How to Make Vegan Lip Balm

No one appreciates the look of dry, cracked lips. In addition to being unsightly, the appearance of parched lips implies an overall lack of concern with one's basic grooming and hygiene. It may also hint at poor health. Commercial lip balms can be used, but can sometimes contain ingredients that irritate the skin of more sensitive individuals. Some people may object to the origins of the ingredients as well. This article can teach you how to create your own all natural lip balms (also called lip butters) so that you will never need to be seen with less than kissably-soft, smooth lips.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 oz hard wax (soy wax works well)
• 1 oz solid-at-room-temperature oil (coconut oil, avocado oil, mango butter, or shea butter)
• .75 - .8 oz another additional hard-at-room-temperature oil (cocoa butter, floral waxes, or palm oil)
• 2 oz liquid oil (jojoba oil or olive oil)
• Essential oils (optional, your choice) - maximum 8 drops for each lip balm
• Microwave-safe cup or bowl with pour spout
• Digital scale sensitive to at least .1 oz (a postage scale will usually work for this)
• Stirring spoon
• Dropper
• Lip balm tubes/jars/tins (up to 15)

Make Vegan Lip Balm

1. Place your microwave-safe cup on the scale and turn it on. Measure your oils and waxes into the cup.

2. Place it in the microwave and heat in 30-second increments until almost completely melted; remove and stir to finish melting.

3. Add 8 drops of essential oils for each lip balm (use any combination of essential oils listed below, just make it a maximum of 8 drops per balm).

4. Stir the oil in very thoroughly to prevent separation, then use the dropper to dispense the balm into the containers.

5. Allow the balm to completely cool and harden before applying a cap. This recipe makes about 5 ounces of lip balm, enough for about 15 lip balms in a typical 1/3 ounce container.

Tips & Warnings

• Work fast with the lip balm base, as it may begin to harden quickly. If it begins to thicken up as you’re working, put it back in the microwave and heat for 5-10 seconds at a time. Try not to get it any hotter than necessary because excessive heat will degrade your essential oils.
• If you wish to make only a few lip balms at once, use a second cup and measure out 1/3 (.33) ounce of lip balm base for each lip balm you want. Set aside the rest until it has completely cooled and hardened, then cover and put away for future use.
• Note: If you’re using twist-up balm tubes, pour in just enough balm base to reach the top of the stem inside the tube. Let it cool and harden, then top it off with more lip balm base. This will prevent the “crater” effect common with twist-up tubes.
• Not all essential oils are safe to use directly on the skin. Below are a few safe oils that can be used in your lip balm manufacturing!
• Anise and Star Anise, Basil, Bergamot, Camphor, Cardamom, Cassia or Cinnamon (use sparingly), Chamomile, Clove, Cocoa Absolute, Fennel, Ginger, Grapefruit, Jasmine, Lavender, Lemon, Lemongrass, Lime, Orange, Peppermint, Rose, Rose Geranium, Rosemary, Sage, Spearmint, Tangerine, Tea Tree, Vanilla Absolute, and Wintergreen

Resources

• Click here for a chamomile lip balm recipe!