This lip balm recipe is all-natural and I’ve been making it since 2015. If there is anything I strongly dislike, it is chapped lips. I rarely wear pants without pockets because I can’t stand to be without my lip balm. I find that not only is it much more affordable than natural store-bought, but I like it better. It goes on smoothly and leaves my lips feeling so soft all day. I love it!
I have memories sprinkled all throughout my life that revolve around lip balm. Like when I was in Middle School I remember getting in trouble for not removing the Lip Smackers from my pockets before putting my pants in the dirty clothes. Apparently, they melt in the wash and are a pain to get out of things. I was definitely a repeat offender on that one. Sorry, Mom!
In High School, I tried some tinted ones to look like I was wearing lipstick when I didn’t really wear much makeup. In college, I had a “chapstick basket” that was full of all my various flavors and varieties of lip balm and I would rotate daily what I would put in my pocket. (By then I had learned to always take it back out. Thanks, Mom!) For some reason, I loved the Dr. Pepper flavor!?!
At some point as an adult, I learned that some of the brands I used had ingredients that were addictive, causing you to constantly need their product. What!?! That is when I decided to switch to natural. (That was also my “Colorado Mountain Woman Crunchy Granola Phase”.)
Why make my own lip balm?
Well, for so many reasons. First, my main motivation was to save money. When I started buying natural lip balm it cost $3-4 a tube!
Second, I love learning how things work and doing hands-on projects. I love knowing what goes into not only my food but my skin products. I figured if I’m so dependent on this one beauty/personal care product, I might as well learn how to make it!
Lastly, guess what?! It is so easy to make. You might need to buy ingredients but you likely have all the supplies you need at home. Save those old lip balm tubes and tubs to re-use!
How much does it cost to make my own lip balm recipe?
This is the best part!
My rough calculations, with the specific ingredients I recommend below, bring the cost per tube down to $0.11. That’s right, 11 cents! That is if you re-use tubes. If you purchase new tubes, it will be about 25 cents a tube. That is huge savings!
Unless you already have these ingredients on hand (which you may have some), you will spend more money upfront but the supplies will last you a long time and many batches of this lip balm recipe.
Keep following my blog to see more creative DIYs that use some of these ingredients. Such as beeswax candles, deep moisturizing face cream, and others.
Lip Balm Recipe Ingredients & Materials
This post contains affiliate links, which means I (hopefully) make a small commission at no extra cost to you.
- coconut oil
- beeswax
- cocoa butter
- shea butter
- vitamin E oil (I use this one)
- Peppermint Essential Oil
- Rosemary Essential Oil
Materials that you may need to buy. Save old lip balm tubes and tubs and you won’t have to buy any! You save money and waste less – my favorite combination!
Other items you’ll need that you likely have around home:
- Small to medium pot
- Glass measuring cup with handle
- Kitchen scale
- Metal spoon for mixing
- Stovetop
This is completely optional. I don’t have it but it looks intriguing and like it will make pouring easier!
What brand of essential oils should I use?
That is up to you. The important thing is that they are 100% pure essential oil and not mixed with filler oils. They are ideally ethically and sustainably sourced and tested by a third party. The company that I have used from the beginning of my essential oil journey (and that I linked to above) is Eden’s Garden. They are women-owned and operated, with 100% pure EOs, have third-party batch testing, are sustainably and ethically sourced, give back to the community, have great marketing pics, and have been voted the #1 non-MLM EO company three years in a row! Oh, and the cost? Super affordable!
Being non-MLM (multi-level marketing) means that you are only paying for their excellent products (with free shipping by the way) and not for the benefit of the person selling them to you. Learn more about the company.
They have excellent customer service and free shipping. I had one bottle leak (out of too many to count) in shipping and they replaced it right away, no questions asked.
If you purchase through this link, I will get loyalty points. Maybe someday I’ll have enough blog traffic to get real money from them for referrals!
How do I make Lip Balm?
You can make this lip balm in tubes and in tubs. Both work well. This recipe makes roughly 3 oz of lip balm. My last batch made 7 tubes and 4 tubs (0.5 oz each). Calculate the size of your containers and how many of each you want to make. Lip balm tubes are generally 0.15oz. You can cut the recipe down if needed. (If you have more product than containers in the end, you can pour the rest into a glass jar and remelt and pour it later into empty tubes.)
If you are re-using lip balm tubes (which is what I do) you will need to prep them first. This will take about 10 minutes. If you bought new ones then skip to the next section.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil with the tube lids in it.
- Make sure the tubes are completely empty by rolling them all the way up and use a butter knife to scrape out and discard any remaining lip balm. Then roll tubes all the way down.
- Once the tubes are ready, remove the lids from the water and drop the tubes into the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes
- Use a spoon or tongs to pull the tubes out and place them on a small towel to dry. The containers tend to get a little coated with the remnants of lip balm that melted in the water. Take the towel and wipe down the outside of each tube. This is a little tedious which is why I put the lids in first so they don’t get coated.
- This pot will likely get lightly coated as well and need to be washed or wiped clean with a towel.
The Creating Process
This is always my favorite step in any project. I love creating things and seeing my vision and the various elements come together!
The easiest way to make this is to measure the ingredients by weight. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, you can use the other measurements listed in the How-To Project Card below.
- Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water and bring it to a boil.
- Meanwhile, measure the coconut oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter, and vitamin E oil into the glass measuring cup. You may need to use a knife and cutting board to shave off pieces of cocoa butter if it comes in big chunks.
- Place the glass measuring cup into the boiling water with the handle hanging over the edge of the pot and keeping the measuring cup in place. Bring water to a low boil or simmer.
- Let all the ingredients melt completely and stir occasionally.
- Once melted, remove the measuring cup from the pot (careful it’s hot) and let cool slightly (30 seconds or so). Drop in the essential oils and stir.
- Line your containers up and carefully pour the melted mixture into them (make sure the tubes are rolled all the way down!). Pour with a steady hand. If you dribble over it is easy to scape off and polish once it cools. My calculations (of how much my containers will hold and how much supply I make) don’t always match up, so I prioritize the number of tubes and tubs I want to make sure I get, then fill the rest.
- You will quickly notice the color changing from a melted yellow color to soft white/cream.
- Once they cool completely you can move them and use them. An hour should be enough time. Enjoy!
How long does this Lip Balm Recipe last?
This is a great question and I don’t have a direct answer for you. Out of all my batches, I’ve only had 3-4 tubes get mold in them and most were from a batch where I forgot the vitamin E oil.
Both vitamin E oil and Rosemerry Essential oils act as preservatives for the lip balm so it is very important to include them.
Another thing I’ve observed is that I’ve never had a tub get mold, only the tubes. What is interesting about this is that typically I wash the tubes but my tubs are either new or already clean and dry. Water can create mold more quickly in items. So it is important to let the tubes dry all the way before filling them and to make sure water doesn’t get into your melted mixture.
All that said, I have had good product that I’m still using up to two years after I make it! I’m not saying you should plan to use it that long, but you probably could.
Other Posts you might enjoy:
Lip Balm Recipe
This all-natural homemade lip balm recipe is all I use on my lips. It makes my lips so moist and soft. I love that it is all-natural, so easy to make, and costs pennies.
Materials
- 1 oz coconut oil (2 Tbsp)
- 1 oz beeswax (2 Tbsp)
- 0.5 oz cocoa butter (1 heaping Tbsp)
- 0.4 oz shea butter (2 Tbsp)
- 1/2 tsp vitamin E oil (I use this one)
- Peppermint Essential Oil
- Rosemary Essential Oil
- Lip balm tubes (buy new or re-use!)
- Lip balm metal containers (0.5 oz) OR
- Lip balm plastic containers (20ml)
Tools
- Pot
- Glass measuring cup with handle
- Kitchen scale
- Metal spoon for mixing
- Stovetop
- Pouring tools and kit (optional)
Instructions
If you are re-using lip balm tubes (which is what I do) you will need to prep them first. This will take about 10 minutes. If you bought new ones then skip to the next section.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil with the tube lids in it.
- Make sure the tubes are completely empty by rolling them all the way up and use a butter knife to scrape out and discard any remaining lip balm. Then roll tubes all the way down.
- Once the tubes are ready, remove the lids from the water and drop the tubes into the boiling water. Boil for 5 minutes
- Use a spoon or tongs to pull tubes out and place them on a small towel to dry. The containers tend to get a little coated with the remnants of lip balm that melted in the water. Take the towel and wipe down the outside of each tube. This is a little tedious which is why I put the lids in first so they don't get coated.
- This pot will likely get coated as well and need to be washed.
You can make this lip balm in tubes and in tubs. Both work well. This recipe makes roughly 3 oz of lip balm. My last batch made 7 tubes and 4 tubs (0.5 oz each). Calculate the size of your containers and how many of each you want to make. Lip balm tubes are generally 0.15oz. You can cut the recipe down if needed. (If you have more product than containers, you can pour the rest into a glass jar and remelt and pour it later into empty tubes.)
The easiest way to make this is to measure out the ingredients by weight. If you don't have a kitchen scale, you can use the other measurements above.
- Fill a pot with about 2 inches of water and bring to a boil.
- Measure coconut oil, beeswax, cocoa butter, shea butter, and vitamin E oil into the glass measuring cup. You may need to use a knife and cutting board to shave off pieces of cocoa butter if it comes in big chunks.
- Place the glass measuring cup into the boiling water with the handle hanging over the edge of the pot and keeping the measuring cup in place. Bring water to low boil or simmer.
- Let all the ingredients melt completely and stir occasionally.
- Once melted, remove the measuring cup from the pot (careful it's hot) and let cool slightly (30 seconds or so). Drop in the essential oils and stir.
- Line your containers up and carefully pour the melted mixture into them (make sure the tubes are rolled all the way down!). Pour with a steady hand. If you dribble over it is easy to scape off and polish once it cools. My calculations (of how much my containers will hold and how much supply I make) don't always match up, so I prioritize the number of tubes and tubs I want to make sure I get.
- Once they cool completely you can move them and use them. An hour should be enough time. Enjoy!
Notes
*Both vitamin E oil and Rosemerry Essential oils act as preservatives for the lip balm. Once I forgot the vit. E oil and my tubes of lip balm eventually did get some mold on them.
Essential oils: you can experiment with different oils. I've tried cinnamon and clove and it was fine but not my favorite. I've tried vanilla but it wasn't very strong. Experiment and see what happens.
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