THC often takes center stage as the high-inducing, psychoactive star cannabinoid in conversations regarding cannabis. However, CBD is the up-and-coming little sibling, and its lack of a high with myriad healing potential have made it a new, go-to ingredient in the
, beverage and topical world.CBD-infused topicals, like lotions, salves and even lip balms, have seen a surge in popularity as the cannabis market — and, in turn, products with non-psychoactive cannabinoids like CBD — continues to flourish.
Fortunately, many of these skincare and beauty products are easy to make at home with just a few simple ingredients.
Why CBD Lip Balm?
CBD-infused lip balm in particular is a great product, offering your lips some of the best care possible. CBD is a non-psychoactive
, meaning that it does not get users the stereotypical high that is associated with cannabinoids such as THC. CBD is often praised for its soothing, anti-inflammatory properties and known for providing pain relief. In turn, CBD can be absorbed through the skin in topical form, meaning that a CBD-infused balm is perfect for dry, chapped and irritated lips.Making
lip balm at home provides a lot of the same benefits of making any edible at home: It’s often cheaper, you can control the dosing and you also control the ingredients. Many store-bought lip balms are loaded with chemicals and ingredients that ultimately don’t help out your lips. Generally speaking, the fewer chemicals involved, the easier your lips will heal.
CBD lip balm is built to moisturize, as any lip balm should, and CBD itself is also used as an antioxidant and antibacterial agent, meaning that using infused lip balms on dry or cracked could potentially help fight against infection. As the seasons shift, CBD lip balm provides relief without any filler to potentially interfere with the healing of your lips.
If you’re sold, or even just curious enough to read on, it only takes a handful of items and a simple recipe to get started!
CBD Lip Balm Recipe
Before you dive in, ensure that you have the following tools and ingredients.
Tools:
- Double boiler pot
- Wooden spoon
- Heat-safe dropper/pipette
- Lip balm jars or tubes (glass recommended, 15-20 should be more than enough)
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons shea butter
- 2 tablespoons organic beeswax
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil (infused optional)
- 4 drops of topical- and food-safe essential oil
- 1 mL of CBD oil (optional)
- Vitamin E oil (optional)
A few notes on ingredients and tools, and then we’ll really get going.
It’s up to you how you would like to dose this recipe. It can be dosed simply with an
, a tincture or both, depending on how much CBD you’d like to pack into your lip balm.Essential oils are the creative staple of this recipe, allowing you to customize it to your own personal preferences around taste, aroma and flavor. Feel free to explore what speaks to you and your palate as you explore, just ensure that your choice is a food-safe essential oil safe for oral consumption and topical application. A few favorites are lavender, peppermint and rose.
Vitamin E oil is optional, though it is often used in lip care products because of its hydrating properties. Vitamin E has also been shown to help speed up cell generation, which can make lips appear smoother, plumper and softer.
For our vegan friends, soy wax can be substituted for beeswax.
Instructions:
- Start by adding one to two inches of water to the bottom portion of your double boiler and place it over low heat. In the top portion of the double boiler, add your shea butter, beeswax and coconut oil, then place it on top of the bottom potion.
- Keep the pot on low heat and let all of the ingredients melt. Bring the mixture to a simmer, and stir occasionally with your wooden spoon.
- Once the mixture is simmering, turn off the heat and stir in your essential oils. If you are adding Vitamin E oil and cannabis oil (in lieu of infused coconut oil or in addition to it), go ahead and add these at this time.
- As everything settles, use this opportunity to prepare your lip balm jars or tubes. Remove the tops and place them on a solid surface, like a baking sheet or a counter with parchment paper, to be filled.
- Your CBD lip balm is ready! We’ve just got to put it all into its new home. With a pipette or another comparable tool, slowly transfer the hot balm mixture into your lip balm jars or tubes. Let the containers cooler for at least 15 minutes, or until they are solidified at room temperature, before sealing the top.
And there you have it! Usually, using CBD lip balm once daily is ideal, but feel free to go in as needed for ample lip care and relief. When your balm is ready to use, just apply it to dry lips, or use it preventatively as we collectively venture toward the colder seasons.
Note that you’ll want to make sure you store your CBD lip balm in a cool, dry place and that it has a shelf life of up to six months.
Get Creative with Customizations
Additionally, while this is a recipe for CBD lip balm, there are a number of ways to make cannabis-infused topicals. Namely, you can use this recipe along with THC oil or THC-infused coconut oil to customize your lip balms with your cannabinoids, and accompanying ratios, of choice.
We encourage folks to get creative, especially when looking at the potential healing effects your balms can offer.
While THC is psychoactive, many topical and
users find that just a little THC, not enough to necessarily induce a high, in addition to their CBD-dominant mixture can . Dispensaries often carry products ranging from a 1:1, 50/50 split of CBD and THC to high-CBD, low-THC ratios ranging from 2:1, 3:1, 5:1 and even 10:1.Creating infusions at home only offers more flexibility to explore this wide range of cannabinoid offerings.
Some online recipes will call for the addition of cannabis concentrates instead of or alongside infused oils or CBD tinctures. This is best accomplished with a full extract cannabis oil,
or . Bear in mind, this is also generally preferred by those looking for a more potent option. Folks looking for a stronger CBD lip balm without committing to CBD concentrates can always opt to add a bit more CBD oil on top of infused coconut oil.Using an alternative infused oil is also an option, though we prefer coconut oil for its texture and fatty acids that generally make for an ideal infusing agent.
Final Thoughts
No matter where you are or what time of year it is, CBD lip balm is one item you’ll be glad to have on hand. It’s great to combat dry and cracking lips due to the cold or offer additional protection and hydration against the sun.
Whether you’re into skincare, or just looking for some extra protection, making your own CBD lip balm acts as a great introduction into the world of creating your own CBD- and cannabis-infused topicals.
We know you (and your newly moisturized lips) will enjoy the benefits!