This simple lip balm recipe is an easy, budget-friendly replacement for store bought chapstick and takes less than half an hour to make. Here's how to put together-- and personalize-- your own shea butter lip balm with all natural ingredients.
Jump to:
- Homemade lip balm ingredients
- How to make homemade lip balm with coconut oil and shea butter
- 📖 Recipe
- How do you make lip balm with shea butter without beeswax?
- Can you make lip balm with just shea butter and coconut oil?
- Is shea butter or coconut oil better for lips?
- Which butter is best for lip balm?
- Does homemade lip balm expire?
- 💬 Comments
I've made a few DIY lip balms over the last couple of years-- including a honey lip balm and an olive oil lip balm-- but this one is my favorite, go-to recipe. The shea butter makes it incredibly moisturizing, the beeswax gives it a firmness that makes it ideal for pouring into chapstick tubes, and it's incredibly versatile.
I've made this recipe with unrefined shea butter, coconut oil, and peppermint essential oil for a basic, winter-y balm. But this would be perfect year-round made with more seasonal ingredients: calendula infused oil in the summer, or even a cinnamon infused oil for the fall. However you want to mix it up it, I think this is the perfect DIY lip balm recipe.
Homemade lip balm ingredients
Though this recipe calls for five ingredients, only three are essential: coconut oil, shea butter, and beeswax. The beeswax can be replaced by a vegan wax, cocoa butter can be used instead of shea butter, and any carrier oil could be used in place of coconut oil-- I like to use an infused rosemary oil or calendula oil-- but the ratios will be the same:
Use 1 part beeswax, 2 parts shea butter, and 2 parts coconut oil.
I've found that this gives the lip balm a firmness that keeps its shape well in chapstick tubes while still being super moisturizing. To make four ounces of lip balm, here's what you'll need:
- 2 Tbsps beeswax (15 g)
- 2 Tbsps shea butter (30 g)
- 3 Tbsps solidified coconut oil (30 g)
- ¼ teaspoon vitamin E oil
- 3-5 drops essential oil (I recommend peppermint)
Because ingredients like beeswax pastilles, solid coconut oil, and shea butter can be tricky to measure by volume, I do find using a digital scale to be the best way to get the right ratios for balms and salves. That said, the consistency is easy to adjust: more beeswax makes a firmer salve, while more oil or butter makes a softer one.
Other than a scale or measuring spoons, you'll need just three things:
- Double boiler or
- A small pot and a measuring glass or metal bowl
- 2 oz. tins, a 4 oz. Ball jar, or 2 oz. cardboard chapstick tubes
This recipe would make two two-ounce chapstick tubes, but I use it to fill one tiny Ball jar that I keep at home. Alternatively, you could use these two-ounce tins, which I also use for homemade salves.
How to make homemade lip balm with coconut oil and shea butter
Making your own lip balm couldn't be much easier; you just need to melt the ingredients together, pour them into whatever container you want to use, and let them cool. But there are a few notes that can help the process go a bit more smoothly.
To start, add the beeswax, coconut oil, and shea butter to a double boiler. If you don't have a double boiler, you could use a small pot of water and a glass measuring cup or metal bowl (as pictured above.) I like to reserve a separate bowl for this, as beeswax can be quite difficult to clean.
Leave the ingredients over low heat until they've all melted and combined. There's no need to use a high heat here-- all of the ingredients have low melting points, so this won't take long even over the lowest heat setting.
Next, remove the mixture from the double boiler and set it aside to cool for just a couple of minutes. If you want to add essential oils or vitamin E oil, this is the time. I like to use 5-8 drops of peppermint essential oil for a subtle, seasonally appropriate effect and about ¼ teaspoon of vitamin E oil.
Finally, mix those oils in and pour the balm into your containers. If you're using a jar or tins, make sure they're clean and dry first, as any moisture can cause the lip balm to spoil more quickly. During the warm months-- or any time when you're not using it frequently-- store the balm in the fridge to extend its shelf life.
📖 Recipe
Shea Butter Lip Balm Recipe
An easy to make chapstick alternative that's ideal for moisturizing and healing dry or cracked lips
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon coconut oil (30 g)
- 2 tablespoon shea butter (30 g)
- 2 tablespoon beeswax (15 g)
- ¼ teaspoon vitamin E oil (optional)
- 5-8 drops essential oil (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the shea butter, beeswax, and coconut oil in a double boiler. Heat over low until just melted.
- Remove from heat and let cool for 1-2 minutes. Add essential oils and vitamin E oil as desired.
- Pour into clean, dry Ball jar, aluminum tin, or chapstick tubes. Let cool until hardened.
- Store in the fridge or freezer when not used. Should keep for up to a year.
Notes
- Cocoa butter can be used in place of shea butter (at a 1:1 ratio)
- Vitamin E is optional, but could help the lip balm to store for longer
- To test the consistency of the balm before removing it from heat, dip in a metal spoon and set it in the freezer for 1-2 minutes. The hardened balm on the spoon is the consistency you can expect from the finished product. For a firmer lip balm, add more beeswax; for a softer one, add more oil or shea butter.
How do you make lip balm with shea butter without beeswax?
To make shea butter lip balm without beeswax, use a ratio of four parts shea butter to one part coconut oil. The shea butter has a higher melting point than coconut oil, so it will still soften when applied but it will also keep its shape better than a 50/50 mix would. If you're making lip balm without beeswax, don't store it in chapstick tubes-- it'll be too soft. Instead, keep it in a small tin or jar.
Alternatively, you could use vegan waxes like candelilla wax or carnauba wax. These can be swapped into this recipe in the same proportions as beeswax.
Can you make lip balm with just shea butter and coconut oil?
A shea butter lip balm without beeswax would be more like a whipped body butter. It would certainly be moisturizing, but it wouldn't be much like a lip balm. For a vegan shea butter lip balm, you could instead use candelilla wax or carnauba wax.
Is shea butter or coconut oil better for lips?
Shea butter is slightly more moisturizing than coconut oil and it also has more omega fatty acids, which help protect skin against damage from free radicals. Shea butter might be better for your lips when applied directly, but lip balm made with just shea butter and beeswax would be much more firm and harder to apply.
Adding coconut oil to a shea butter lip balm helps to soften it and also adds the vitamin E naturally found in the oil.
Which butter is best for lip balm?
African shea butter and cocoa butter are both perfect for homemade lip balms. The only significant difference between the two is that shea butter has less of a noticeable aroma, while unrefined cocoa butter can have a distinct chocolatey scent.
In terms of moisturizing, healing ability, they're both great choices. In fact, I've used both for body butters, salt scrubs, and whipped sugar scrubs and notice little difference except for the scent.
Does homemade lip balm expire?
Homemade lip balm should be replaced annually, though it can last up to a year and a half depending on how it's made and stored. To make your shea butter lip balm last as long as possible, make it with a newly opened jar of coconut oil, store it in a dry, clean container, and keep it refrigerated between uses. Adding vitamin E oil can also extend it's shelf life.
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