The Only DIY Lip Balm Recipe You’ll Ever Need

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Today I want to share one of my many DIY recipes with you… and I reckon this one is probably the one I use the most!

The key with this lip balm is how easy it is to make: grab the ingredients, melt and stir them, and then let it set. Can’t get much easier than that, right?

And, to make it even better, there are a few cool variations you can do to the base recipe which will make your lip balm ready for anything.

I’m not one of those people to write a thesis on why you should use this recipe, so I’m just going to dive right into it!

Simple Base Recipe (Makes 2–4 tins/tubes depending on size)

  • 1 tbsp Beeswax pellets (good organic option here)
  • 1 tbsp Coconut Oil (this one is awesome, but I’ve used all sorts of different types!)
  • 1 tbsp Shea Butter or Cocoa Butter (this Shea Butter or this Cocoa Butter – both will work well)
  • Optional: Essential Oils (learn more below)

Instructions

  1. Measure out all ingredients and melt them in a double boiler (if you don’t have one of these, you can use a heatproof bowl in a pot of water — or if you can’t be bothered to do any of that, you can use a normal pan and just heat it nice and slowly).
  2. Stir and ensure it is all well combined.

  1. Turn the heat off; as it cools, add in your preferred essential oils (again, we’ll talk about those in a minute).
  2. Pour into small tins or lip balm tubes (the tins are a cute option, and the tubes are very practical when out and about).
  3. Let cool and harden. It should take around 30 min; if you want to speed it up, pop them in the fridge for a bit.

And voila! You’ve got your lip balm ready to go!

Variations

I mentioned earlier that there are a few variations you can do to this base recipe — here they are:

#1 Citrus/Mint Blend

This one I usually use at night before bed. You just want to choose a citrus essential oil and a mint oil and mix those in during step 3. My favourites would be:

  • Sweet Orange + Peppermint
  • Lemon + Sweet Orange + Peppermint
  • Or just all citrus — Orange + Lemon + Grapefruit

All these smell absolutely amazing. I’ve also found that when you have mint in the mix it creates a really neat sensation of coolness in the first few minutes after you put it on… sounds weird I know, but try it!

Another quick note on citrus: don’t wear it in the sun — it attracts UV and will burn your lips.

If you haven’t got essential oils yet here are a couple sweet sets to get you up and going: Simple set of three (Lavender, Peppermint, Lemon) you can use these three for pretty much anything, then a set of six (eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, peppermint, sweet orange, and tea tree) with this one your set to make whatever you want!

#2 Sun Smart 30FPS

Yes, you can actually make your own sun-proof lip balm! It’s a recent experiment I’ve done and I’m happy to announce that it works.

These extra ingredients will make your lip balm as good as any you could buy in a surf shop, and… you’ll have made it!

What you’ll need for this one:

  • Non-nano zinc oxide (make sure it’s skincare-safe – this one is)
  • Vitamin E Oil (use this one)
  • Jojoba Oil or Sweet Almond Oil (Jojoba Oil you can find here, and Sweet Almond oil here)
  • Red raspberry seed oil (optional but adds more natural SPF – find it here)

The measurements and further instructions for the sun-smart addition (you’re adding this to the base recipe from earlier!) are:

  1. When combining and melting ingredients, add in 1 tsp Jojoba Oil or Sweet Almond Oil.
  2. Once you’ve taken it off the heat, let it cool for a minute or so before carefully stirring in 2 tsp of Non-nano Zinc Oxide. The amount here is just right — not so much that it becomes like a zinc stick, but enough to give you around 30FPS.

  1. As you continue to mix that, add in 3–5 drops of Vitamin E Oil (this is optional — just helps with preservation and is good for your lips), as well as ½ tsp of Red Raspberry Seed Oil.
  2. Once you’ve mixed those in, your lip balm will probably be starting to cool, so mix in your chosen essential oils and then pour into containers.

Super simple — the key is to ensure the zinc oxide is thoroughly mixed through so we get that smooth feel.

My go-to essential oils for this one:

  • 1 drop Peppermint + 2 drops Vanilla Extract
  • 2 drops straight Peppermint
  • 1 drop Peppermint + 2 drops Lavender

Yes, as you can see, I’m a peppermint fan! Just make sure when you’re choosing your blends for the sun-smart option that you avoid citrus and keep it under 4 drops of essential oil (for this size recipe).

Enjoy

Well, those are the main two I use, but there are plenty of cool variations you can do to make your lip balm your own… add charcoal to make it black or some natural red dye to create a tinted version — whatever you want!

I haven’t bought lip balm in years, so I have my own proof that this is one hundred percent a replacement for store-bought. Now you just have to make it and realise the same!

Please let me know how you liked it and if you made any fun additions, or what your fav essential oil blends are! I’ll catch you in the comments.

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