Have you ever wanted to make your own lip balm?
Just so you know exactly what's in it?
What you are moisturizing your lips with?

I made this Honey Vanilla Lip Balm in very little time!
It's so easy, although, we all know what an idiot I can be sometimes and
I made a really stupid mistake when I attempted to make this a couple weeks ago....
You'll see what I did wrong shortly...and learn from it!  Hahahaha!
I aim to please (or make you laugh at me)!

Onward!

These are the ingredients assembled beforehand...

Can you see something different in this picture from the one on my home page?
(like...find Waldo!  Hahaha!)
You got it...my mistake is...
the jars!
I bought these little jars shown here at the dollar store for cheap,cheap,cheap!
Brought 'em home and thought...hmmm....I'm sure these are
hard enough to sterilize in boiling water.
WRONG!
They melted, so I jarred up my measured-out ingredients and shelved them for a week!
Browsed the internet and found some 1oz jars (a 1/2 oz larger than I wanted, but they
were glass, so I'm not complaining!)
They came a couple days ago, so now I was back on track!

Okay...onward again...

Ingredients as shown above

(I multiplied by 5 to get three to four 1oz jars, but this recipe makes one 1/2oz jar)

1/2 oz Calendula Infused Oil
(you could use jojoba oil as a substitute)

1/2 Tbsp Grated Beeswax
5 drops Vanilla Essential Oil
1 Tbsp Honey

1/2 oz glass ointment jar

How To

Gently boil the jar in a saucepan filled with water for 5 minutes
to sterilize it.

Place Calendula Infused Oil and Beeswax
in a heatproof glass measuring cup, and set cup in a shallow pan of
simmering water.  Heat stirring constantly, until the two ingredients are melted and clear.

Remove from heat, add vanilla essential oil and honey.
Stir until combined and pour into jars/jar.
Place in refrigerator to set.

The Jars

I wanted to give my jars a little bit of "Bling"!
Just so they'd be a pretty gift or for my viewing pleasure.
So, while at the Dollar Store, I picked up these sticky-backed ribbons...

I picked out some matching Bling Jewels from my little cache....

I wrapped the self-sticking ribbon around the caps of the jars and cut it.
(I know...tough huh?)
Then, got out my trusty glue gun and embellished (love that word..haha)
the tops of the jars and Voila!

I've even tried it out already and it's quite nice!
I think the calendula infused oil makes it, because it's a healing flower and
is soothing to your lips.
To read more about the benefits of Calendula (Marigold)
go HERE (in Herbs, Flowers & Such)

I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed making it!
Now....you do it!
xo

*Original recipe from "Pure Skin Organic Beauty Basics, by Barbara Close"

Oh, yes you can make this yourself!
And, I'm going to show you how!
It's so easy and looks so pretty when it's finished.

Is there anything more calming than a luxurious soak in a hot tub?
With the fragrance of lavender or roses wafting around you
as you relax in serene bliss?
No there isn't!

Let's get started then!

1

Find a pretty bottle or jar to fill with your
Bath Salt concoction!
I had several to choose from because for years I've been buying up
glass decanters from flea markets, garage sales and Value Village.
You can get them from "for free" to around $10.00 or you can pay an exorbitant
price for them, but I prefer cheap, cheap, cheap!

Aren't they so beautiful?!

2

Collect your ingredients together.
(I just happened to have all of them....I know...herb junky!)

Add your salts and Borax to a large bowl.
Add the essential oil one drop at a time until you reach your desired fragrance.
(I used Lavender/Vanilla above in a ratio of 2/1)
Tint the mixture at this point.
If you are blending two colours (like I did with red/blue to achieve purple),
do them first in a separate bowl as shown here.
I found that you really have to smoosh the salts with the back of a spoon to mix
the colours in...as they tend to clump up a bit in the salt.
So, smoosh, smoosh, smoosh til colour is right for you!
Add in your dried herbs and powdered milk and stir.
The powdered milk will help moisturize your skin.

With the Rose Bath Salts, I used
Rose/Lavender in a ratio of 1/1.
My reason for that is I find the Rose rather strong myself and it just kind of tones it down.

Okay!  The Bath Salts are done!
We just need to bottle them!

4

Here's where I had some more fun!

When you are bottling the Bath Salts, you have to remember
that if you are putting dried herbs in, you need to have a wee bag on hand to
put a few spoonfuls of the salts into.
This way, the herbs won't go down your drain!

So I decided to make decorate up some bags with a
"Graphics Fairy" image which was a garden frame that I put in the words
"HerBallistic Garden Bath Salts"

I'm so proud of these!
And, it only took me two tries...hahahaha!
This was the first time I'd tried this
"Citrasolve Method"
that my friend Maureen over at It's All Connected
gave a tutorial on how to do the transfers!

My bottles of beautiful Bath Salts are complete now!

A lovely Gift for someone special
or
Keep it for Yourself!

(note: Basis of this recipe came from Creative Home Magazine, Spring 2009,
Written by Laura Holtorf Collins)

My Calendula Oil and Rose Oil have been prepared!
See how it was done HERE
and
Read all about Calendula (Marigold) HERE

I also like to add a few drops of essential oil to my homemade oils.
Although, my rose oil smells of course like a beautiful rose, I find that
adding just a few drops into the bottle makes it a fuller aroma!

This box was homemade for me by my stepson Duncan
when he was around 13-14yrs old.
It is my favourite box.
If you'll look at the bottom of it....you'll see why!

 
I store all of my essential oils in this box and have for years!

 

We're ready to make handcream now!  Or, just to add some
luxurious oil to our bath!

Keep an eye out for the handcream lesson!

              My Aunt Linda gave me this recipe and it's basically the same as any others in my numerous herb books.  It's very easy to make infused calendula oil and rose oil works on the same premise.    These jars here look quite lovely don't they?  Well, wait until you see them in 10-12 days....GROSS!!  Then they are all brown and slimy looking inside and have lost their gorgeous colours.  They look like something you'd see in a witch's kitchen at that point.  They'll have been sitting in a sunny window ledge  all that time actually fermenting in the safflower oil.  It's so worth it in the end though because you'll have a wonderful, natural homemade remedy and some bath oil!  And, the colour doesn't really matter in the end because it will be clearer and stored in a coloured bottle or jar.


Calendula (Marigold) and Rose Oil

Pick  bowls of flowers
Break off the petals and rub (bruise) the them as you fill a canning jar.  Push them down.
Pour in Cold-Pressed Safflower Oil to cover the petals.
Seal and place on a windowsill in a sunny spot.
Leave for 10-12 days.
Fill another jar tightly with bruised flowers (after the 10-12 days).
Strain the calendula mixture that's been sitting through cheesecloth into the new jar.
Top up with more Cold-Pressed Safflower Oil to cover.
Repeat  standing time on the windowsill for another 10-12 days in the new jar.
Repeat straining process.
Store in a coloured glass bottle or jar for up to a year in a cool, dark place....no...not your mind!

            The Calendula oil can be used as described in last weeks blog Calendula and the infused Rose Oil can be used similarly in hand and body creams or I like to put a few drops of Lavender Essential Oil into the tub with some of the Rose Oil...I love the combination of these two scents! 

Calendula (Marigold) Salve

Wash 4 small 1/2 cup jars in hot soapy water and dry well.
Pour 1 cup infused oil into the top of a double boiler that has hot (not boiling, just hot) water in the bottom of it             and heat the oil until it's warm...not hot.
Add 5 Tbsp. grated beeswax slowly and keep stirring until it melts.
Add 4 tsp. aloe vera gel if you have it.
Test the consistency of the creamy salve by dabbing some on a plate with a spoon and letting it cool.  If it seems             to be the thickness you want, then it's ready.  If not, add a little more beeswax.
You can also add 5-20 drops of Lavender Essential Oil (also a healer) into the mixture for added scent.
Remove from heat and pour into jars labelled and dated.
Store in a dark, cool place for up to a year.
(rule of thumb: 4 parts oil, 1 part beeswax)

            You can add almost any ingredients you like to this salve.  If you add some drops of tea tree oil as well because it is antifungal and antiseptic, it will only enhance your homemade salve.  Calendula is great on cracked skin and for healing cuts.

            Obviously I won't be making my creams for a few weeks, but if you want to start doing the first step, do it now!  Get the flowers infusing in the oil on your windowsill!   Don't wait to see my finished product or it will be too late for you!