Dandelion season is short and yet there are so many good things to make with dandelions–dandelion lip balm is one of them. This recipe is both easy and fun to make and the results work and taste great!
Dandelions are good for you! And so versatile. It only makes sense, then, that dandelions would make a great addition to lip balm. Not only do you get a beautiful sunny color, but this lip balm tastes great and has medicinal properties for your lips!
While it’s easy to make dandelion lip balm, you will first have to gather and prep the dandelions. These will need to dry before making them into a dandelion infused oil. This isn’t complicated but the oil step will take a bit of time and require some advanced planning.
Here’s how to get started…
Prepping Dandelions
First you need dandelions! It’s best to gather them early in the day when they’re still open, and from areas that you know haven’t been sprayed (and away from high traffic roads). From the dandelions you’ll make dandelion oil. This process takes a bit of time, but there are ways you can speed up the process if you’re impatient (like I usually am).
How Many Dandelions to Collect
The amount of dandelions you gather, depends on how much dandelion oil you want to make (which you will need to make the lip balm). Dandelion oil is good for more than just lip balm. I use it to make dandelion salve, for instance. When I have it available, I use it for the wound salve I make for my chickens as well. You can you the oil straight up as well, rubbing it on achy joints, to help you combat stress or to nourish your skin.
Once you make the dandelion infused oil will be good for a while (at least as long as your oil stays good), so while I’m making it I make at least a cup at a time (even though this recipe only calls for 3 tablespoons).
So how many dandelions to collect? If you want to make a cup of dandelion infused oil, collect 2-3 cups of dandelions. If you want to only make enough oil for a batch of lip balm, you’ll just need a few flowers–enough to get 3 tablespoons of dried flower petals from.
How to Make Dandelion Infused Oil
There are several ways you can infuse dandelions into your oil. You can use whole flowers and soak them in oil of your choice for 2-3 weeks. If you go this route, place the jar in a sunny location and shake regularly. When it’s ready, strain out the flowers and use.
But for the purposes of this project, here is a simple way to make dandelion infused oil to use for lip balm:
Pick the petals from the flower and discard the green parts (they’re bitter and may discolor the beautiful sunny yellow color). Spread petals out in thin layer on a parchment lined cookie sheet (or on a dehydrator shelf) and either allow to air dry, (one to several days depending on the humility of where you live), or dry for 24 hours on low on the dehydrator.
Once they’re dry, mix them in equal parts with coconut oil (you can use other kinds of oils as well, but coconut oil is great for lip balm because it hardens at room temperature plus it tastes coconut-y). I usually make one cup at a time, so one cup of dried petals to one cup coconut oil. Warm the oil first to make it easy to stir the petals in.
Cover and place this mixture in oven at 250 degrees for 30-45 minutes. Turn over off and let sit for an hour or two or overnight.
Reheat the oil (to make it liquid again) and strain off the flowers. Now you’ve got yourself some dandelion infused oil and you’re ready to go (the rest of the process will literally only take minutes!!)
Ingredients Needed for Dandelion Lip Balm
To make 10 or so tubes of lip balm you’ll need:
3 tablespoons of dandelion infused oil
1 1/2 tablespoons beeswax pastilles (like this) or grated beeswax
3-5 drops Vitamin E oil
20-30 drops essential oil of your choice (orange, lemon, lime, tangerine, ginger, peppermint are all good choices–or mix and match your own blend). Make sure you’re using a safe to eat brand of oil–they’re not all good for you. (This is what I use–with a wholesale discount).
You’ll need some sort of container to put the lip balm in. I use the typical twist up tube, but there are all sorts of containers to choose from….jars (like this), tins (like this) or even something you’ve recycled.
How to Make Dandelion Lip Balm
Finally. We’re here.
Set up the containers you’re going to use to pour the lip balm in. It’s helpful to set them on foil or parchment (I use a cookie sheet lined with parchment) to catch any spills that might happen. Remove any lids and get them ready to be used.
If you’ve used regular coconut oil like I do, you’ll need to warm it. I melt mine in a glass Pyrex measuring cup sitting on canning jar rings in a saucepan of boiling water. If you used oil that doesn’t solidify, you can just measure out the required 3 tablespoons. But you’ll still need either the Pyrex/glass measuring cup and jar rings method I just described, or a double boiler because the beeswax will need to be melted into dandelion oil.
***One reason a Pyrex or other liquid glass measuring cup is a great thing to use is that it has a POURING SPOUT and you’re going to need to put this hot mixture directly into your containers. The spout helps simplify the process A TON.***
Add your beeswax and Vitamin E oil to this mixture and stir until melted.
Remove from heat and mix in your essential oils.
Once you have the oils mixed in, immediately pour them (careful, it will be hot) into your containers. The oil will cool fast (if you’re using regular coconut oil like I do) so you want to get it in the containers before it sets up. (However, if you need to, you an always rewarm the wax–it will only take seconds to do that.)
Allow your lip balm to cool completely before moving or affixing the lid.
Walaaaa! You’re done. You’ve now got yourself some lovely dandelion lip balm. They make great gifts, if you can bear to part with them!
Enjoy!
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