Whether you’re trying to protect your lips from winter winds or summer sun, you might agree that lip balm is a must-have. Did you know how easy it is to make your own?
NC State graduate student Angel Cruz, who has taught Crafts Center classes on DIY body products, shared her super-simple lip balm recipe. Unlike many lip balms with long ingredient lists (good luck pronouncing some of the ingredients!), Angel’s recipe tosses the toxins, leaving us with a product made of ingredients you can buy in a grocery or craft store. You can even buy certified organic ingredients if you prefer to make an organic lip balm.
Like Angel’s recipe for lotion, we were shocked by how truly simple this process is. Plus, you can customize it. So if a chocolate, cayenne pepper lip balm is what you’ve always wanted, then this blog will help that dream become reality.
The Ingredients
Here are the basic ingredients (all of which can be purchased online or in a grocery store and/or craft store) to make four small tins or tubes of lip balm. These proportions can easily be scaled if you’d like to make larger quantities.
1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 tablespoon jojoba oil, olive oil, castor oil or grapeseed oil
1 teaspoon cocoa butter
½ tablespoon grated beeswax (1 tablespoon if you want to use lip balm tube containers)
½ teaspoon vitamin E oil
Essential oils and/or spices (depending on your scent/color preferences…see below for more details)
Cocoa butter, beeswax and coconut oil have natural SPF properties, so your lips will receive some protection from the sun. If you’re making a winter lip balm, add a bit more cocoa butter to the recipe for added protection against wind.
The Tools
Stove top
Pot
Glass or stainless steel bowl or container
Fork
Measuring spoons
Small tins or containers to hold the lip balm and/or lip balm tubes (reuse an empty tube or buy new ones from a craft store)
The Method
Here’s how to make lip balm:
1. Wipe the inside of the small tins and/or lip balm tubes with rubbing alcohol so that the containers are as clean as possible. Set aside.
2. Combine the first four ingredients in a small or medium-sized glass or stainless steel bowl.
3. Prepare a double boiler (if you have one), or use this method: Fill a cooking pot about ¼ full of water and put on the stovetop. Turn stove top on to low. Place the bowl holding the ingredients on top of the pot so that the heat from the boiling water slowly melts the ingredients.
4. As the heat melts the ingredients, use a fork to stir the ingredients and encourage faster melting — particularly of the beeswax, which melts the slowest. Beeswax can be stubborn, so you might have to stir a bit more vigorously until the mixture looks completely liquified.
5. When melted, quickly stir in ½ teaspoon vitamin E oil, which acts as a natural preservative. Take the bowl off the hot water and set aside. Proceed to step 6 (if you want plain lip balm) or step 7 (if you’d like to customize the lip balm color and smell).
6. If no special oils or coloring is desired, then you’re ready to pour the mixture into lip balm tins or tubes. Let sit until hardened. Note: once removed from heat, the mixture begins to harden quickly so don’t waste too much time before pouring into the final containers).
7. For the creative type, here’s your chance to customize. Before adding the vitamin E, stir in your favorite essential oils or colorants (see below for some ideas).
Chocolate Mint
¼ teaspoon cocoa powder
10 drops of peppermint oil
¼ teaspoon of paprika (for color)
Spiced Coffee
¼ teaspoon finely ground coffee grounds
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Create your own scent/color combos or search online for other popular combinations.
Once your customization is complete, stir in the ¼ teaspoon vitamin E and pour the mixture into lip balm tins or tubes. Let sit until hardened, and then enjoy!
