Look for quality products, not just cost effective ones, when choosing lip balm supplies. It’s a good idea to perfect your lip balms by experimenting with different amounts and types of the best ingredients available before purchasing supplies such as tubes and compacts. If you create wonderful lip balms that you decide to sell or give as gifts, then you may want to add supplies such as a filling tray that can save time by allowing you to fill many lipstick tubes at once. Even if you’ll just need lip balm supplies for your personal use, you’re likely not to overbuy by waiting until you’ve actually developed some recipes you love.
Olive oil, beeswax, vitamin E and mango butter are popular soothing ingredients in good quality lip balms. You may want to start by choosing some of these to blend together when experimenting with lip balm recipes. Cosmetic grade sunflower, almond or apricot oils are often good alternatives to olive oil. Rather than mango butter, you could experiment with either palm or coconut oil. Keep in mind that beeswax, or soy wax, will harden lip balm, while adding additional oils or butters can soften it.
When choosing lip balm supplies, make sure to have completed your research so you are aware of what not to buy. For example, you should typically avoid petroleum jelly in your lip balm crafting supplies since it tends to trap moisture on the lips rather than penetrate to moisturize. It’s also best to look for lip balm suppliers that carry natural colorants rather than dyes. Don’t be tempted to overbuy lip balm natural colorants, as you should be using enough just to tint your creations. If you choose beeswax that is already tinted rather than the white variety, you’ll need even less colorant. If you want to add sun protection products to your lip balms, check to make sure items such as zinc oxide or titanium oxide are approved for use in cosmetics in your country before purchasing these materials.
When choosing the amounts of lip balm supplies you’ll actually use, it can be helpful to think of the steps you’ll take to create the products, such as melting, coloring, flavoring and filling. Picturing each process can help you remember what types of lip balm ingredients you’d like to use in each step. Look for essential oils rather than artificial flavors for your lip balms. Citrus and mint varieties can be the easiest to use for beginning lip balm makers. Once you master these, you may want to try essential oil flavors that can be more difficult to add in pleasing quantities such as such as vanilla, berry and chocolate.