Leaning into slower days with new intentions + my nourishing lip balm recipe

Seasons change and so do you

A good friend once passed on the wisdom, that January is not the time for New Year's resolutions… That is unless you want to crash, burn, and fail at every single one (it was also this very friend who introduced us to this amazing platform… So, clearly an opinion that needs to be treated with the highest regard). It’s quite obvious when you consider it. January is universally agreed as the never-ending month. The one that starts with a sore head, and ends with, well, my birthday and the tax return deadline.

‘Why’, she says as we sip tea around her kitchen table on a bright Spring day, ‘Why, when life is at its dreariest… do people vow to make some drastic, disruptive and often punitive change to their lifestyle?’ Instead, we should work more with the natural flows and rhythms of the year.

Autumn mornings on our narrowboat home. As you can see, the Halloween decorations have arrived early.

— this is how early autumn mornings sound at the moment

The normal response is to think of Spring. A time of renewal and rebirth. But for me, as I’m sure it is with anyone who’s also read Katherine May’s Wintering - I feel that September and October are just as healthy times to create a little ‘life list’.

The trees are rusting and the season’s mood is shifting. This afternoon, we have our first named storm, Ashley, popping round for tea. And so, while keeping cosy inside our little floating home, here are a few intentions I plan to adopt as we lean in towards slower days.

1. journaling - I’ve always admired those who are committed to scribbling down a few words to reflect on their day or week. I, though, have an ad-hoc relationship with diary keeping. Which is a shame as looking back through patchwork pages from moments past fills my heart with so much joy. It’s easy to forget where you were and how you were feeling… Equally important to document both high days and the lower ones! I want to establish a routine of writing, even if it’s just a few jottings a day. A new notebook has been bought and my pen is poised.

2. more photos of daily life - Jack and I share a lot of our lives online. With a YouTube channel, an Instagram and this Substack… You’d think we be snap-happy. The truth though, is the opposite. I hate to reveal behind the curtain but, often photos are a little more staged than they appear. Sometimes the charm of chaos is what’s needed… For my 30th Jack bought me a vintage Polaroid camera. It’s terrible, but even though each snapshot is usually a shady silhouette on a washed-out background, I do love the memories each one inspires. I like the one photo, one chance approach.

3. take the time to re-establish my skincare routine - Prior to having Joubert, our now eleven-month-old baby, I had a skincare routine I adored. I made my own cleanser, toner, and moisturiser - and enjoyed the twice-daily routine of caring for my skin. It might sound a little bougie, but just taking those 5 minutes to nourish myself meant so much. Becoming a mum, and adapting to the constant jetlag of matrescence, has meant that this year it’s wained a little.

Capturing the charismatic chaos of tiny home living.

Coming into Autumn, it’s an important time to take stock and reflect after a hectic summer. As the colder months approach, self-care is essential. Home cooking and taking the time to allow little moments to look after yourself, shouldn’t feel like such a privilege or something we need to grant ourselves permission to do. As we adapt to the changing season, a little TLC goes a long way.

To ease myself into it, this week I’ve perfected my winter saviour… a nourishing lip balm to keep chapped lips at bay.

After a few days of experimenting and now too many balms to keep for myself… I have a new favourite pot of nourishment, which will be by my side all winter. I implore you to try it and I’m sharing the recipe below. 

If you too look at Autumn as a time to set new intentions, I’d love to hear what they are and whether or not you agree that this is a good time to embark on a few new routines. Please do let me know in the comments and I’ll see you again soon.

Yours,

Gabby x

Home-made Nourishing Lip Balm

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If you’ve never made your own skincare before, this is where to start. Lip balms are super easy to make, you can easily experiment with different scents, and they make lovely little gifts for friends. I made a small batch of peppermint scented balms and rose-scented balms in mini aluminium tins and popped them in the centre of DIY Christmas crackers a couple of years ago. They went down a treat!

A little note on the ingredients… I tend to use Naissance for most of my skincare ingredients. You want to buy organic where possible, as your skin (and especially your lips) soak in what you wear. 

Coconut Oil - go unrefined, organic. If you don’t like the scent of coconut, then opting for refined coconut oil removes the hint of coconut in the finished balm. Coconut oil is super moisturising and works well with the beeswax below which locks that in. 

Beeswax - You can buy this in pellets or bars. It’s easiest to go for pellets, as they melt quicker. I’m unbelievably excited to start experimenting with the wax from our very own honey bee hive next year - but for the below recipe, I did use up some of my remaining shop-bought beeswax! Beeswax thickens the mixture to provide the right consistency, and it also creates a barrier between your skin and the cold, locking in moisture. 

Alternatives: A vegan alternative to beeswax is candelilla wax. Candelilla wax is also a natural thickener, it comes from the leaves of the small candelilla shrub native to northern Mexico and southwestern US. If you’re going to swap for this vegan alternative, you need to use slightly less than the amount of beeswax this recipe calls for. 

Sweet Almond Oil - If you’re tempted to make more than just lip balms, then this is one of my favourite oils to have in the skincare larder and so it’s why I’ve used this oil for this recipe. It’s super versatile, a very soft oil that has many benefits. It contains vitamins A and E, as well as zinc, and helps with skin regeneration. 

Alternatives: If you want to opt for something you have in the kitchen already, you can swap out the sweet almond oil for Olive Oil. Cold-pressed, extra virgin olive oil is the best for skincare.

Essential Oil - I’ve used sweet orange essential oil for a subtle but delicious citrus hint. Choose whichever scent you love, but don’t be tempted to add a few extra drops of essential oil than what I’ve written below. There’s a maximum amount (0.5%) of the total amount of ingredients which should be essential oil. I’ve listed the amount of drops I use which meet this maximum amount - don’t be tempted to add more. Don’t!

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THE RECIPE

This makes 100g so it’s easy enough to adapt for more/less. The best size container for lip balm is 15 / 20g, but do reuse any suitable containers you have at home! Just wash them out and sterilise them first. 

I’m likely teaching you to suck eggs here… but just a little note to say pop the empty jar on the scales, and fill it with water. Whatever shows on the scales is the ‘grammage’ you need of lip balm.

30g Beeswax

30g Coconut Oil

40g Sweet Almond Oil

4 drops Sweet Orange Essential Oil (0.5g)

Step 1: Set up a double boiler… you need a glass jar sitting in a pan of just about simmering water.

Step 2: First, melt your beeswax as this takes the longest to melt (up to 5 minutes)

Step 3: Add in your coconut oil and sweet almond oil and give it all a stir

Step 4: Get ready to move quick quickly from here on…

Step 5: Take your glass jar out of the double boiler. Give it another stir, and then add your sweet orange essential oil. Important to do this step off the heat, otherwise the scent will be killed off!

Step 6: Give the mixture one last stir and then pour into your lip balm jar

If your mixture begins solidifying before you’ve poured it into the jars, just pop it back in the hot water briefly.

Ta-da. It’ll set fully within 15-30 minutes and then you’re good to go! I find this ratio of wax to oil works perfectly, but if you want it to be a little more solid - adjust the recipe slightly with a little more wax and a little less oil, and if you want it a little silkier, do the opposite.

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Until next time,

Jack + Gabby x