Winter Delight – Lip Rescue Balm

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Hello there I AM BACK! 😀

winterdelight

Lab Note: The “Winter Delight” Lip Rescue (Lola’s Recipe!)

Hello Hello! 😀 Today I am sharing what is truly the best lip balm recipe I have ever tried. This isn’t my invention—it was created by Lola, the founder of the forum where I learned so much of my formulation knowledge! I’ve been making this for over two years, so it is very well tested.

The Hydration Secret

Most lip balms are 100% oil and wax. We always hear that “Shea butter hydrates,” but actually, it doesn’t! 😀 Oils create a layer that stops water from leaving, but they don’t add any new water. Eventually, your lips still end up dry.

What makes this recipe special? It actually contains a water phase! By adding honey and glycerin, we are finally giving the lips real hydration. And the best part? The ingredients are extremely easy to find!

The Formula: Winter Delight

Oil Phase:

  • Beeswax: 20.0 (Use yellow virgin wax for the best scent! :D)
  • Rice Bran Oil: 45.0
  • Tocopheryl Acetate (Vitamin E): 10.0
  • Vanillin: A tiny pinch (for that amazing aroma)

Water Phase:

  • Glycerin: 5.0
  • Honey: 20.0

Phase C:

  • Sweet Orange Essential Oil: 5 drops
  • [NEW 2026 UPDATE]: A lip-safe preservative (see notes below!)

Notes from my Beaker: The “Drop-by-Drop” Method

  1. Modified Cold Cream: This recipe doesn’t use a traditional emulsifier. Instead, it uses the “mechanical” method. I heated the oil phase and water phase separately.
  2. Patience is Key: Once the wax melted, I started adding the water phase DROP BY DROP into the oil. I had to stir constantly for about 30 minutes!
  3. The Goal: I am trying to create tiny water droplets that get “trapped” and held in place as the beeswax cools and solidifies.
  4. Spoon vs. Mixer: I tried using a mini-mixer this time, but it created too many bubbles (making it look very white). A simple spatula or spoon actually works better for a creamy, stable result. Lesson learned! 😀
  5. Add the PRESERVATIVE
  6. The Scent: The mix of honey, vanillin, and sweet orange is absolutely IRRESISTIBLE.

⚠️ SAFETY UPDATE: A Note on Preservatives

In the original version of this post, I mentioned that this recipe doesn’t need a preservative because the high sugar in the honey and the glycerin “occupy” the water. While that chemistry is true, I have updated my lab practice! Because we use our fingers to apply this from a tin, it’s very easy to introduce bacteria. For 100% peace of mind, I now strongly recommend adding a lip-safe or food-grade preservative. Safety first for those beautiful lips! 😀

Final Verdict: This is a creamy balm, so it won’t work in a twist-up stick—keep it in a little tin. It’s a total lifesaver for winter. ENJOY! 😀 😀 😀

19 thoughts on “Winter Delight – Lip Rescue Balm”

  1. Pingback: day in city | LIPS NEEDS…

  3. Thank you.

    I think I already made cold cream (w/o) without realisig this. By weight, I used 50/50 water/oil(liquid oil) plus 13% bees wax from oil quantity. The cream was stable but now , after I’m reading your post about thickeners, I think is better to use some one (cetyl alcohol for example).

    Thank you again.

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  4. Is this in grams or percentages? I wanted to try this right away but now I’m not sure on the measurement. Thanks

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  5. Is there a reason for the rice bran oil? Does it have a certain weight or properties that you want? Are there other oils we could use?
    What about almond oil or lanolin, have you used them much? I’ve become a fan of thick lanolin for my lips so I just got some liquid lanolin to try to use in some products.

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  7. One more question! Could this recipe be modified to have more beeswax to make it a little more firm and not so fluffy?

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  9. I am totally new to this…..but I would like to make your balm. What is the purpose of the beeswax? What does it do texturally or otherwise for the balm? Could I decrease it a little (and maybe up the oil)? I don’t mind something more creamy…would that work, you think? I am a little leary of using wax but you can reassure me. And right now I have pomegranate oil, which i absolutely love. Its very thick almost like vit e oil. Could I use that in place of the rice bran oil? Do you think Vit E would still be necessary given that PO is so full of antioxidants?

    You have a wonderful blog and I really admire and respect how you answer so many questions.

    Thank you!

    Smita

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  11. Hi, I wonder if it would be a good idea to add Zinc Oxide to make it more suitable for daytime use? If so, what ratio do you recommend? Do you heat up the water phase to 70 celsius before mix two phases up? I’m completely new to DIY.
    Thank you!

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  12. Hello! I just wanted to leave a note to let you know that I just made this lipbalm, and it is lovely! It is my first DIY skincare attempt, and it came together so easily (though tocopherol is so messy lol!). I’m thrilled with the result: the texture is melting and soft, and leaves my lips so happy! Thank you so much for sharing your recipes and knowledge 🙂

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  13. Hello,
    Just wanted to report that I just made this and it’s lovely. It feels really creamy (not sticky) and actually stays on my lips, even though it’s hard not to eat it because it smells so nice 🙂 I didn’t have rice bran oil so I used 30% almond oil and the rest coconut oil and that worked fine (it’s warm where I live so coconut oil is very soft at room temperature). Such an interesting, easy and useable formula! Thank you 🙂
    Oh yes, and 50g of this is enough to fill a 50ml tub plus an extra tiny one like the ones that are used for samples (5ml maybe?).

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  14. Update: After I loved the first version so much I made this again, using up a couple of oils I needed to do something with. So this time it was almond oil, some very fancy rosehip seed oil and a bit of coconut. I also experimented with different additives, making one version with peppermint oil (nice and fresh), one with cocoa CO2 extract (delicious) and one with some lip safe powder colourant. I’m extremely happy with all versions; the coloured one is a bit trickier to apply than a traditional lipstick but I love that I can get a nice strong colour AND the nice feeling and protection of this lip cream with it. Thanks again for this marvellous recipe 🙂

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