I’ve been making natural lip balm, lipstick, and chapstick recipes for years, although it took me a while to actually get it to the point of a recipe. Typically I would just eyeball the ingredients, which shows you how easy this recipe is to make!
This homemade lipstick recipe mimics a creamy, full coverage lipstick and packs plenty of color. However, if you aren’t a fan of colored lipsticks, you can make this recipe without any added color options to achieve a basic natural lip chap.
That’s the beauty of making your makeup from scratch, like my DIY eye shadow, is you can make it exactly the way you like it!
Why Homemade Lipstick?
Wondering why you’d take the time and trouble to make your own natural makeup?
Surprisingly, conventional lipstick can be a source of harmful chemicals and since it is used on the skin (lips) and near the mouth, these chemicals can be easily absorbed. These homemade lipstick variations let you create a personalized lipstick color that is chemical-free and inexpensive to make.
Also, homemade just means more! Give these as an inexpensive but thoughtful gift at holidays or birthdays that friends and family are sure to enjoy.
Customizing Your Perfect Natural Lipstick Color
To get the hue in the picture above, I used a tiny pinch of beetroot powder (1/8 tsp or less), 1/4 tsp cocoa powder, 1/8 tsp bentonite clay, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, and a drop of peppermint essential oil (just because I like the smell). Jump to the recipe for other color customization options, all from natural colorants.
If you like a darker shade, just add a little more cocoa powder after mixing to darken slightly until you reach your preferred tone.
Now let’s get into the recipe!
Natural Tinted Lipstick Recipe
This recipe makes a moisturizing tube lipstick with a good amount of pigment and coverage. For a lighter, glossier look, try this tinted lip balm recipe.
Homemade Lipstick Recipe
Ingredients
Base Lipstick Recipe
- 1 tsp beeswax pellets
- 1 tsp shea butter or cocoa butter
- 1 tsp coconut oil
Optional Color Add-Ins
- For Red Hues: 1/8 teaspoon of beet root powder or 1 drop of natural red food coloring with no chemical additives. NOTE: Add these very slowly as a little goes a long way!
- For Brown/Tan Hues: 1/4 teaspoon or more for color of organic cocoa powder, a tiny pinch of cinnamon or turmeric to get the shade you want
- For a more matte texture: 1/4 teaspoon bentonite clay- I use this with a color so it doesn't leave a white tint on the lips.
- For scent: A drop of essential oil of choice optional
Instructions
Homemade Lipstick Instructions
- Melt the beeswax, shea butter/cocoa butter and coconut oil in a glass jar without a lid in a small pot of simmering (not boiling) water. It should melt quickly because so little of each ingredient is used.
- When melted, remove from heat and add any optional ingredients like color or scent.
- Once all ingredients are mixed well but still liquid, use a dropper to pour into the lip chap container. I used the glass dropper from an old tincture bottle. Fill just below the top as it will expand slightly as it cools. Leave to cool for at least half an hour.
Notes
More Natural Makeup Recipes
- Natural Mascara Recipe – Easier to make than you’d think! It took many tries to perfect this recipe, but now I finally have it down to a science. 🙂 Nutures healthy lashes too!
- DIY Natural Blush Make-up Tutorial – For a fresh, natural glow, try this homemade blush recipe. I also love this creme version.
- Natural Liquid Foundation Recipe – Natural foundation can be pricey! Make it for so much less (and even customize it to your own skin type.)
- Natural Concealer & Highlighter Recipe – We all need a little extra coverage sometimes. Make this natural concealer for undereye or acne prone areas.
Ever made your own cosmetics? How did it go? What hue would you make of this recipe? Share below!
I made this with cocoa butter and a drop of peppermint oil and it is like I have a York Patty on my lisp. Yum! The peppermint makes it tingle like “real” chapstick. This recipe made 2 tubes with a little left to apply to everyone in the house 🙂 Just a note: I had no problem filling the first tube but by the time I had gotten to the second the mixture was hardening already. So move quick!!
Hi
Where did you get your tubes?
you can try Sage Mountain. That’s where I get mine.
I’m gonna be using this recipe right now! I really trust you when it comes to all natural Products. I will let you know how it turns out
How to create orange colour
ok I will give you ,my recipe you are going to need: 1 tsp of Vaseline
2 tsp of coconut oil
1/2 tsp of vitamin e oil
1 tsp of mineral oil
2 tsp of watermelon flavoring
so that is all the stuff that you will need ok and I hope you know what to do next so I love sex
Katie, Vaseline is a biproduct of gasoline, and *NOT* safe for use anywhere on your body. Disgusting stuff!
And I’ve hear mineral oil isn’t safe either !
your thinking of G-G-G-Gasoline
No Vaseline is petroleum jelly. A petroleum product. It IS toxic and accumulates in your body, and does cause cancer. So is mineral oil.
So when I made the mixture, it turned out all grainy, and the color wouldn’t mix in, could you tell me why? I really love the idea. Love your products! ???? Keep going!
My girlfriend is terribly allergic to coconut in any firm. What alternative would you recommend?
I’m so excited to try this! I just ordered my butters today and my natural dyes should be coming in this week :D. Ever since I started doing some research, my whole outlook on what I put on my body has changed. Thank you for posting these recipes for people like me!!
is there an alternative to the beeswax? I am highly allergic to it but would love to try
Mountain Rose Herbs has a non-bee sourced emulsifying wax that would probably work as well.
Carnauba wax is vegan and sourced from a type of palm :). It is much harder than beeswax though so start with 1/2 the amount and see how you like the texture
I usually use 1tbs of beeswax with 3 tbs of coconut oil and 1tbs of castor oil (cause I like it glossy) and I don’t have melting issues. I always have one in my pocket.
I’ve made a lipstick using alkanet as the colorant. Do you have any opinions on that? Since I’ve not tried beet, am wondering which truly adds color to the lips. And after reading the comments, because I use more beeswax and mango butter, so to be less melty in my pocket, I think they don’t allow much color to transfer I’m guessing. I love my homemade and don’t really need the color so much, just the emollient qualities.
Alkanet and Beet root are nearly identical. They both color the product, like mica, but don’t provide a color to skin. I tried everything natural before giving in and buying the pigments (lake dyes, red 30, etc) so I could actually make my own colored cosmetics. At least I know what the ingredients are, right?
have you used the clear lipstick containers? how did they work out for you?
I have… They look a little messy with the color on the inside but they work…
Is there anything I could add to make it stay more solid when it’s warm? It gets pretty warm in my house in the summer because we don’t like to run our cooler too much, plus I often carry lip balms and glosses in my pocket when I’m out and about, so I’m afraid of it melting.
Add more beeswax until you get it as solid as you want… the more you add, the less lipstick will transfer to your lips each time, but it will stay solid at high temps.
Try using a wax with a higher melting temperature like candelilla or carnauba.
oh, I like this idea and I just might try it! I go through lipstick very, very slowly and it goes bad before I’m even halfway done with it, plus who the hell knows what they’re putting in it at the MAC factory? This seems fun!
Just a quick FYI-My Dr. just took me off all comercially made personal care products. (thus why I am here) He did however say some of my makeup was ok to keep using. He said MAC and BareMinerals are the least toxic options out there.
Have you ever heard of melaleuca? They have a line of amazing quality natural cosmetics, although they are pricey. Not much more pricey than Mac or any of those other top of the line make-up suppliers. I usually get my make-up from them, but right now, I’m a broke collage student looking for blue lipstick :p
I know this is months later, but for cheap blue lipstick, crayola might be your answer. I’ve never tried this myself, but here are some helpful links https://www.wikihow.com/Make-Lipstick-Out-of-Crayons, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QloxsO9Jy0E.
Also for the DIY mascara and eyeliner comments, FYI, this can be a horrible experience for contact lens users when it starts drying out and crumbling or when washing off and all the grains get into your eyes.
I do know for certain that mac uses lead in their lipsticks. Which scares the living crap out of me and is the main reason i started making my own. Bare minerals however is pretty decent. Maybe only one or 2 ingredients i don’t like using in my own stuff.. People do your research before using any store bought beauty items! It’s scary stuff.
Question on using the beet root powder as a coloring agent… I have used beet root powder as a coloring agent in lip balm and found it to be a very grainy, unpleasing texture. What do you find this does to the texture of the lipstick? I tried straining the beet root powder granules out of my lip balm and then the little color that was left all sunk to the bottom of my tin when the mixture cooled. Any tips?
This seemed thick enough that it stayed but it was a very fine powder.. You could use the natural food coloring of you’d prefer though
Hi, I would live to know where I can purchase the green lip balm tins that you show on here.
I bought the plastic ones but would really love those tins!
I found them at a salvage store but maybe there are some on Amazon?
I found the tins on Bulk Apothecary (website).
I have a question…since this is natural with no preservatives is there a problem with spoilage, mold or other issues? Thank you in advance.
No, because there is not any liquid and oils last a very long time…
You can always add a few drops of natural vitamin E as it will act as a preservative
Vitamin E is not a preservative. It would not keep a mixture from molding or growing harmful bacteria. What it will do is prolong the shelf life of oils and butters so they do not go rancid as quickly. It is an antioxidant. Please do not confuse the two. It results in people making and distributing unsafe homemade products. That being said, no water, or water based ingredients, in the recipe means no need for a preservstive as long as you are careful not to introduce water into it via wet hands, dropping it into the sink, etc.
I was wondering if you could use flavoring oils? I wanted to make up some for the kids.
Do you know how I can get a bright red color in the lipstick? I’ve been trying to find a recipe for it, but just can’t seem to really find a good one…
Alkanet root to infuse red into the coconut oil may work
When I make mascara, I use coffee, which tends to be grainy. I just sit and smash it to smithereens while I’m watching T.V. with my mortar and pestle. Anything will turn into a really fine powder with enough elbow grease.
How do you make your own mascara?!?!?! I want that recipe bad too!!! 😉 ….whose elbows did you grind to dust? hehe
Making your own mascara? Please share the recipe!! I would be so grateful for that.
Here is a recipe I use. 1 part beeswax to 1 1/2 part coconut oil. Make sure you use a new unused mascara container. Then add 1 capsule activated charcoal. Activated charcoal is said to prevent infections in open wounds, and no it’s not the same as the charcoal in the mines that cause black lung. It’s essentially very burnt wood. Even though I made some, I have only worn it once. I don’t really like mascara. I guess in Heather’s case, she uses very ground up coffee. I am thinking it must be the dark roast too. The darkest bean you can find. I might try that next. I also watched a girl on a vid take slivers of almonds and fry them until they were burnt to a crisp and black as charcoal. She then let them cool, and crushed this into a very fine powder, added a bit of oil, and used as an eyeliner. Supposedly it’s a very old Indian tradition. I guess you could try adding burnt charcoal nuts too, but anything you add for color must be ground to a flour like consistency. I have learned this the hard way using natural foods for pigments!!! The trick is to get it as close to cocoa powder as you can, or you will be disappointed.
You can also infuse colorful berries and herbs in oil until the oil turns the color you want, then use that tinted oil for lip balms and blushes, but the color is not as deep. Keep jar of oil in sunshine in the window until the dye is leached out into the oil in the warmth of the sun. Tricky business this natural makeup thing, but well worth the obvious health benefits and savings in money. I need a good recipe for natural shampoo for dry hair if anyone has one.
This is my recipe- I find it to be a lot less wet and with a lot better hold, but a little bit more complex.
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp shea butter
2 ½ tsp. Aloe Verra Gelly
2 tsp. Grated beeswax
2 drops vitamin e oil
1 drop vegetable glycerine
2 capsules of Activated Charcoal
¼ Tbs Cornstarch
THAT IS REALLY GOOD BUT THIS IS MY RECIPE
1 TSP COCONUT OIL
3 DROPS OF FLAVORING FROM MICKRL’S
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That’s so cool!
What is the texture like if you leave out the bentonite clay?
It is more smooth and glossy
Thanks for the speedy reply! I think I’ll give this a try.
that rhymed hehe 🙂
haha! Love it
I love to make lipstick but it always mess up but I like to wear lipstick on my lips except sertant colors like dark colors.
Thank you for the recipe. How would I make this into a liquid stain?
Do you think you could use beet juice instead of beet powder?
You can certainly try it, although because you are using a liquid, the lipstick might turn soupy. If you try it, let me know how it turns out!
I just tried beet juice and it didn’t work. It is more water based and the the rest is oil based so it separates.
What if you soak some beet slices in the melted oils/wax to colour? I think it will work.
I tried this recipe first using beet powder (gritty and awful, possibly because I tried making my own beet powder). Next, I tried using a few drops of beet juice with the clay and cocoa. It wouldn’t mix completely with the oils and I ended up with clumps of grit at the bottom. I strained this with cheese cloth and added a couple more drops of beet juice. I immediately transferred it to the tube and stuck the tube right into the freezer. (To keep it from separating.) The result is a non-gritty lipgloss / stain texture. Love it! It might not work for people who want the more thick / matte texture, but maybe you could add more clay in after those steps. Thanks for the recipe!!!
Maybe half the amount of beeswax or increase the coconut oil amount that way it is a little thinner.
Beet juice is probably not oily so it won’t mix with beeswax or coconut oils.
I’ve been using this exact recipe and I can’t get it to turn out right, it’s either too oily and smooth and won’t leave any color on the lips or gritty? Can you help?
Use emulsifying wax (organic and all natural of course)
Sounds like many of us are having the same problem; it’s not carrying enough color to the lips. Better color with the clay in, but gritty texture. Help!!
Try using arrow root powder in place of the clay. It’s the smoothest powder I’ve ever felt. I use it in all my lip balms and deodorants. It mixes perfectly without any grit. Also, try Mango or Kokum butter instead of cocao. It’s smoother.
Kokum butter is awesome! Sadly is is not suggested or used enough in home-made cosmetics, possibly because it is a little more expensive (but well worth it). I’ve been using it for years in a home-made anti-aging cream and it works wonders. The downside is that it is much harder and stiffer than shea or cocoa butter and has to be melted first for ANY recipe. I highly recommend it.
I found that to be the case as well. But I add just a bit of arrow root to my recipe and it works like a charm. It will stay on almost all day.