Heather Kew, RMT 
Christmas stockings can either be a jack-pot or a bust. As a kid, as long as there was candy in it, it was a jackpot, but as an adult, a little bit of candy is great, but the other stuff - that's what makes or breaks the stocking. This year, I'm planning what I'm giving everyone for the holidays and I decided to make a few of my gifts.
Living in Alberta, Lip Balm is an essential in the winter to fight dry, chapped lips. So lip balm in a stocking is a definite winner. This recipe was inspired by those chocolate oranges I used to always get in my stocking that you had to smash to get apart and eat the slices. The cocoa butter has a lovely chocolate smell while the green mandarin essential oil gives it a lovely citrus smell and taste. I chose green mandarin essential oil for one very specific reason: its one of the only citrus oils that is not photosensitive - meaning it doesn't make your skin more sensitive to burns when exposed to UV light. We've also added honey for 2 reasons: one to give it a slightly sweet tastes and two to act as a humectant - meaning it will attract moisture to it, helping to keep your lips moisturized. The reality is that any essential oil that is safe to ingest can be substituted for the green mandarin oil. Some great options are peppermint or lavender.
Most of the ingredients can be purchased from your local health food store or amazon. I have included links for Windy Point Soap Supplies but Brambleberry and New Aromatics will also carry most of the items needed to make these as well. I highly recommend making these on a piece or parchment paper or a cookie sheet to make it easier to clean up the mess. I fill my sink up with hot soapy water as I'm making crafts such as these, so that I can clean up my kitchen equipment before the spilled lip balm mixture sets on these items. If you spill any of the mixture down the sides of the tubes, wait for it to set and then clean it up with paper towel then an alcohol swab so that the labels will stick properly.
Recipe
Equipment & Packaging
lip tubes 4.5 g - 10
metal jars 15 g - 3
Tube Filling Tray - this is not necessary but makes it so much easier and less messy to fill up the tubes.
Labels - download the label here.
Pyrex heat resistant measuring cup - the pour spout helps with filling the tubes.
Ingredients
12 g Coconut Oil
10 g Beeswax pellets
10 g Argan Oil (or any other liquid carrier oil of your choice)
7 g Raw Cocoa butter
4 g Honey
Essential oils
20 drops Green Mandarin Essential Oils
Directions
- Combine coconut oil, beeswax pellets, argan oil, honey and cocoa butter in a pyrex measuring cup and place in the microwave. Heat mixture for 30 second bursts, mixing in between each burst, until mixture is completely melted through.
- Stir mixture until it begins to cool. While the mixture is still liquid, stir in the green mandarin essential oils.
- Place lip balm tubes in lip balm tube tray or use an elastic band and place all the tubes together in one elastic. Carefully pour the mixture into the tubes and allow to set without their lids on overnight.
- Cap the tubes and then place labels and shrink wrap on tubes (optional). Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
