Video Tutorial: How to Make Tinted Lip Balm at Home

Lip balm is one of the easiest things you can make yourself at home! And with our wide array of lip-safe mica and flavor oils, there are countless ways to get creative with your lip balm recipes. When you’re just getting started, it helps to learn a few basic DIY lip balm recipes that you can modify later on as you learn more.

Below is our easiest tinted lip balm recipe to get you started. With Shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax, this recipe is full of skin-loving ingredients that will keep your lips feeling nourished for hours.

Skill Level: Easy

Hands-On Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 10 tubes of lip balm  

Supplies

• Digital Scale
• 3 ml Plastic Pipette
• Micro Scoop
• Face Mask
• Mini Whisk
• 10 lip balm tubes (round or oval shape)
• Glass jar for mixing
• Small sauce pan or double boiler

Ingredients

• 20 grams Shea Butter
• 20 grams Coconut Oil
• 10 grams White Beeswax Pellets
• 1g jar lip-safe mica (we used the color Salmon)

Project Overview

We start by weighing out the shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax pellets. Using a digital scale is the most accurate way to measure ingredients, especially if you plan on selling your handmade products.

The shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax pellets are melted on the stovetop. Once melted, we’ll remove it from the head and add a few micro scoops of mica powder to tint the lip balm. Finally, a pipette is used to dispense the lip balm mixture into the tubes while the mixture is still in liquid form.

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Place your glass container on the digital scale and tare it to zero. I used a glass liquid measuring cup, but a 16 oz glass mason jar would also work well.
2. In the jar, add the following:
   1. 20 grams of Shea Butter
   2. 20 grams of Coconut Oil
   3. 10 grams of Beeswax Pellets
3. Fill a small sauce pan with about 2 inches of water and place the glass container in the water. Alternatively, prepare a double boiler and place ingredients into the top pan.
4. Place sauce pan or double boiler on the stove and heat on high until water begins to boil. Stir the mixture to help it melt.
5. Once water begins boiling, turn the heat to medium and continue stirring.
6. When mixture has melted completely, remove from the heat and place on a pot holder or hot pad.
7. Wearing a face mask, add 2-6+ micro scoops of lip-safe mica to the mixture. Note: Use 2-3 scoops for a pastel look, or 4-6+ scoops for a more vibrant color. Richer colors of mica may tint your lips upon application, while pastel mica colors will simply tint the lip balm itself.
8. Stir the mica into the mixture using a mini whisk.
9. Arrange 10 lip balm tubes on a paper towel (to catch drips).
10. Use a plastic pipette to transfer the lip balm mixture into the tubes. Fill them all the way full.
11. As they cool, some shrinkage may occur in the tubes. You can top them off with a few more drops of lip balm mixture, but only if the lip balm in the tube is still warm and in liquid form. Once it has cooled in the tubes, any additional lip balm mixture you add will rest on top like a bubble rather than creating a smooth top.
12. Let tubes cool. Once the mixture has set, put the caps on and label your lip balms.

How Much Does This Lip Balm Cost to Make?

Fun fact: this recipe costs you just $0.50 per tube* to make! Not only that, following this recipe allows you to make more than 225 tubes of lip balm if you purchase 1lb each of Shea Butter, Coconut Oil and Beeswax Pastilles!

If you’re looking for a new product to start offering your customers, lip balm is an excellent choice with a high profit margin. When making lip balm for sale, it is recommended that you wear protective equipment such as gloves, a mask and a hairnet. Be sure to check the local laws where you live for cosmetic labeling requirements and manufacturing requirements. Ingredient lists (if applicable) can be found on each of our product pages. NorthWood is not responsible for any products that you make with our supplies.

(*Cost-per-tube is based on 48 tubes. Calculated based on purchase of 1lb Shea Butter, 1lb Coconut Oil, 1lb Beeswax Pastilles, 1g jar of mica and 48 lip balm tubes. Approximately 1g of mica is used per 48-100 tubes of lip balm depending on amount used. Price doesn’t include cost of tools/supplies).

Looking for more projects? Try making lip balm with flavor oils to expand your skills even further!

Have you tried this recipe? Tell us about your project in the comments below!