Homemade Lip Balm!
Tips + Recipes = Beautiful Lips!

A homemade lip balm can have a combination of soothing, moisturizing, natural, ingredients for beautiful lips.  Avoid commercial products with harsh, manufactured, ingredients!  Harsh ingredients can dry out, irritate and crack skin.  With commercial lip balms, you may find yourself licking your lips to add wetness, but that only worsens the problem.  Some commercial lip balms have a medicinal after taste.  Instead try using natural flavors, that are tasty for you.  Natural lip balms should be mild and gentle for skin, without an unpleasant taste.

COMMON LIP BALM INGREDIENTS:

LANOLIN:  A yellow waxy substance, also known as wool wax or wool grease.  Smoothes skin. Reduces roughness. Moisturizes.  Water proofs.   Soothes.  Reduces dryness, itchiness and scaling.

BEESWAX:  A natural wax produced in honey bee hives.  Forms a protective skin barrier against irritants, while still allowing skin to breathe.  Draws moisture to skin and seals it in.  Softens skin.   May have mild antibacterial properties.  Has a subtle honey scent.

COCOA BUTTER:  A natural emollient.  Penetrates skin quickly.  Softens.  Smoothes skin texture and tones.  Reduces appearance of scars.  Has powerful antioxidants.  Protects skin against sun UV rays.

COCONUT OIL:  Anti-microbial.  Softens.  Moisturizes.  Has vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL:   High amounts of vitamins and nutrients with no additives.  Light texture.  Renews skin cells.  Relieves pain and inflammation.  Moisturizes. Lubricates. Mild and gentle.

ALOE VERA:  Softens.  Soothes.  Antibacterial.  Anti-fungal.  Relieves pain and inflammation.  Rich in vitamins and minerals.  Has antioxidants.  Protects skin against free radical damage.

CASTOR OIL:  Pale yellow vegetable oil with no odor or flavor.  A natural emollient.  Penetrates skin quickly.  Softens, hydrates and nourishes skin.  Adds shine to lips.

STEVIA:  A sweetening compound from the leaves of the South American shrub, Stevia rebaudiana.  Botanically related to artichokes and sunflowers as well as medicinal herbs, echinacea and yarrow.  Up to 300 times sweeter than cane sugar and highly concentrated.   Should only be used in tiny amounts.  Calorie free.  Blends well with flavor oils.  Inexpensive and found at most local grocery stores.

TIP USING STEVIA IN HOMEMADE LIP BALM:  Instead of adding straight stevia powder to lip balm base, it's usually best to suspend stevia in oil, like coconut or castor, first.  Then add small bit of mixture to lip balm.

CAUTIONS OF STEVIA:

--  Can lower blood pressure.

--  Not recommend for pregnant or nursing women. 

--  Can cause dizziness, nausea, gas, bloating, numbness and muscle pain for a short duration.

--  Can lower blood sugar, but appears to be safe for diabetics.  Blood sugar should be monitored.

--  Controversial studies; may possibly be carcinogenic.  One study showed it could be converted to a mutagenic compound.  However other studies proved this false and critics site the original study as flawed.  Further research is needed for a definitive answer.  The safety data is far from complete.  The FDA does not support usage, as a food additive, except in its purest form.

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CAUTION!  Do not leave lip balms in excessive heat.  Do not leave in hot car or other heated environment.  Lip balms contain oils that need to remain in cool environments, like air conditioned rooms.  Excessive heat can cause them to go rancid, quickly.  Discard lip balms with foul odor.

The shelf life of most lip balms is approx. 8 - 10 months opened and approx. 1 year, unopened.  Discard lip balms after shelf life has been exceeded. 

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Be creative!  Add a combination of delicious flavors to your homemade lip balm!  Make them sparkly and tasty.  Create a natural mixture with organic essential oils and nourishing vegetable butters.  The best lip balm doesn't have to be expensive.  Lip balms are easy and inexpensive to make.  To get started, you may want to try one of these homemade recipes! 

Natural body products can be healthy for skin with gentle ingredients.

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