The Dirt on Lip Balm....

We are lip balm junkies in our house.  It seems that we use the stuff constantly and in the winter we use it even more.  We've even made the comment that it seems like the more we use it the more we need it.  Are our precious lips becoming needy?  I read something the other day that made me question our lip balm use.  Can you believe that that "cool" or "tingly"feel that you get when you put some lip balm on is actually a drying agent?  I was floored when I heard this!  Well, they've duped me into believing it was moisturizing my lips, but after researching, that just isn't the case.  So, what does this "crunchy" mom do when she finds out that what's being put on her family's lips is actually drying them out instead of adding moisture?  You betcha, I decide to make my own so that I know what going on those precious lips!

 I followed another blogger's recipe and we are quite pleased with the results.

Simple recipe with 4 ingredients:

Poured into 6 tubes:  ( I know there are only 5 in this picture, but it really made 6)

And then one very creative daughter who personalized her tube:

I decided to figure out just how much it cost me to make this and the best way I can figure it is that the ingredients cost right under .10 a tube. I actually come up with .08, but I did have to guess at a couple of my prices. The tubes you can either refill tubes that you have, use a small tub, or buy some new empty chapstick tubes, which I've found for .23 a piece on Etsy Total cost with a new tube is less than .35 each, not too bad for protecting those precious lips.

I've been asked where to get the ingredients to make lip balm. The olive oil and coconut oil can be found at your local grocery store. The almond oil, which can be found at most health food stores, and beeswax are both used in soap, lotion, or candle making. You can probably find a local supplier, but if not I use Supplies to Star and pick it up so that I don't have to pay for shipping. Another online source that I really like is Brambleberry, but there are many other online sources.

** Update**
We are considering marketing these precious tubes of lip balm, and creating a business that our girls can run.  We've tweaked the original recipe that we used and now have an even better one. :)  Sorry, I just can't share that one.