INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup finely ground oats

1/3 cup coconut oil

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp 100% pure lanolin (optional)

4 tbsp castor oil (or sweet almond oil)

1/3 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a medium size bowl combine ground oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar. In a smal, microwave safe, bowl combine coconut oil, lanolin, and castor oil. Microwave for 20-30 seconds at a time until coconut oil is melted. Stir oils and pour on to oats, and mix thoroughly to combine. Spoon mixture into airtight container. I put ours in a wide mouth pint size jar.

While cruising Pinterest, I stumbled upon this recipe for Homemade Lipstick. I looked at all of the ingredients and lo-and-behold I had them all! I thought to myself "self, this must be fate!", so today I decided that I needed to make it.

In my makeup bag I had a tube of lipstick that was finished so I cleaned out the inside and prepped it for welcoming it's newest resident. Then I took out all of the ingredients and got to work. I first started with the color part which consisted of 1 tsp cocoa, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 2 tsp espresso powder. (I wasn't sure how much I was going to need to color the mixture so I ended up having extra) Placed them all in my spice grinder and pulverized the heck out of them to made a very fine powder. Next, in a small glass bowl over a some simmering water, I placed 1 tsp of cocoa butter, 1 tsp of coconut oil, and 1 tsp of beeswax. I melted all the goodies down to a liquid and then added the powder mixture. I left it on the heat for this part because I didn't want the mixture to get hard before I could mix it all in. To the liquid I added 1 tsp of Bentonite powder, stirred until clumps were gone and everything was thoroughly mixed. Oh - a quick word about Bentonite powder - make sure that you are using a glass bowl and a rubber or plastic spoon to stir, Bentonite will lose some of it's effectiveness if it comes in contact with metal. >> Read more about Bentonite here <<

After everything was mixed I spooned the mixture into my tubes. Let sit for about 5-10 minutes (to make sure it hardened) and then applied to my lips. I am very excited about the moisturizing properties of this lip tint - as far as color goes - not so much. I think I am going to try beet root next time to see if this makes a stronger color. But on the plus side my lips smell like Mocha/Espresso - so I think it's a Win/Win! :)

For the original recipe visit Wellness Mama. Plus make sure you read some of the comments, there is a lot of great tips, tricks, and suggestions.