Kelapo Baking Sticks

For years my family didn’t buy Christmas gifts.  If you were going to give a gift it had to be homemade.  So by November we donned our creative caps and got busy.  We’ve been known (individually…and I can’t credit any one individual with all of these charmers) to churn out gourd lamps, hand-quilted throw blankets, framed photography, and culinary creations like hot sauce and fruit breads from all locally-sourced ingredients.

We don’t go quite so overboard these days but I do love to make one signature gift each holiday season and then distribute those around as stocking-stuffers or tokens of love and holiday cheer.

My idea this year is inspired by all of the fabulous uses for coconut oil that I’ve found.  Making lip balm is one of the simplest things but with the addition of a nice looking tube or tub with a custom label, it becomes an extra special everyday staple that will live in someone’s purse or pocket all year through.

For 5 lip balm tubs or tubes:

10 teaspoons Kelapo coconut oil

5 generous teaspoons grated beeswax

Homemade Lip Balm

You can buy bars of organic beeswax on Amazon.  And if you’re vegan you can use Carnauba oil as an alternative.  Simply grate either using a regular kitchen grater.

10 drops Vitamin E oil

You can either buy capsules and break them open or but a bottle of liquid Vitamin E oil from a company such as Jason)

Place all 3 ingredients into a microwave safe dish or a double boiler.

Heat in the double boiler, stirring constantly, until the beeswax has thoroughly melted.  Or microwave for 30 seconds or so at a time, stirring in between, until evenly melted.

Stir well.

Pour immediately into individual lip balm tubs or tubes and allow to set in a cool place (a countertop is fine but on top of the oven might not be) overnight.  Don’t place the caps on until completely cooled.

Press your label on and enjoy the giving!

*note: The lip balm will smell sweetly from the coconut oil and beeswax, but if you would like it to have a stronger fragrance you can mix in 5 drops of lemon or peppermint essential oils.  And of course feel free to experiment with other essential oils as well.

By Sara Snow