Natural Beauty | Skin Care

Take a day off from the weary shopping of cosmetics and get into the kitchen – you can actually do a Martha Stewart and whip up your own make-up products. Homemade lip balms are an easy recipe to begin with for do-it-yourself (DIY) first-timers, and experimentation is important to obtain the right lip balm consistency of your choice. You can also play around with the ingredients to concoct your own scent and flavor. The recipe makes use of zero petroleum chemicals, so be sure to indulge in its natural goodness. Going organic has never been this rewarding.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
? 33g Beeswax (Organic)
? 65ml Vegetable oil (Organic)
? 2ml Essential oils of your preference (40 - 50 drops)

METHOD:
? Mix beeswax and vegetable oil together in a bowl.
? Heat all the ingredients – except the essential oils – in a beaker or stainless steel cup that is immersed in a pan of hot water (also known as a double boiler).
? Continuously stir and make sure that the mixture melts fully.
? When everything has melted evenly, add 30 to 50 drops of essential oils.
? Pour the mixture into a small glass jar or container.
? Leave to cool for a few minutes before putting the lid on the jar.

TIPS:
? Play around with the recipe, varying the measurements in small amounts to obtain your preferred texture and consistency.
? Avoid essential oils that are from the citrus family because they make the skin photosensitive.
? To add a tinge of sweetness to your lip balm, include drops of honey.
? For tinted lip balm, add some of your favorite lipstick to the mixture.
? For sun protection lip balm, add Tiosol (10ml for Sun Protection SPF12, or 5ml for Sun Protection SPF 5-6).
? For healing sore lips, add 1-8ml of Tea Tree Oil and 1-5ml of Lavender Oil in place of your essential oils.
? For Vitamin E lip balm, add 2ml of Vitamin E oil and 5 drops of Carotene.
? Adding cinnamon and ginger essential oils will make the lip balm warming.
? Lip balm can also be used as a cuticle and hand cream, vary ingredients to get the scent of your choice.

After working your own lip balm solution to perfection, label and package jars so that they can make useful gifts in the time of occasions. Exchanging homemade lip balm with each other is also a fun activity you could do with your girlfriends, all the while sharing the organic goodness of natural ingredients.