A couple Lip Balm Questions

[DisneyMom]

Hi everyone! *waves*

My daughter and I have the worst winter chapped lips right now (owww!), so we decided lip balm would be our newest project. My daughter is also going to give some out to her friends for Valentine's Day, so we decided to do a few different "flavors." We purchased and received our Lip Balm Base from Brambleberry and our Flavor Oils (forgot the name of the place). We gave it a go and...eh. Didn't turn out the best. Not only do I think we didn't add enough flavor oil, but mainly it was the process that gave us a difficult time. We want to give it another go round, and I thought I'd ask for some advice this time.

I bought 4 0z of the Lip Balm Base, and we wanted to make four different "flavor" batches. I separated out the balm base equally into four little glass bowls I have. Then working with one batch at a time, we melted the base in the microwave. I waited for the base to cool to a safe point to add the flavor oils, but by then, because it was such a small amount of base, it was already hardening up. I melted it again and just added in the flavor oils faster this time, but I do feel like some of the scent burnt off. After mixing in the flavor oil, we began to pip it into the lipstick tubes, but again, it had hardened up enough that it was too thick to get out of the pipette. So back to the microwave. I basically had to microwave each batch like five times before I was able to get the tubes filled up. Now, we can hardly smell any of the scent!

I guess my question is, has anyone made lip balm in really small batches? What do you do when you just want to make a few for friends, or you're trying out new flavor oils? Is there some brilliant way of making small batches that keep the mixture melted through the process? Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!
Thank you!
-Stacie

 

[IrishLass]

Hi Stacie! I make very small batches of lip balm all the time (sometimes as little as 1 balm at a time), and I have a method which works great for me. I've spelled out what I do in this post here:

https://www.soapmakingforum.com/threads/lip-balm-process.61820/#post-622779


IrishLass

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

I melt mine in a Pyrex and it hold the heat pretty well so that I can pour my tubes. I don’t usually pour more than 10 tubes at a time and if things harden up too fast, I’ll blast my mix with my heat gun to get things melty again.

 

[MGM]

I melt mine in a water bath in a jam jar and use a pipette to transfer from jar to tube. I've never used a lip balm base, just make my own from butters and oils, and I have to say that for chapped lips, you could also be dealing with a sensitivity. I've found very few lip balms I can use (ok, there are exactly 2) which is why I make my own, avoiding coconut oil. I also am sensitive to pretty much all lip flavour oils. I put peppermint EO in almost all my balms and find it very soothing. Just a few minutes ago, I picked up a mystery tube (I have made over 300 lip balms and the ones I keep for myself I don't always label, so I have a LOT of mystery balms) and it was a coriander one! Nice surprise! If you would like recipes or suggestions, let me know. I have many variations of oils and butters, as well as EOs. One of my faves is Lemon Gin

 

[DisneyMom]

These are such great suggestions! Thanks to you both!

IrishLass, I just bought those poaching things and can’t wait to try them out using the steps you outline in your other post. What awesome, detailed instructions! I’ll let you know how it goes for me. IL, may I ask what micro scale you have? Mine only goes to .1 gram, and it drives me nuts. We make things in small batches since we are just hobbyists, so a smaller scale would be fab!

SideDoorSoaps, that’s quite a brilliant idea to gently reheat with my heat gun verses having to use the microwave! I’m going to make sure I have my heat gun handy when I give this a go again after we get our new poaching dishes.

Thank you, both!

 

[SideDoorSoaps]

Just a few minutes ago, I picked up a mystery tube (I have made over 300 lip balms and the ones I keep for myself I don't always label, so I have a LOT of mystery balms) and it was a coriander one! Nice surprise!

Lol I do the same thing! I have so many mystery balms in my purses and aprons that I love to see which one I keep where!

 

[atiz]

IL, may I ask what micro scale you have? Mine only goes to .1 gram, and it drives me nuts. We make things in small batches since we are just hobbyists, so a smaller scale would be fab!

I have only made lip balm once so far, but one reason I really liked it is that you can just play around with it: melt the oils/butters, let it harden, if you don't like the consistency, remelt, add some more butter....
In other words, this might be a very unscientific approach, but I would not worry extremely much about measuring things in .01 grams. I think in case of lip balm, even volume works (that's how I measured it; 1 tsp of beeswax, etc....). There is no safety risk here as with lye; in the worst case, you get a too soft lip balm that you can fix.

 

[IrishLass]

IL, may I ask what micro scale you have? Mine only goes to .1 gram, and it drives me nuts. We make things in small batches since we are just hobbyists, so a smaller scale would be fab!

I have the Jennings JSR-200, which weighs as low as .01 grams/.001 oz. and as high as 200g/7 oz. I really love it!


IrishLass

 

[SoaperForLife]

Is there some brilliant way of making small batches that keep the mixture melted through the process?

If you have a fondue pot and a couple of glass pyrex measuring cups.... add water to the fondue pot and set your pyrex cups in it with the amount of base you want to use. Turn the fondue pot on and you'll soon be in business.

 

[DisneyMom]

Thank you to everyone who has offered up advice! I really appreciate it, and it's been so helpful. I'll let you know how much next batch goes! *crossing fingers*

 

[MGM]

And here's a pro tip from me.... I only recently learned that you had to temper shea butter (and cocoa maybe? who knows?) lest it go grainy, so I have a number of grainy lip balms....no I don't! Those are lip scrubs---that you don't have to wash off! Exfoliating and moisturizing all in one step!

 

[earlene]

I don't quite understand why someone would want to exfoliate their lips. I know people do buy lip scrubs, but my lips have got along fine without lip scrubs for nigh on to 70 years and I just don't get why I would ever want to invite chapping to the tender skin of my lips.

 

[shunt2011]

I make, sell and use lip scrub. My lips get really dry and peel sometimes. The scrub gently exfoliates the dead skin and because it’s in a nice base it soothes and moistens the skin as well. I’m a mouth breather because of nasal issues. In the winter they get cracked. Keeping balm on them and gently scrubbing with sugar makes them so much better. The older I get the drier everything seems to get.

I actually got a lovely lip scrub in a swap here a couple years ago. That’s when I started working on my own.

 

[dixiedragon]

I also recommend a glass measuring cup. It will help hold the heat. Also it has a handle. The cup can be too hot, so sometimes I wear an oven glove to pour.

Get a lip balm filling tray. If you can't find one, rubberband 4-5 tubes together so they will stand up. (but the tray is miles easier.)

Put the tray on a sheet of wax paper. That way when (not if lol), you spill, it's not all over the counter. You can just scrape up your drops and re-melt.

Add flavor. Stir. I prefer a bamboo skewer so I can throw it away. Or use a butter knife (easier to wipe off the wax than a spoon.)


JUST saw this on Hobby Lobby's website! So excited for a small tray!
https://www.hobbylobby.com/Crafts-H...GERYxgILmvMK6yi-GthVQhHXOEWsGBnhoCW3IQAvD_BwE

 

[MGM]

I don't quite understand why someone would want to exfoliate their lips. I know people do buy lip scrubs, but my lips have got along fine without lip scrubs for nigh on to 70 years and I just don't get why I would ever want to invite chapping to the tender skin of my lips.

I hear you, @earlene . But then, I also don't understand the appeal of a Brazilian wax....

 

[SoaperForLife]

I don't quite understand why someone would want to exfoliate their lips. I know people do buy lip scrubs, but my lips have got along fine without lip scrubs for nigh on to 70 years and I just don't get why I would ever want to invite chapping to the tender skin of my lips.

Ya just gotta try it.... it will actually make your lips feel really nice Earlene. I use my lip balm base with sugar and a flavor oil and it works great.

 

[Clarice]

I just found this re tempering Cocoa Butter - do you follow a similar method for shea @MGM?

Cocoa butter has a wonderful tendency to melt at just about skin temperature, which makes it a great addition to lotion bars. Its high content of stearic acid keeps it very solid at room temperature and allows recipes in which it is an ingredient to be firmer and more heat resistant.

Because the stearic acid content of the cocoa butter is high, products made using cocoa butter can develop cocoa butter “beads” if the cocoa butter isn’t tempered to break up excessive crystallization. Tempering is simple to do: heat the cocoa butter slowly in the top of a double boiler, or in a Pyrex container sitting in a pot of water. (Do not use a microwave, as this will not be an effective method of breaking up the crystallization.) As the cocoa butter continues to melt, raise the temperature slowly, over the course of about 45 minutes, until the butter is fully melted. Then immediately stir the cocoa butter up very thoroughly (to break up the crystallization) and cool the cocoa butter as quickly as possible to prevent crystals from re-forming.

It might be helpful to pour the cocoa butter into the cavities of ice cube trays which you then place in the refrigerator for rapid cooling. Once they are hardened, you can pop them out of the ice cube tray and just store them in plastic bags until you are ready to use them. Please just take care to store them in a cool, dark place, so that they don’t melt and recrystallize. If they do melt and recrystallize (which you can easily identify if they lose their ice cube shape!), please just repeat the tempering process to break up the crystallization.

 

[Susie]

I don't quite understand why someone would want to exfoliate their lips. I know people do buy lip scrubs, but my lips have got along fine without lip scrubs for nigh on to 70 years and I just don't get why I would ever want to invite chapping to the tender skin of my lips.

I get layers of dead skin on my lips. I don't remember if this was why I started using lip balm all those years ago, or if it is a result of using lip balm all those years. Nevertheless, I use only a dry finger to rub them, usually once a day, to remove all that dead skin.

 

[Clarice]

Nevertheless, I use only a dry finger to rub them, usually once a day, to remove all that dead skin.

MeToo! And sometimes my toothbrush when I am done brushing my teeth! The idea of buying a lip scrub cracks me up

AND I must admit that I am notoriously cheap about somethings and crazily extravagent on others!

 

[SaltedFig]

I just found this re tempering Cocoa Butter - do you follow a similar method for shea @MGM?

Cocoa butter has a wonderful tendency to melt at just about skin temperature, which makes it a great addition to lotion bars. Its high content of stearic acid keeps it very solid at room temperature and allows recipes in which it is an ingredient to be firmer and more heat resistant.

Because the stearic acid content of the cocoa butter is high, products made using cocoa butter can develop cocoa butter “beads” if the cocoa butter isn’t tempered to break up excessive crystallization. Tempering is simple to do: heat the cocoa butter slowly in the top of a double boiler, or in a Pyrex container sitting in a pot of water. (Do not use a microwave, as this will not be an effective method of breaking up the crystallization.) As the cocoa butter continues to melt, raise the temperature slowly, over the course of about 45 minutes, until the butter is fully melted. Then immediately stir the cocoa butter up very thoroughly (to break up the crystallization) and cool the cocoa butter as quickly as possible to prevent crystals from re-forming.

It might be helpful to pour the cocoa butter into the cavities of ice cube trays which you then place in the refrigerator for rapid cooling. Once they are hardened, you can pop them out of the ice cube tray and just store them in plastic bags until you are ready to use them. Please just take care to store them in a cool, dark place, so that they don’t melt and recrystallize. If they do melt and recrystallize (which you can easily identify if they lose their ice cube shape!), please just repeat the tempering process to break up the crystallization.

I read that recently too - it's in a Camden-Grey facebook cocoa-butter post from 2014, but the text has appeared somewhere else recently - where are you quoting it from @Clarice?

The grains from cocoa butter aren't exfoliating, in my experience (they just melt again in use ) - my favourite balm spends some of it's time in molten form in Summer here - @MGM if you put your balm in the refrigerator when it's molten, that can cool it quick enough that it doesn't get time to form the grainy texture .