Spa Spirit Lip Balm

Lip balm is a beauty staple.  Unfortunately it is also toxic (mainstream brands) and addictive.  I admit that I was once addicted to lip balm, and have had to take steps to breaking that addiction.  It sounds silly when talking about lip balm, but that has truly been how my experience felt.  It is now a priority of mine to keep what I put on my lips natural and safe while still using it sparingly.

After checking out EWG's Skin Deep Cosmetics Database for this post, I found that popular brands such as Blistex, Maybelline, Softlips, and Avon (even the "natural" line) were in the top ten most toxic lip balms.  These toxins are absorbed easily through the thin skin covering the lips and also through ingestion from eating or licking the lips.  To combat this, I have chosen to make my own lip balm.  This is a slightly modified recipe for homemade lip balm originally from Eco Beauty by Lauren Cox.

Spa Spirit Lip Balm

1 tsp coconut oil
1/2 tsp grated beeswax
1 tsp sweet almond oil
1/8 tsp vitamin E oil
3-5 drops essential oil blend of grapefruit, eucalyptus, benzoin, and peru balsam

The supplies.

Combine all ingredients into a small glass dish and place into a pan with a few inches of water (or microwave).  Heat and stir until everything is combined.  Pour into a suitable container of your choice.

Allow to cool completely.  Enjoy!
(To make 2 lip balms as shown in this picture, double the recipe.)

A friend and I made it and were both pleased after using them.  The consistency was great without being gloppy or greasy.  They are packed with moisturizing ingredients making this a perfect recipe for the winter especially.

If you're interested in learning more about cosmetics or taking action against the toxins in most beauty products, I encourage you to check out the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

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Don't forget about the current giveaway going on right now!  Part of the prize pack is winning 2 tubes of this lip balm.  Check out this post to enter.  Deadline is 1/15/2012.