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The Best DIY Lip Balm Recipe With Shea Butter

Lip balm is one of those things that everyone uses. Male or Female, it doesn’t matter because everyone gets dry lips or cracked lips now and then. So why not learn how to make your own lip balm at home using all natural ingredients. It’s easy to do, better for your skin and health, and cheaper than buying them at the store.

Lip balm tubes sitting on top of beeswax pellets

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DIY Lip Balm Recipe With Shea Butter

Making your own beauty products at home is not that hard. One of the best benefits to doing DIY recipes is that you know exactly what is inside of everything.

Our skin is our biggest organ. We absorb so much through it so we really need to be careful what we slathering all over ourselves.

Lip balm is an easy DIY to start with if you have never made any products at home. It has simple ingredients, some of which you might even have on hand.

You can use old lip balm tubes you clean out or buy new ones. Or use a metal tin and use your finger to apply. There are a lot of possibilities for lip balm containers.

Make this DIY lip balm at home with all natural ingredients including Shea Butter for soft lips

Homemade Lip Balm Ingredients

The main ingredients I use in this recipe are beneficial to skin and can be used to help soften and heal chapped skin, including the skin on your lips. Let’s go over the what and how.

Shea Butter

  • Helps soften and smooth dry skin
  • helps reduce skin swelling
  • treats acne and blemishes
  • can help reduce wrinkles and facial lines
  • reduce razor irritation and bumps
  • helps protect skin from the sun
  • hydrates skin
  • has anti itch relief properties
  • Is rich in vitamins A, E, and F

Beeswax

  • creates a protective layer on the skin
  • helps keep the skin hydrated
  • is a natural exfoliator
  • excellent source of vitamin A
  • protects skin from environmental damage
  • relives itchiness

Cocoa Butter

  • protects skin from premature aging
  • prevents sun damage
  • moisturises skin
  • helps reduce scars
  • relieves sensitive skin issues
  • can help diminish dark spots
  • has anti-inflammatory properties

Lanolin

  • super moisturizing for skin
  • helps lock moisture into skin so it last longer
  • smooths and softens skin
  • is great for healing scars and blemishes
  • protects skin from harsh weather and air pollutants

Jojoba Oil

  • has antibacterial properties
  • contains antioxidants
  • adds lots of moisture
  • helps prevent acne and clogging pores
  • helps health wounds to the skin
  • is hypoallergentic
ingredients for making all natural DIY lip balm at home.

What Essential Oils Are Good to Use and Which Are NOT Good For Lip Balm Recipes?

Essential oils can be a fun addition to your DIY lip balm. But you always need to know which ones work best for the delicate skin on and around your mouth.

For instance, did you know that some essential oils aren’t good for skin products?

There are certain essential oils that are considered to be phototoxic which means they can increase the risk of sunburn while in direct sunlight. These include a lot of the citrus oils such as:

  • lemon
  • lime
  • bergamot
  • grapefruit

It does depend on how the oil is made sometimes, cold pressed vs distilled. I just find it easier to stir clear when it comes to my lips. It’s just easier.

You also might want to stay clear of “hot” oils like cinnamon, clove and eucalyptus. They can cause a burning sensation and can even cause your lips to swell in appearance. So unless you are going for that Kylie Jenner big lips look, steer clear!

Good Essential Oils for Lip Balm

There are plenty of other essential oils to choose from that make a great addition to your shea butter lip balm. It’s a lot of fun to customize your balm to fit your own preferences and personal needs.

That’s one of the benefits of making your own product vs buying commercial lip balm. My favorite essential oils in lip balm are peppermint and tea tree.

Peppermint oil is great at soothing inflammation and irritation. It helps heal wounds which is great for cracked lips.

Tea Tree Oil can calm redness, swelling, and inflammation.

There are plenty of essential oils that are beneficial to skin so make sure to look into your particular chapped lip issues and then choose accordingly.

You also might want to use essential oils that add flavor to your natural lip balm such as

  • spearmint
  • jasmine
  • lavender
  • vanilla
  • wintergreen
  • sweet orange
  • peppermint
  • chamomile
essential oils Tea Tree and Peppermint sitting on a pile of beeswax pellets

Does My Lip Balm Need Preservatives?

Beeswax actually acts as a natural preservative in homemade beauty products. It could potentially extend the shelf life of the oils, butters and lip balm you make. It is anti fungal, antibacterial and antimicrobial properties.

I also like to add in a few drops of Tea Tree Essential Oil for the same reason. Usually when I add both of these products to my homemade recipes, they typically last between 6 months to a year. I make my son this lip balm and he usually uses all three I make before they go bad so in my opinion these have a long shelf life.

lip balm tubes in front of a container of shea butter and beeswax

Supplies Needed to Make Lip Balm

Let’s get started by rounding up the supplies needed to make our lip balm

  1. A double boiler ( or you can create your own by using two pots or a pot and a mason jar )
  2. Lanolin
  3. Jojoba Oil
  4. Shea Butter
  5. Beeswax
  6. Vitamin E Oil
  7. measuring spoons
  8. Essential Oils ( I use Peppermint Oil and Tea Tree Oil )
  9. Lip balm containers, small jars with lids, or small metal tins
  10. Labels ( if you want your lip balm to look cute )

Just a quick note about what you can put in your recipe. Most ingredients in this lip balm recipe, like the oils, can be switched out for other ones. After a lot of research and trial and error, I believe this recipe produces the best lip balm.

However, you might want to make some ingredient swaps based on your own needs. I’ll list substitutions below incase you have one of those products on hand and want to use that instead.

Now let’s get started making our very own, homemade lip balm.

Natural Lip Balm Recipe with Shea Butter

1/2 teaspoon Beeswax

1/2 teaspoon cocoa butter

1 teaspoon shea butter

1/2 teaspoon lanolin

1/2 teaspoon jojoba oil

2 to 3 drops Vitamin E Oil (Optional)

5 drops tea tree oil

2 drops of peppermint oil

Ingredient Substitutions

Beeswax you can also substitute for candelilla wax, soy wax or carnauba wax.

Shea butter you can substitute with avocado butter, mango butter, Sal butter or coconut oil.

For cocoa butter you can also use kokum butter, Palm oil, soy lecithin, cotton seed oil, shea butter and white chocolate.

For a lanolin substitute you can use coconut oil instead.

For jojoba oil there a lot of carrier oil substitute options. Sunflower oil, sweet almond oil, castor oil, olive oil, vitamin e oil, avocado oil, apricot kernel oil. and grapeseed oil

How To Make The Best Lip Balm Recipe

Step 1 – Start with a double boiler (or you can use a glass jar of pyrex mixing cup inside of a small pot with water in it) on medium-low heat. You want to add your beeswax, cocoa butter. shea butter and lanolin.

a pan with water on a stove with a pyrex mixing bow inside of it to melt beeswax ad butters to make lip balm

I start with the beeswax and cocoa butter and let them melt a bit because those two take longer to melt. Then add Lanolin (if you don’t have it or don’t want to use it you can add coconut oil instead) and jojoba oil. Let these all melt together and then take off of the heat.

Step 2 – Let the mix cool for a minute and then I add in vitamin E oil if you have it (I’m out right now so I’m not using it) and essential oils.

Essential oils are not necessary but they really add to the overall smell and feel, plus benefits, to the lip balm. Add which ever oils you might like then stir. I like to use a tooth pick or a popsicle stick.

Step 3 – Pour into the empty tubes of lip balm.

Please remember that once it reaches a solid state after cooling down, the lip balm expands. I like to leave a little bit of room at the top of the lip balm container for that expansion to take place.

Step 4 – Let the lip balm cool. You can pop them into the fridge to speed up the process but it’s not necessary. They can cool sitting on the counter. Once the lip balm is at room temperature you can put the lids on.

lip balm containers with one open to show you the lip balm surrounded by beeswax

Just a side note, I like to use a paper towel to wipe up the mixing bowl or double boiler as soon as I pour out the liquid. Melting butters and oils can be messy and really hard to clean but if you wipe it all down right away and then add some hot, soapy water, it really helps.

Shea Butter Lip Balm Recipe

DIY Lip Balm

That’s it! Making your very own DIY lip balm with shea butter is as easy as that. All natural ingredients that are great for your skin and will really help keep your lips hydrated and chapped free.

Do you think you will make the switch to homemade lip balm? Let us know in the comments if you try this recipe out and let us know how you liked it.

DIY Lip Balm With Shea Butter

Active Time10 minutes
Cooling Time1 hour
Yield: 3 lip balms
Author: Katie

Equipment

  • 1 double boiler or a pot with a glass jar or pyrex mixing cup
  • 1 Set of mixing spoons
  • Lip Balm Containers
  • 1 spoon for stirring

Materials

  • 1/2 teaspoon Beeswax
  • 1/2 teaspoon Cocoa Butter
  • 1 teaspoon Shea Butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon Lanolin
  • 1/2 teaspoon Jojoba Oil
  • 2 to 3 drops Vitamin E Oil optional
  • 5 drops Tea Tree Oil optional
  • 2 to 3 drops Peppermint Oil optional

Instructions

  • Using the double boiler you want to melt your beeswax, butters and lanolin together until combined.
  • Next, take it off of the heat and add the Jojoba Oil and your vitamin e and essential oils, if you are adding them. Mix until combined and then pour into your containers to let cool.

Notes

Please note that when the lip balm hardens it will expand some.  I like to leave a bit of room at the top of the tube to allow for this expansion.  Once it is hardened you can put on your labels and lids.

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