Chocolate of the Day: Chocolate Lip Balm

Chapped lips suck. Chocolate lips are delicious.

My mother makes all sorts of cool things, and as soon as I learned we were doing chocolate this month, I knew I had to share this one with you all. It’s also double timely because everyone in my family has chapped lips right now. I invited my mother over before burlesque class and we cooked up this (and some other things) to share with you all.

This recipe is one that is described in parts, so you can adjust your batch size easily. This basically means that if you use 1 tablespoon where it reads 1 part, you will need 2 tablespoons where it reads 2 parts (or cups, gallons, etc.). Remember your times tables and how to multiply fractions? You can use those skills to adjust your batch size.

You Need:

• beeswax (1 part)
• Coconut oil or similar (2-4 parts)
• Chocolate chips or Chocolate Melts (2-4 parts)
• a way to melt things. We used small crock pots and jars.
• a stirring device. I used a tiny spatula, but anything that fits in your containers works.)
• small containers to put your finished product in.
• Optional: kitchen grade or higher essential oils.

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Directions:

1. Set up your melting device. This could be a double boiler, or a crock pot and jars… whatever you have that works for you. Don’t do direct heat though — the same things that can go wrong trying to melt chocolate that way apply here. And trust me, burnt chocolate is no fun. You can technically do this in the microwave, but unless you’ve already mastered melting chocolate that way, I’d avoid it.
2. Once it’s warm, put the beeswax into the melting device. You should stir occasionally so that it melts evenly.
3. Once it is melted, add the coconut oil. We used coconut oil because our family likes it and uses it a lot, but feel free to experiment or make due. Different hardening points and melting points will change the texture of your final product, so you can experiment. The more you add, the easier the final product will be — just remember that you do want it to be able to firm up enough to be a balm not a soup!
4. Once the coconut oil and the beeswax are completely combined, add the chocolate one part at a time. If you add it all at once, it takes forever to melt. Seriously, we tried it and four hours later it still wasn’t great. Make sure you stir it!
5. Once all the ingredients are completely smooth you have two options. One is to move directly to the next step. The other is to let it cool so that you can test the texture before pouring into something that might not be microwave/heat friendly. If it’s good, heat it up again to pour. If it needs to be tweaked, heat it up and add either more oil (if it’s too stiff) or more chocolate or beeswax (if it’s not stiff enough).
6. Pour the hot mixture into the container you will be keeping it in. This container should have a lid! Especially if you have dogs like mine who will hunt down chocolate anything and get herself sick.
7. Optional step! If you, like me, sometimes like a boost in your chocolate products, you can add a little bit of kitchen grade or higher essential oils. Why kitchen grade or higher? Stuff that is below that standard isn’t certified okay for ingestion. While we don’t eat lip balm (if we have self control), it’s usually a good idea to avoid putting things on your lips that you don’t want in your mouth. You could also use spices but they might leave you with a funky texture. Vanilla, Peppermint, and citrus fruits like orange are usually good choices to add. I’ve also seen things like lavender or chili powder, though, so it’s all up to your taste. I know my next batch will be cardamom. Mmm, cardamom. This batch we used sweet orange and lemon oils. You only need to add a drop or two, and then stir thoroughly.

Voila! You have delicious home made chocolate lip balm! (Or lippy, as my niece calls it.) Your lips will love you!