Ah, I’ve finally perfected a balm that works wonderfully on both your lips and your skin–hence the name, “Double Duty Balm”.
My family is prone to getting dry lips, even my children. I think it’s a combination of living in an apartment where it’s very breezy most of the time, and me prompting the kids to always drink loads of water, very often (it keeps them well hydrated on the inside, but it does wash away the precious little oil that protects their lips).
I went all out nuts on selecting some really fantastic ingredients to include in my formulation. In this little 10g tin you’ll find:
- yellow beeswax that has undergone minimum refinement, and has its natural golden colour and honeyed fragrance intact. It is said to have mild antibacterial and antiviral properties, as well as the ability to form a protective barrier over the skin while at the same time allowing it to breathe;
- cocoa butter, which we all know is fantastic for moisturizing skin;
- apricot kernel oil, which is treasured for its anti-inflammatory properties and has been used to soothe minor skin irritations, as well as eczema;
- sweet almond oil, a lovely moisturizer that’s great even for infants;
- sesame seed oil, which is again, an efffective moisturizer;
- cocoa CO2 oil;
- rosemary oleoresin, that I added to ensure that the oils don’t go rancid too quickly.
Now I must have a special mention about the cocoa CO2 oil–it’s what makes this balm so irresistible (in my opinion, anyway). It’s the oil that has been extracted from cocoa beans using supercritical carbon dioxide, which leaves practically no trace of the solvent and preserves nearly all of the precious and delicate chemical constituents of the cocoa bean–including its unmistakable chocolatey aroma. It’s supposed to be wonderful on the skin too, because of its wide array of fatty acids that nourish and moisturize it–but personally, I’m a sucker for its scent. There may be artificial fragrances that try really hard to mimic this, but I don’t think any would come close!
It’s also one of the most expensive ingredients I have ever dared to invest in. 0_o
Anyway, so here are a few suggested uses for this balm:
- to protect and moisturize your lips
- to smooth over patches of dry skin for instant relief from dryness
- as a balm for diaper rash
- to administer on minor cuts and grazes, especially for kids (since most of the time all they really need is a distraction to feel better, and I can’t think of a happier one than the scent of melting chocolate being gently rubbed into their wounds!)
I’m not quite sure if it’ll work on soothing eczema or getting rid of the irritation and itchiness stemming from insect bites, but if you do try it out and have favourable results, you MUST let me know! 
To use it, you’ll need to warm up the surface of the balm with the tip of your finger in order to pick up a little of it, then smooth it onto wherever it is on your body that needs some moisture or care. You can also scrape a tiny amount using a clean spoon if you like, especially if you need to cover a larger area of skin. I find that a little of the balm goes a very long way.
Each 10g tin retails at RM35, and will be making their debut at tomorrow’s Crafty Art Market, Jaya One. Come on over to try it out on your skin and be blown away by how good it feels–and smells! 