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!

Sources

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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

152 responses to “Natural Tinted Lip Balm Recipe”

Annie

December 27, 2013

I realize I am a bit late into the discussion…

Reply
Annie

December 27, 2013

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!

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America Yamaguchi

December 13, 2013

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.

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1. Annie
  
  December 27, 2013
  
  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.
  
  Reply
Julie

October 16, 2013

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?

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1. Christina
  
  August 23, 2016
  
  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!!
  
  Reply
2. Christina
  
  August 23, 2016
  
  I used food grade ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs. Coconut oil, Cocoa butter, and Beeswax.
  
  Reply
Nikki

August 18, 2013

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.

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Erin McArdle

April 4, 2013

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!

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Kacee

March 7, 2013

Can you also use homemade coconut oil?

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Mickee

March 7, 2013

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.

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1. Wellness Mama
  
  March 7, 2013
  
  I don’t know that the liquid would mix well…
  
  Reply
Vivian

February 26, 2013

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

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Carie Jordan

February 14, 2013

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

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  February 14, 2013
  
  I got the food coloring on Amazon… most essential oils are safe for use on skin/lips…
  
  Reply
Ann

December 7, 2012

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

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Martha

November 29, 2012

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…

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1. Wellness Mama
  
  November 29, 2012
  
  What is the brand?
  
  Reply
  1. Martha
    
    November 30, 2012
    
    Equal Exchange baking cocoa
    
    Reply
    1. Wellness Mama
      
      November 30, 2012
      
      From what I can tell, it should be fine
      
      Reply
      1. Martha
        
        December 5, 2012
        
        thank you!
Stephanie Madriaga

November 7, 2012

What if I tinted the balm with steeped tea? ie: hibiscus tea

Reply
1. Stephanie Madriaga
  
  November 7, 2012
  
  Please disregard my question. Clearly I wasn’t thinking this through. I’m going to get the natural food coloring:)
  
  Reply
Stacy

October 15, 2012

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?

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  October 15, 2012
  
  That is strange… putting it in at the beginning probably would help though.
  
  Reply
Safi

September 9, 2012

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!

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  September 10, 2012
  
  Have you tried Amazon? I haven’t seen those, but if you’re able to find them, please share the link! 🙂
  
  Reply
  1. Phoebe
    
    January 24, 2016
    
    where would you get the containers
    
    Reply
2. Tiffany
  
  October 20, 2014
  
  There is a rollerball applicator in mountain rose herbs (containers, bottles) but the rollerball is made of plastic.
  
  Reply
3. Lisa
  
  June 7, 2015
  
  I believe perfumeoils.com has glass roller bottles with stainless steel balls
  
  Reply
4. Christina
  
  August 24, 2016
  
  I found roller ball containers on Amazon. Sold as a pack of 6 for around $10.
  
  Reply
5. Shelby
  
  May 8, 2018
  
  I ordered a 6 pack of glass tubes with stainless rollerballs from Amazon for 6 bucks. The are perfect for essential oil scents or lip balm/gloss
  
  Reply
Nan

September 6, 2012

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!

Reply
1. Wellness Mama
  
  September 6, 2012
  
  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! 🙂
  
  Reply
Lisa Oedekerk

September 2, 2012

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.

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1. nfiori
  
  January 13, 2013
  
  I have the same problem, hmmm…Did you ever figure out why the beetroot powder was sinking?
  
  Reply
2. Donna
  
  October 9, 2013
  
  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.
  
  Reply
  1. Ashley
    
    January 20, 2014
    
    Did you find a tried and true method of tinting your balm?
    
    Reply
    1. Joyce
      
      October 19, 2014
      
      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!
      
      Reply
      1. Ashley
        
        October 19, 2014
        
        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!!
      2. Christina
        
        August 23, 2016
        
        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!!
    2. Jen Davis
      
      January 28, 2015
      
      I use a natural mica powder and get a nice color with it that provides a great shimmer and color.
      
      Reply
      1. Cal
        
        December 23, 2020
        
        I wonder which Mica did you use? Mine just makes a tiny shimmer effect but certinaly no color. I ended up buying color pigments from a friend and that worked nicely.
    3. Katherine
      
      October 11, 2015
      
      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!
      
      Reply
  2. Vita
    
    May 8, 2016
    
    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.
    
    Reply
3. Serena
  
  June 20, 2017
  
  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! 🙂
  
  Reply
4. Diana Thompson Sorric
  
  January 22, 2023
  
  I’ve been doing a little internet sleuthing about rose lip balm and read that rose powder does not dissolve in the lip balm. I’m assuming it’s the same for beetroot powder as well. The author recommended cosmetic grade mica powder as it dissolves into the butters and oils.
  
  Reply
Wendy McKenzie

September 2, 2012

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?

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1. Lisa Oedekerk
  
  September 2, 2012
  
  Yes, still use the shea butter 🙂
  
  Reply
  1. carsyn
    
    October 3, 2014
    
    can I buy some from you or how does it work
    
    Reply
Kristina Greene

August 30, 2012

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!

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Carrie

August 30, 2012

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!

Reply