Balm for the Holidays

 Originally I posted this on my old photography blog as a week of love activity but today I'm using it for some Christmas gifts.
This is the originally post:

Day Two
I know there is more than just one "loved one." I wanted to find a way to appreciate the women dear to me by making them a little something to remind them that they are loved and adored this week - lip balm (and/or hand salve recipe).
These winter months can be damaging to our skin. Lips and hands need a little love this week - pamper them with this recipe.
Clockwise from top left: Jojoba oil, coconut oil, castor oil, and beeswax pellets.
I chose castor oil for its penetrating qualites, jojoba for its absorption and molecular stability (longer shelf life), coconut oil for its delicious smell and moisturizing properties, and beeswax to solidify the balm. For essential oils, I added clove EO, orange EO, rosemary EO, and carrot seed EO (wonderful skin-nourishment in carrotseed). These essential oils are immune-boosting, perfect for getting through flu season. Some other delicious blends would be mint and lavender or lemon and rose. If this is for the man in your life (great for chapped, hard-working hands), clove and black pepper are wonderful as well.
All these ingredients can be found at your local health store (although you may have to grate the beeswax) or you can buy them at Mountain Rose Herbs.

Lip Balm.
Ingredients
2 rounded tblspn coconut oil
1 tblspn jojoba oil
1 tblspn castor oil
1 tblspn beeswax
10 drops Essential Oil (optional)
Melt all ingredients except for essential oil in double boiler. Once completely melted and clear, remove from heat, add essential oil, and stir. Pour into clean tins.
Also if you are making this in summer months, add another tspn of beeswax otherwise the product may melt due to its softness.