This natural tinted lip balm is a nourishing part of any skincare routine. Kiss dry lips goodbye and add a little shimmer to your day. This DIY is a great alternative for those (like me) who don’t regularly wear lipstick. But If you’re a lipstick girl, also check out my homemade lipstick.

My daughter loves this lip balm! Since it’s a natural recipe I’ll let her use a tiny amount and she feels special because she’s wearing “makeup.” It also makes a great gift for birthdays or as a stocking stuffer at Christmas.

Hydrating Tinted Lip Balm

Tinted Lip Balm is smoother and glossier than lipstick, and more like a traditional lip gloss. Matte versions just use pigment to tint the lips, while glossier versions offer shimmery lip color. They’re different than a lip stain which gives a hint of color but can dry out lips.

Especially during the winter months, I like using lip butter or lip balm to soothe chapped lips. Having a barrier there can also provide some mild sun protection. Coconut oil and shea butter both have mild SPF properties and I use both in my homemade sunscreen. While they’re not SPF 15 like conventional SPF lip balms (they’re more like SPF 7) I still like using them to nourish and hydrate.

Ingredients in DIY Tinted Lip Balm

This DIY lip tint version is made with completely natural ingredients. And a little really goes a long way! I colored my original version with a tiny drop of natural red food coloring for a pop of color. I also added lemon and vanilla for scent. You could leave it unscented if you prefer, or opt for a different essential oil.

I settled on a refreshing mint version that offers subtle color and reminds me of Burt’s Bees lip balm. Instead of oxides for a wash of color, I opted for sparkly rose mica. On days I want more color coverage, I’ll add a little bit of cocoa powder or natural food coloring to the recipe. One of the best parts about making your own beauty products is being able to customize the recipe how you want!

Best Oils for Lip Balm

There are a lot of different choices when it comes to lip care. I kept it simple, yet functional with coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax for the base. You could sub in a little jojoba or avocado oil for the coconut oil if preferred though. Castor seed oil adds a little bit more of a glossy feel, but too much can make it feel sticky. Some drugstore brands, like Burt’s Bees tinted lip balm, use sunflower seed oil and other vegetable oils, which is something I try to avoid.

I’ve also added a little vitamin E oil. It helps the product last a little longer and provides some antioxidants. If you don’t have any on hand though, don’t worry, it’s optional. And if you want a firmer lip balm or don’t have shea butter, then cocoa butter will also work.

This recipe has many of the same ingredients as my 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.

Lip Balm Containers

I re-used an old tin for this recipe, but you can also find cute, small tins online. I like to use these 1/2 of 1-ounce tins when I make lip balm for gifts. Just be sure your hands are clean when applying. Adding slightly more beeswax also makes a great lip balm in a chapstick container.

4.13 from 33 votes

DIY Natural Tinted Lip Balm

This natural DIY tinted lip balm is simple and easy to make with soothing ingredients to hydrate thirsty lips. Also makes a great gift!

Prep Time4

Melting Time7

Total Time11

Yield: ounces

Author: Katie Wells

Equipment

Materials

2 TBSP coconut oil
1 TBSP beeswax pellets
1 TBSP shea butter
½ tsp red or rose mica powder
4 drops peppermint essential oil optional
10 drops vitamin E oil optional
1 drop natural red food color optional

Instructions

If you don't have a double boiler, then place a glass bowl on top of a small saucepan halfway filled with water.
Add the coconut oil, beeswax, and shea butter to the bowl or top of the double boiler and heat over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally until melted.
Once melted, turn the heat off and add the essential oils, food coloring, vitamin E, and mica.
Carefully pour the mixture into the tins and allow it to cool completely.

Notes

Storage and Shelf Life: Use a clean finger to apply and store in a cool, dark place. This will last about 6-12 months when stored properly.

Best Tinted Lip Balms to Buy

Don’t have time or ingredients to make it? Here are some paraben-free, cruelty-free, and clean brands to get instead.

Ever made your own lip balm or chapstick? Ready to try this one? Leave a comment and let me know how it went!

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

150 responses to “Natural Tinted Lip Balm Recipe”

Tanajah

January 29, 2016

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

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Anita

January 14, 2016

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.

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Katy

January 11, 2016

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?

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1. Wellness Mama
  
  January 11, 2016
  
  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.
  
  Reply
  1. Lashonda
    
    April 1, 2016
    
    Ha! I was reading through the comments specifically to find out how I could get that luscious consistency!
    
    Reply
Aparna Sundar

December 30, 2015

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.

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Tracy

November 28, 2015

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?

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1. April
  
  December 7, 2015
  
  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.
  
  Reply
Mandy

October 27, 2015

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?

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Kay

September 12, 2015

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?

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Pippy

September 12, 2015

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?

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Tracy

September 9, 2015

Is there any kind of natural preservative I can use to make this safe for a longer time period?

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Julia Wisdom

September 4, 2015

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.

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Simone

June 2, 2015

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!

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Robin

March 3, 2015

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!

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Colleen

February 28, 2015

Any suggestions on how to make a peach color?
Thanks!

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Bonnie

January 30, 2015

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!

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Desiree

January 17, 2015

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.

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Lisa

November 8, 2014

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?

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1. Aili
  
  January 3, 2015
  
  I had the same problem.
  
  Reply
Alison

October 20, 2014

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!

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Rachel

October 12, 2014

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

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1. Jon
  
  January 15, 2015
  
  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.
  
  Reply
Justine

October 1, 2014

Hi, is it okay to use beeswax sheet instead of pastille? Thanks! 🙂

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Kendra

September 24, 2014

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!

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