How To Make Natural Shea Butter Lip Balm Recipe

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If you’ve been wanting to make your own beauty products, shea butter lip balm is a good starting point!  It is an easy recipe that uses simple ingredients.  Plus, it can be made in under 10 minutes!

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Commercial Lip Balms

Have you ever asked yourself, “What is the main ingredient in lip balm?”  Me neither, until recently!  Like many of the beauty products we find at the store, lip balm is made with less than healthy ingredients.  

Most store bought lip balms contain petroleum, parabens, & synthetic colors, among other toxic ingredients.

Petroleum is often used in skin care, but can lead to negative effects.  It can generate substances known to contribute to cancer, plus it’s full of toxins.

Parabens are also linked to causing cancer, yet are found in many lip balms, along with synthetic colors.

Lip balm is so easy to make at home.  This basic recipe is a great way to start making your own natural products and eliminating those unwanted ingredients in your beauty routine.

Benefits of Making Your Own

Like all recipes you make at home, you get to choose what goes into it!  This recipe has 3 simple, natural ingredients.  You can tweak it how you want it and make sure it is exactly what you need.

The ingredients in this recipe are great for dry lips and any dry skin around your lips.  Heck, I even rub it on the backs of my hands when they’re feeling dry.

You can also add essential oils to help any ailments you’re dealing with.  Are you dealing with cold sores?  No problem!  Just add lemon balm oil to this recipe.  It will soothe and heal those cold sores in no time.

Are you dealing with congestion or nausea?  Add a little peppermint or spearmint to open up your airways or relieve nausea.

You can make it to be exactly what you need!  That is the beauty of DIY beauty products!

Natural Ingredients For Lip Balm

This is a 3 ingredient lip balm recipe.  It couldn’t be easier!  You just need shea butter, beeswax, & a carrier oil (I prefer fractionated coconut oil).  You can also add any essential oils you’d like for a nice scented lip balm.

Shea Butter

Shea butter is by far the best ingredient for lip balm.  It is the perfect product to hydrate your lips and skin.

Shea butter has been used in skin care and even cooking for centuries due to all its wonderful benefits.

It is a fatty acid, full of antioxidants & anti-inflammatory properties.  Because of this, it helps to soften your lips while also adding a protective barrier.  

If you don’t have shea butter on hand, you can also use cocoa butter as a substitute.  Shea butter is the best option, but cocoa butter will work just fine.

Beeswax

Beeswax is used in this recipe to help the lip balm hold its shape.  It also has some health benefits when used on your lips.

Beeswax seals in the moisture and helps to soothe chapped lips.  It is the perfect addition to this shea butter lip balm recipe.

If you prefer a vegan lip balm, you can switch out beeswax for candelilla wax.  Both have great health benefits when used on your lips.

Fractionated Coconut Oil

I use fractionated coconut oil (liquified coconut oil) in this recipe.  It is perfect for lip balm because it is antibacterial, has healing properties, while also moisturizing.

Your lips will feel so smooth with this added carrier oil.

If you prefer to use something besides coconut oil, you can choose any other carrier oils with a similar consistency.

There are many oils to choose from that you can add to this recipe.  Some other carrier oils to consider are olive oil, castor oil, sweet almond oil, vitamin e oil, mango butter, sunflower oil, or jojoba oil.  

They all have their own wonderful benefits, so it is up to you which one to use.  Use whatever you have on hand!

Note: if you’re using a small travel container and plan to use your finger to apply the lip balm, then use less beeswax in the recipe. See the note in the recipe below.

Essential Oils For Lips

You can choose to add essential oils to this recipe, but it is not required.  I like to keep mine unscented for the most part.  Occasionally, I enjoy adding in a mildly scented oil.

You can also add essential oils in for added health benefits.  If you are dealing with cold sores, it is a great idea to put lemon balm in your lip balm.  It will soothe and heal the cold sores quickly.

You might also add peppermint or spearmint if you are dealing with congestion or even nausea.

Make sure to stay away from phototoxic essential oils like lemon, lime, & bergamot.  They will make your lips extra sensitive to the sun.  Sweet orange is a non phototoxic oil if you are wanting something citrusy.

No matter which oils you add, they should be edible.  For the best results, use organic 100% therapeutic grade oils.  I really like Eden’s Garden essential oils.  They are great quality and not too expensive.

Essential Oils For Lip Balm

• Sweet orange
• Lemon Balm (melissa officinalis)
• Peppermint
• Spearmint
• Chamomile
• Lavender

How To Make This Recipe

The great thing about this recipe is that you probably already have the supplies you need at home.  You can make this as simple as possible by using old chapstick tubes or small jars that you already have on hand.

Supplies You Need

• Double boiler (or a glass bowl & small pot of water)
• Kitchen scale or measuring cups
• Measuring cup with pour spout (for easy pouring)
• Lip balm tubes (use old ones you have on hand or small containers)
  • Add these cute lip balm stickers for fun!
• Rubber spatula

Ingredients

¼ cup of Shea butter (38g)
⅛ cup of Beeswax (or candelilla wax) (26g) *see note below
⅛ cup of Fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil) (21g)
20-25 drops Essential oils (optional)

*If you plan to fill small containers that will require you to use your finger to apply the lip balm, then only use 1 Tablespoon of Beeswax.

Directions

Use a double boiler on medium-low heat to make your chapstick.  You’re going to add the shea butter, and beeswax to the double boiler and let it slowly melt.  If you don’t have a double boiler, use a double insulated glass bowl over a small pot of water.

Make sure your lip balm containers are ready to be poured into, because you’ll want to work quickly before the melted mixture starts to harden.

When the shea butter & beeswax is melted, add in your fractionated coconut oil (or other carrier oil) and essential oils.  Give it a quick stir.

Now, you’re going to pour the mixture into your lip balm tubes or small containers.  I lay my tubes out on a paper towel just in case there is a small amount of spillage.

For the easiest pour, I use a glass measuring cup with a pour spout to help guide it into the containers.

Once the containers are full, you should allow the lip balm to get to room temperature before putting the lids on.  This will only take about 10-20 minutes.

At that point, you can fully enjoy your final product!

This recipe will make around 4 oz of lip balm.  It will fill roughly 20-25 .15 oz lip balm tubes.  If you have extra, you can store the extra in a mason jar and then melt it later to fill up the reusable chapstick tubes.

Clean Up

The easiest way to clean up after making this recipe is to use a spatula.  You’ll want to warm the bowl and any supplies you used to get the oil to soften.  Next, scrape any excess oil into the trash as you don’t want to clog up your sink drain.

Use a paper towel to wipe any excess oil away from your bowl and spatula before using warm soap and water.

Shelf Life of Homemade Lip Balm

The ingredients in this lip balm recipe are antibacterial and antimicrobial, it will preserve itself for a long time.  You can use this lip balm for years.  Just keep an eye on it.  If it smells and looks fine, then it’s still good to use.

Like most DIY skincare products, a smell and a sight test are the best way to see if it is still usable.  This lip balm should be good to use for at least 2+ years.

Tinted Lip Balm

There are some natural ways to tint your lip balm if you’re wanting to add color.  Mica powder is a popular choice when it comes to a natural red color.  Make sure that you’re buying an all natural and organic mica powder without any added coloring.

You can also use beet root powder for a dark tinted color.

Homemade Lip Balm Recipe

I hope you find this recipe to be super easy and super luxurious!  You won’t want to go back to conventional lip balm after you use your own.  Plus, making your own lip balm is a great addition to your homemade beauty products!

Looking for other DIY Recipes?

Body Butter With Tallow & Shea Butter

Simple Shampoo Bar Recipe No Lye

8 Natural Remedies For Headache Relief

Lemon Vinegar Cleaning Spray (Member’s Library)

Posts on this blog are for informational or educational purposes only and does not substitute professional medical advice or consultations with expert professionals. Always do your own research if pregnant, nursing, or dealing with young children.

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