I love balms and perfumes.  This is a recent revelation in my world, I have always been sadly addicted to lip balms and the prettier the packaging and more exotic the flavour, the better, but I have never been quite this into them.  What happened?  I started to make them.

This year I have let myself try new makes and DIY’s and among them came lip balm.  My good friend has lots of the base oils which I didn’t have and we decided to have a go one day.  Well, now I can’t stop……

I have been making lip balms, body and hand balms and now I have entered the heady and wonderful world of solid perfumes.  I love that we can make this stuff ourselves and we know what is in there, especially when it comes to slapping balm on lips and face, it is good to know what is soaking into our skin.

This week I ran out of face moisturiser and was reluctant to pay another $20 or more for a teeny tiny pot of lotion which sometimes made my eyes literally water.  The last moisuriser I used felt tingly (in a bad way) when I applied it and it almost radiated into my eyes making them sting.  Well, I thought, this can’t be good.  I realise that my skin is getting on a bit and most likely getting more sensitive as the years race by.  But this was the fancy cream which promised eternal youth within a few minutes of application (I exaggerate, but you know the claims) so why did it make my face feel bad instead of soft and gorgeous?

So I grabbed some oils and some recycled baby food jars (thanks neighbours) and got melting.  I used a recipe from Wellness Mama and added my own choice of essential oils – lavender and clary sage.

Face and body balm

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup beeswax

10 drops lavender essential oil

10 drops clary sage essential oil

Melt the first three oils together in a double boiler (I use small pyrex bowls in a pan of water) and add the essential oils at the end.  Stir well and tip into your jars or containers.  This recipe makes two baby food jars full.

Let it cool and apply whenever and wherever you need it.  I use mine on my lips, legs, face and hands.  Both lavender and clary sage are known for their calming properties which can only be a good thing, they smell lovely too.

This is a solid balm which is very softening and soaks into your skin quickly, so no slimy hands or faces which we don’t want!

Do you like to make your own beauty products?  What do you make and do you love it?