A basic lip balm recipe that can be used as a black canvas to create more tailored ones, with your favorite essential oils.
A new class action suit filed in California last month against the popular lip-balm manufacturer, EOS wants the company to include a warning label on the product’s packaging. Los Angeles resident, Rachael Cronan among other plaintiffs allege that they “experienced devastating adverse reactions to the product, consisting of mild to severe rashes, dryness, bleeding, blistering, cracking, and loss of pigmentation, lasting from a few days, to a few months.” (source)
EOS (Evolution of Smoothness) is known for their spherical, bright-colored lip balms that claim to be “99% natural” and “gluten-free” (source) making them one of the lesser villains of the cosmetic industry. For the sake of full disclosure, I have never used EOS lip balms myself so I have no personal experience with this product.
The reality is, many of those in this class action suit, very well may have had an allergic reaction to any of the ingredients contained in the EOS balms and without extensive testing, it’s really hard to say with certainty which ingredient was the culprit. With the exception of a few, most ingredients in these “natural” balms were those you would find in any homemade lip balm so it’s important to avoid allergens if you have any sensitivity to it.
But whether or not you feel that this lawsuit has any merit, I think we can all agree that making lip balms yourself trumps over anything bought in stores. The latter gives you full control over what you put on your body. And for the record, I stand behind small businesses who use exceptional practices to create healthy and safe formulas for hair, body and skincare. And I’m happy to see more and more options for those who would much rather purchase instead of doing a DIY session.
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DIY Lip Balm
But for those who want to give these a try, this is a simple 4-ingredient recipe that can be whipped up fairly quickly and gives you the flexibility to add your favorite essential oils. With beeswax as the active ingredient, this lip balm recipe holds up well in my car on a hot summer’s day….in California. However, I do like to stand it upright in a small compartment so if it does slightly soften, the shape isn’t distorted much.
The Addition of Essential Oils
I love adding essential oils into natural beauty products but I go easy on them. They are incredibly potent and I don’t want it to overpower the natural fragrant aroma of beeswax and shea butter. Lip balm is an individual thing. What oil works for one person won’t work for another. That’s why I like using these ratios as a framework for more creative formulas. You can add clementine and lemon essential oil for a citrus fusion. Or tea tree and clove oil for a blend to ward off cold sores. Or perhaps, a romantic combination with jasmine, vanilla and frankincense is your cup of tea. You can get pretty creative with the oils, just don’t get out of control. Though peppermint is a popular essential oil in lip balms including popular brands like Burt’s Bees, I actually find that it dries my lips fairly quickly causing me to reapply more often. For this reason, I actually avoid adding peppermint in my lip balms.
Note: I have included weight measurement in tablespoons as well as the mass weight in grams. I have really become fond of my kitchen scale and use it regularly so if you have that option, I would go with the grams ingredients to get a consistent product. Keep in mind, the listed ingredients makes approximately 12 tubes and if you’re making this for the first time, start with that to make sure you’re happy with the texture, flavor and consistency before doubling the recipe.
Homemade Lip Balm Recipe
- 3 tablespoons (4 grams) beeswax pastilles (my pick)
- 3 tablespoons (8 grams*) shea butter (my pick)
- 1 tablespoon (2 grams) coconut oil (my pick)
- 6-20 drops of essential oils (optional) (I love this brand)
- 12-14 lip balm tubes (my pick)
- Filling Tray similar to this one, not essential but does make the job go smoother OR
- Plastic transfer pipettes, also not essential but makes the job easier
- In a double boiler or small glass bowl (I used a glass measuring cup) over a small pot of boiling water, melt beeswax, shea butter and coconut oil.
- Remove pan from heat but keep the boiler over the hot water to keep the mixture liquid.
- Add your favorite essential oils to your liking and stir to combine well. (I used a craft stick)
- Using the pipette, fill the lip balm tunes. Or if using a tray, pour straight from the boiler or measuring cup into the tubes. This step must be done quickly as the oils will start to harden.
- Let lip balm tubes set at room temperature for a few hours before capping them. Enjoy them indefinitely. Store away from heat.
Have fun with different variations of essential oils. Let me know in the comments what your favorites are!
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This is awesome! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love making my own lip balm! So simple and clean! Thanks so much for sharing these at Savoring Saturdays!
I really want to try and make these! Thanks for sharing your recipe! I use essential oils, so I feel the possibilities for combinations are endless. Hopefully you’ll come link these up at #WelcomeHomeWednesdays tomorrow. I’m a new co-host! 7 blogs, great exposure.
Thanks Erin. I just linked up 🙂 Thanks for stopping by.
I want to make some for my daughters! What a fantastic tutorial!
Just ordered these ingredients to make body butter so I’ll be making some lip balm too. Seems easy and so much better than the processed lip balms
I’ve never tried to make homemade lip balm but this looks intriguing. Thanks for the how-tos!
Thanks for linking up at #WelcomeHomeWednesday!! We hope see you next week!
I only use a DIY lip balm similar to this recipe on my lips. It is so important to help consumers make more healthy, green and natural lip balm choices. Knowledge is definitely power! Thank you for sharing this valuable and informative homemade lip balm recipe at the Healthy Happy Green Natural Party! I’m Pinning and sharing this!
Thanks Deborah 🙂
I am helping my students make lip balm at a homeschool co-op class I am teaching on homesteading next month! Great recipe, and I may just use it. 🙂 Thanks for linking up to the Homestead Blog Hop last week!
Absolutely love this, what a good idea! Totally pinning 🙂 xo
Love this recipe and how diverse it is! Thanks so much for sharing with us at the Healthy Living Link Party! We hope to see you back tonight 🙂
I need to get motivated to try this out. We’ve only tried making lip balm once and it didn’t really set right. I hardly ever use lip balm, but my 3 year old loves it (thanks a lot, grandparents!) and I would much rather her use something homemade!
The key is to use enough shelf-stable solid fats like beeswax and shea and very little coconut oil. Hope you get to make some soon. 🙂
I totally had a reaction to the eos lip balm! It was the worst! The only thing that helped was my mom had made her own chap stick that she let me use. Saved my life! Thanks for the recipe!
Yikes! So sorry Mia you had a reaction to EOS, but sadly you’re not the only one. Glad your mom’s chapstick worked out well. 🙂
I’m looking for a simple recipe for men that will smell like nothing. I’m thinking this might be it with a little bit of an earthy oil. I haven’t made a lip balm in years so here I go.
Thanks
You can completely omit any essential oils. Or cedarwood has a very earthy scent to it.
Great tutorial. I haven’t made lip balm yet. I have only made salves. I like that you added shea butter.