These last few months, I’ve been on a quest to find the perfect dupe for one of my favorite (albeit less than natural) lip balms, Smith’s Rosebud Salve. For years, I’ve had a tin close at hand to help stave off chapped skin and to give my lips that lovely shine rosebud salve is known for, but deep down I knew I needed to find a natural alternative because let’s face it, petrolatum is no bueno for our bodies.

So, I set out on a journey to figure out how to make it myself so that I could finally let go of one of the last un-natural products I own.

I think you’re going to LOVE what I’ve come up with!

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DIY Smith’s Rosebud Salve

Seeing as how I’m a stickler for all things natural, I’ve been known to make my own versions of popular mainstream products in order to avoid harmful chemicals, but rosebud salve had me stumped for a long time.

I just could not figure out a way to get the right consistency, the right glossiness, or the right slip that the original formula has. It was just plain alluding me!

All this time I was trying to use beeswax and getting an un-glossy, skiddy, sticky formula that was nothing like the original.

Then I came across cera bellina!

You may be thinking “Say what now?”, because I certainly was.

Well, it turns out that cera bellina is a derivative of beeswax that has the ability to do some pretty neat stuff – namely, make awesome ointment-y, translucent oil gel-like concoctions that are VERY similar to petroleum jelly but without all the bad stuff.

When used in small amounts (anywhere from 10-20% of a recipe) you can create a consistency that doesn’t harden like beeswax, melts well, is translucent, and has great slip. I was sold!

When I swapped out the beeswax for the cera bellina, the difference it made was substantial enough that I can confidently say that my version of Smith’s Rosebud Salve is the perfect dupe.

You’re welcome!

Here’s what you’ll need for my DIY Smith’s Rosebud Salve:

• An accurate kitchen scale like this one
• A small pyrex measuring cup or beaker
• A flexible spatula
• One empty 8ml lip gloss tube like this one
• One small lip balm pot like this one (you can also just use a single ½oz tin for the entire recipe)
• 2.5g cera bellina
• 9g sweet almond oil
• 2.5g avocado oil
• 1g castor oil
• 1 drop vitamin E
• 6-10 drops rose absolute in jojoba oil (or use 1-2 drops pure rose absolute)
• 1/128 teaspoon of red mica – I used half of the 1/64 scoop using these measuring spoons (optional if you don’t want a pinky-red hue)

This recipe makes a ½oz of rosebud salve so feel free to multiply it as needed.

Since this recipe doesn’t contain any water, the shelf life can be anywhere from 6 months to a year if kept cool and dry. However, if it starts to smell “off”, throw it out and make a new batch.

*** I have since made a second batch of this recipe and found that using 4 parts carrier oil and 1 part beeswax makes a really lovely consistency - very petroleum like! So if you don't have cera bellina on hand, definitely give it a try!

Loving Preparation – DIY Smith’s Rosebud Salve Recipe

This recipe is pretty easy to make, just melt and pour.

1. Begin by measuring out all the ingredients into a small pyrex measuring cup or beaker using an accurate kitchen scale EXCEPT the vitamin E, red mica, and rose absolute.

2. Next, bring one inch of water to a gentle simmer in a saucepan and place the pyrex in the center.

3. Melt the ingredients together, stirring on occasion to mix.

4. Prepare your lip gloss tubes/tins. I used a shot glass to hold my lip gloss tubes in place and it worked really nicely.

5. Once the ingredients are melted through, remove from the heat, wipe the bottom with a kitchen towel, and set it on a hot pad on the counter to keep it insulated.

6. Add in the red mica if using, and use the flexible spatula to mix it in thoroughly. This can be a bit tricky because the mica won’t want to mix and will look streaky at first. Just continue to smush it into the salve until there are no lumps or streaks of mica. If the salve starts to harden too much, put it back in the water bath to re-melt until it reaches a pourable consistency (this won’t matter so much it you’re only using a salve tin, but if you’re using a squeezy lip gloss tube with a narrow opening, you will need the salve to be liquid enough to pour easily). Continue stirring while re-melting to keep the mica from sinking to the bottom.

7. Now add in the vitamin E oil and the rose absolute. Stir to mix, then pour the salve into your container of choice.

8. Allow everything to cool completely, cap closed, and your homemade rosebud salve is ready to use!

The final product has a lovely rosy scent and glides onto the lips perfectly. It even has the same lovely sheen to it, I’m obsessed! *swoon*