Healing Lemon Balm Lip Balm Recipe for Cold Sores
This Vegan lip balm recipe harnesses the antiviral properties of lemon balm, conditioning sweet almond oil and protective candelilla wax. It makes approx. four to five small pots of lip balm that you can use every day or to specifically treat cold sores. To make the recipe, you can use homegrown or purchased lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), but the leaves should be fully dried. You can also substitute the candelilla wax with beeswax and use a different carrier oil for the sweet almond oil. When choosing oils and waxes, try to use organic, if possible. They're cleaner, support regenerative agriculture, and in the case of essential oils, safer on your lips.
Servings 5 lip balms
Cost $20
Equipment
- 5 lip balm containers - the recipe makes five 10 ml (0.34 oz) lip balms
Ingredients
For the lemon balm-infused oil
- Lemon balm leaves fully dried
- sweet almond oil or another carrier oil such as grapeseed oil or olive oil. Aim to use organic, if possible.
For the lip balm recipe
- 10 g Candelilla wax 0.3 oz / 2.5 tsp. Can also use organic beeswax.
- 50 g lemon balm-infused oil 1.75 oz / 4 TBSP
- 3 drops melissa officinalis essential oil Optional. You can also use three drops peppermint essential oil. Organic if possible.
Instructions
Make the Lemon Balm-Infused Oil
- Fill a clean and sterilized jar halfway with dried lemon balm leaves. The size of the jar doesn't matter too much, as long as you can fit at least 100 ml (3.4 oz) of oil inside. I recommend a small jam jar or Mason jar. Pour the sweet almond oil over it, filling to within a half-inch of the top. Seal, shake, and leave in a dark but warm place to infuse for two weeks. Shake daily, if possible.
- Strain the lemon balm leaves from the oil through a sieve and discard the leaves. Refill the jar with more dried lemon balm leaves and repeat the process.
- After the second strain, this time, through cheesecloth, bottle the oil up in preparation for the balm recipe. Store in a dark place and/or a dark glass bottle. The oil has a shelf-life of one year or the best-by date of the oil you used to make it.
Make the Lemon Balm Lip Balm
- Measure the candelilla wax into a small saucepan with a pouring spout. Float this pan in another pan of simmering water – this creates a double boiler. Melt the wax until liquid then remove the pan from the water and set on a pot holder or tea towel.
- Pour the lemon balm-infused oil into the melted wax. The wax will solidify slightly when the room temperature oil is added.
- Return to the pan to re-melt, stirring gently with a wooden skewer or silicone spatula. When fully melted, remove from the heat, wiping the bottom of the pan of moisture and setting it on a pot holder or tea towel.
- Add the optional essential oil and stir well. Next, pour it into the lip balm pots or tubes. The silicone spatula comes in handy in scraping all the lip balm from the pan.
- The lip balms can take up to three days to fully set but afterward has a shelf-life of up to one year. Apply it when you have a cold sore or any time your lips need conditioning and TLC.
Video
Notes
Find a printed version of this recipe on page 122 of the author's book, A Woman's Garden: Grow Beautiful Plants and Make Useful Things