Today, we’re going to turn roses into lip balm!

To make this, first you’ll need some rose petals. You can either go outside and gather these off of the roses growing around your home, or you can order dried, organic petals online from a place such as Mountain Rose Herbs.

If using fresh roses, spread them out in a single layer on a paper towel or brown paper bag and let them air dry for a few days. We’re doing this to reduce any potential water content that could make our oil spoil faster.

Once they’re dried, we’re going to make a rose infused oil from them exactly like the one we made for Rose Petal Salve a few weeks ago.

Make the Rose Infused Oil

Fill a jar with dried rose petals until it is half to three-quarters way full.

The size of the jar will depend on how many flowers you have. For a small amount, use a small jar; if you have plenty of petals, use a larger jar.

Precision isn’t that important at this step; you’re basically filling some type of container about half to three-quarters full with dried rose petals and then covering them with oil.

Which type of oil is up to you. I like to use Olive Oil or Sunflower Oil for lip balm, but other oils such as Avocado Oil, Sweet Almond Oil or Apricot Kernel Oil will work nicely as well.

Choose the Slow Method or Quick Method

For the slow way, cover the top of your jar of oil with a couple layers of cheesecloth and secure it with a rubber band. Place the oil in a cabinet and let it sit for 3 to 4 weeks.

For the fast way, set the jar gently into a pan with a few inches of warm water and heat slowly over medium lowish heat. Keep the burner on and let the oil stay in the heated water for one to two hours then remove.

Once you’ve completed one of those methods, you can go ahead and strain your oil to use in your lip balm or you can let it infuse several days longer in a dark cabinet.

Another option is to strain and then repeat the infusion steps with a new batch of rose petals but the same oil you just finished infusing. This is called a double infusion.

The shelf life of your strained oil is about a year. Store in a cool, dark place for best results.

Peppermint Rose Lip Balm Recipe

1 tablespoon shea butter (.5 oz by weight)

2.5 tablespoons (1 oz by weight) rose infused oil (use about 1 tablespoon more for tins)

1/2 tablespoon castor oil

1 tablespoon beeswax (.4 oz by weight)

powdered alkanet root (for natural color)

15 or so drops of peppermint essential oil

Pour a tiny amount of the required rose infused oil into a small bowl or cup and mix a bit of alkanet powder at a time into it, to form a thick, dark red paste and set aside. This will be used for adding natural color to our lip balm.

Place the remaining oils, wax and butter in a heat proof jar or measuring cup. Set this down into a pan filled with a few inches of water and bring the water to just under a simmer. Heat until the wax and shea butter is melted.

Remove from heat and stir in the alkanet paste a teeny dab at a time, until the desired color is reached. (Use less for pink, more for red.)

Add peppermint essential oil then pour into tubes, tins or lip balm sliders.

Notes:

This ratio of oils and beeswax makes a good consistency for lip balm tubes. If using tins, try adding up to another tablespoon of oil to make it easier to use.

For a vegan version of lip balm, use about half as much candelilla wax as the amount of beeswax called for. So, in this recipe, you’d use about 1/2 tablespoon candelilla wax instead of 1 tablespoon beeswax.

Castor oil is an important ingredient that gives your lip balm a nice gloss and smooth finish. Try to keep this in your recipe, if possible.

You can substitute another butter, such as mango or cocoa, instead of the shea butter.

If you don’t have or want to use peppermint essential oil, you can omit or use other flavors such as spearmint or (sweet) orange.

If you don’t want to use roses, you can substitute another edible flower or herb instead such as: violet leaves, lemon balm, mint leaves, calendula and so forth.

For more ideas as to how to customize your lip balm recipes, check out my post: How to Create Custom Lip Balms.

If pregnant, alkanet root may be contraindicated for you. Check with a qualified healthcare provider for their professional advice.

If you enjoyed this peppermint rose lip balm recipe, let’s keep in touch! Sign Up to receive emails, about once per month, filled with my best flower & herb projects, DIY body care recipes, natural soapmaking tutorials, plus news about my latest projects!