I’ve recently transitioned to wearing only natural makeup instead of the drugstore stuff that was irritating my skin. The first thing I wanted was a nice lipstick or lip balm made of simple, natural ingredients. After making several batches of this formula, I think I’ve finally perfected it!
And the best part is – you can make any color you like using lip-safe mica powder. I initially stuck to making ruby red, but now I’m branching out to make lighter pink and copper colored lipstick to replace some of my old drugstore favorites.
Ingredients
When I was using Burt’s Bees lip products, my favorites were always the ones made with coconut oil. I love the way it feels on my lips, so I knew my homemade version had to include it. I’m also using sweet almond oil – my favorite oil for any homemade oil-based preparation (lotions, soaps, creams, etc).
The addition of beeswax hardens the lipstick to the consistency you’d expect – though it may be a little softer due to the addition of cocoa butter and coconut oil. If you leave a tube in your car during the summer months, be warned it might melt! (But it will harden back up once it cools down.)
Here are all the ingredients you’ll need to make your own lipstick:
- 1 1/2 Teaspoons (7 g) Cocoa Butter – I use cocoa butter pastilles because they are so easy to measure and use. But, you can also use cocoa butter that comes in chunks or wafer form – just shave or grate some off until you have the amount you need.
- 1 Tablespoon (14 g) Coconut Oil – I get my coconut oil from Brambleberry. It’s great quality for the price. But you can use any brand – just make sure you DO NOT use liquid or fractionated coconut oil. You want the white, creamy stuff – unrefined with a melting point of 76 degrees and no other ingredients.
- 2 Teaspoons (10 g) Beeswax – I use Brambleberry’s premium yellow beeswax in this recipe, but you can also use beeswax pastilles if you prefer. Just measure out two teaspoons or 10 grams and it will work fine.
- 1/4 Teaspoon (1.25 ml) Sweet Almond Oil – I prefer the NOW brand sweet almond oil, but you can use any kind you like. If you don’t have sweet almond on hand, you can substitute with a similar carrier oil, such as avocado or pomegranate seed oil.
- 1/4 Teaspoon (1.25 ml) Honey – Honey is a soothing emollient and humectant. You can use any type of honey you have on hand, but raw organic is best in my opinion.
- 1/4 Teaspoon (1g) Mica Powder – Use any color mica powder you like to color your lipstick. I bought this set on Amazon and used the Ruby Red (which looks lovely in the finished product). Once I’ve used this up, I plan to buy my mica from Brambleberry. They have a nice variety of colors and quality is always good.
Equipment
- Stainless Steel or Glass Pan – I use a small, stainless steel saucepan to make my lipstick, but glass or ceramic will also work. Avoid aluminum or anything coated in teflon to make natural cosmetics.
- Small Whisk – I prefer using a whisk to stir my mixture once the coconut oil and cocoa butter melt, and when adding the mica powder. But a wooden spoon or fork would also work if you don’t have a whisk available.
- Empty Lip Balm Tubes – You can buy these at craft stores, online shops like Brambleberry, or pretty inexpensively on Amazon. I am currently using these clear tubes (BPA-free), but I also have some solid white ones from Brambleberry that I really like.
Instructions
This recipe yields five – six tubes of homemade lipstick. Make sure to pour into your tubes quickly after melting and mixing, because it will start to harden almost immediately! I recommend having your tubes prepared on a cookie sheet or piece of newspaper – ready for pouring – before you even begin.
- In a small stainless steel or glass saucepan, add 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) cocoa butter, 1 tablespoon (14 g) coconut oil, and 2 teaspoons (10 g) beeswax.
- Turn heat to the lowest possible setting and stir for a few minutes until cocoa butter and coconut oil are melted.
- Use a small whisk to continue stirring until beeswax is melted, which may take a few more minutes.
- Keep heat on the lowest setting; stir in 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) sweet almond oil and 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) honey. Whisk until blended.
- Whisk in 1/4 teaspoon (1g) mica powder until the color is well-combined.
- Immediately pour into empty lip balm tubes, filling each one almost to the top. Allow to harden for 1 – 2 hours before using.
Shelf Life & Storage
This lipstick will last at room temperature for at least a year – maybe longer. I’ve had mine around for a year with no degradation in quality, but your results may vary.
As I warned earlier, keep your tubes out of direct heat (like leaving them in the car during summer or next to a heat source). The mixture will melt if it gets hot enough, though it will harden back up if placed at room temperature again. Just beware of melting and ruining the inside of your bag!
You can also store your lipstick in the refrigerator when not in use. Although when it’s cold, the mixture may be harder to spread on your lips. I find it works best when stored at normal room temperature. I usually keep my extras in a makeup box/caboodle with no problems.
Printable Instructions
If you want to print out these instructions in a recipe format for later use, here you go! Just click the “Print” button below.
Natural Lipstick
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 tsp (7g) cocoa butter
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil
- 2 tsp (10g) beeswax
- 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) sweet almond oil
- 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) honey
- 1/4 tsp (1g) mica powder
Instructions
- In a small stainless steel or glass saucepan, add 1 1/2 teaspoons (7 g) cocoa butter, 1 tablespoon (14 g) coconut oil, and 2 teaspoons (10 g) beeswax.
- Turn heat to the lowest possible setting and stir for a few minutes until cocoa butter and coconut oil are melted.
- Use a small whisk to continue stirring until beeswax is melted, which may take a few more minutes.
- Keep heat on the lowest setting; stir in 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) sweet almond oil and 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) honey. Whisk until blended.
- Whisk in 1/4 teaspoon (1g) mica powder until the color is well-combined.
- Immediately pour into empty lip balm tubes, filling each one almost to the top. Allow to harden for 1 – 2 hours before using.
Making Multiple Colors
If you want to make multiple colors in a single batch, you can! After making the base formula (melting and combining all ingredients except the mica powder), simply pour half the mixture into another small stainless steel or glass pan.
Keep both pans of liquid base warm over low heat on the stove, then add 1/8 teaspoon (0.5g) mica powder in the colors of your choice to each pan. I recommend coloring the first pan then pouring into your tubes before coloring the second pan.
The first time I attempted this method, the liquid in my second pan started hardening while I was coloring the first. If this happens, just reheat over low heat to melt the oils again, then add your color and pour into tubes as usual.
You can see how I made multiple colors from a single batch in this video:
Additional Resources
If you’re interested in making your own herbal beauty products, I recommend the following resources. You can also check out my Resources page for suggestions on where to buy dried herbs, essential oils, containers, and other supplies.
- The Herbal Body Book by Stephanie Tourles – This was the first book of herbal beauty recipes I ever owned back when I was a teenager. It has some great tips and recipes to help you get started – or add to your collection if you’re more experienced.
- Herbal Body Book by Jeanne Rose – This is a classic book on herbal beauty that I highly recommend. Lots of wonderful information, recipes, and history.
- Rosemary Gladstar’s Herbs for Natural Beauty – Everything Rosemary writes is pure gold. Includes more than 30 simple recipes for cleansers, moisturizers, and creams comprised of essential oils and herbs.
