Sun Screen Lip Balm

by Lisa
(Ocoee, Florida U.S.A.)

I adore lip balm because my lips have a tendency to get chapped---but I live in Florida, you put shiny substance on your lips and they get burned. So I did a little research and discovered that alkanet root offers just enough SPF that I can wear my lip balm any old time and all the time and it has a red tint to it. It has about 15% SPF. I found my small bag of dry alkanet root on-line at a craft product store on-line. You can do a search and turn up many places that sell it.

You need to have about a month set aside to let the alkanet root soak in your favorite oil (safflower, grape-seed, sweet almond). I start with a clean glass jar then I pack it with alkanet root (the more you use the more intense the color red your oil will get)and then fill the jar up with oil. Place the lid on your jar and keep it in a cool dark place for a month at least, the pantry is perfect. Shake it once in a while when you think of it--once a week or so. When your oil is a nice dark red use this recipe for lip balm. Your balm will turn out in varying shades of pink depending on how much root and how long it soaked in the oil.

1/2 cup oil that has had alkanet root
1/2 ounce beeswax
Optional: You can add some Cocoa Butter or Shea Butter to it as well, just 1/2 an ounce or so.

Warm the oil just enough to melt beeswax - pan on the stove or micro - remember less is more. Start with really low heat or short cook times. A wooden chopstick is a great tool for stirring and then you can pitch it. Once the beeswax is completely melted and blended in with the oil pour your balm into small glass or plastic lip balm containers. You can find them at back pack stores or at some on-line craft supply stores that are very reasonably priced. Let it cool completely (a few hours) and then put the lids on and label them with what ingredients you used and when you made it.