This Honey Body Balm is so good! It smells delicious and has a soft nourishing texture. It may be my favourite homemade body product yet!
A little while ago, Meinhilde and I became very interested in making our our body products. As you may have noticed, we prefer to make things on our own. This is to save costs as well as adapt each item to our own preference. The enjoyable process (similar to cooking or canning) results in a comforting and useful product. We’ve tried various products, including lip balm, body lotion, lip scrubs, and other balms.
Honey has antiseptic and antibacterial properties and is a common ingredient in body products. This recipe calls for any regular grocery store variety, but you could also use a locally grown one if you have some.
I made a huge batch of this product last winter because this recipe is so easy. I kept some for myself and gave the rest to family members as holiday gifts. The product has a soft honey scent and a non-greasy texture. As I used the golden, unrefined beeswax, my balm has a beautiful honey colour and delicious scent. However, if you prefer plain, just use the white refined beeswax.
During the winter I made another batch of this honey Body Balm to keep my hands moisturized. You can also use it on the rest of you body during those extra dry months. Keep a jar by your bed and another in your bathroom.
Most of these ingredients can be purchased at your local health store, but Meinhilde and I ordered ours from New Directions Aromatics. It is a local wholesale company that also allows smaller orders.
Packaging your honey body balm
For packaging, I recycled glass jars from various food items in our house. The jar in the picture above held artichokes or maybe olives. After eating the food, the jar and the lid can go in the dishwasher (if you are lucky enough to have one). Handwashing is also fine, but make sure there are no traces of any food or grease. The process below also incorporates a sterilization of the jars. Whether you keep the balm for yourself or gift them, a small scraps of fabric from your stash make beautiful toppers. The photo below includes scraps of one of Meinhilde’s clothing projects. There was also enough to make a long strip into a ribbon and use it as a tie. Remember to label your product before giving it as a gift.
DIY: Make your own honey body balm
Equipment
- three sterilized glass jars (125mL / 0.5 cup each) with lids
- one heat-safe glass measuring cup (at least 500mL / 2 cup capacity)
- one large pot
- one metal rack, like the kind used for canning
- one sterilized spoon
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup grapeseed oil, 85 mL
- 1/4 cup beeswax, preferably the yellow kind (white is fine too), 60 mL
- 1/2 cup shea butter, 125 mL
- 1/2 tbsp honey, 8 mL
Instructions
- If the beeswax is in a block, grate it over a bowl until there is 1/4 cup. If it is really cold, microwave the block for 20 seconds to make it easier to grate.
- Add metal rack to pot. Add approximately 2 cm water and bring to a simmer.
- Add beeswax, grapeseed oil, honey, and shea butter to glass measuring cup.
- Set measuring cup on rack in pot with simmering water and leave for approximately 10 minutes or until beeswax has melted. Mix with spoon.
- Pour melted mixture into sterilized glass jars. Allow mixture to cool.
Check out our other home spa recipes here.
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