This silky smooth balm smells clear and fresh, and leaves skin feeling lightly cooled and refreshed as well as gently moisturized. It comes together quickly and easily, and it’s vegan to boot.
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Eucalyptus radiata essential oil is a wonderfully inexpensive essential oil that’s often overlooked in body care recipes. It’s less than $9 for 100mL and it’s loaded with a compound called 1,8-Cineole (also known as eucalyptol) that’s a strong antiseptic.
The bright, camphoraceous scent of Eucalyptus radiata pairs wonderfully with fresh peppermint. Most people are familiar with peppermint’s minty scent and tingly sensation on the skin, and it’s popular for a reason. It’s said to clear the mind and energize, and it’s great for headaches and sore muscles. Paired with eucalyptus is also does a great job of clearing stuffed sinuses.
If you’re looking for a lightweight body balm, this one’s great—especially on tired feet. Give it a go!
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Cool & Clear Eucalyptus Balm
8g | 0.28oz candelilla wax (or 11g [0.39oz] beeswax)
36g | 1.27oz olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada)
10 drops peppermint essential oil (USA / Canada)
25 drops eucalyptus radiata essential oilCombine the candelilla wax and olive oil (pomace) (USA / Canada) in a small double boiler and melt.
Once melted, remove from the heat and stir in the essential oils. Decant into a 60mL/2oz tin and let set up before using.
Is there a difference between Eucalyptus radiata EO and just Eucalyptus EO? And are the two interchangeable?
Hi Christine! There’s really no such thing as “just” Eucalyptus EO—they’re all a specific kind, sort of like dogs 🙂 They are all a little bit different as well. New Directions Aromatics sells 7 different types of Eucalyptus essential oil, and they give a pretty good overview of the different kinds on their website.
Wow. You have done it again!! Made this and a Few other of your balms last night after I finished moving into the bigger room of my house. Three days of moving lol, I deserved this. My dogs have been barking and this felt GREAT. If blogs had restraining orders, I’m sure I’d have one on me lol. Thanks so much for the recipe! This will be a staple in my Salt Lake City trip this weekend I’m sure!! Just in time 🙂
Thanks so much, Colie, I’m glad you love it 🙂 A big thanks for reading & DIYing with me!
Hi! I just started making my own balms and am doing a ton of research. Found your site and am really stoked!
I am curious what the consistency of this balm is. I have been tinkering with recipes because the two balms I’ve made so far have turned out fairly hard (I have been using candelilla wax and shea butter as well as oils) and I would like something softer that I don’t need to dig into/warm up between my hands.
Thanks so much for all the great info!
Hi Kate! This balm is quite firm, smooth, and glassy. You should read my quick guides to candelilla and carnuaba waxes as a starting point for finding a ratio you like for your DIY balms 🙂 Thanks for reading!
I made this balm recently and love it, but would have liked it a bit softer. I looked up your experiment on beeswax to olive oil ratios and it was very helpful. After reading it I’ll feel more comfortable experimenting with ratios until I find the one I like best. Thanks for the information.
Thanks for reading! I think you might find the parallel experiment on candelilla wax more helpful, though, since that’s the wax used here 🙂
I just read about 20 of your recipes (I’m a recent soapmaker and chapstick maker) and you have some awesome stuff. But I have to ask– do you ever incorporate animal fats into your lotions/chapsticks/body butters? I recently started putting beef tallow on my skin for lotion and it has made my legs feel very soft. It’s supposedly very compatible with human skin. I already read that you are comfortable using beef tallow in your soaps, what do you think of it for skin? I have experienced great results using tallow.
I’ve used it in my tallow balm, but nothing else yet 🙂
Would it be possible to use soy wax flakes instead of candelilla? How would things change? It seems in using the soy wax one must add more- like double the wax! I’m new at this, love your great info!
Hi Jessica! I haven’t worked with soy wax at all, so I’m afraid I can’t comment. Sorry!
Hi Marie,
what is the difference between a balm and a butter? Do they have different purpose?
Would you use this one as a butter? Does Eucalyptus EO can irritate skin?
I just made your Cool and Clear Eucalyptus Balm and Honey Coconut Body Butter and they are quite the same in terms of ratio (oil, beewax) except one is with olive oil and the other with Coconut oil.
Thanks
In my experience, the only difference you might see is how much you apply (balm slightly less, butter slightly more), but they are generally both 100% oil/wax/butter based concoctions designed to be put on the skin. “Balms” can also have more healing connotations than a body butter (like how the eucalyptus balm can help clear sinuses and congestion, while the honey coconut mostly just smells nice—they both hydrate). Diluted to this amount, I would not be concerned about skin irritation with eucalyptus EO.
Hi Marie. How many 2oz tins can I get out of this batch?
Thanks again so excited to try.
I’ve covered that in the FAQ 🙂