Natural Tinted Lip Balm Recipe

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tinted lip balm
Wellness Mama » Blog » Beauty » Natural Tinted Lip Balm Recipe

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.

tinted lip balm
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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 minutes
Melting Time7 minutes
Total Time11 minutes
Yield: 2 ounces
Author: Katie Wells

Materials

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!

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Katie Wells Avatar

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”

  1. Louis Andrews Avatar
    Louis Andrews

    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!!

  2. Ella Avatar

    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

  3. mary Avatar

    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?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      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.

  4. Layla Avatar

    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!

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar

      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!

      1. Layla Avatar

        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!

  5. Dorothy Avatar
    Dorothy

    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!

  6. Farah Avatar

    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.

  7. keresz Avatar
    keresz

    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.

  8. Chloe Avatar

    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!

  9. Rachel Avatar

    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?

  10. Ann Fure Avatar
    Ann Fure

    is there a rule of thumb to add zinc oxide to a lip balm recipe?

    1. Mindy Avatar

      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!

  11. Amina Avatar

    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?

  12. April Avatar

    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.

  13. Anne Avatar

    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.

  14. catherine Avatar
    catherine

    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?

  15. Ashley Avatar

    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!!

  16. Chelsea Avatar

    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?

  17. Jennifer Hull Avatar
    Jennifer Hull

    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??

    1. Diana Avatar

      Love this blog and all of the wonderful ideas/recipes! Will gloss containers with wands work with this recipe?

4.13 from 33 votes (33 ratings without comment)

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