Characteristics of oils for lip balms?

[hobbiz]

I am trying making some lip balms, but the oils and recipes on Internet confuse me. I understand oil's characteristics for soaps, but for lip balms I am not sure. Can you guys tell me what should be put into lip balms and why?

Today I make a lip balm with my recipe:
11g beeswax
11g cocoa butter
10g coconut oil
10g olive oil
5g castor oil
5g grapeseed oil

My lip balm looks light yellow and smell a little cocoa. However it tastes weird. In addition, I feel a little oily on my lips. Any ideas?

Bonus question: How to color your lip balm? . I tried a food color liquid but it crystallized and after I stirred dramatically, turned into tiny crystals. :shock:

 

[hobbiz]

Oh, no one can help me? . I guess not many ppl making lip balms in this forum.
My just made lip balm looks oily on the surface :? baddddddd

 

[Deb]

I'm surprised it feels oily as you have a high percentage solid's there and not a high percentage liquid oils.

usual recipe's go
1/3rd wax
1/3rd hard oil
1/3rd liquid oil.

As to which ones you prefer, that's a question of taste.

you have
11g beeswax (wax) approx 20%
11g cocoa butter (hard oil) approx 20%
10g coconut oil (hard oil or liquid oil depending on where you are) approx 20%
10g olive oil (liquid) approx 20%
5g castor oil (liquid) approx 10%
5g grapeseed oil (liquid) approx 10%

so you have 20% wax, 20/40% hard oil, and 40%/60% liquids.

Then again, individual recipe's and area's do vary. I personally love coconut in mine as it is such a lovely conditioner.

 

[carebear]

for colors try: http://aromahaven.com/lip-balm-tints.html
or http://southernsoapers.com/cart/lip-col ... ed609a30f4

for the proportions, start with Deb's recommendations and work from there - that's what I did!

 

[hobbiz]

The basic recipe works fine. My cocoa butter smells and tastes cocoaly. When I try to put castor oil into my recipe, it tastes very weird. Do your castor lip balm taste the same?
Thanks carebear for helpful links. However, in my country, this soap making hobby is new and I can not find good lip balm color supplier like you guys. Can I use food grade color oils and flavor oils instead?
I found some recipes use color from lipsticks which are very beautiful. What are ads and disadvantages?

 

[Deb]

if the basic recipe works fine and castor oil is the only change, and you don't like the change...don't use it? Try something else. Castor is not necessary. Some people like it, some don't.

as to food colours- if its water based, its not going to mix well with oils. If its oil based, it'll work fine, though you might want to find out ingredients for your labelling if you decide to sell. For that reason. I personally wouldn't use lipstick. But i also elected not to use colours for that reason.

 

[hobbiz]

THanks Deb! I saw many ppl in soap forums love castor oil in lip balms so much so I think it is very important. If I dont use castor oil, there is difficult to substitute it since other good oils are very expensive here. Now I only have soybean oil, grapeseed oil, olive oils (make lip balm yellow and stinks, rite?), sunflower oil, cocoa butter, coconut oils. Do you think they can make a better lip balm than Lip ice, Burts Bee or Carmex?