Natural Tinted (or un-tinted) Lip Balm is a great alternative for those (like me) who don’t regularly wear lipstick. If you are a lipstick girl, check out this recipe for homemade lipstick.
Tinted Lip Balm is a smoother and and glossier recipe that lipstick, and more like a traditional lip gloss. It is made with completely natural ingredients and a little goes a really long way. I colored the one above with a tiny drop of natural red food coloring and added lemon and vanilla for scent, though you could leave it unscented or add an essential oil you like.
I re-used an old tin for this recipe, but Mountain Rose Herbs sells cute 1/2 ounce and 1 ounce tins that I use when I make these for gifts. By adding slightly more beeswax, this also makes a great lip balm in a chap stick container as well. My daughter also loves this lip balm because it is a natural recipe so I’ll let her use a tiny amount and she feels special because she is wearing “make-up.”
This recipe also has many of the same ingredients as Homemade Lotion Bars, Homemade Lotion, DIY Deodorant and more, so if you keep these ingredients on hand, you can make endless variations of natural beauty products.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon beeswax
- 1 tablespoon shea butter
- 1/2 teaspoon red or rose mica powder
- optional: 2-4 drops of peppermint essential oil
What to do:
- Melt the coconut oil, beeswax and shea/cocoa butter in a glass jar sitting in a small pot of simmering water (not boiling) and stir gently until melted (be careful not to get any water into the mixture).
- When melted, carefully stir in any colors or essential oils, if using. My favorite is lemon and vanilla for scent and a little red coloring or cocoa powder for color. A couple drops of peppermint will make it similar to Burt’s Bees Lip Chap.
- Once colors/scents are mixed in, use a dropper to transfer to tins or lip chap containers. Let cool.
- Apply the versions in the tins with your finger or use the version in plastic container as you would regular lip chap.
Ever made your own lip balm or chap stick? Ready to try this one? Share below!
I’ve been using your face powder recipe for a few months now and I love it. My daughter is still very little, but when she starts wanting to put on makeup like mommy, I won’t worry one bit about brushing a tiny poof of powder on her face, just for fun. I have a feeling this lip balm is going to fall under the same category!
I actually have had a really hard time finding a lip balm I love, all because of the color. I’m really excited to try this and make it work perfectly for my complexion. Thanks for sharing!
I love making lip balm. My daughters and I made a bunch last year. They gave them to their friends as gifts. I’ve never tried adding color. Have to give that a go this year!
Just checking…..you still put the shea butter or cocoa butter in the lip balm, you are just crossing out the link……………not the ingredient, correct?
Yes, still use the shea butter 🙂
can I buy some from you or how does it work
I made some, but used a little ice cube like piece of bee’s wax, and it was about twice as much, so I got chap stick instead. The beet root powder that I got didn’t break down into color, just floated to the bottom. It was cheap by the ounce at the local store, but I’m going to order some of the natural color drops for next time. This was my first time making anything like this, there’s definitely a learning curve 🙂 I love lip gloss and use it constantly, I’m probably addicted, so thanks for this recipe.
I have the same problem, hmmm…Did you ever figure out why the beetroot powder was sinking?
I have the same problem with beetroot powder too. I gave up on it, and will look for the natural food coloring. I have never seen hibiscus powder before, and was wondering if that was more fine. In a pinch I will use my mineral red pigment. All minerals, and also natural. Frustrating. Just keep trying different things.
Did you find a tried and true method of tinting your balm?
If you want to make a tinted balm/gloss with beetroot, you’ll have to infuse the pigment into some water or glycerin, strain out the powder, and use an emulsifying wax instead of beeswax. You could also use alkanet root powder, which is soluble in oil. Infuse the alkanet into your oil of choice, strain out the powder, and use beeswax or any other wax. You can get what you need at Mountain Rose Herbs. Cinnamon essential oil is a great lip plumper too!
You are amazing. Several friends and I have been wondering how to tint w beet root powder. We knew it had something to do with oil vs water. I can’t wait to share. Thanks again!!
I wish I saw this an hour ago haha!! My beetroot also just floated to the bottom. I made lip balms and use eyeshadow cups to hold them. But the beetroot powder would not mix no matter what I did. Thanks for tip!!
I use a natural mica powder and get a nice color with it that provides a great shimmer and color.
I just made this today with a couple tweaks:
– used sunflower oil instead of coconut (since I had that on hand)
– used Cocoa butter instead of Shea butter (I am making this as a gift for my sister, and her son is allergic to tree nuts – shea butter comes from the shea nut, so as a precaution I decided not to use it!)
– used beet root powder
As others mentioned, the beet root powder sunk to the bottom and did not mix in. The most likely reason being that it is probably polar (like water) and the rest of the stuff is nonpolar (like oil). So I added some honey to it (which is polar), and the dye mixed right into the honey. There were still two layers, though (one yellowish and one red/pink). As it cooled, I stirred it a lot, and was able to get it to mix that way! As long as it doesn’t warm up too much, it will stay mixed together. If you want to use beet root powder, I’d definitely recommend adding something polar to dissolve it in so that it mixes better as you cool and stir it!
The hibiscus powder isn’t fine enough. It floats to the bottom, too. It gives the balm a tiny bit of color, but it doesn’t really translate to the lips. I think mica or some mineral coloring is most reliable, but all of those products seem to come out of China. So, no. Not for me. There is another root powder that I’ve read about, alkanet root, I think it’s a blue-red. Never tried it, though.
Mix your powders and or even your coloring to the coconut oil. Mix thoroughly THEN melt and you will have very little to no sediment! 🙂
Where do you get natural food coloring?
Didn’t you have the recipe before as 1 parts each ingredient? Why did you change the shea butter/cocoa butter quantity?
I made the previous recipe and it was perfect consistency for a lip balm container. 1 part coconut oil, beeswax, shea butter.
Thanks for the blog, one of my favorite sites!
I just recently published this, so I don’t think it has changed, but there are a lot of recipes online… so perhaps it was a similar one? The equal parts recipe of coconut oil, beeswax and shea butter is great too! There should be a link to the natural food coloring above, but I got mine on Amazon… Thanks for reading! 🙂
Any idea where you can get a glass container with a stainless steel rollerball applicator? I have been using coconut oil on my lips and was thinking about tinting it, so this recipe is awesome-thx for sharing!
Have you tried Amazon? I haven’t seen those, but if you’re able to find them, please share the link! 🙂
where would you get the containers
There is a rollerball applicator in mountain rose herbs (containers, bottles) but the rollerball is made of plastic.
I believe perfumeoils.com has glass roller bottles with stainless steel balls
I found roller ball containers on Amazon. Sold as a pack of 6 for around $10.
I used beet root powder in mine and it just floated in the mixture, it didn’t really tint it. Maybe I should put it in in the beginning next time so it has time to infuse?
That is strange… putting it in at the beginning probably would help though.
What if I tinted the balm with steeped tea? ie: hibiscus tea
Please disregard my question. Clearly I wasn’t thinking this through. I’m going to get the natural food coloring:)
Does it matter if the Cocoa powder has been “processed with Alkali”? I recently bought some organic baking cocoa, and was thinking about using it for this recipe, but don’t know if I should…
What is the brand?
Equal Exchange baking cocoa
From what I can tell, it should be fine
thank you!
How much will this make? I am trying to figure out how much to make if i want to have 30 of them …xmas presents
Thank you so much for posting this! I just have a few questions. I just made it and i used an essential oil. I licked my lips not thinking and now thats all I can taste. Its weird. But my actual question is, is it safe to use essential oils in lip products? And where did you find natural food coloring? I’ve looked all over :/ Again, thank you so much! xoxo- Carie
I got the food coloring on Amazon… most essential oils are safe for use on skin/lips…
I have follow the steps above to create my product but it ends up so dry after 2-3 days?? what did I gone wrong?? thanks
Hi! Do you think I could add some fruit juice such as strawberry or pomegranate to tint this pink (along with some vitamin E oil to preserve)? I don’t want to get beet root powder because it comes in such large amounts that I’ll never use.
I don’t know that the liquid would mix well…
Can you also use homemade coconut oil?
Hi Mama–
Quick question: I tried using powdered beets for coloring…and then hibiscus. No matter how fine the powder, it seems a little grainy. I finally got it to stain, but had some granules left in the bottom of the mixture. Do I need to let it cool first? Also, you listed natural red coloring…can you tell us what brand or kind you use? This is all new to me and regular food coloring (don’t laugh– I watched my friend try this and end up with speckled lavender balm) beads up into nasty little flakes that don’t mix in. Thanks!
Have you considered using mica minerals as coloring for your lip balm? My local health shop has suggested it and would like your input. Thanks for a superb site! You’ve been instrumental in my change over to the natural lifestyle.
Any concerns about food grade ingredients ? Was thinking if you are putting it on your lips….or maybe I am just freaky about that….any thoughts?
I wish I saw this an hour ago haha!! My beetroot also just floated to the bottom. I made lip balms and use eyeshadow cups to hold them. But the beetroot powder would not mix no matter what I did. Thanks for tip!!
I used food grade ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. Coconut oil, Cocoa butter, and Beeswax.
I’m curious about the beet root powder or food coloring — does it cause a lasting stain on the lips? I am interested in trying to make a tinted chapstick, but I want to be able to take off the color -when- I want the color off.
I use beet root powder and even when the balm appears very dark, it is only a subtle “glow” on the lips. It doesn’t stay on long or stain. I imagine red food coloring would, though.
I used beet root powder and had the same problem, it didn’t blend and became a bit gummy after a lot of stirring. The solution I found is to use one of those tiny milk foaming blenders, I think it’s called a frother or milk frother. It worked like a charm!
I realize I am a bit late into the discussion…
I’m loving your site! I’ve been busy making a lot of the recipes you share to help our family switch to more natural living. I was about to start on this lip gloss and noticed another blogger recommending alkanet root infused in fractionated coconut oil for the color. When I had it shipped (mountain rose herbs), was worried about the disclaimer about “may cause birth defects, not for use if pregnant or nursing”. The same was true of the marshmallow root liquid I ordered for the cough syrup.. any thoughts Katie??
In stead of beet root powder, could you used fresh beet JUICE? Or would the extra liquid throw off the entire recipe. I know other people that have made a stain out of fresh beet juice, but I like the idea of a lip chap with staining qualities. haha Is that a thing?
I am having trouble with the food coloring mixing in. Is this because this recipe is oil-based? Did anyone have “luck” with the beet root powder? The comments below share in dispair that beet root powder didn’t mix well. Wellness Mama- which tint solution did you use exactly? Did you put in before ingredients started to heat up or after they were already mixed due to heating? Thanks!!
I’ve been looking at all the comments on the problems linked to powdered colorants and such. I’m thinking that perhaps it would be possible to infuse the oils on low heat with dried hibiscus flowers, or a chunk of beet…like other recipes do with medicinal herbs and the oil turns green. Then it would be easier to strain and you’d get the color…Not sure about the cocoa though. Cocoa nibs? Ground coffee?
I have an idea for adding the food coloring that worked for me. I made the lip gloss & wanted it pink so I added the red food coloring to it, after everything was melted together, and it hung it the mixture in little beads and didn’t blend in at first. But I kept stirring & stirring and as it cooled it blended in, finally. The next time I made the lip gloss, I mixed the food coloring into the coconut oil & shea butter while it was still cool then warmed it up and it worked much better. Much less stirring involved.
What can I use if people are allergic to cocoa butter and shea butter ?
I tried using red beet powder to color my lip balm it did not work at all and doesn’t look anything like yours. I followed the directions to a T but it still came out with the powder still separated from the mixture. Any Suggestions? I would really like tinted lip balm.
Hi, and thanks for the blog, it is nice to read! I also tried beet root powder, it did not work at all.. The powder separates from the oils etc. What to do? And where to find natural food coloring?
is there a rule of thumb to add zinc oxide to a lip balm recipe?
I’d start with 1/4 tsp and work up
Wooohoo!! Thanks for asking this. I’ve been obsessed with burt’s bees for years and recently switched to EOS lip balms, but none of them have SPF in it. I’ve been loving this site and really trying to get more in to making my own lotions/lip blams, etc…. my lips tend to burn really easy and this helped a lot! I’m glad someone asked it!
Hello!
I love your website by the way! I live in Irleand and its impossible to source the shea/cocoa butter at the moment, I am looking to make this for mothers day, do you have a alternative suggestion? might avacado oil work?
It would have to be a butter, not an oil, for the same consistency, but you could accomplish a similar effect with beeswax and avocado oil
Any comments on the shelf life? I some uses vitamin E capsures or oil to use as a natural preservatives. Would your recipe work without it? Do you recommend on using it or any other alternatives? I LOVE your blog and so excited to try this. Thanks!
Hi girls,
I had the same problem with coloring the lip balm – I tried food colorings liquid and powder but as I used oils it never mixed properly. I noticed somewhere “mica powder” is great for this purpose – its somekind of mineral powder. I havent tried it yet, but seems like a good idea.
Has anyone figured out the coloring issue? I am going to attempt this in the next couple weeks and was wondering if anyone had any tips to help blend the beet root powder…it sounds like it has been challenging for many.
I found a way to make the beet root powder work! I was having the same problem where it was not mixing, just floating, so I tried putting it all in the blender once melted and just blended for a few seconds and that was all it took for the beet powder to make it pink. But because it spins so fast, it cooled it and hardened it in the blender, so I then had to put the whole blender in a big pot of water and remelt it so I could pour it out, but it worked!
Yay it worked! Thanks
Hi Wellness Mama, thanks for all your recipes, I LOVE them! My question pertains to this recipe but also other ones like your lip chap, lotion and lotion bars. Can I use soy wax instead of beeswax? If so, should I use the same amount as the beeswax or is there a general rule for altering the amount in the recipe if it’s soy wax? Thank you!
I haven’t tried it, but I don’t think there any are procedural differences. If you try it, let me know how it works out!
Thank you! Will do 🙂
Hi Wellness Mama, I just made this tinted lip balm and used soy wax instead of beeswax like we had discussed, and it worked great! I LOVE this recipe. The lip balm is so nourishing and feels great. Thank you so much!
Yay! I’m glad it worked!
Hi, Wellness Mama, i love your blog, i’m new to this whole all natural beauty and your blog so fr is the easiest, straight to the point and understandable guide to all this. i was wondering though with the beeswax pastilles do you use yellow or white or does it make a difference?
There is debate about this. Generally be careful of bleached beeswax (sometimes the white stuff is bleached, although some is naturally pale). Mine is yellow.
Hi, I was wondering how much this recipe makes? Thank you 🙂
It will fill about 10 chap stick containers.
Thanks for the recipe! How long will it keep? Is it shelf stable?
Hey! 🙂
Could I use beet juice for the color? Or is it going to be a problem because it is not oil. From somewhere I heard that everything you use should be some kind of oil.
Is it true? Do you have some experience on using beet juice in lip balm?
xx
lots of love
Ella
I love your blog, it is so so helpful! Thank you
Yeah, you want an oil to mix better with the other ingredients.
I’ve tried beet powder and alkanet powder, both are gritty no matter how much I grind them. I’m kind of disappointed. Maybe you have to use a juice and something like e-wax? I just want some color!!
Could you please post a link from amazon of the natural food coloring you use? There are lots of options but would like to know for sure I’m looking at the right one. Thanks!
Hi, is it okay to use beeswax sheet instead of pastille? Thanks! 🙂
Hi :o)
Is this too thick to go into a lip gloss tube? Do you have any tips to make it possible to use in one if it is too thick?
Any suggestions on how to get a golden, glitzy colour naturally?
Many thanks
xx
Hi, I know I am late onto this thread but saw where I could suggest something. A good way to get a golden colour into a mix is to use sea buckthorn fruit oil ( a few drops will do it) Aside from the colour, SB oil is perfect for your lips.
I have this crazy allergy and the only oil I can use or consume is olive oil. Do you think this would still work if I substituted olive oil for coconut oil?
I really enjoy your site, thank you!
I have tried this with beet root powder and just end up with powdery chunks in the gloss. How do I get this into a smooth colour?
I had the same problem.
I saw a comment where you said that butter needs to be used in the recipe, would coconut butter work in place of the others? I have Coconut oil and butter on hand.
Love your site. Thank you for your time and effort. Made the lip chap for the first time the other day. Should have been making it for years. LOVE IT!!! Now I can’t wait to add the color. Woo HolL too much fun! And it is good for me!
Any suggestions on how to make a peach color?
Thanks!
teied this with regular food coloring. Beaded up at the bottom 🙁 hoping I can scrape off the top layer and reheat. The lip balm itself is very nice though!
Hi! Thanks for the great recipe and blog posts. 😀
My one problem with the lip-balm/stick: When I tried it the second time it was (*drum-roll*) the beetroot powder.
My sister and I made our own by drying the beetroot and powdering it. It works well enough but maybe the sugar content is throwing it of – because the powder won’t mix with the oils when they melt, and we’re at our wits end. Then we tried mixing the powder into some glycerin (which is mixing alright enough only after a lotta stirring!) and then adding it to the oil. Further to that when I try it on the back of my hand, it’s not leaving any color, and it is clumpy beeswax left behind. 🙁
The first time we tried your recipe, we used pink pigment, which worked well, but we wanted all-natural ingredients, and didn’t like the pigment feel/taste after lip-licking. We also added the bentonite clay for the matte-finish. (It worked perfectly btw, so thumbs up once again!)
Do we have to live with the pigment one – or is there a reason this is failing so miserably for us?
🙂
Thanks again!
Thanks for the FANTASTIC formula. I have been getting ready lately for an expected cold and windy winter here in the Midwest. We have 5 kids all caring ages and only one boy so the girls e I really enjoy your formulas. It started with your laundry powder and then toothpaste, lotion and now lip gloss. We change each item based on personal preference. I even made my husband lavender shaving soap. Today the girls and I chose the rose mica, its not very dark and added watermelon falvoring for the younger girls and pepermint (no color) fory son. I like how glossy but not sticky this formula is. Thanks for the great formulas. I am looking forward to the new ones.
Is there any kind of natural preservative I can use to make this safe for a longer time period?
I tried this but it sets so fast That I couldn’t colour or scent it… I had to re melt it and try again.. any tips?
I tried this, very nice, odd taste though!! 🙂 But it sets extremely fast, i had to reheat it before adding colour and flavour. Have i done anything wrong?
Just wondering has anybody tried eyeshadow or blush, I’ve been reading online and watching YouTube videos, and most people seem to use eyeshadow or blush or even crayon. Are they even safe to use?
Can’t wait to try this, but I am also wondering about the shelf-stability, how long does it safely keep? And I noticed someone mentioned it drying out?
Because it only contains oils and no water or other liquids, it should have a very long shelf life like normal lip balm, at least 6 months.
For those of you wondering how to use beetroot or hibiscus powder for the coloring, I tried this once and it worked really well. You should infuse the powder in some vegetable glycerin and jojoba or sweet almond oil overnight. The next day, strain the liquid using a muslin cloth, and voila! You can use this as is, as a lip or cheek stain or mix it into your beeswax mixture.
Looking at the picture you have posted, I would’ve thought this lip balm would’ve been slightly soft, but mins turned out really firm. Like, I can’t make I sent in it even if I push really hard. Is that the way it’s supposed to be or did I mess something up?
You did it right 🙂 I photographed this in the summer and even inside our house it was pretty warm and I had trouble getting it to firm up completely.
Ha! I was reading through the comments specifically to find out how I could get that luscious consistency!
Do you have a recipe to yield 13 of these? Ive never done this. But want to at my daughter’s slumber party with her friends.
I made this came out amazing the only thing i changed was using a little bittle of lipstick thats the shade i wanted for the color and melted it with the oils
Where is the recipe – it’s say’s 1 tablespoon (blank) and doesn’t say which ingredients for which quantity? Is the page messed up?
It’s showing up correctly for me…maybe try updating your browser?
Wow i will try this!
Do you think red palm oil would work, instead of the coconut oil, if I added more beeswax?
I’ve never tried it but don’t see why it wouldn’t I would keep tinkering with the ingredients until you saw the desired consistency 🙂
Hi there Wellness Mama, have you made a face scrub or something like that? My mom and I really want to make your lotion bars and and I want make the lip balm, but I also want a face scrub. I already use a sugar and olive oil scrub on my lips because I read it somewhere else.
This is my favorite whole body (including face) scrub: https://wellnessmama.com/13144/vanilla-latte-sugar-scrub/
I used my own recipe just shea butter and coconut oil and mixed them like above then tipped hibiscus bag in little hot water and squeezed the juice out to get the thickest then stirred it in the mixture and allowed it to cool. I got a tint and the hibiscus water just collected which i poured out. Turned out nice, Tho am wondering about the shelf life.
I’ve tried hibiscus powder. It didn’t mix well, settled to the bottom, is gritty and doesn’t taste good. The beet powder turns out about the same and both are just a tint. I love the recipe for lip balm but my sister must have lipstick so I would like to make her something healthy. Has anyone tried the mica powder? If so, please give details. What color did you use, how much? Is it solid or transparent? Does it mix smoothly without grit? Any information would be appreciated.
Carmine works great and it’s natural (not vegan though). Carmine comes in shades of red and purple. Liquid and powder. Very pricey, But you only need a teensy amount.
I’m confused, can you help me please. The mica powder is what put the color on your lips? Or is that the colorants?
Mica is for the color
l want beeswax alternative for lip bam for in home made poduct.
What can i use insted of mica powder
If water gets into the mix is it ruined? I used a rice cooker instead of a crockpot or double boiler and the steam from the lid leaked into the base mixture. I am using vitamin E so will it keep it from going rancid?