I've been making your recipe for about a year now and I love it. Last year I made it for the first time as DIY Christmas presents for everyone. Anyways, I had an issue with the balm reacting with the tin. Of course I learned later this probably had everything to do with the citrus essential oils I used to fragrance it. Just an FYI for all of us novice DIYers...tin and citrus don't mix.
Hey Caroline! I'm glad you're loving this recipe :) Honestly, I would be much more concerned about citrus + skin than citrus + tin! The photo-toxicity risk is very real. From Tisserand's Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Care Professionals: "About a century ago it was noticed that dermally applied bergamot oil could produce reddening of the surrounding skin after exposure to an ultraviolet lamp, with subsequent blistering 24-72 hours later, followed by abnormally dark pigmentation (Kavli & Volden 1984). The patches of darkened skin can remain for many years. The condition was first described in 1916 and has been called berloque dermatitis, bergapten dermatitis and phytophotodermatitis (Young et al 1990)... In a second, more serious case, a female adult sustained severe, full-thickness burns following a 20-minute sunbed session, which was taken 15 minutes after the self-application of undiluted bergamot oil. Blistered burns slowly developed during the following 48 hours, at which time she was admitted to hospital where she remained for seven days (name withheld, private communication, 1993). There are similar reports of distressing skin lesions and burns that occur after applying bergamot oil to the skin and exposing it to UV light (Nettelblad et al 1996; Clark & Wilkinson 1998; Cocks & Wilson 1998; Kaddu et al 2001)." Be careful!
How scary! "Natural" without knowledge can = bad news. I can't remember what e/o I used but it wasn't bergamot . I do love that scent though! I've just gotten away from essential oils all together because of my temperamental skin. Sometimes I even wonder if rosewater is an irritant as well. Do you have any thoughts on rosewater or rose hydrosol? I am going to try your green tea infused lotion next :-). Thanks for your response Marie! Your new book is in my Amazon shopping cart! I can't wait to get it into my hot little hands!
So true! There's an entire fallacy called the "appeal to nature fallacy" that basically addresses the worryingly common notion that natural = safe. I feel like I spend a lot of time trying to explain to people that ascertaining something's "natural-ness" is an awful way to determine if it is safe or not... with varying levels of success haha. Do be aware that most citrus essential oils contain photosensitizing compounds, bergamot is just the worst. I've never found rose water be irritating, but if you do, obviously stop using it! Happy making and I hope you love the book :D
The main reason natural does not mean safe anymore is that natural doesn't mean natural anymore. Even cosmetic products that say organic don't have to be if they don't display the USDA or other certification's seal. Sadly, another reason is that our internal systems aren't natural either as most humans born now are inheriting weak adrenals and thus the kidneys are very weak along with neurotransmitters, etc. Kidney problems often start to be seen first in our skin, which is our 'third kidney'. All the toxins that we consume daily are not being filtered out via the natural body systems that are supposed to happen. Add on top of that the deficiencies we have b/c of poor nutrition and processed food and our cells can't rebuild themselves correctly. If organic, non-gm ingredients are irritating you, it's not the product! Chances are it's your skin pH being out of balance, your kidneys not working correctly and thus your body has to excrete things through the skin - which it can't do very well when covered in emulsified oils / waxes. :(
Distilled Lemon, Distilled Lime, Bergapten-Free Bergamot, Sweet Orange, Yuzu, Mandarin, Satsuma, and Tangarine are all fine to use -- are NOT photosensitizing (also Tisserand and Young pg 87 Essential Oil Safety). It is Expressed Lemon, Expressed Lime (which more often than not they are sold expressed I believe ...mmm not sure on this ...anyway if it doesn't say be sure to ask), Grapefruit, Regular Bergamot, Wild or Bitter Orange, Mandarin Leaf, Fig Leaf, Cumin, Angelica and Rue that are photosensitizing and Clementine, Combava, Skimmia, Celery, Lovage, Khella and Parsnip are all possible photo-sensitizers (there are a few more details but this is the short version). I was disappointed to read this about the lovage as I just bought some and failed to ask (oh well - I don't always go outdoors during the day - truly one needs to be in the sun more than 5 minutes at a stretch in order to get a burn and often I do not spend more time than it takes to walk from the car to the doorway of where ever I am going on many days - so surely not the end of the world). But Marie is right in that there have been several cases where folks have accidentally got quite burnt (like 2nd degree serious burns) from mixing some citrus or other photosensitizing oil and sun-exposure! Poor Marie! I swear I am not here to try to screw you up!! I REALLY enjoy your work!!! Truly!! :) I just bought your book as well. :)
I have eczema so I go through a lot of Egyptian Magic. I have made antifungal creams before. The cream with the beeswax took longer to make. This recipe looks more time intensive, but I can tell it's a great final product! Can't wait to gather all my bee products to give it a try.
Have been using your recipe for about 2 years now. It really is best thing I have ever discovered and now it is ONLY thing i ever put on my skin and everyone I gave it to as present LOVES it SOOOOOOOO MUCH even willing to pay for it but as long as I have good access to ingredients, my friends n family have it for free with extra LOVE added as another ingredient. I thank you for sharing this recipe xxxxxxxxx
I wanted to tell you I made this. I doubled the recipe though. It came out beautiful and my daughter loves it and whipped Cocoa butter recipe. I did them both> Thank you for sharing all this incredible information. Waiting on some ingredients to make the scar salve balm from your blog and some other goodies you have posted.
According to the research I've done, there's really no reason to avoid heating olive oil to 65°C: healthimpactnews.com/2014/myth-buster-olive-oil-is-one-of-the-safest-oils-for-frying-and-cooking/.
I have made something like this before. The recipe that I used also called for Royal Jelly. I’m wondering if you ever thought of putting that in too. I’m definitely going to watch your video & try your recipe. Mine always came out sticky feeling once put on. ❤
Oh my gosh! This balm was one of the first ones I shared on IG and even though I didn't like my pictures, I loved this. I used calendula CO2 but I found out that my skin doesn't tolerate it well, I replaced it with meadowsweet infused oil...it smells nice, sweet, floral and slightly herbal with mild nutty notes. Lise behind LisaLiseSkincare introduced it to me and have likely shared a post about it!
WARNING: Bee Pollen can give the most horrible skin allergy. Just for anyone who didnt know because I didnt...I am not allergic to honey and wouldnt know if I have a bee sting allergy but I recently started taking bee pollen raw as a multivitamin. My face started to get so red and irritated. I had no clue it was the pollen. I took it for a week and stopped randomly. I thought I was having a contact dermatitis situation. That next week my skin started to get better. I was very confused. I started to take the bee pollen again randomly and that day my skin flares up red, irritated, itchy...it felt like it was on fire. I started looking up bee pollen allergy and found a medical article about a women who came in with photosensitivity without the normal causes. She had actually started taking a bee pollen supplement. Sure enough I stopped taking it and my skin is slowly healing.
Thank you....this is beautiful. I have everything except the propolis but I do have Royal Jelly and will make anyway. I bet that Cleopatra really did use something just like this so I believe that the name you've given this is pretty apropos. Love your videos. Thank you so much. 💓
this is so hydrating!!! my hands get super cracked in the fall and winter but i can feel a difference immediately... i did have an issue blending the 2 components. i wonder if it was because i made a double batch or because i accidentally added an extra gram of honey or because i used a very thick honey. it is still lovely tho :) i will try again soon. thank you for sharing
thank you Marie, another wonderful recipe, I love it, I think I saw it in your blog but even though I liked it I thought it was difficult to make, watching you it´s easy, wow
Thanks, Am! That "wow, easy" moment is exactly why I wanted to get into videos :) So much if it is just melt & stir, but with all the new ingredients that can seem intimidating-but once you see it, it's not!
I made this a few days ago, mine is just a little gritty from the pollen, which I don’t understand because I ground it thoroughly in my grinder, any tips for avoiding that in the future?
I'm super excited to try this balm and the scar balm. I've been following you for a while, but never have been able to make any of the products. Very excited to attempt these delicious DIY's.
Awsome!!! I just harvested wild honey combs i watched all Summer and fall as not to get stung and I'm going to separate the beeswax, this looks like one recipe I'll try so thanks
Hooray! This is a favourite recipe of mine! I add Royal Jelly for all around bee goodness :) You most definitely have superior patience! I make big batches of this so I use a stick blender otherwise I'd have a sore arm ;)
I’m noticing the warnings about adding certain citric essential oils and someone included lavender... however I’m assuming it is strictly ESSENTIAL oils that are referred to and not “infused Olive oils with Lavender flowers etc. Am I assuming correctly? I love Lavender flower essence infused in olive oil. Just want to be assured I won’t be burning my skin or anyone else’s. Also, someone mentioned the wax clogging your pores. That is a concern of mine as well. Maybe wax is not needed if a thicker oil base (ie Shea butter?) Any advise/wisdom on this? Thanks❣️
Thanks for watching! Don't forget to check out my blog as well (humblebeeandme.com/)-I've been blogging for over 6.5 years while I’ve only been on RU-vid for ~1.5, so there is TONS more content on the blog!
Welcome!! Don't forget to check out my blog (humblebeeandme.com)-I've been blogging for over 8.5 years while I’ve only been on RU-vid for about 4.5, so there is TONS more content on the blog!
Hey Marie! what an awesome RU-vid and blog you have! I am binge watching and reading your content. I can't believe I didn't find you sooner. I have a question: can I add a teaspoon of collidal oat to the recipe without starting a bacteria party?
Hi Marie your site is such an inspiration. ! Would love to do this especially because I am a beekeeper so am always looking for ways to utilise all my bees products!! One question pls. Since honey is a humectant as you said is it ok to add to an anhydrous formulation without preservative ?
I just signed up for your class! Will we be making this? I love raw honey, propolis & pollen in my skincare & the best part is you don't need to add a preservative! Thx for making this tutorial♥♥
Thank you for sharing. I love your DIYs. Something to fill my idle mind. Just a question for acne proned skin people who tried this for weeks? Please let me know if this worsen your acne or not. I want to try this on my face.
I know this may sound like a dumb question about the raw bees 🐝 wax but… can I use bees 🐝 wax strait from the hive?? I have 8 hives and use the honey and the comb. Thanks 😊
Thank you so much for sharing! I have a sneaking suspicion that this is Honey Girls recipe which has completely changed my skin. Will for sure try to make this.
grade video i will try this recipe The purest product is the unsealing wax, the lids on the honeycombs, which are removed when the honey is thrown. this is the purest wax you can get! Ideal material for further processing in creams and other beauty or health products
@Humblebee & Me I love this! I will definitely try to make it at home and as I saw in the comments be better to follow every step as you shown with every product you used, but I have two questions; 1) Instead of the tincture propolis can I use raw propolis extract? I’ve found it on my local farmers market but I’m not sure if they could be the same for this recipe. And 2) What’s the music you used on the background?? I cannot put into words how much I love guitar accords for meditation, so I would appreciate it *a LOT* if you could provide the link to it. Thank you Marie 🤗
Humblebee & Me you’re such a doll for replying and clearing my doubts 🤗. I’ll give it a try and see how it turns out 😘. Btw, what’s your IG handle? I must follow!! Lol
Thanks, Iryna! This one was a bit frustrating to film (I kept messing up and saying the wrong things) so the bloopers at the end are borne of some pretty genuine ARRRRGH hahaha :P
I've got an entire FAQ on this :) www.humblebeeandme.com/faqs/long-will-______-last-shelf-life/ Definitely store it at room temperature, you'll never use it if you keep it in the fridge.
Hi mam I am shubhi from India I have make this body balm n it is amazing actually I have some questions formula botanical is good for online course plz tell me ma
Hi Marie, I have a question if you were to add royal jelly to this recipe. Would you add dry freeze jolly jelly or the fresh royal jelly and if so how much would you add?
Awesome videos!! I've made lotion for a while now, but not like you do; so excited to try your processes. I'm new your website and the videos; are there links for the emulsifying wax and preservatives you use? Have you ever thought of putting your lotions & balms into ziplocs and then piping it into your container of choice? Thank you!
Thanks, Cana! Check out the FAQ (www.humblebeeandme.com/faq/) for more specifics on e-waxes and preservatives, there's loads of helpful info and links in the articles there. Here's a few useful ones: www.humblebeeandme.com/faqs/what-preservative-should-i-use-how-much-of-it-should-i-add/ & www.humblebeeandme.com/faqs/emulsifying-waxes-e-waxes/ :) I have tried the piping thing before, but with the small amounts I make in (www.humblebeeandme.com/faqs/recipes-produce-small-amounts-product/), the loss to the piping process ends up being significant enough that I usually don't bother.
Great video, especially the little kid bits of information while you are creating (i.e. weight of water vs oil & how it will not fill a 2oz tin)...and thank you for sharing your resources for tools & such. Very helpful. QUESTION: How long will this recipe last? Does it need to 'BEE' kept in the refrigerator when not in use? Thanks!
Thanks! It can make it a touch sticky, but that does seem to vary with the honey and with the individual's feel for "sticky". If it is sticky I find that goes away in a couple minutes :)
Thank you so much for subbing! Don't forget to check out my blog (humblebeeandme.com/)-I've been blogging for over 7 years while I’ve only been on RU-vid for about 2.5, so there is TONS more content on the blog!
I have been trying to wach most of your videos and they are all lovely, but this one looks particularly interetsing :-) I also love the choice of music for this one - so soothing, peacefull and tranquil. Just one question though , I love love olive oil but I am not sure I want to smell like a salad dressing, is it possibl to substitute with something else or are all other ingredients used in this DIY recipe going to mask over the olive oil scent? Thank you!
You can read this for more info: www.humblebeeandme.com/a-guide-to-carrier-oil-substitutions/. I don't find the olive oil scent comes through at all, though :)
It certainly can be-I've also had really good reports on this: www.humblebeeandme.com/eczema-salve/. Read through the comments to learn more :) Happy making!
Won't the pollen stay on the surface of the skin? It doesn't get absorbed by the skin so what is the purpose of adding it? Also, most raw honey is much more liquid with a thick viscosity. Were you using a blended honey with wax whipped into it?
I have been obsessively watching your videos for the last view day and I learn so much from you. You have so much knowledge and explain everything so well. I just have one question about this one. You always talk about the importance of preservatives. Which ingredient in this recipe is the preservative?
Hey! You'll find the answer to your question in my FAQ on my website at humblebeeandme.com/faq/ (There's an entire section on preservatives, including when a preservative is needed-there isn't one here as one is not required) 😊Happy making!
Great recipe Marie.I did not need to skeep the beggining ( smile).My question is:can I add Royal jelly?I have a great organic pure royal jelly.And second question...is this balm for face too or just for the body? Thank you Marie.
A mixer would likely be the way to go as cleaning a blender would be a lot of work! Make sure you like it as-is before scaling up, though :) Happy making!
I am dying to give this ago but I don't have any Chamomile infused oil. Could I use Chamomile essential oil instead? If so how much would I need for this size batch. Thanks x
