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             Entertainment

National Geographic's
Best Nature Photos of the Year

- Breathtaking Video

Ellen Degeneres and David Beckham
Over The Edge Funny
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XFactor - Jamie Archer
- Awesome! A MUST see!

Click on thumbnail to zoom in.Humans DO Fly!
- Insane Video
Extremely Hilarious British Animal Voiceovers
Over The Edge Funny
- Video
The Amazing Daryl Markham
- Inspirational Video
Women Empowering Women
Touches the Heart
- Inspirational Video
EXTREME Kitty Love!
- Wild Article
Amazing Grace
II DIVO

Watch to the end! Bagpipes will make you shiver!
- Video
Dance of Hands
- Extraordinary Video
Amazing Sand Artist, Kseniya Simonova
- Powerful Video
Dove & Photo Touchup Videos Prove That You ARE Beautiful!
- Shocking Videos

I Believe She's Amazing Flash Mob
 - Inspirational Video

Jackie Evancho
Voice of an Angel at 10 Years Old!
- Inspirational Video
Dance of Wolves
- Meditative and Beautiful Video
Cat and Crow Love
- Shock Factor Video

National Geographic's
Photo Contest
-
Gorgeous Pictures of Life on Planet Earth

Life's Not So Bad After You Watch This!
- Inspirational Video
Baby Hummingbird Rescue
Young Man Saves Hummingbird
- Heart Warming Video
Perfectly Imperfect Funeral
- Inspirational Video

 

 

 

Make Your Own Natural Herbal Lip Balm
By: Sarah Quirino

 

 

My favourate part of learning about herbs and how to make things using their medicinal qualities was learning to make my own lip balm.

 

Now, I’m a self proclaimed lip balm junkie. I always have been. Nothing feels better to my lips then to have a nice coating of balm over them. As a kid and a teen I always just used the Vaseline brand lip balm, but as I got older and realized that Vaseline is actually a petroleum product I grew weary of putting that on my skin, let alone my mouth. I switched to other more natural brands, but there were always one or two ingredients that I couldn’t pronounce and had to look up to see what they were. Even one of my most used brands as an adult is now owned by a company that makes bleach! Again, do I really want that on my face and mouth?

 

When I finally learned how easy it was to make my own, natural, good for my skin and body lip balm, I was thrilled! Here are the ingredients I used for my first lip balm. You can grow the plants in your garden or you can buy them at a number of different online herbal stores that sell quality herbal ingredients.

 

What You Need
 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (you can also use almond oil, apricot oil, sunflower seed oil, etc)

  • 1/4 cup calendula petals

  • 1/4 cup lemon balm leaves

  • ¼ cup of Saint John’s Wort flowers & leaves

  • 1 tsp of vitamin E oil

  • 1/4 cup grated beeswax (grating it works much nicer than hacking at it with a knife and it melts faster when grated)

  • 1 tsp liquid honey (Buy quality honey when possible)

  • 1/4 tsp peppermint essential oil (You can use any essential oil scent that appeals to you.)

Tools

  • Cheesecloth (you can purchase this at your local grocery store)

  • Stainless steel strainer

  • Stainless steel spoon

  • Small containers to put your finished product in.

There is the quick way and the longer way depending on if you have lots of time or are hoping to have your balm sooner than later.

 

Long Directions
 

Step 1: Cut up your plant petals & leaves fairly small and put in a glass jar. Cover with oil so that you have at least an inch of oil above the herbs. Leave the jar to sit in a sunny window for 4-6 weeks. Then, move to Step 3 below.

 

Quick Directions
 

Step 1: Lightly crush the lemon balm and calendula with your fingers or cut up the leaves and petals with scissors or a knife and put them in a double boiler pot. Cover with the oil and mix. If you do not have at least an inch of oil above the herbs, add more.
 

Step 2: Simmer the infused oil over very low heat for at least one hour taking care not to boil the herbs. Stir occasionally.
 

Step 3: Remove from heat and strain the herbs out through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. Squeeze out all the oil from the plant material and then toss the herbs into your compost. (Don’t burn your hands if you used the quick method; be sure to let everything cool a little before handling it.)
 

Step 4: Put one cup of the oil infusion in the pot over low heat and add the beeswax. Stir until melted. Let the mixture cool a bit before adding the peppermint oil and honey. Then add the vitamin E oil, which acts as a natural preservative. Stir once or twice only as to not evaporate the highly volatile essential oil.

 

Step 5: Pour immediately into lip balm jars. Let cool and cap.

 

Step 6: Label Them! There are lots of options at your local craft & business supply store for labels.

 

You now have your own stock of lip balm and lots to give out for extra special handmade with Love Christmas & Yule gifts!

 

Enjoy the season,
Sarah

 

Some Herb Suppliers

www.herbalcraft.ca – this is a Canadian company out of B.C.

www.mountainroseherbs.com – this is a company out of the U.S.

 

 

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