Rainbow's Kim Jae Kyung is truly an idol of all trades. She can sing, she can dance, she can act - and she can make her own lip balm. The idol famously gave the staff of 'God's Quiz 4' some of her homemade salve.
It may not have been totally magnanimous - as she put in her own handwriting on the gift, it was a great way to bribe employees - but it worked. Don't think you've got it in you to make your own balm (that, admittedly, you could buy cheaply at the nearest drugstore?) It's not as hard as you might think, and the labor of love that goes into it makes it a much more special gift.
Follow these easy steps and your employees will be singing your praises in no time:
First, gather your ingredients. If you're new to the art of making beauty products from your very own kitchen, a lot of these products might seem a little foreign. But they're affordable ingredients you can find in everyday places - the drugstore, a farmer's market, a natural foods store, or at the very least, via online health stores or Amazon.
You'll need:
Beeswax
Coconut Oil
Cocoa Butter
Do about a 1:1:1 ratio of these three ingredients. If you want enough for about 10 tubes, use 30 oz. of each.
Vitamin E
You can buy these as capsules at any major drugstore - use one capsule per chapstick tube that you make.
Cocoa Powder
This is technically optional, but it's what will give you the deep color and flavor of cocoa in your balm. Unsweetened, dark cocoa powder is going to pack the most color and rich flavor. If you'd prefer to go in a different direction for taste, you could try peppermint oil, crushed lavender, or crushed mint leaves in place of cocoa powder.
Containers
You can get creative here. The balm would work in empty cleaned out tubs from other beauty products. You can also buy empty chapstick containers on sites like eBay.
Once you've gathered your ingredients, break out the double boiler. Don't freak out if you don't have one. Just grab a large pot and put a glass, heat-safe bowl or a smaller pot inside of it. You'll boil water in the larger pot and melt the beeswax, coconut oil, and cocoa butter in the bowl or pot. Let it heat slowly and stir continuously. Once it gets down to almost melted, gently stir in the crushed Vitamin E capsules and cocoa powder (or other flavor of your choice.) If you want a bit of extra sweetness, you could also add a hint of honey at this stage.
Once it is completely melted, pour the balm directly into the containers you've purchased. If possible, just pour without messing with it too much - that will allow it to look as pretty set as if you'd bought it from a store. Let it sit until it's hardened, which will probably be anywhere from one to three hours, depending on your room temperature and humidity.
Voila! You've got yourself some homemade lip balm, happy friends and lips, and the approval of Kim Jae Kyung. Enjoy!
