Bee Stung Lips

Hubby came home this morning!  YAY!  It's been way too long with him gone.  It's tough work being a trucker.  It's even tougher being a trucker's family.  In preparation for his arrival I decided to make some all natural beauty products.  I decided that since I made so many different things, I would discuss one each day for the next few days.  I don't get much done when Hubby's home.  After him being gone so long we're usually pretty busy...er....  busy.  Yeah, Busy!  ;-)  So this way I can better utilize his home time (and give me time to get everything done for our Lady Bug's birthday party on Saturday).  The first DIY all natural beauty product we'll discuss is lip balm.  Wonderful, soft, delicious, long lasting, luscious, moisturizing lip balm.  Yeah, I think it's that awesome!

There are a few supplies you need before you get started.  Well, besides the ingredients.  This takes special containers to put the lip balm into when  you're done.  It seems obvious, but I was so happy to be able to make lip balm that I sort of forgot about that part.  Good thing I had saved 2 empty Chap-Stick type containers of the girls.  The rest went into an old empty artichoke jar to be remelted and used as necessary....  at least until I get containers.  *smh*   

Supplies

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Small metal bowl

Metal pot large enough to fit small metal bowl inside

Metal poker (to stir with)

Water

Oven Mitt

Metal Spoon (Cereal type spoon)

Containers

Once you have all that the rest isn't that hard.  Another one of those small accomplishments that will seem HUGE to you....  but not the lady working at Wal*Mart.  Don't ask how I know this.  My dorkiness is already showing entirely too much.  

Ingredients

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5 Tbs Beeswax Pastilles

4 Tbs Coconut Oil

2 tsp Grape Seed Oil

20 Drops Essential Oil(s) of your choice

 4 tsp Liquid Raw Honey

Put all of the ingredients  into small metal bowl.  But bowl into pot filled with enough water that is will not make the bowl float or accidentally get into bowl.  Heat the water to boiling.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook, double boiler style, until all the wax and oils are melted completely, stirring occasionally with metal poker.  When it is all melted use the oven mitt and pull the bowl full of liquid out of the hot water.  Using metal spoon fill lip balm containers, scraping off cooled lip balm and place back into bowl with liquid.  Let cool until cool to the touch.  Use!

That's it.  Seriously.  And it's sooooo tasty (we used vanilla and tea tree oils (tasty and healing)).  The girls were surprised this morning to new filled tubes of lip balm which we think smells amazing and tastes slightly sweet.  Guess what? My lips stayed moist all day!  I go through lip balm like most people go through toilet paper.  I get horribly dry lips (So does our youngest) so this was a small miracle.  Even better, hubby said they felt amazing!  You don't get better than Hubby approved!  ;)

I, of course, am using their lip balm.  I found some decently priced containers online and am going to get some next week.  Just in time for our contest.  CONTEST?!?!  Yup...  contest!  I will have all the rules and such up this weekend.  It will run Monday through Saturday next week with a winner everyday and a drawing Sunday for a big prize!  So keep checking the blog for more information and the prizes.  It's not a lot or super valuable, but I'm giddy excited about it!

My baby step today is to remind you of the value of recycling.  Not the haul the cans to the redemption center kind (though that is VERY important), but in the save your empty jars and jugs and containers.  I would have been soooooo spit out of luck if I hadn't thought to save their empty lip balm tubes.  And lord knows what I'd do with out empty egg cartons and jars!  So try the recipe above if you want a fun tasty awesome lip balm, but definitely make sure you save reusable objects and actually reuse them.  You'd be amazed what even this simple step could do for shrinking your foot print and help you abide by the waste not want not motto unprocessing embodies (along with a lot of other things.  :-) ).

Today I wish that you are loved.  It's such an amazing gift to share your heart, and to get a piece of theirs in return!