On a hot day, yes, all the way to liquid. The tin holds it and the balm is not ruined, it sets again as it cools. The two real consequences are that it usually sets grainy, and that a tin lying on its side can seep past the lid threads.
The temperatures involved
The tin does not melt all at once, because it is not one ingredient:
- Coconut oil gives up first, at about 76 degrees.
- Tallow and shea soften through the 90s and low 100s.
- Beeswax, which is the thing actually holding the balm together, holds until roughly 145 degrees.
A car parked in summer sun clears all of that comfortably. Interiors reach 130 to 160 degrees on a 90 degree day, and they get there within an hour.
Worth knowing: long before any of that, the balm is soft enough to take a fingerprint. That is normal and it is what it is supposed to do at body temperature.
What actually goes wrong
Neither of these is serious, but they are the two you will meet.
Grain. A car cools down slowly overnight, which is the exact condition that makes the harder fats crystallise coarsely. That, and the fix.
Seepage. A screw top tin is not a sealed jar. Standing upright it holds liquid balm without trouble. Rolling around a door pocket on its side, it can weep a little past the threads.
A tin that has melted
Stand it upright somewhere cool and leave it alone until it is solid. Do not stir it and do not tip it. If it sets smooth you have lost nothing at all. If it sets sandy, melt it properly and chill it fast, which takes about half an hour.
Carrying one every day
A pocket is fine. Body heat only softens it, and soft is the state you actually want it in, so a tin that lives in a coat pocket in winter works better than one off a cold shelf. The glovebox in July is the problem, not you.
Made by hand in small batches in Wakarusa, Indiana. Seven ingredients, and 5% of every sale goes to FreedomSystem, which connects veterans through authentic camaraderie and meaningful programs.
