To continue the theme of DIY natural lip care recipes, I’m sharing this recipe for homemade herbal lip balm. I love homemade lipsticks and tinted lip balms, but sometimes I just want something for dry lips. My lips might start to get chapped after gardening or being outside in the wind and snow, but I don’t want color or shine.
This recipe is also great for boys and kids because it’s not brightly colored and doesn’t have a strong smell. Natural lip balm with optional nourishing herbal infusion to help heal and protect lips. You can also keep these ingredients for an unscented version that still provides hydration. Plus, you can easily add more therapeutic benefits and fragrance with essential oils if desired.
I also love this herbal lip balm because it lasts almost forever since a little goes a long way. Organic lip balm is also perfect for stocking stuffers and small gifts!
Vanilla lip balm
Herbal ingredients are naturally moisturizing, antibacterial, and antifungal. Some people have used it successfully to speed the healing of cold sores. It also doesn’t contain petroleum or synthetic ingredients like most commercial lip products, so you can feel confident using it on yourself or your kids.
Here I used a mixture of echinacea, comfrey, plantain leaf, calendula and a few other plants. Chamomile and lemon balm are also great botanicals. Lemon balm is particularly helpful in treating cold sores, so if you have problems with cold sores, lemon balm is a great addition.
Other nourishing ingredients
I use organic beeswax thickened liquid oil as the base of herbal lip balm. Certain seed oils like almond, apricot, and avocado seed oils work well here. Apricots and avocados are thicker and need to be diluted with olive oil, sweet almond or coconut oil.
You can also replace a little beeswax with shea butter or cocoa butter. Keep in mind that shea butter is much softer than beeswax, so you may need to reduce the liquid oil slightly to compensate.
Fragrance your herbal lip balm
I usually leave it unscented, but you can add some with essential oils if you wish. Sweet orange, lavender, and even frankincense are all good choices. Or sometimes I add some mint. You can even make a chai version using a bit of cinnamon leaf (not bark) and cardamom essential oil.
Phototoxic essential oils such as bergamot and lime should not be used.
How to inject oil
There are many ways to infuse herbs into a liquid carrier oil. The longer version is to mix the herbs and oil in a glass jar and let it steep for 2-4 weeks. You will need to shake the jar frequently. A faster option is to use a double boiler. Place the herbs and oil in the top of a double boiler and simmer for 1-3 hours, until the oil takes on a dark green color.
After steeping, pour the mixture into cheesecloth and strain out the herbs. Let all the oil drip out, then squeeze the herbs to remove any remaining oil. Compost the herbs when finished.
You can store your finished creation in a jar, or use a lip balm tube for easier application.
Healing Herbal Lip Balm
This nourishing lip balm is enriched with healing herbs to treat chapped, injured lips. Great for all ages and men!
yield: 4 ounce
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Infuse herbs into liquid oil. See above for more details.
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Heat 1/4 cup of the infused oil in a double boiler with the beeswax until melted and combined. Save excess oil to use on wounds/cuts or another batch of lip balm.
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Remove from heat and stir in essential oil and vitamin E oil (if using).
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Pour into a small jar, glass jar or lip balm tube and use on dry or chapped lips.
- Store in a cool, dry place and apply with clean hands.
- If stored properly, it will last about 6 months (longer if you use vitamin E oil).
Another easy DIY I love is my Mint Chocolate Lip Scrub .
Have you ever had chapped lips? Have you ever had oil infused? Let me know below!
