This has to be the easiest DIY hack of them all!

Do you use lip balm? Do you have a plastic tube or little jar that goes with you everywhere? Or are you wanting to find a new, plastic-free lip balm option?

Look no further!

This wax and oil lip balm is not only lusciously moisturising, feels great on your lips AND can be used anywhere on your body, but it can also easily be poured in to any vessel you want to carry it in - yep, it’s so versatile I even use it to condition my leather shoes!

This recipe is so simple you’ll wonder why you haven’t been doing it for years.

I use beeswax but you can substitute for a plant-based wax like candelilla wax for a vegan version.

DIY lip (and everything) balm recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of beeswax - you can buy this in pellets or grate/ cut from a block to approximately 1 tbsp.

4 tablespoons of oil - I use olive oil from the pantry but you could use jojoba, apricot kernel, rosehip, hemp seed, coconut - your choice!

Optional: Essential oil/s of choice - I’ve used peppermint and grapefruit, but plain is also lovely.

Utensils

Small saucepan - cover the bottom with about an inch of water.

Glass bowl or jug - the jug makes it easier to pour the liquid into a small tube or jar while it’s hot and melted, a vital step! Alternatively, you can just use the glass jar you’ll be storing the balm in.

Tube, jar or small container for your lip balm - preferably something recycled and reusable!

Method

1. Heat the saucepan with water on a low heat and place the glass bowl or jug in to create a double boiler. It doesn’t matter if the bowl sits in the water.

2. Put the wax and oil in the bowl/ jug to melt slowly.

3. Once they have fully melted together, turn off the heat and add essential oils if you like.

4. While it’s still warm and liquid, pour the mixture into your chosen vessel - it will set very quickly, so don’t muck around! Or if you’ve melted the ingredients within the glass jar you’re storing it in, simply wait for it to cool and put the lid on.

Could this be any easier?!

I like to have a lip balm on me and prefer to pop it straight on my lips so I just keep refilling my little plastic tube. I’ve also used this recipe to make gifts, pouring the mixture into small, compostable cardboard tubes I picked up at Biome. You press the bottom up slowly as the balm is used up, instead of the plastic twister. But if you want to use this balm for anything - dry skin, cuticles, the ends of your hair, to condition leather - then putting it in a little glass jar works well.

One little warning: wax hardens quite quickly even when mixed with the oil. You can use boiling water to rinse any utensils, and it’s probably best to avoid pouring it down your kitchen drain.

Happy DIY-ing!