(It’s a small recipe so I had to multiply it by 10 to fill the entire tray)
Once you place all 50 lip balm tubes into the pouring tray (as far in as they can go), you have two pouring methods to choose from…
“The Massive Pour”: Fill up all 50 tubes with one giant pour. Then scrape off the excess lip balm and save it for another batch. If you choose this option you will need to do a “clean up” (see below).
“The Conservative Pour”: Fill each individual tube just below the rim so there is no extra lip balm sticking out. This Method does not require a clean up. Let the lip balm harden and release from the pouring tray. Just pop on the caps and they’re ready for your 50 closest friends!
“The Clean Up”: Once the lip balm has hardened release the tubes from the pouring tray. Take your knife and slice off the tops (which you can melt and use again). Once the tops are smooth (as a baby’s you-know-what) pop on the caps. You’re done!
PS – You can cut with the knife going away from you depending on your comfort level with knives. Having officially taken a real knife skills class (yes, there is such a thing in the wonderful town of Bellingham), I was just a wee bit confident but you don’t need to be. Cutting the other way works just as well.
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Will this work with any company’s lip balm tube? Or do you have to buy a special brand of container?
Hi Kaitlan!
We’ve not tested this with other companies lip balm tubes, but we do know that it works with the Clear and White Chapstick Tubes that Bramble Berry sells:
https://www.brambleberry.com/Chapstick-Tubes-P3024.aspx
https://www.brambleberry.com/Clear-Chapstick-Tubes-P4750.aspx
But if you do end up testing it with other lip balm tubes, let us know! =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
I love the lip balm tube tray. It is the best thing I have ever spent money on. I never trim my lip balms with a knife. I overpour a bit – much less than the massive pour pictures. When the lip balm is completely hard, I take my scraper that came with the tray (looks like a windshield ice scraper) and clean the tray. This also smooths off the tops of the lip balm. I like when a small amount sticks over the top of the tube.
Thank you SO much for checking in and saying how much you like this lip balm pouring tray. I agree – it’s a product I don’t want to live without when I’m making large amounts of lip balm for sure =) Plus, I like how there’s no waste. Thanks for your support and for checking back in about this product.
When cutting or trimming the tops (clean up), I heat my knife by dipping it in boiling water then wiping dry first. If the knife blade is a little warm it cuts through the lip gloss like butter!
Great tip! Thanks for taking the time to share.
I may have figured out why my lip balm is getting stuck in the tube (and some of it is a little grainy; I’m not using shea butter either). I think I’ve used too much candelilla wax. I thought this wax could be used with the same proportions as beeswax. I’ve been reading online and it sounds like I need to reduce the amount of wax by half since since candelilla wax has twice the stiffening power of beeswax…going to do some more experimenting today!
That may have something to do with it. Keep us posted!
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Hi All! I’ve had so much fun making soap and have recently started making vegan lip butter. I’ve noticed however that sometimes the lip butter gets stuck in the tube. I turn the dial and the product will not come up! Should I put it in the freezer? Why did this happen?
That doesn’t sound normal to me. I’m wondering if one of the chapstick tube is broken? Or maybe the lip butter is too soft? Can you tell us about your recipe?
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Hi All! Happy Thanksgiving! Well, I still haven’t figured out the right recipe for my lip butters. I tried using half as much candelilla wax – that was way too soft and oily. I tried using 3/4 as much which turned out better but I’m still getting some graininess. Here’s my recipe:
.75 oz candelilla wax
2 oz mango butter
.50 oz coconut oil
.25 oz sweet almond oil
.25 oz jojoba oil
5 drops of vitamin E oil
flavoring or essential oil
Maybe I’m using too much mango butter??
By the way, my lip butter got stuck in about 15 tubes when I used the recipe above but with 1 oz candellia wax. 🙁
The microwave worked pretty well (and it’s extra sterilization!). I’m now trying a second way: dishwasher, no soap, heated dry.
I probably need to plan ahead better. Ha!
Thanks
I usually use slider tins, but am trying tubes now, since some people prefer them. One question: the tins are easy to sterilize and dry before filling. But is there a quick way to dry the tubes post sterilizing?
Thanks!
I’ll usually set them out on a paper towel to air dry. Drying them by hand will speed up the process a little bit. Do you think you could lay them out and blow them with a hair dryer? I’ve never tried it but I’m thinking that might speed up the drying process.
Courtney from Bramble Berry
I should have mentioned that I tried the hair dryer and they ended up linty. Lint bad! Right now, I have the tubes and tray in the microwave with a cup of water to absorb the microwaves. What did you mean by hand drying? It’s hard to get anything inside the tubes.
I was thinking tins and not tubes. Sorry for the confusion. I think your best bet is to air dry them on a paper towel…I don’t know that anything can speed up that process =/
Courtney from Bramble Berry
This was great info for me !!!! I am a beginner at lip balm making, but after this i had less trouble. Will you be making any lip balm making videos any time soon ? I also REALLY love your soap making tutorials,i still use them after a year and a half of soap making !
There’s this premium video you might enjoy? It’s on lip balms and making lip balms: https://www.brambleberry.com/Lip-Balm-Online-Video-Tutorial-P4610.aspx
I’m so glad you’re enjoying the tutorials =)
A tip I have for making the tops smooth is scraping all the excess off the top and using a shrink wrap gun and melting the tops, while they are still in the holder. Then they all look perfect.
Great suggestion – thank you for sharing Jessica =)
Sindy,
I don't notice many divots since the tubes are overfilled above the lip, if that makes sense?
Like in this close up photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8437514@N03/3791767649/
You can see how there is a teensy depression in the middle but not much of one at all. I do know what you mean – I got those all the time when using the dropper method.
I love that your recipe only makes a small batch so that I wouldn't be afraid of ruining a huge amount. =)
Anne Marie,
thank you sooo much. I am off to order asap. It should hopefully be here before xmas 😉
Cheers
Sabine
Anne Marie,
if you fill lip balm tube using the tray do you have to go back after the initial cool and refill? When I make lipbalms, some develop a small center hole, some do not~ but with this tray does it automatically fill in from the extra in the tray? Thanks Much~!
Great tips! Thank-you! And I'm so glad you added the P.S. When I first looked at that pic with the knife I almost had a heart attack. But if you know what you're doing it's all good, lol!
Singing Wolf & Maggie, You read my mind! I'm doing a photo and blog post about that today! =)
Cindy, Yes! Chapstick is a brand. Good catch …
MadPiano, Yes, I'm happy to ship slow boat for you in an envelope to hopefully save you bucketloads on shipping. Just email us at info (at) brambleberry (dot) com to get the order placed or place it online and put instructions in your Notes section (at the very end of the order process) to ship in a flat envelope (with bubble wrap!).
I love your trays! Great idea.
Dora Renee' Wilkerson
http://bricoreandfamily.blogspot.com/
I wish I could find this tray in the UK. I am considering ordering it from the US, but shipping is a bit prohibitive.
Unless I could possibly order it from you, shipped via landmail (yes it takes 56 days, but it's cheap and the tray isn't urgent)
I never cut my tops off…seems like an unnecessary step to me. I thought the trays were designed to leave a "lip" (pardon the pun) so that you don't have to roll the stuff up the first time you use it?
Isn't Chapstick a brand?
If you give the tubes two turns before you put them in the tray, you have less (if any) clean up.