All Natural Lip Balms DIY- Yummy and Cool

A lip balm or a lipstick is something that every woman should have in her purse. It happens many times to have pale or cracked lips, because of weather or dehydration and it's important to take care of them and use all natural ingredients. That part is very important , and not only because chemicals can worsen the aspect of our lips , but also because we inevitably swallow lipstick components and that may cause some stomach problems.
Nowadays it's easy to find organic and BIO lipstick and lip balms but I personally find them very expensive. Also, the recipe for making one is very easy, and as for containers, you can recycle old ones.

Working on a lot of craft projects has made me realize that the glue sticks we use for paper crafts have the same principle as lipsticks, so why not recycle them?

Here is my recipe + instructions for the glue sticks.

I made 3 lip balms with 3 different flavors. Please watch the video at the end of this article to see my impressions for the final product.

Ingredients (for 3 lip balms):
-2 tablespoons of jojoba oil
-2 tablespoons of coconut oil
2-tablespoons of beeswax

Where to find them:


You can use any type of oil, as long as it's organic, with lots of vitamins, and with no strong odor or taste. Just remember that the oil : beeswax ratio is 2:1

For color and flavoring I used :
-honey
-cocoa
-pink or red jam - I used homemade rose jam
-mint essential oil
-lemon

For containers I recycled some glue sticks. You can also find containers to buy, but usually they come in a large pack. Here are some suggestions:




For decorating the containers I used
-Nail polish
-A container full of water that you don't mind throwing away after

This part is optional. You can leave them  white and simple or you can decorate them with washi tape.

Instructions:
-Remove all the glue from the glue sticks, then leave them to soak in hot water for about 10 minutes
-Wash them with hot water and dish soap until all the glue is dissolved and all the wrapping is gone
-Let them to dry
-Pour in the container full of water that you don't mind throwing away stripes of nail polish of different colors
-Put on the lid of glue stick container and dip it in the nail polish mixture. The nail polish will stick on the glue stick and you will create a marble effect. Leave them to dry at least 30 minutes.
If you want to skip this step you can do so, and decorate the containers with washi tape.
-Next prepare the 3 flavors.

You can use 3 plastic cups to mix the ingredients in them :
In the first cup add half  teaspoon of cocoa and 5 drops of mint essential oil
In the second cup add 1 teaspoon of jam
In the third cup add half  teaspoon of honey and half teaspoon of grated lemon peel .

- Next it's time to melt and mix all the ingredients.
If you are using a stove, add in a little pot the oils and beeswax and then put the pot above a bigger pot filled with water. Don't put the mixture direct on the flame. Just wait for the water to boil, and the heat from the water will melt slowly the oil or the beeswax.

If you are using a microwave, put the oils and beeswax in a bowl safe for microwave and let them for about 1 minute. If still not melted after 1 minute , leave them for more time.

-After everything is melted and mixed pour the mixture evenly in the 3 plastic cups and stir.
-Pour the 3 mixtures in the 3 glue stick containers and let them cool for about 15 minutes

You will have to act fast at this step because the mixture doesn't stay liquid for long time.


Please watch video bellow to understand better the steps:

How to Make Feather Earrings- 3 Design Ideas

Don't you just love feather jewellery? They are so delicate and warm, and make a great accessory for summer. Ok.....so maybe you decided to buy some.......but what if it's too expensive for you..or if the designs you see in stores don't match your personality? Here is where I come in to give you a hand.
I will try to explain as good as I can all the steps here, and if you're not convinced check out the video at the end of this page to understand better the process.

First of all, materials :
 

1.Feathers-I used pigeon feathers-but you can use any feathers you like. Here are some suggestions:
2.Some Bead Caps of your choice. Here are some suggestions:

3.Some Pins with loops. Something like this:

4.Earrings hooks. I always use hypoallergenic hooks from stainless steel like these ones:

5.Some strong glue like this one-I personally prefer UHU glue because it doesn't smell bad and when dried it's pretty strong:

6. Two types of pliers. One for cutting and one for creating the loops

7. Optional! Acrylic paint and some decorative stones. Some suggestions:

Let's Begin! But first- something for you to pin

Step 1. Push the earring pin through the bead cap, pull it up as much as you can and then bend it at 90 degrees. Cut the pin, leaving about 1 cm. Then take the looping pliers, grab the end of the bended pin and start rolling inwards creating a loop.
Repeat this step one more time- if you are creating one pair of earrings.
Step 2. Take the feathers and cut off the pointed end. Pour glue into the bead cap and then squeeze the feather in there. Let it dry.
Step 3. Detach the loop of the earring hook and join it with the loop of the cap.Close it back when you're done.
At this point you should have some simple, natural looking feather earrings.

I continued to personalize them a little like this:
Step 4. For the first design I used 3 diferent colors : Dark blue, violet and bright green. Just apply the paint with a brush, and spread the lines of the feather.
For the second design I used  golden metallic acrylic paint and for the third I used silver color.
Step 5. After dried, I applied some dots of glue along the spine of the feather, then placed on them some decorative shinny stones.
And that's it, you are done! :)

Here is the video I promised ( I assure you it will be more clear after seeing this one ):