Ointments have been around for many centuries, but the beginnings of our modern lip balm began in the early 1880s.  A physician from Virginia named Dr. Charles Browne Fleet invented the modern ChapStick^®.  A lump of the ointment, wrapped in tin foil, was sold door-to-door and locally.  In old apothecary recipes, ointments were sometimes referred to as salves or unguents (pronounced ŭng′gwənt, sounds like “un-gwunt” from the Latin unguentem meaning “ointment”).

Ointments are an excellent starting point for learning about herbs.  They have relatively few ingredients so if you combine one type of oil with beeswax and add one herb, you can thoroughly explore the properties of just a few ingredients alone, or in a synergistic combination.  You can also infuse the oil you use with herbs before combining it with the wax.

There are two methods used to prepare ointments:

• Trituration:  Finely subdivided insoluble medicaments are evenly distributed by grinding with a small amount of the base followed by dilution with gradually increasing amounts of the base.  For example, a powdered calendula extraction may be ground into a wax and oil base in a pestle and mortar, then more oil base is slowly added and ground until the correct concentration is achieved.
• Fusion:  This is the method you will use to begin, where the ingredients are melted together in descending order of their melting points and stirred to ensure homogeneity.

The following is one of my personal formulas that took many years to perfect.  I have been offering it for sale since the late 1980s.   There is a much easier recipe in Lesson 3 for you to use on your first attempt, but we are going to analyze this personal formula first to help you get a thorough understanding of balms so you have some creative ideas to make your own.

This is a soothing and healing formula designed to help break “lip balm addiction” by improving the condition of the skin.  This recipe is rather complex, but I’d like you to read through it to gain some insight about balms and ointments before you try other recipes.  After reading through this, you may wish to start with an easy lip balm recipe such as the one in Lesson 3.

In this project lesson you will learn:

• how to make all types of ointments
• some of the properties and uses of two “carrier” oils
• some of the properties and uses of eight essential oils
• some of the properties and uses of one plant wax
• some of the properties and uses of Vitamin E
• several herbalism basics

Making Ointments:

The secret to making ointments successfully is an easy 1 to 4 ratio. If you have four teaspoons of oil, you will need one teaspoon of wax. This will make a solid “balm type” ointment.  For a softer Vaseline^® or Carmex^® type salve, add more oils and/or less wax, such as 5 teaspoons of oil to 1 teaspoon of wax.  This is rather intuitive and expertise comes with the experience of working with your particular oils and waxes, so start with small batches if you are going to try your own recipes.

A soft ointment with less viscosity is often called an unguent or salve by pharmacists and Witches.

Friday’s Witch Balm Formula #11

Yields 4 ounces, about 20 plastic tubes, or 16 quarter-ounce tins.

U.S. Measurements:  T=Tablespoon  | tsp=teaspoon | C=Cup | Oz=Ounce
Metric Measurements:  T = 15 ml | tsp = 5ml | C= 240 ml | Oz = 30 ml

Please remember that this recipe is an example presented in order to cover many types of ingredients working together synergistically.  You do not need to collect all of these ingredients to make lip balm, just start with the simple recipe in the picture above.

You will need:

• Two Pyrex^® Measuring Cups – You will need these for most of the recipes so if you don’t have some, they are inexpensive and can be found in almost any thrift store, house-ware store, big-box store, etc.  Use a cup large enough to hold 4 ounces of liquid, a one or two cup size is best.  If you cannot obtain these, use one-pint canning jars such as Kerr^® or Ball^® brands.)
• Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons (plastic may melt)
• Paper Towels
• Glass Oil Droppers
• A Pin or Needle
• A large skillet or two medium-size skillets
• Container(s) – 16 small ointment tins (1/4 ounce each) or 20 standard Lip Balm Tubes or a large flat ointment dish that will hold four ounces.
• About 2 Tablespoons plus 2 Teaspoons Beeswax* – a total of 8 teaspoons
• 4,000 IU Vitamin E Oil (Tocopheryls- use the type sold for nutritional supplements.  Look for ingredients lists such as: dl-Alpha Tocopheryl, glycerin, gelatin.  Do not use Vitamin E oil that contains mineral oil, olive oil, or other diluents.  A bottle of twenty 400 IU or 800 IU capsules will go a long way.)
• 1/4 C (4 T.) Avocado Oil (oil of Persea americana)
• 2 T Almond Oil (Cold Pressed if possible, oil of Prunus dulcis)
• 1 T Peppermint Essential Oil (pure, natural oil of Mentha piperita)
• 1 scant* tsp Jojoba Oil (pure, natural oil of Simmondsia chinensis)
• 6 drops Rosemary Essential Oil (pure, natural oil of Rosmarinus officinalis)
• 1 drop Clove Bud Essential Oil (pure, natural oil of Eugenia caryophyllata)
• 13 drops Elemi Essential Oil (pure, natural oil of Canarium luzonicum)
• 8 drops Cassia Essential Oil (pure, natural oil of Cinnamomum cassia)
• 2 drops Anise Seed Essential Oil (pure, natural oil of Pimpinella anisum)
• 20 drops Spearmint Essential Oil (pure, natural oil of Mentha spicata)
• 5 drops Myrrh Essential Oil (pure, natural oil of Commiphora myrrha)

Sanitize and disinfect your counter or work surface in the kitchen (see Lesson 1).  Make sure your hands are well-scrubbed.  If you have long hair tie it back.  Keep any pets out of the kitchen while you work. These measures help to prevent stray hairs from floating into the ointment.  Arrange your lip balm tins, tubes, or ointment container on your work surface.  If you have never poured lip balm before, I suggest that you arrange the tins on a glass plate (I use the tempered glass tray from a microwave for this as it is flat, smooth, can take the heat and can be sanitized easily.  You can use the tray from your microwave or recycle one from a thrift store or garage sale.).  The plate helps to prevent waste by catching spills.  Drips and over-filling messes can later be scraped off the plate and re-melted.  Better yet, use a lip balm tube filler tray such as the one pictured above to reduce waste even more.

Place two Pyrex® measuring cups into a small skillet and add an inch or two of water to the skillet.  (You can add more water if you wish so long as the Pyrex® cups aren’t wobbling, tipping or beginning to float.)  Make sure the cups sit flat and aren’t tilted against any curved sides of the pan.  Keep the water out of the cups.  Use two skillets if you need more room to accommodate two Pyrex® cups.

Place beeswax into one of the Pyrex® cups and heat the water in the skillet on low.  Keep an eye on the water level and replenish it if it is getting low.  Do not allow the skillet to simmer dry!

Stir the beeswax gently and frequently in clockwise strokes using a glass stirring rod, silicone spatula, or a stainless steel spoon.  These utensils are listed in order of preference.

While the wax is melting, measure Avocado Oil, Almond Oil, and Jojoba Oil into the second Pyrex® cup.  These are your skin conditioning oils.  Warm them slowly in the second cup, seated in a water bath, in the same manner as you are melting the wax.

Continue stirring the wax occasionally and watch it closely so you can shut off the heat just as it nears the point of complete melt.  Once it has nearly melted with just one or two rice size pieces of solid wax left, shut off the heat slowly drizzle the oil into the wax while stirring.  If your mixture begins to solidify or becomes milky, stir the wax mixture constantly and allow it to clarify before adding more conditioning oils.  If necessary, turn the heat back on for a short time.

Again, the beeswax can take some time to melt which is why you start it first while measuring the conditioning oils.  It is important to turn off the heat just before the wax has finished melting.  When you see tiny lentil or rice-sized pieces of un-melted wax left swimming in the melted wax, turn off the heat and continue to stir until all the pieces melt.

Remove the oil and wax mixture from the heat, and add the remaining essential oils and Vitamin E.  To use Vitamin E gelatin supplements, pierce one end of the gelcap with a pin or needle and squeeze the contents into the cup.  If you use 400 IU strength supplements, you’ll need to squeeze ten capsules.  If you use 800 IU strength supplements, you’ll need to squeeze five capsules.

Stir the mixture well.  It should be clear, about the color of champagne or ale.  You will want to keep stirring and wait until it just begins to become cloudy as it cools. If you wait too long, it won’t pour well.  If you pour too soon, deep depressions and cracks may develop in the center of the cooled ointment in your tubes or tins.  It should only be slightly cloudy when you pour it, but not crystal clear.  The picture below was taken of the liquid poured while still too hot.  When cool it will have a deep impression in the middle and the ointment will appear to have crawled up the sides of the tins.  You can see this already starting in the photo.  Notice the clarity of the ointment indicating it was a too-hot pour.

Carefully fill your container(s) and allow them to sit undisturbed until the ointment is set.  Chilling them in a window or the refrigerator will also cause deep depressions in the wax.  It also changes the structure of the ointment.  When the ointment is set, cap all the containers tightly.  Store them in the refrigerator or freezer until use, or label them and give them away.  This balm has an 18-24 month life span at room temperature so keep it cool for longer life.

Glass double boilers can be used for this lip balm, however as most people do not own such items, we have detailed the skillet method here.  Occasionally the amount of beeswax needs to be adjusted for a recipe this large.  Cool some of the warm balm liquid on the blade of a knife to test its consistency and add more wax if necessary.

This is a very good example of the fusion ointment method.  Don’t worry, the lip balm recipe in Lesson 3 has a microwave option and is far less involved.  This example is just a way for us to really analyze an ointment.

Why These Ingredients?

The two most important aspects of a brew are:

1. The individual ingredients (their properties and affects)
2. The synergistic effects of the combined ingredients

In a proper brew, each ingredient plays an important role.  For example, Rosemary essential oil is a soothing and healing oil that adds a fresh herbal scent to the lip balm.  That is its individual contribution however, it also affects the other ingredients because it contains powerful antioxidants that help prevent the balm from going rancid, protecting the more delicate oils in the blend.

Clove bud oil should generally not be used externally, however by only adding a single drop and by also using Elemi oil in the blend, the clove bud oil is much less irritating and actually works as a circulation enhancing ingredient.  By increasing the circulation to the lips, the skin becomes healthier and better in color as nutrients and warmth are stimulated by blood flow into the tiny capillaries of the lips.  Clove bud oil is a powerful germicide and contains between 60% and 90% eugenol.  Eugenol is an important, naturally occurring substance that relieves pain (it is used in dentistry) and is a powerful antiseptic.  Clove bud oil helps prevent the balm from becoming contaminated by such things as herpes simplex labialis (cold sores) when a tube is shared among people. (It happens.)

Cassia, like clove bud, is generally not for topical use.  Although it is far less irritating than clove bud oil, it can irritate mucous membranes.  The other oils in this blend counter this irritation and the powerful germicidal, anti-fungal, and antibacterial properties of the oil place it in an important role in this healing balm.

Elemi is an interesting oil with a sweet herbal fragrance.  It has been shown to be effective in reducing the appearance of wrinkles and scar tissue.  Although research is still being done on this oil, elemi has actually been in use for thousands of years as an immune system booster, anti-inflammatory ingredient and skin protector for scratches and minor wounds.  It is from a tree that is closely related to both frankincense and myrrh trees.  In recent tests, it has shown positive results when used for fungus infections, eczema, and psoriasis.

Myrrh essential oil is another source of eugenol, but it contains many other beneficial constituents.  Myrrh is an antibacterial, astringent, and anti-Inflammatory. This makes it a perfect addition to the balm for healing and preventing cold sores.  In addition, myrrh displays anti-fungal and antiviral properties.

Vitamin E is also another strong antioxidant that protects the other oils, but it is also soothing and healing to the skin.  In addition, it adds a very small amount of the nutrient to the body when it is licked off the lips.  Vitamin E will help prevent your ointments and balms from becoming rancid too quickly.

Spearmint and Peppermint oils together form a major part of this ointment.  They are cooling, smell great, and most importantly, they show a marked ability to kill several bacteria and the Herpes simplex virus which causes cold sores.  The mints have germicidal, anti-fungal, antibacterial, and antiviral properties, and they soothe the skin.  They, like the elemi, help to make the clove bud and cassia oils more skin safe.

I often use the oil from organic baby red Yakima peppermint grown in Washington state.  This oil is a little stronger and “brighter” than standard peppermint, even though it is the same species.  When using baby Yakima, add a scant* tablespoon to this recipe rather than a full tablespoon.

Anise seed oil is a breath sweetener, and a flavoring additive to counter a slight bitterness found in the rosemary and mint essential oils.  Also, it is traditionally an aphrodisiac which doesn’t hurt the lip appeal!

Jojoba is not really an oil.  Rather, it is a liquid plant wax.  When chilled in the refrigerator it will become hard.  It is an antioxidant, is very resistant to going rancid, and absorbs into the skin very quickly, leaving a smooth, non-greasy, non-slippery feel.  Because it is absorbed much more quickly than the other oils, it acts to protect sensitive skin from more irritating oils that do their germicidal work on the skin surface.  Jojoba oil (wax) nourishes the skin and is very similar to the skin’s naturally occurring oils.  It contains protein, minerals, and myristic acid.  Myristic acid is a good anti-inflammatory and is soothing to swollen, chapped, cut, or infected lips.

Jojoba is also added because it has been shown to help control acne, particularly the type caused by excess sebum.  Sebum dissolves in jojoba readily and the addition of this wax to the blend helps prevent breakouts around the lips that can be caused by other lip balms, particularly those with a petroleum base.

Avocado oil is an important moisturizing and skin-nourishing ingredient.  It contains Vitamins A, B1, B2, Pantothenic acid, Vitamins D and E, proteins, lecithin (a natural emulsifier), and fatty acids.  It re-hydrates the skin and is used for eczema and psoriasis.  Although it penetrates the skin very well, it can be a bit heavy and almost waxy (but not slippery/greasy), therefore it is blended with almond oil to lighten it up.

Almond oil contains several minerals, Vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, E, protein, and glucosides.  It helps the balm to glide over the skin easily without “drag” and leaves a very slight gloss.  It has anti-inflammatory properties and relieves itching, swelling, and sore skin (often used for eczema and psoriasis).  It does not penetrate like Jojoba, Avocado, and Mint oils, but instead, it protects the surface of the skin from the elements.  It doesn’t last long on its own, but combined with Avocado and beeswax it strikes a perfect balance.

Magically, all of these oils serve or contribute to the following purposes:

• Attraction & Friendship
• Protection from Negativity
• Memory & Clear Thinking
• Health & Healing
• Prosperity & Good Fortune

Return your attention to the two most important aspects of a proper brew:  1. the properties of the individual ingredients, and 2. how these ingredients interact synergistically.  You can see that each ingredient in this blend has valid properties and effects on its own (1), and you can see that all of the ingredients combine to make a new whole that is greater than the sum of its parts (2).  The second aspect can be expressed numerically in the formula: 2 + 2 = 5+.  This is synergy!

Again, the two most important aspects of a brew are:

1. The individual ingredients (each one’s properties and effects)
2. The synergistic effects of the combined ingredients

References & Resources

*Scant: When a measurement is marked with the word “scant,” it means that you should use just a small amount less than the measurement.  For example, if a recipe calls for 1 scant Cup of dry rosemary, you would make that measurement just slightly shallow.  This can be considered the opposite of a rounded measurement.

Please be sure to remember the two types of ointment methods: Trituration & Fusion

Synergy, Synergistic Effect, and Synergistically:  These terms will be used a great deal in this course as you are learning to work with ingredients synergistically.  Synergy means that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.  For example 2 + 2 = 5.

A commonly known synergistic effect occurs when people combine opiates with alcohol.  Each can cause respiratory depression, but together they can cause respiratory failure.  For example, one dose of an opiate medication may cause some respiratory reaction, two doses may be indicated by your doctor and may increase that reaction somewhat.  One shot of whiskey causes some respiratory reaction, two doses increase that reaction.  One dose of opiate medication and one shot of whiskey may cause such serious respiratory reaction that death occurs.  That is some intense synergy!

A Tip!  Purchase beeswax in bulk, several ounces at a time, and melt it down in a double boiler. Pour the melted wax into 1/4 ounce capacity flexible candy molds (I use Halloween candy molds for fun).  After they have cooled, pop them out of the molds and store them in an airtight container in a cool spot.  I keep mine vacuum packed in the freezer.  When you need to make a quick ointment or lip balm, all you have to do is add one ounce of oils to one beeswax “candy.”  This saves all the melting and measuring trouble and mess!  There are also beeswax pastilles available that we’ll use in the easy lip balm recipe below.

Although it is best to weigh your ingredients rather than measure them with spoons or cups; for small recipes, beeswax may be measured by liquid (melted) or weighed as a solid.

Clean-Up Tip:  Cups and utensils with wax or ointment residue can be placed in the freezer to help clean up.  When cold, the waxy residue should pop-out clean.