A few questions-Lipbalm

[jarvan]

1. If using candelila (sp?) wax, do you use the same amount as if you used beeswax?
2. Where can I buy sweet almond oil? Is this something I can get locally, or do I have to order it online.
3. I see sweet almond oil in many recipes. Is there any other oil that has the same sort of effect in lip balms?
4. Here's a recipe I found and want to know if there is any sage advice on the quality of the recipe or if there is something different I should do to get a decent winter lip balm:

1 tbsp beeswax beads
1 tbsp cocoa butter
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp sweet almond oil.

5. For this size recipe, what amount of lip flavoring oil would I incorporate?

Thanks for contemplating my numerous inquiries!

 

[Manda]

I just wanted to bump your post because I'd love to know the answers too!

I've not had a lot of experience with lip balms but your recipe looks to me like it should work well. Most advice I've read says lip balm is usually made of 1/3 beeswax, 1/3 butter and 1/3 oils, however, I prefer a softer, greasier balm so I make mine closer to your recipe which is 1/4 wax, 1/4 butter and 1/2 oil.

In saying that though, different waxes and butters vary in hardness. With candelila wax I think you're meant to use 1/2 of what you normally would beeswax.

I'm not sure what other oils you can substitute for sweet almond. In my early lip balms I tried mac nut oil and extra virgin olive oil but they were both too smelly so I think you have to pick oils without much smell. Light olive oil is good but I think some people find it drying after a while on the skin.

With the flavouring, I usually find 1 drop per 5g is sufficient. I have a couple of flavours though that are so potent 1 drop would probably do for 25g of balm!

*bump!* :wink:

 

[nup]

I really like castor oil in lip balms! I find it more moisturizing.

 

[Manda]

I really like castor oil in lip balms! I find it more moisturizing.

I read that castor oil can taste icky - do you think it has much of a taste? Do you use it in unflavoured balms?

 

[nup]

To be honest I don't make any unflavored and it tastes nothing to me. Apparently some people think it makes lips shinier but I see no difference from sweet almond in that matter.

 

[TheSoapyEwe]

Sweet Almond has a short shelf life, try substituting Jojobo oil for the Sweet Almond or even Olive Oil.
I love castor and have no one complain of a bad taste, it's very moisturizing and acts as somewhat of a humectant.
I do not sweeten or color mine, I only use flavor oils letting your nose trick your brain into thinking you're actually tasting the flavor.
This keeps you from licking your lips which makes them chapped when air hits them and creates a vicious cycle of chapped lips.

Carnauba wax you might consider.

I'm not sure I'd go with coconut oil......

 

[carebear]

I love sweet almond oil in lip balms. It is a great emollient and the shelf life is a year so I'm ok with that. I do use tocopherols in my balms to help extend that. Sorry, but I've never find the perfect replacement for it.

Coconut is great too, because as a counter to what I see as the warming effect of the SAO, coconut is cooling as it melts (that's how they feel to me).

As for your formula, I use candelilla wax and don't know how to translate between them. I'd recommend starting at half the amount of BW I guess.

BUT you need to work by weights, I think, if you are going to try formulating. Because different granulations and particle sizes will give you different amounts if you go by volumes.

And sorry, I don't know how much flavor you should use. I tend do use 1% flavor and and equivalent amount of sweetener (to me, a flavor without a sweetener is just frustrating!) but how to calculate 1% of 4 TBSP is beyond me.

 

[ohsoap]

You might want to try adding more liquid oils, I've found alot of the recipes I've tried online have dried out rather quickly.