DIY Summer Lip Balm

As I mentioned in my “What’s in My Beach Bag” post, I’m kind of obsessed with SPF lip balm. Have you ever burned your lips? Not good, friend. Not good. Add to that the fact that my daughter is also lip balm/gloss obsessed and hoards them, I realized I’d been spending a pretty penny on lip coverage recently. So I decided to test out some DIY options that we’d both like and keep our lips safe this season. It was so insanely easy that I almost cannot believe I’ve been buying it for so long (and in such high numbers in every cute container imaginable for my daughter). This is a softer version than others I use, but I wanted it to be kid friendly (somewhat illogically, the more solid lip balms are the ones my kiddos always dig out with their nails and totally ruin. this softer version is probably not good for very little littles, though, since it could easily get messy).

You can find almost all the ingredients in a health food store or, if you live close to me, just give me a shout — I bought in bulk and each batch only uses a little bit of each ingredient. I mean, even I could never make and use all this lip balm. I used unsweetened drink mixes to add a little color and flavor, but you can leave it out if you don’t like the idea of it. Mwah!

DIY Summer Lip Balm (A Feteful Life)
(makes 3, 1/4 ounce containers)

Ingredients

– 1.5 tbsp coconut oil
– 1 tbsp shea butter
– 1/4 tbsp beeswax chips (you can add up to 1/2 tbsp if you want a more solid lip balm)
– 1/2 tsp raw honey
– 1/4 tsp titanium dioxide (adds SPF)
– 0.2 ounces powdered, flavored drink mix (you can use generic or Koolaid — this is about 1/2 of a single drink mix packet)
– tin or other container (I bought these cute sliding tins from Etsy, but you can use just about anything you want, including re-using old lip balm containers)

Directions

Add ingredients from coconut oil through titanium dioxide to a microwaveable container. Microwave for 20 seconds and then stir well. Return to microwave and heat for 40 seconds more. Be careful when removing it — it’ll be hot!

Once you’ve melted the ingredients, add the powdered drink mix and stir well. The color intensity and ease of mixing varied greatly within the flavors I tried. I made balms using cherry lemonade, grape, and lemon mixes — the cherry lemonade mixed in the best, but turned out purple.

Pour carefully or use a plastic pipette to fill each tin carefully with the hot mixture. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Slather, blend, repeat.