A Lip Balm Class, Eight Flavours, and One Clear Favourite

Last September 24 I hosted a private lip balm making class in the evening for a wonderful group of ladies from Teal Poppies. I had taught a class at their facility earlier this year, so I already knew some of them. It was lovely to see familiar faces and meet the rest of the group. Food was brought in, everyone knew each other, and the conversation started before we had even melted a single ingredient.

There is something especially nice about teaching a group that already feels comfortable together. People ask questions, compare ideas, and encourage each other to try something different. This group did all of that. They also reminded me to bring out more lip balm flavours at the start of class!

First, we find the texture they like

Before anyone chooses a flavour or starts melting ingredients, I bring out samples of six different lip balm recipes. Each person uses her own little testing stick to try them. It is a simple exercise, but it tells us a lot. One person wants a firmer balm that holds up well in a tube. Another prefers a softer, creamier glide. Someone else may like a balm that feels lighter on her lips. They can compare all six for themselves instead of trying to imagine what a recipe will feel like from a list of ingredients.

The samples each correspond to a recipe available in the class. Once a student finds the texture she likes best, she has a starting recipe to work from. She can then personalize her batches with her choice of flavour and, later, colour. We also talk about what the oils, butters, and waxes contribute, so the recipe is more than a set of numbers to copy. It is something she can understand and adapt as she gains experience.

I like starting this way because a good lip balm feels different to different people. A texture I love may not be the one you would reach for every day. Trying six finished balms makes that choice much easier, and it gives everyone a purpose for the decisions we make during the rest of the class.

The flavour selection kept growing

I began with the flavours I usually set out for a lip balm class: French Vanilla, Coconut, Peppermint, Rockin' Raspberry, and Cherry. They give people a good range of familiar choices: creamy, fruity, and refreshing. Usually, there is something on that table for everyone.

This time, the ladies looked over the options and, a little hesitantly, asked if I had anything else. Of course I did. I brought out Grapefruit. Then came, "Do you have anything else fruity?" So out came Orange Creamsicle. A little later someone asked for Strawberry, and I brought out Strawberry Daiquiri.

By then the table had turned into a small flavour discussion. Someone would pick up a bottle, someone else would ask what it smelled like, and a person who thought she had decided on one flavour would change her mind. That is one of my favourite parts of a hands-on class: you can see people discovering what they actually like when they have the ingredients in front of them.

The questions were perfectly fair, too. If you are making lip balm for yourself, you should be able to make something you will enjoy reaching for every day. And if you are making a few tubes to share, different flavours give you a chance to think about the people who will receive them.

What goes into a good lip balm?

Flavour is fun, but it is only one part of the project. We spent the evening learning how to build the balm itself. A lip balm is a balance of oils, butters, and waxes, and each part affects how the finished tube feels.

Oils help determine how the balm glides across your lips. Different oils can make a formula feel lighter or richer. Butters can contribute a softer, more cushioned feel, although the result depends on the butter and how much you use. Wax gives the balm structure so it can stay in a tube rather than behaving like an oil. Change the proportions, and the balm can become firmer, softer, more glossy, or less pleasant to apply.

That is why I like teaching the purpose of an ingredient instead of handing everyone a recipe and moving straight to the pouring. The six samples give each person a recipe she already knows she likes, and the lesson helps her understand why it feels that way. Once you understand why something is in the formula, you can make more thoughtful changes later. If your first attempt is too firm for your liking, you know which part of the balance to examine. If it is too soft in your pocket, you have a starting point for adjusting the next batch.

We also talked about the difference between a lip balm flavour and a general fragrance oil. Products used on the lips need to be appropriate for lip use, and you need to follow the supplier's usage guidance for the particular flavour you choose. More flavour is not automatically better. It should complement a balm that already feels good.

Melting, mixing, and getting it into the tubes

One of the practical skills in class is learning to melt oils, butters, and wax together and then work while the mixture is still pourable. Lip balm cools quickly. That can catch you off guard when you are making your first batch, especially when a little mixture starts setting up in the pouring container before it reaches the tubes.

I show the group how to prepare the tubes and their workspace before they start, how to keep an eye on the mixture, and how to pour with a steady hand. We also talk about ways to reduce the amount left behind in the container. A small loss may not look like much, but when you are making just four little tubes, every gram matters.

In a private class with several people working at once, we heat ingredients a little differently from the way you might do it alone at home. That is a matter of logistics: everyone needs room and time to work safely, and I want each person to be able to see what is happening to her own batch. The method we use in class lets everyone practise the important parts of the process and understand how to repeat it later.

Each person made two batches of four 5g lip balm tubes, beginning with the recipe connected to the texture she chose during our sampling. The first batch is where you get a feel for the steps. You measure, melt, add your flavour, pour, and see how quickly the balm begins to cool. By the second batch, the movements are more familiar. People tend to relax, ask better questions, and start making choices based on what they learned the first time.

That second batch also meant everyone could choose a different flavour. You do not have to commit your entire evening's lip balm supply to French Vanilla just because that was your first pick. You can make Peppermint next, or decide that you really do want the Strawberry Daiquiri after smelling it across the table.

Then the colours came out

Once everyone was comfortable with the basics, I brought out the colours. For this class we used micas rather than liquid colourants. The mica is dispersed through the balm and remains suspended in it, adding visual interest without changing the main job of the formula. It is important to choose a mica that is approved for lip use; a colour being suitable for soap does not automatically make it suitable for a lip product.

The colours gave the group another way to make their tubes their own. A hint of colour can help you tell flavours apart, while a deeper shade makes a batch feel entirely different from an untinted balm. We discussed keeping the amount sensible so the balm still applies smoothly. Everyone came away with tubes that looked beautiful and reflected her choices.

What I enjoyed was seeing how flavour and colour decisions happened together. Someone might start with a colour in mind and then find a flavour to go with it. Someone else would choose the flavour first and only then decide whether the balm needed any colour at all. There was no single correct combination. The point was to learn the process well enough to make those decisions for yourself.

The flavours everyone talked about

With so many choices on the table, people naturally compared favourites. Peppermint remains a reliable pick. It has that familiar, fresh character many people expect from a lip balm. French Vanilla is another steady favourite for anyone drawn to softer, creamy flavours. Cherry and Rockin' Raspberry offered the classic fruit options from my usual class selection, while Coconut appealed to anyone wanting something a little more mellow.

The additions changed the conversation. Grapefruit brought a bright citrus choice to the table. Strawberry Daiquiri was a big hit, especially once the strawberry fans realized it was available. And Orange Creamsicle was the clear favourite of the night. It was the bottle people kept coming back to and talking about. I had expected my regular selection to cover the group, but the flavour I pulled out after they asked for more ended up stealing the show.

That is useful feedback for me as a teacher and as the person choosing what to stock for Wixy Soap. A flavour can look appealing on a list, but watching a group smell it, make a batch with it, and compare notes tells you something more. The popularity of Orange Creamsicle and Strawberry Daiquiri made it clear that this group wanted more fruit and dessert-inspired choices than I had initially put on the table.

If you are choosing flavours for your own project, you do not need to guess what everyone else will like. Start with what appeals to you. Consider making a small first batch, then try something different next time. That is exactly what we did in class, and it gave people a chance to discover a new favourite without making a large supply of it first.

There are plenty more to explore

Our class table was only a sampling of the options. Wixy Soap also carries lip balm flavours such as Pineapple, Blue Raspberry, Superfruit Smoothie, Cotton Candy, Buttercream Frosting, Coffee, Salted Toffee, Hazelnut Latte, Pumpkin Cheesecake, and more. Some are sweetened and some are unsweetened, so read the individual product description when that distinction matters to your formula. Availability can change, and the collection is the best place to see what is currently listed.

You can browse Wixy Soap's lip balm flavours here. The collection is a good place to compare familiar favourites with flavours you might not have thought to try in a lip balm. If you are planning several small batches, it can be fun to choose one dependable option, one fruity option, and one wildcard. You might be surprised which one becomes your favourite.

One small detail I like to point out: a flavour name describes the experience you are aiming for, but it does not tell you how much of that flavour to use. Check the guidance for the exact product and weigh it as part of your formula. The base still needs to feel good on your lips. A nicely balanced balm with a modest amount of flavour is much more enjoyable than one overwhelmed by it.

Taking the skill home

At the end of class, everyone had eight 5g tubes from the two batches they made, plus a 13-page manual to take home. The tubes are lovely, but the manual matters just as much. It gives them something to refer back to when they decide to make lip balm again without me standing beside them. They can return to the recipe that matched their favourite sample and keep experimenting with flavour, colour, and the feel they want from their balm.

That is always my hope for a class. I want people to leave knowing what they did and why they did it. They should remember that oils, butters, and waxes each have a job; that the mixture needs to be poured before it sets in the container; and that flavour and colour should be chosen with lip use in mind. The first batch gives them the experience. The second batch helps the process stick.

This particular evening also showed how much a comfortable group can add to a class. They knew one another, food was shared, questions came easily, and nobody had to pretend she loved the first flavour selection I put out. They asked for more, we found more, and the finished lip balms were better suited to them because of it.

Thank you to the ladies of Teal Poppies for spending the evening with me. I had a wonderful time seeing some familiar faces again and watching everyone make her own beautiful, flavourful lip balms. And next time I teach this group, you can be sure Orange Creamsicle will come out early.

Interested in making your own? Take a look at our lip balm making class and lip balm flavour collection. You can also purchase a Wixy Soap lip balm kit, if you would like to make tubes at home. From Peppermint, French Vanilla, something fruity, to a flavour none of us has tried yet, the best part is making a balm that feels and tastes right to you.