Nothing gets you in the holiday spirit faster than the fresh, invigorating scent of peppermint. Pair peppermint with vanilla, and you have a scent that is as homey as it is revitalizing. Believe me when I say that one whiff of this magical scent will put an instant smile on your face!
Here is my simple, fun and inexpensive recipe for making peppermint vanilla lip balm. Tins or tubes of this natural lip balm make great gifts for the winter holidays (it is one of my most frequently requested Christmas gifts from friends and family), and it is also a very refreshing lip balm to use during the hot summer months.
So how do you make peppermint vanilla lip balm?
Ingredients (all natural ingredients, no crazy chemicals here!)
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon vitamin E oil
4 tablespoons grated beeswax
10-25 drops of peppermint oil
(depending on how strongly flavored you’d like your finished product)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Step 1: In a double boiler or ovenproof container, gently heat the coconut oil, vitamin E oil. Once combined, and warm, add the grated beeswax. Heat until all of the beeswax is melted.
Step 2: Drop in your desired amount of peppermint oil, and add the vanilla, mixing well as you add the ingredients.
Step 3: Pour the warm liquid into clean, dry lip balm containers (you can find these at Mountain Rose Herbs or Nature’s Garden), and allow them to cool completely. It is best to do a test container to make sure that the product has the consistency you want. Once cooled, the peppermint vanilla lip balm should be solid to the touch, but not so hard that it is impossible to get onto lips.
Troubleshooting: If the lip balm is too soft once it cools, simply empty the containers into the double boiler or ovenproof container, reheat and add a bit more beeswax to the mix.
If the finished product is too hard and impossible to apply, empty the containers into the double boiler or ovenproof container, and reheat, and add a bit more coconut oil to the mix.
This recipe will yield approximately 6 ounces of peppermint vanilla lip balm, enough to fill about one dozen 1/2 ounce lip balm tins, or about 40 standard lip balm tubes. In other words, this recipe makes a lot of peppermint vanilla lip balm, and is a great recipe for gift giving!
Package these with personalized labels, some festive bows, and you will have a gift that everyone will love. I call it Candy Cane Lip Balm on my labels, and include images of candy canes and peppermints. It is always a hit with friends and family!
Have fun, and enjoy!
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Sources: Years of trial and error in my kitchen. The good news: even the recipe disasters smelled and tasted great!