Well looks like winter is finally here – again – and the need for a good lip balm has never been greater. Needless to say I take issue with the plastic tubes and pots that commercial balms are packaged in – especially as they are used only once then thrown away. So I make my own.

1 tablespoon beeswax pellets or olive oil flakes
1 tablespoon roughly chopped shea butter
1 tablespoon grated cocoa butter
1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
1 tablespoon castor oil
Melt the whole lot together in a bowl in a pan of hot water. Mix and pour into little pots (from here or other online stores) to set.

The end result is a really nice, very effective lip balm.

Pots and ingredients can be bought on line from www.aromantic.co and other companies.

However if like me you work out doors, digging mud, applying lip balm from a pot with grimy finger is not ideal. So I refill my old lip balm tubes – you will need to wash them out and rewind them first – obviously. Sometimes you have to push the base plate down a little before they will wind back.

Or you can buy new, empty tubes from here or  www.aromantic.co

Filling the tubes is fiddly and a small funnel helps. You can get these metal ones here.

Mouth diameter is 3.2cm Spout diameter is 4mm Inner spout diameter is 3mm Total height 2.8cm

NB

One more advantage to making your own balm is not being poisoned! In addition to the synthetic preservatives and flavours, white petrolatum, the basis of many shop bought balms, is derived from petrol. Yuk. Every time you put it on your lips you ingest a little – make your own and you know what you are eating.

Plastic alert – most of the products will come plastic packed but you will ultimately be cutting your plastic consumption.

Find more homemade makeup and other stuff here