Over the last few years I have shared some of our (ongoing) adventures in Autism here, here and here. Whether it is a side effect of medications or just one more area of persistent discomfort associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), our son has had a hard time with chapped lips (and other skin issues in the past). I have also seen this with other individuals suffering from ASD over the years.
Whatever the cause, it was a never-ending issue and for years we relied on commercial lip balms. Because of his level of consumption, I began to worry about all the of the chemicals and additives commonly used in commercial manufacture of lip balm. So some years back I looked online and found a number of helpful sites with recipes and instructions for making lip balm at home. I also learned that would making a healthier and safer lip balm at home would be quite economical – costing pennies per container.
I started making our lip balm and never looked back.
Being a bit of a perfectionist I have also made a small label that lists the 5 ingredients and includes a small bee logo. All totally unnecessary of course – this is not a commercial product, just something we like to use and give to friends and relatives. Yesterday we ran out of our stock of Busy Beeswax Peppermint Lip Balm, so this afternoon I have made another batch.
In case this may be of interest to anyone else I am including here a standard lip balm recipe and instructions.
Ingredients:
2 heaping T Beeswax
2 T Coconut Oil (solid state)
1 T Almond or Sunflower/Safflower Oil
15 Drops Peppermint Essential Oil
1 t Vitamin E oil (I use 45,000 IU – max concentration.
You also need small containers for the lip balm (though Matt suggests making one big one).
Instructions:
Bring water to a simmer in a pot large enough to hold a 2 cup pyrex measuring cup; Add the Beeswax, Coconut Oil and Almond or Sunflower oil to the measuring cup and place it in the simmering water.
When the Beeswax and Coconut Oil have melted, remove the measuring cup and add remaining ingredients, then pour the lip balm into containers while it is still liquid.
(If it starts to cool too much you can put the measuring cup back into simmering water for a moment or two to bring it back to liquid form.)
The bottom line: As always we face a number of challenges lacking easy solutions – life with or without ASD is never a straight line. Making lip balm at home has at least resolved the issue of persistent chapped lips, in a healthier, and more affordable way. This is an amazing, affordable lip balm with wholesome ingredients, the best I have ever used at any price point.
It always make me feel good when I can do something, however small, to make our lives better.
(Now back to cooking for the last night of Passover.)
Your Second-Middle Age: 