Sunday, November 27, 2011
Christmas Gift Idea : Homemade Lip Balm Research
It's that time of the year again and I'm very excited. In fact, I already have the christmas tree up and the stockings! After pondering for many days, I determined that due to my obsession with Etsy and Pinterest, that I would be making handmade gifts this year.
Something that I have yet to write about is my etsy store that I started up in July. So far I have just done a few projects making zipper pouches and making wire wrapped jewelry...not many sales, but I am having a lot of fun doing it, and I think that that is all that matters. So of course for presents, I will be making pouches with personalized (probably monogrammed) jewelry inside...and homemade lip balm and soy candles. I've been researching some different techniques for making the homemade lip balm and decided on the following ingredients.
Rachel's Homemade Lip Balm:
Beeswax
Jojoba Oil
Shea Butter
Vanilla, Lavender Vanilla, Butter Toffee, Chai Tea (for flavor-must be edible(non-alcohol based, non-water based)
Vitamin E (to prolong the age of the balm)
Empty Balm Containers
There are many different options for lip balm ingredients, and the main thing to remember is that you always need a wax, an oil, and a butter. I did find it a bit confusing, but some sites refer to oils as "flavor oils" but they are not actually flavored, they are just scented. So if you are planning on making some lip balm, I would just keep this in mind. Also, the extracts that I have collected for this project are food grade. You can't use most essential oils unless they specifically say that they are edible. I would be very careful when shopping around for scents and flavors, especially if you are planning on selling the end product. Oh and if you do want to sell it, there are a few things you need to do legally to protect yourself and the consumers.
I also did some research on methods of preserving. If you want to prolong the life of the balm for 1 to 2 years, you need to find a nice anti-oxidant. Jojoba oil is naturally good at repelling oxidation. Grapefruit oil and Grape seed oil also have similar properties but may not be FDA approved. I would definitely do your research and shop around for the right ingredients.
So, I actually found that Amazon had a large amount of the items that I needed and they had them for a fair price, but I also found that Bramble Berry had everything I needed and they had helpful tips and tricks also. They were very affordable.
So this week I will be experimenting with the right amount of each ingredient. I've read several posts from various sites stating that melting beeswax and shea butter can be difficult and the results can be "grainy". I plan on posting my discoveries (and hopefully good results) this week!
Cheers,
Rachel
Something that I have yet to write about is my etsy store that I started up in July. So far I have just done a few projects making zipper pouches and making wire wrapped jewelry...not many sales, but I am having a lot of fun doing it, and I think that that is all that matters. So of course for presents, I will be making pouches with personalized (probably monogrammed) jewelry inside...and homemade lip balm and soy candles. I've been researching some different techniques for making the homemade lip balm and decided on the following ingredients.
Rachel's Homemade Lip Balm:
Beeswax
Jojoba Oil
Shea Butter
Vanilla, Lavender Vanilla, Butter Toffee, Chai Tea (for flavor-must be edible(non-alcohol based, non-water based)
Vitamin E (to prolong the age of the balm)
Empty Balm Containers
There are many different options for lip balm ingredients, and the main thing to remember is that you always need a wax, an oil, and a butter. I did find it a bit confusing, but some sites refer to oils as "flavor oils" but they are not actually flavored, they are just scented. So if you are planning on making some lip balm, I would just keep this in mind. Also, the extracts that I have collected for this project are food grade. You can't use most essential oils unless they specifically say that they are edible. I would be very careful when shopping around for scents and flavors, especially if you are planning on selling the end product. Oh and if you do want to sell it, there are a few things you need to do legally to protect yourself and the consumers.
I also did some research on methods of preserving. If you want to prolong the life of the balm for 1 to 2 years, you need to find a nice anti-oxidant. Jojoba oil is naturally good at repelling oxidation. Grapefruit oil and Grape seed oil also have similar properties but may not be FDA approved. I would definitely do your research and shop around for the right ingredients.
So, I actually found that Amazon had a large amount of the items that I needed and they had them for a fair price, but I also found that Bramble Berry had everything I needed and they had helpful tips and tricks also. They were very affordable.
So this week I will be experimenting with the right amount of each ingredient. I've read several posts from various sites stating that melting beeswax and shea butter can be difficult and the results can be "grainy". I plan on posting my discoveries (and hopefully good results) this week!
Cheers,
Rachel
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