Lip balm is a salve or wax-like substance that you apply to your lips to increase moisture. Chapped or dry lips are quite common, especially as the weather gets colder and dryer. Using lip balm fights the dryness by creating an occlusive layer on the lips. This helps to protect the lips from external exposure and ultraviolet damage, and it also helps them retain moisture.
There are chemically flavored or colored lip balms that have unnatural ingredients, but you can easily make a lip balm with natural ingredients that provide moisture. For the lip balm recipe in this article, the most time-consuming step is the making the rose-infused oil.
How To Make Rose Oil
Take a handful or dried rose petals and add them to a jar with enough olive oil to completely submerge the petals. If you don’t want to use olive oil, you can use avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower oil. Close the lid on the jar and leave it in a cool, dry place for three weeks. Strain the rose petals after three weeks and that’s your rose-infused oil.
How Roses Benefit The Skin
Rose petals contain a variety of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins that work to moisturize dry skin. Because rose petals have astringent properties, they help to combat inflammatory skin disorders, acne, and any redness on the skin. Rose-infused oil or rosewater are also beneficial because they contain antibacterial properties. Additionally, rose oil works to balance the skin’s pH level and minimize the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines.
How Vanilla Benefits The Skin
You don’t typically think of vanilla extract when you think of skin care. It’s only for desserts, right? Wrong. Alcohol-free vanilla extract is excellent for fighting acne because the vanillin has antibacterial and antioxidant properties. Those same antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals on the skin, which can reduce premature signs of aging (dark spots, wrinkles, and fine lines). Finally, anyone with dry skin can benefit from using vanilla extract. The B-vitamins in vanilla play a role in nourishing skin cells, and they help lock in moisture.
How Cocoa Butter Benefits The Skin
The high fatty acid content in cocoa butter makes it an excellent ingredient for nourishment and hydration. The fats in cocoa butter also create a protective barrier on the skin to help it retain moisture. This is wonderful news for your lips because that’s exactly what you want out of a lip balm. The phytochemical in cocoa butter work to increase blood flow to the skin, which not only slows the signs of aging, but also provides protection from UV rays.
DIY Rose Vanilla Lip Balm
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon cocoa butter
- 3 tablespoons rose-infused oil, plus 1/4 teaspoon for mixing
- 1/2 tablespoon castor oil
- 1 tablespoon beeswax
- 1/4 teaspoon alkanet root powder
- 1 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
- 5-6 lip balm tins
Instructions:
- Pour about two inches of water into a small saucepan. Place a heat-safe glass measuring cup with a pour spout in the center of the saucepan.
- Add the cocoa butter, 3 tablespoons of the rose-infused oil, castor oil, and beeswax to the measuring cup. Turn the heat on low and stir the oil mixture occasionally until all the ingredients are thoroughly melted and combined.
- You don’t want the water to boil, so keep that in mind and watch the temperature.
- While the mixture is melting in the pan, combine 1/4 teaspoon rose-infused oil with the alkanet root powder in a small bowl. Mix until well-combined.
- Once the cocoa butter mixture is melted, remove the measuring cup from the pot, set on a towel on the countertop, and stir in the alkanet powder mixture. This will give you the beautiful burgundy color.
- Finally, stir in the vanilla and then evenly pour the mixture into the lip balm tins. Allow the balm to harden at room temperature and then use as you please.
