Lip Balm - It's so easy!

Oh, folks!  Hold me back!!!!!

LOL

Next to being new at soap-making and finding it a bit time-consuming (post from earlier today), brewing up your own batch of lip balm is SOOOOOOO easy!   Readily having access to beeswax, and either coconut or olive oil, mixing up a batch takes minutes!  And what's more -- you can use it right away!

At first I was concerned that our beeswax hadn't been 'cleaned' or refined.  It's still in the ice-cream pail, basically taken directly from the frame as Paul was harvesting the honey last year.  Some of it still has (barely) traceable honey residue.  And then it hit me.......

DUH!  If some recipes suggest adding honey ANYWAY.... what's the difference if it's "clean" beeswax or not!?!?!?

So, for those of you who get intrigued to make up your own batch or two and have to purchase 'clean' beeswax, you may want to consider adding a dash of honey to your recipe.  Then again, why stop at honey?  Do a quick "lip balm flavor oil" search and have at 'er!  LOL.  Here's Brambleberry's flavor oil page.  Oh dear Lord, please gift to me the power of restraint!

It was decided for the second trial NOT to include any honey to the recipe since it separated from the oils in the first batch.  Also, coconut oil was exchanged for olive oil (more about that decision a bit later). 

Trial 2 - "Peppermint Love"

2 Tbs beeswax
2 Tbs olive oil
1/4 tsp Peppermint extract (YES!  Extract!!!)
I didn't have any mint essential oils, and I was IMPATIENT, wanting to try another batch with a mint flavor/smell.  So... sure!  Why not?  I knew we had some extract in the cupboard, so.... *shrug*.  I threw it in!

I didn't have any lip-balmy containers around the house (crazy to think, right??  With three girls??)  However, we had just been gifted BOXES of these small jelly jars;  really small!  I can't even tell you how much they hold or what size they are.  We always freeze our jams.  When we made jelly two summers ago, we used half-pint jars.  These..... I don't think they even hold a cup, so.... maybe half-cup containers???    Anyway.  As I sifted through one box, this lid jumped out at me "Love."

It was meant to be.  Because I LOVE this trial!  Really!  The batch created about 1/4 cup of balm.  The peppermint extract is subtle, and provides a little bit of initial tingly-ness.  I could see upping the next trial to 1/2 tsp.

A word of warning (?) after some research on whether extracts should/could be used in lip-balms.  It would seem that extract should separate from the oils since it isn't an oil-based flavor.  *shrug*.
Hmpf!  I didn't have a problem.  And as we've all (hopefully) learned and/or heard over the years --

try new things!  

Some things will succeed and some will fail.  I successfully used peppermint extract in my lip balm.  **patting self on back**

Now.  Some minor education on olive oil vs. coconut oil (and I am NO expert after a couple days of research).  If anyone has more data to share with me regarding the two, I would love to read more on which is more moisturizing and/or conditioning than the other.

On soapcalc.com, one of the calculators soapers have access to is a Lye Calculator.  On that page, many many fats/oils are listed, along with their soap qualities.

Check out the "CONDITION" lines... 

It would appear to me that Olive oil has more conditioning (and therefore moisturizing ?) properties than Coconut oil.  Therefore, for lip-balm, I will use olive oil until further notice.
For soaping.... both oils play nicely together, which is probably why many simple recipes call for both of them.  Easy to purchase, and where one is high or low in conditioning, the other makes up for it.  Likewise, hardness... and cleansing (an important aspect for soap, wouldn't you think?!?!!) ;)  Bubbly too -- there's something kinda saddening about soap that doesn't lather, so... bring on those bubbly numbers for soap.

Oh Jeni.   What have you done?!?!?!?!?
LOL

Soap, Birdies, and Lip Balm

Yup.  Yup.  Paul knew I'd get hooked and obsessed on a new hobby, SPECIALLY after being invited to Jeni's house for a few hours of soap-making the other night.

Yesterday, I read.  I researched.  I learned.  I shopped.

Ingredients for first batch:

(These are ONLY the ingredients and container sizes I purchased.  These are NOT the amounts for the recipe!)

*Lye*

With a small nudge in the right direction from Jeni, I found 100% lye at the local ACE hardware.  454 grams - $4.49

*Olive Oil*

Weight not given;  only liquid volume (101.4 fl oz / 3L) - $19.99
After the fact, I didn't focus on liquid measurement as I poured;  recipe is based on weight.  In order to get a cost analysis, I GUESS I'll just have to make another batch soon and pay attention to volume :D

*Coconut Oil*

Again, weight not given;  only liquid volume (14 fl oz / 414 mL) - $7.89

*Distilled Water*

Recipes recommend using distilled water, and since we have hard water that goes through a softener, this wasn't even a second thought!  Gallon purchased - $0.83.  Used a cup-ish or so.  MINOR COST!

And YES -- for my first batch, I tried Anne L. Watson's Yogurt Parfait Soap (complete recipe can be found in her Milk Soapmaking book) 

The yogurt I already had on-hand:  Low-Fat Vanilla.  The recipe didn't even require a whole lil' single serving -- so... $0.40 for that.  Another MINOR COST!  And who knew you could make soap with yogurt?!?!

For my first soaping experience, I wanted to play it safe and follow a published recipe.  The yogurt and water were mixed up bright and early at 6AM and placed into ice-cube trays.  They were ready for me by the time I returned from dropping the girls off at summer school.

I behaved first, though!  All the dishes and kitchen counters were cleaned before starting, all the while thinking about some videos and websites visited yesterday.  One in particular:  DIY Natural Coffee Soap.  Ummm...hello!!!!  LOVE coffee, right?!?!

SO, even though the recipe was followed as written...

the final step was altered JUST a wee bit.   There are no pictures, as the hands were a bit too busy, nor was anyone else home at the time.

The 'batter' was divided, setting about 1/3 of the mixture aside.  Roughly, 1/4 cup coffee grounds was added to the 1/3 mixture.  10 g of Vanilla oil fragrance was also added;  it's all I had on-hand.  EXTREMELY light scented soap.  *shrug*.  It's all good;  just for us, after all.

The two mixtures were swirled together, although, I don't think it'll turn out to be a 'true soaper's swirl.'  Again....all good here!  ;)

Nothing fancy used as the molds...

Have you ever had Bridgford Monkey Bread?  YUMMMMM!  Well, this lil' mold right here is the container the bread comes in.  Great lil' repurposing, me thinks!!!

The other??  Just one of those salad/donut plastic containers that deli's give out to customers.  

And yes----Cassie was arriving home just as I was finishing the pour.  She saw this container, and said...."Oooooh!  What's this??"

"Whatever you do, DO NOT EAT IT!!!!!"

She went on to say 'ah, good thing you said something.  It certainly looks like a yummy pudding."

To be sure no one else may fall into the "it looks good enough to eat" trap, she labelled it with the warning before we moved the molds into the freezer.

It's been about 6 hours; the first 4 hours in the freezer, and now the soap has moved into the fridge to continue setting.

First batch of Vanilla Yogurt and Coffee soap -- check!

-----------------------------------------

Three week UPDATE:  

The next day after cutting the soap, and being concerned from an 'off' odor, like spoiled milk, I began researching a method for rebatching soap.  Plus, my soaping mentor dropped off one of her old, small 2lb molds she no longer uses!!!
Read up on the rebatch...
And come to find out... that odor was nothing to be concerned with.  One lil' bar was kept, while the rest went into the rebatch.  The odor is no longer present... and the bar received its test-run this AM.

Lathered and bubbled nicely;  no burning.  After placing it in the soap holder and picking it back up a minute or two later, there was almost a slime-like appearance to it, but after another 10 minutes of drying, it was back to a muted, solid bar of soap.

-----------------------------------------

back to three weeks ago....

As I was placing the molds into the freezer, a lil chirping noise caught my attention, but I ignored it.

Hours later, when I went to move the molds into the fridge, I heard the sound again, in the same location.  It didn't sound like a mouse.  It didn't sound like a cricket, either.

......

Pinpointing the sound, behind one of Paul's ladders.....

Baby birdy!!!!  Oh, I must have stood there for a few minutes, wondering what to do.  If I tried to grab it, would it fly away?  Is is big enough to fly away?  How on earth did it get in here?  The garage door had been closed.  I reached for it slowly; it didn't even flinch and came rather uneventfully into my hand.

NOW what to do with it?  **shrug** I'm no bird expert.  Is it too small to survive without the mom?  **shrug**

Simple solution:  Place it on the handrail and watch it.  LOL

Well, I'll be!!!!!!  I head over the tomato section of the handrail...... do you see?!?!?!!?  CLEARLY a sibling was in my tomato pot (left birdy --  the right birdy is the only I released).  Within minutes, both of them hopped out and flew off.  Good luck lil' birdy!

Ho hum.  Researching soap recipes for much of the afternoon :D.  Browsing Amazon.com.  Browsing Bumbleberry.com.  Playing with the Soap/Lye calculator at Soapcalc.net.

Then, I was inspired to see what could be made with our beeswax.

Mwha-ha-ha......

MOM!  What's this?  REALLLLY?  You MADE lip-balm???  You can MAKE lip-balm????

LOL.  Yup.  Played around with a little sample size of lip balm.  More playing required.

Simple recipe tried:

1 Tbsp beeswax
1 Tbsp Coconut oil

1/2 tsp honey

2 drops essential oil (I only have Lavender on-hand.)

Eh.  The lavender wasn't bad as lip balm, but a MINT oil would be so much nicer!!! Spearmint!!! Oh yes. 

Off to shop!  And play with some more batch trials.  The honey seems to be 'escaping' the oils/butters.  I may need to decrease it.

want some?

Oh.  Yeah.  The sample-size container used??  An old Altoids tin :D