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.
DIY Natural Tinted Lip Balm
Yield
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
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.
- Honeybee Gardens Tinted Lip Balm
- Earth’s Daughter Tinted Lip Balm
- Cliganic Tinted Lip Balm
- Honest Beauty Tinted Lip Balm
Ever made your own lip balm or chapstick? Ready to try this one? Leave a comment and let me know how it went!
Hi Martha. I look forward to trying your recipe. 🙂 In your list of already-made products, the first one looks alluring, the second and third are not vegan, as they are made with beeswax. The fourth one has some less than desirable ingredients, including toxic dyes. Thank you for sharing, and please “bee” well. 🙂
Katie uses beeswax in many of her products, including this one, and recommends it for skincare. The Honest tinted lip balm is included because it has a good rating from EWG and they found the dyes don’t cause health concerns in the amount and way they’re used in that particular product. However, some people may still prefer not to use it.
I noticed the ones you have listed to purchase contain titanium dioxide. I thought it was harmful?
Based on the research we’ve seen titanium dioxide is harmful when eaten in large amounts or inhaled into the lungs, but as a natural mineral it doesn’t absorb into the skin when applied topically. If you prefer not to use the mica though, then cocoa powder adds a hint of a brown color if you want to use that instead. Here’s one study that discusses it in lip balm. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31588611/
Do you know of a mica powder that has no child/slave labor involved?
My daughter and I made this lip gloss and gave it away during covid to our community. We also saved some for ourselves and I really like how smooth it is and how the colors pop! Really easy to make.
Just made this. Even put extra mica powder. It’s beautiful but it hardly has any shimmer or color to it on your lips. Not even a hint. Any suggestions?
It does seem that the Mica powder does not really make a color on the lips. I think you just need to look online for other types of materials that blend better with oils to make a real color. Mine also did not make color on the lips just a bit sparkly.
Could you please tell me How many lip balms does the above give measurement make??
Do I add the mica powder at the time I would have added the food coloring? Thank you!!! Going to try this at my daughters 13th bday party.
Do you have a recommendation for replacing the coconut oil in this?
I looked on Amazon for natural colored mica. But, most mica appeared to have been dyed lurid bright colors. In other words, this is no better than using dyes. And none of the mica claimed to have been undyed or unbleached.