I got my hands on a huge golden orb of beeswax at the farmer’s market! I am going to enjoy chipping away at it and sharing some great ways you can use beeswax in body care preparations and around the house. One of my favourite recipes is a gorgeous golden lip balm scented with raw honey and with the healing and protective properties of calendula. Not only does the beeswax and raw honey give the balm a beautiful scent, they also make it taste yummy!
I have calendula flowers I dried last spring and infused in a fruity, skin loving local organic extra virgin olive oil. This is super easy to do, I cover this in a quick tutorial here. I chose Calendula infused oil due to its skin healing properties however you can use a host of other herbs such as rosemary, lavender or comfrey. If you do not have infused oil you can simply make the balm with plain olive oil and jazz it up with a few drops of essential oil.
Calendula is one of my favourite herbs for many reasons. It grows like a weed so you can dry and stockpile the flowers for later use. The dried flowers are great for adding to cleansing and healing tea blends, they are also wonderful to infuse in oil to serve as a base for lots of different balms, creams and massage oils. When used externally on the body calendula promotes wound healing as well as being antimicrobial. That is why it is so good for the delicate skin on the lips that can become chapped or cracked, especially if you work outdoors. My other half swears by this lip balm and he works outdoors through the four seasons!
I keep a collection of old and new containers to pour the balm into. I always put one larger jar out and fill it up as this recipe also doubles as a great first aid or nappy balm. Once the my assortment of containers are filled I always squirrel a few away to give as presents to friends and family. You can be inventive with the containers, I am always on the lookout for suitable small jars and tins.
Ingredients
50g of raw beeswax
25g raw honey
250mL of calendula infused extra virgin olive oil
2 drops of essential oil (optional), I like bergamot! Orange, mints and cinnamon are also lovely, anything that has a foodie or fresh feel.
Method
1. Over a medium heat add the beeswax and oil to a double boiler (see note). The beeswax will slowly dissolve into the oil.
2. When the beeswax is almost dissolved add the honey and essential oil if you are using it and stir to combine.
3. Pour into a small jug with a fine spout. You can also use a syringe if you prefer.
4. Fill the containers, you will need to work quickly as the balm will harden. Between pours stir the balm to ensure the honey does not settle in the bottom of the jug.
Note
If you do not have a double boiler simply pop a stainless steel or heat proof glass mixing bowl over a saucepan filled to a quarter with water and brought to a simmer. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
Enjoy making your own honey and calendula lip balm!
I love balm recipes with minimal ingredients and this sounds lovely. Getting a block of beeswax at the farmers market, what a find!
I borrowed a book from the library recently called ‘Beeswax Alchemy’ by Petra Ahnert which has lots of great ideas in it.
That sounds like the book I need at the moment Clare, I think I will hunt it down! Thanks for sharing.
Wow. I didn’t realise it was so easy to make lip balm! Thanks for sharing.
Yes, super easy and so versatile :)
Brilliant ideas Robyna, you have made Christmas a little easier for me! Thanks for the mention :)
About how much does this make? I have these cool little metal containers from a tea sampler, but I am not sure if I have enough. Anyway, I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Stephanie! Sorry about the tardy reply, I have been on holidays. The recipe makes about 300mL which is quite a lot so always have a few larger 50g pots around so I can fill these up as I also use it as a general salve and nappy balm! So easy, fiddle with the ingredients and make it your own :)