm. To make a stronger color and remove the grit you can heat larger amounts of the herb in oil for a few hours (covered) and strain out the herb, or set in a covered clear glass jar, for about 3 weeks.

Add about 1/8 tsp of any combination of the following herbs to the standard recipe for a tinted lip balm:
 
Reds:
Paprika, Alkenet

Pinks:
Hibiscus, Beet Root Powder,

Orange:
Carrot Root Powder

Yellow:
Tumeric

A Few Books for the Frugal and Eco Minded

Save Money & Resources with:       

Possum Living 

by Dolly Freed

This is book is very popular, and for good reason. It covers everything from slaughtering and dressing a rabbit to making your own moonshine. I also appreciate the added commentary between the useful information:

"When you've raised a bunny or a chicken, it's kind of hard to kill it. Many people say that's why they won't raise their own meat. But someone had to kill the animals you buy in the store. People who will buy meat but won't kill their own are being hypocritical, it seems to me. If you're not a vegetarian, kill your own meat--don't hire someone else to do it. "

This book neatly sorts its information out by subject perfect for someone just looking for ways to save money on a particular subject including food, shelter, heating and clothing, or perhaps you want to read her whole guide and story onto how her and her father lived on only $700 a year in the 1970's. After writing her book, Dolly Freed later went onto be a NASA aerospace engineer.

Who this book is for: Pretty much anyone. It covers a broad range of topics that can save money and resources, and that also might be enjoyable to do yourself.  Her story of how she managed to live so frugally is also very interesting.

Steal This Book

by Abbie Hoffman

Hoffman even included
instructions for making sandals
out of an old tire and inter-tube.

Having been called a milder Anarchists Cookbook, Steal This Book is filled with anti-corporate and political ideals. The book is conveniently laid out so that someone looking for tips to live frugally can enjoy the first half of the book with ease. While there are parts that encourage theft, such as taking furniture from apartment lobbies, the book is filled with tips for finding resources that would benefit and keep someone out of trouble who would otherwise need to steal to survive. And if a book about survival in a corporate government controlled society is more your thing, keep reading the second half.

 

Who this book is for: Anyone looking for little tips and tricks to get free stuff. As well as those who are anti-corporate minded or want to survive through police-brutality protest situations.

Who this book isn't for: While it is not the most major theme throughout the book, people who feel stealing from large corporations is morally wrong may have a hard time reading this book.

Save Money & Resources on food with:

Creating a Forest Garden: Working with Nature to Grow Edible Crops 

by Martin Crawford

Immediately when I started reading this book I was intrigued.  A forest garden at first thought seems like a lot of hard work; to build a whole forest of edible plants and fungi? Then you start reading and learn that a forest garden can be as small as a back yard or as large as several fields. A forest garden can start with a small group of companion plants and grow over time. It is just a largely diverse group of plants growing within close proximity to one another, intended for use, usually consumption, by humans. This book even goes into the effect climate change has on forest gardens, such as pests and insects migrating further north and drought and water problems; the importance of growing native plants; and how to boost the production of mycorrhizal fungi in order to sustain nutrients in the forest soil.

The plants used in a forest garden are indexed and conveniently organized by the order in which most people introduce the species into their garden; although, the author recommends reading the whole book before beginning since not everyone chooses to plant in that order.

Who this book is for: Those who enjoy gardening and companion planting, or just simply want to save money on their grocery bill.

Who this book probably isn't for:  Someone without any resources for gardening or land they can work over several years, or someone without the time to spend gardening.

Books this would go great with: Carrots Love Tomatoes, and Wildlife in the Garden: How to live in Harmony with Deer, Raccoon's, Rabbits, Crows and Other Pesky Creatures.

Foraging: The Essential Guide to Free Wild Food

by John Lewis-Stempel

Intended for edible plants found in the UK, many of the plants covered in this book are found throughout the US due to their history of use and cultivation. Borage, burdock, and dandelion are just a few, and it includes recipes for each one. This book is conveniently sorted by growing conditions including the hedgerow, the field or even the town.  Then there are sections where it sorts the plants out into a calendar, and also sorts plants by type. Strangely enough this book even covers roadkill.

Who this book is for: Almost anybody. If you have researched foraging safety, wild harvesting can be a fun activity. Even city dwellers can find dandelion greens and other edibles. (Just watch out for pesticide spraying.)

edited on 9/29/2015