# Does anyone make lip balm?



## Amanda Lee (Aug 20, 2008)

I am thinking about also making lip balm too. I found a recipe on th National Honey Board website. It sounds super easily to make.

12oz beeswax
2Tb Honey and apricot kernel oil -sorry I don't remember the amount.
melt in double boiler or microwave, pour into pot/jar/tube.

If you make lip balm to sale... 

What is the price ranges?
How hard is lip balm to make?
Do flavored lips balms sale better than a non or natural lip balm?
Or do you have a better recipe?

My husband can take a 1 x 8 pine lumber and make me a lip balm tub holder. No need of me spending $15 for one. 

I saw a weekly special on lip balm tubes $12 for 100 tubes. I am constantly putting on chapstick, so I thought I would try it.
Any suggestions or advice will be great!
Thanks Amanda Lee


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

That recipe seems pretty high in beeswax. I think there's one or more listed on the recipes thread.

I sell mine for $2.50

I actually enjoy making it. I don't sell a ton but enough to make it worth my time. I don't use a holder of any sort, just rubber band the tubes together. I like to keep it simple and only offer plain and peppermint.


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

I sell a ton of it!! but my prices are too low on it. I need to bump them up. I've had them priced $ 1.75 the past year.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I use the little pots on bayousome.com, my recipe is pretty straight forward, they all are, cocoa butter, (whatever oil I am using for lotion, apricot kernel, sweet amond, jajoba, avacado it's all about label appeal, beeswax, stevia for sweeting and honey or vanilla for the 'natural' appeal. I simply print out business card labels, like I do for my soap, but them in the small ziplock in the craft section from wallmart and pop in a lip balm pot. $3. I don't do "flavors" anymore, and I don't do regular chap stick type lip balms because I hate labeling them and pouring them  

I just did lip blams in pots with a group of MHMR adults for their chirstmas bags, they could easily melt and then pour the products into the little pots, I am all about easy  vicki


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## Amanda Lee (Aug 20, 2008)

I have read the lip balm recipe in the recipe section. 

I have been doing a lot of reading on lip balms. It seems recipes with castor, avocado, coco butter, olive, jojoba are better than just beeswax, honey and 1 oil.

I have on hand avocado, grape seed, apricot kernel, castor, sunflower, olive, coconut, safflower oils. No jojoba or cocobutter.

I have lard too! but I don't think I will find a recipe that will use it :rofl

I will have to order some beeswax and play around with a couple of recipes. 
Thanks for all the replies ... Amanda Lee


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

I would think that Castor Oil would have the same yuck factor as lard  Vicki


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## Amanda Lee (Aug 20, 2008)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> I would think that Castor Oil would have the same yuck factor as lard  Vicki


Vickie, I read on the dish forum that Castor Oil gave a slick finish to the lip balm. That is were I read about useing Castor Oil in a lip balm recipe.
Thanks


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Oh I use Castor in lots of things, but nor in my lip balm because of the whole Castor Oil of old, I wouldn't want it near my mouth. I just don't think it has good label appeal for a lip product. With so many of my customers and buyers being older like me, and castor oil used to be something we had to take during cold and flu season...ick, you might want to do some product testing to see if others would have a revulsion to it like I would. Vicki


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

I use castor and used to think the same thing, yuck! But I think it does add a nice glide and from my research I find it is good for your skin so I educate my customers about why it's in there.


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## Madfarmer (Nov 18, 2008)

Vicki McGaugh Tx Nubians said:


> Oh I use Castor in lots of things, but nor in my lip balm because of the whole Castor Oil of old, I wouldn't want it near my mouth. I just don't think it has good label appeal for a lip product. With so many of my customers and buyers being older like me, and castor oil used to be something we had to take during cold and flu season...ick, you might want to do some product testing to see if others would have a revulsion to it like I would. Vicki


 Ypu're lucky you only had to take castor oil! My grandmother used to smear our chests with coal oil & lard!

Tom


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## Becky-DixieDoesAlpines (Oct 26, 2007)

I use castor oil in my lip balm and I've never once had someone question it.
Becky


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

I always thought that was Cod liver oil people took? I was born too late and missed all that (darn : )


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## Narrow Chance (Oct 29, 2007)

I was wondering about the Castor also... did some reading in my handy dandy soap books.. and found this in 'Soap Naturally'.. which also has a website.. www.soapnaturally.com

In the Lip Balm section... (quote from book)
"Castor oil is a major component of lipsticks and can be added to lip balm to make them 'shinier', in a ratio between 20% and 50% of the liquid oils. Remember, however, that castor oil has a rather unpleasant taste."

I personally don't put it in my lip balms.. but there's always a first time!!


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## Kalne (Oct 25, 2007)

50% of liquid oils sounds high. Mine is just a small amount, but I'm too lazy to get my recipe box out and see. LOL I don't notice any taste in my lip balm really. Good or bad.


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

I think my liquid oils in my recipe is about 30-40% without looking at the recipe. I do use castor and really like it, but it is 1/16 of my liquid oils, it still makes a big difference!

I still don't get how to get that honey in there without it seperating!


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## Amanda Lee (Aug 20, 2008)

I haven't ever made any lip balm, so I don't know what even sounds like a good recipe. I am still researching the recipes and trying to decide "IF" and "when" I want to make lip balm to sale with my soaps.
Thanks for all the replies, Amanda Lee


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

Amanda, I also recommend folks to get a melt and pour lip balm, get pots or the tubes and flavor oil. Then just make them up, you know the cost striaght up and you can see if they sell for you. Then if they sell well, make your own with the same ingredients. This way you haven't purchased pounds of butters or oils for the lip balm that you may not use up later if you decide you don't want to make lip balms. Vicki


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## SherrieC (Oct 26, 2007)

Yep I second that one!!


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## DostThouHaveMilk (Oct 25, 2007)

I went the melt and pour route myself this year.
It contains Castor Oil (last on the list) and I haven't seen anyone question it either...then again, I can get away with selling Lard bars as well.
So far, the lip balms have not screamed that they are a good seller for me...I'm going to be able to sell off what I need to make back what I put into it, but I don't know if I'll make them again.


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## kidsngarden (Oct 28, 2007)

For one stop shopping www.thesage.com has lip tubes or pots, lip balm bases, and flavorings.


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## Amanda Lee (Aug 20, 2008)

I have been looking at their website (the sage.com) and a few others. Aroma Haven's liptubs site is were I started and then I have looked at one more site. Essentials soap supply ...I think is the name. It is on The Dish forum suppliers weekly sale page. They have the better price for tubes right now.
I will look at the lip balm bases for melt and pour.
Thanks Amanda


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

2 ounces cocoa Butter 
2 ounces SheaButter 
1 ounce Sweet Almond Oil 
1 ounce Apricot kernel oil 
1 ounce Avacado oil 
2 ounces of beeswax 
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E 

(So really what you are doing here is 4 ounces of butter you want to use in any amount, make sure one is hard, 3 ounces of any oils and 2 ounces of beeswax or ewax or honeycomb...I do 4 cups, 3 cups and a little less than 2 cups. I get my vitamin E from columbus foods or saveonscents, depends who I am ordering what from when I am needing it. thescentworks.com also has it on sale alot. 

Stevia, flavoring oils to taste. 

I use a glass measuring cup....I just keep weighing and tareing the cup as I add each ingredient.

I have tweaked this a million times, adding what oils I have on hand, using ewax, wax pastilles and honeycomb. I make enough to fill a quart plastic jar, just microwave and fill lip balm pots as I need to make them. If it starts to get old, I simply melt it and dump it into soap, and start over. I love cocoa butter in this and before winter put emu oil in it also, which is wonderful for chapped lips.

Oh and don't add your flavoring oil until you are under it's flash point, so microwave to melt but don't heat it up above the flash point of whatever you are using to flavor/scent it. 

I use the little pots from bayousome.com I put one into the tiny ziplocks at wallmart, that fit a business card. Vicki


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## Amanda Lee (Aug 20, 2008)

Wow Vicki!! Thank you for the recipe!!! I have everything but beeswax and Shea and tubs/jars.

I am planning on ordering the tubs this week and then I will get the beeswax. So I will give your recipe a try.


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## NubianSoaps.com (Oct 26, 2007)

It's not my recipe, it is stolen long ago  I just used it and tweaked it. Vicki


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