Anybody use MCT oil in their lip balm recipe?

[Candybee]

I'm considering using it to help with the texture. I want a bit more slide. Since butterEZ went off the market I have been revising my recipe. I have so far incorporated cera bellina as a sub for the butterEZ so my balm doesn't get grainy from my butters. Its working great but it doesn't have the glide it used to have. My balm used to go on like buttah it was so nice. Now it has more drag which I don't like and trying to fix it. So when I read about MCT oil I thought this might do the trick. Any thoughts?

Edited November 13, 2018 by Candybee

[Sponiebr]

I don't make lip balm but I do make lotion from time to time. I use FCO in my lotion formulation and it works VERY well. (IIRC, MCT is basically the same thing as FCO only they don't disclose whether or not it was fractionated from coconut or palm oil). The thing that I have found to make the lotion ultra smooth is silicone oil. (I can't believe I'm going to say this) I use Astro Glide waterproof Silicone ( I BOUGHT it expressly for lotions),  as the source for my silicone oil as it is a blend of simethicone and dimethicone it works great but is a tad pricey for the amount you get. 

 

[Shari]

I haven't used MCT or FCO in my lip balms.  But, what about lowering whatever wax you use a bit?  A bit more liquid oils may help.   Of course there's the whole not too soft to cause it to melt in the pocket test.   I want to try adding Cera Bellina into mine but need to order some.

[Sarah S]

@Candybee, I personally do not like MCT in my lip balm, I find it has the opposite effect, it absorbs so quickly that the balm seems more insustantial to me. What do have going on in your recipe now? I really like coconut oil to add slip, and castor for staying power.

[Candybee]

2 hours ago, Sarah S said:

@Candybee, I personally do not like MCT in my lip balm, I find it has the opposite effect, it absorbs so quickly that the balm seems more insustantial to me. What do have going on in your recipe now? I really like coconut oil to add slip, and castor for staying power.

 

Funny you should ask I was going to try switching out shea butter for virgin coconut oil and see if I like that better. I had also read that MCT absorbs fast and was thinking that may cause problems in a product like lip balm where you want staying power.

 

Another thing is when I first used cera bellina I didn't think to lower my wax to compensate. I used the same amount of wax plus the addition of the cera bellina too. I am thinking this may be the reason my balm had a lot of drag. Too much wax product.

 

So this time around I am counting the cera bellina as part of my total wax %, switching out shea for coconut oil, and hoping my new recipe will be as nice as it was before. I have thought about adding a little bit of castor so I may sub out the MCT for a combo of liquid oils using castor as a small part of that. I love sunflower oil in my lip balm so may bring that back and combine sunflower with castor. I know I want to use the castor in a smaller % so my balm is not too soft.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Candybee

[TallTayl]

 

I lowered beeswax and added candelila to smooth some of the drag and make it more heat tolerant.  A wee bit of candy wax does a lot.

High  oleic sunflower oil is nice versus more coconut. I find coconut to be drying. 

 

ETA castor oil can be draggy too, along with sticky and glossy.  Dudes don’t tend to love glossy. 

[Candybee]

I am using a combo of candelilla and cera bellina as my waxes. I have not tried CO in my lip balms yet but will keep the drying factor in mind. I am going to try castor at 5-10% to see how I like it. I know there is a sweet spot in the right % so will try it out.

 

Funny, when I made my first lip balm recipe a few years back using butterEZ it came out perfect. I never had to tweak it. Without butterEZ I am lost and having to keep tweaking and revising my frecipe. If its not one thing its another when it comes to getting the texture and emolliency just right. Sigh....

 

I really want to keep it simple and use fewer ingredients but finding that hard to do.

Edited November 14, 2018 by Candybee