This Tutorial is for our Easy Argan Lip Treat - Lip Balm Kit
This pumped up Lip Balm uses our nourishing Lip Balm Base that provides a perfect, grain-free firm base to load with luxury additives when a little extra care is needed. We've powered it up with Oat Oil (rich in Ceramides), Organic Argan Oil (high in Vitamin E) and Castorlene Gel (no petrochemicals) to tone down the hardness and provide extra soothing application. As our base is quite firm it can take a good amount of additives and still perform well in tubes.
A note on some of the ingredients:
Oat Oil Lipid is a unique blend of complex lipids, and is the only refined natural oil that contains both the neutral and the polar lipids found in the skin itself. For this reason, Oat Oil easily and rapidly absorbs into the skin leaving a non-greasy feeling. Oat Oil is rich in ceramides and Vitamin E making it a fantastic ingredient for lip products as well as skin and hair care. Oat Oil hydrates, smoothes and refines lips and its moisturising properties helps to prevent lips drying and cracking - it's got quite a lot of goodness packed into a small bundle!
Rosehip Oil offers excellent rejuvenating properties and is ideal for anti-ageing balms and inclusion in all skin care, including lip products. Rosehip Oil contains high amounts of essential fatty acids and Vitamin E, both promote healthy skin and cell regeneration. As it is rich in linoleic and linolenic acids it is a very desirable inclusion in skin nutrition. Rosehip seed oil has been used successfully to treat many skin conditions.
Organic Argan Oil also has a high Vitamin E content and high levels of Omega-5 and Omega-9 fatty acids all of which are perfect for lip and skincare products as well as in hair products. Argan Oil is also moisturising, effectively penetrates the skin and smoothes.
Castorlene Gel great for slightly softer consistency for a winter balm, and this inclusion is also beneficial in lip products as it offers slip, shine and improved skin feel on application, so kinder for chapped lips.
This balm has been formulated for an Australian winter - if you are making it for summer you'll need to tweak the soft ingredient additions to withstand more heat. Also if posting the finished product in summer or if you intend on carrying it in the pocket of your workout gear you may want to stick to just lip pots. The temperature has been around 20°C during formulation and trials.
The quantity of pots and tubes you make may slightly depending on how full you fill them. Maxi Tubes hold 10 - 11g each, and we fill lip pots with 8 - 10g. You can fill by eye, but if you need exact net quantity for labelling, you can easily check your weights on digital scales. This formula can be halved to make two smaller batches.
Recipe (supplied with this kit):
- 100g Melt & Pour Lip Balm Base
- 18g Organic Argan Oil
- 6g Pure Oat Oil
or - 6g Pure Rosehip Oil
- 14g Castorlene Gel (whole amount supplied)
- 10 - 25 drops Lip Flavour (optional, adjust to preferred taste)
- 10 - 25 drops Sweet Lips (Lip Balm Sweetener) (optional, adjust to preferred taste)
Packaging (supplied with this kit):
- 2 x 6 packs Aluminium Lip Pots
- 1 x 5 pack White Maxi Lip Tubes
- 2 x Disposable Pipettes
What You'll Need From Your Kitchen:
- Digital Scales (helpful but not essential)
- 1 stirring stick or spoon
- Thermometer (helpful but not essential)
- 250ml minimum microwave safe jug
* Note the following step-by-step graphics show a previously stocked lip pot. This kit now comes with our 10ml Aluminium Lip Pots and White Maxi Lip Tubes as shown below.
Tip: If using flavour and sweetener, taste testing is important! Drip one or two drops of lip balm onto a cold spoon or dish, check it’s cool to touch, and then have a taste and also apply some to your lips. You’ll know if you prefer a little more flavour and sweetener and adjust to your preference.
Use the Downloadable Kit Instructions for full measuring information.
Instructions:
- Roughly chop the lip balm and place in the microwave safe jug.
- Microwave on medium/high for a few minutes, checking periodically - take care not to overheat it. (We like to melt to 75°C and pour at 65 - 70°C or just below).
- While the base is melting, un-lid the lip pots and tubes so they're ready to fill. Stand the unlidded Maxi Lip Tubes in a low bowl or use an elastic band to keep them stable during filling.
- Once you see there is only a small piece of balm floating in the liquid, remove from the heat and gently stir until the last piece has melted.
- Now add the Castorlene, Argan and Oat Oil and stir - this will bring the temperature down and then it's ready to pour if you are not flavouring it.
- If the balm has cooled and begins to set up, just give it a quick 20 seconds or so in the microwave to re-melt.
- If using Mica to colour the balm, add a very small amount, stirring gently. Check for depth of colour and add a little more if desired. This is NOT to colour the lips like a lipstick, but to colour the balm.
- If you are adding sweetener and flavour, add this now, stirring to combine.
- Pour time! Carefully pour directly into the lip pots and tubes, filling to just below the rim.
- Allow to set up, pop on the lids, label or bag, and you are done!
It is that easy!
