How to Make Lipstick

There are powders, creams, colorants, perfumes and products to accentuate just about any feature. One of the most used of these is lipstick. The cost of lipstick is not only for the product itself but to cover the cost of the huge advertising and publicity campaigns used to sell them. Make your own lipstick at home for a fraction of the cost and in just the perfect color for you.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Castor oil
• Vitamin E oil
• Carnauba wax
• Bees wax pearls
• Iron oxide/mica/D and C pigments
• Mica white
• Grapefruit seed extract
• Natural flavor oils
• Lanolin
• Quick read thermometer
• Lipstick tubes or lip pots

1. Place 2.8 oz. of castor oil in a small pan on the stove. Mix in 0.08 oz. of a mixture of iron oxide, mica powder, and D and C pigment to the right shade of color that you desire. Finally add 0.36 oz. of white mica or any other pigment to adjust color or shade or generate a frost effect.

2. Using very low heat, warm the ingredients and make sure the powders are pulverized before putting them in the pot. Slowly add 0.5 oz. of beeswax pearls to the pot and continue stirring as it heats. Add 0.5 oz. of carnauba wax to the pot and stir into the mixture. The final additions to the pot are 0.06 oz. of Vitamin E oil and 0.16 oz. of lanolin. Stir until well mixed and heat to 170 degrees or until everything has melted. Use a quick read thermometer to monitor the temperature.

3. Remove from the heat and add a few drops of grapefruit seed extract and a few drops of the natural flavor oil. Mix well. While still liquid, pour into lipstick tubes or lip pots. Let it harden.