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Learn how to make lip balm that works like a dream! This homemade chapstick recipe uses only five ingredients and can be made in just a few minutes.
If you’re the kind of person who has at least two backup chapsticks, you’re going to LOVE this homemade lip balm recipe. It’s ready in a flash and ingredients that are easy to find.
How to Make Lip Balm Supply list
- Coconut oil
- Double-boiler
- Sweet Almond Oil
- Cosmetics-grade beeswax
- Shea butter
- Metal chapstick containers
- Chapstick tubes
If you have leftover beeswax, try your hand at making this incredible lotion bar recipe. Homemade lip balm and lotion bars in cute reusable fabric gift bags make amazing handmade gifts.
Pro Tips:
- If you want to “flavor” this, you have two options. You can add essential oils to the double boiler when everything is melted, or you can add a few drops of essential oil into your container. If adding the oils to the containers, you’ll want to stir with a toothpick right after you’ve incorporated the melted mixture, before the mixture sets.
- For a harder chapstick, you’ll want to go a bit heavy on the beeswax. For a softer chapstick, add a bit more sweet almond oil.
- If you have a coconut allergy or don’t enjoy coconut smell, try subbing in all shea butter.
- Need to make more or less of the recipe? Click and slide the “servings” number on the recipe card and the ingredients will adjust as needed. Easy peasy lemon squeezy.
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How to Make Lip Balm
Learn how to make lip balm that works like a dream!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup cosmetics grades beeswax
- 2 tbsp shea butter
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp sweet almond oil
Instructions
- Pour 2 cups of water in a medium pot, and fit with a double boiler. Place over medium heat on the stove.
- Add the beeswax and shea butter, and heat until melted.
- Add the coconut oil, sweet almond oil, and honey and stir with a spoon you plan to only use for working with beeswax.
- Heat until the coconut oil has melted.
- Pour into your containers of choice, and allow at least 15 minutes to cool.
Notes
If you want to “flavor” this, you have two options. You can add essential oils to the double boiler when everything is melted, or you can add a few drops of essential oil into your container. If adding them in the containers, you’ll want to stir with a toothpick right after you’ve incorporated the melted mixture.
For a harder chapstick, you’ll want to go a bit heavy on the beeswax. For a softer chapstick, add a bit more sweet almond oil.
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!
does this have to poured into glass jars? i have a bunch of plastic ones id love to use for this
In your edited version you say 1/3 cup wax and 1/4 cup coconut oil….in the comment section one or two down, you reversed the numbers…which is correct? Thanks – looks great!!
Bernie, it depends on how you want them to “set”. If you want a softer “gloss”, more coconut oil and less wax. If you want a harder true “chapstick”, you’d want more wax and less coconut oil. It’s not a perfect formula; you can mix and match to your preferences.
Hello my name is Vanessa and I am also a chapstick adict.I keep them in every bag, room and drawer in my home. I really want to try this but I don’t know where I can buy beeswax in my town.
Thank You! Lucky for me I have bees and an unlimited supply of beeswax. I am a Southern girl, we never measure in the kitchen
Cannot wait to try this! I’m also addicted to chapstick and love three idea of making my own! Coconut oil, vinegar and honey have been my bffs all summer long, can’t wait to look at some of your other recipes! All of my sentences have ended in exclamation points!
is there a difference between Coconut oil and Coconut Extract? i grabbed extract without thinking and i’m not sure if it will do the job. Thoughts?
Yep. Coconut extract is probably a coconut flavoring, but coconut oil is actually a fat used in cooking. You can find it on Amazon, or in the cooking oil section, usually by olive oils.
Do u have to use coconut oil or can it be substituted w/ a different oil, like jojoba oil or something else? I really dislike coconut smell & flavor.
Expeller-pressed coconut oil doesn’t smell like coconut and doesn’t have any coconut taste. I’m sure you can replace it with another oil, but make sure it is one that can be used for something edible.
Sarah – love your products. Just an fyi to make your measurements easier, 4 tablespoons is the same as 1/4 cup. I noticed on one recipe you listed one ingredient as 1/4 cup and another as 4 Tbsp. As for things not blending in, I have found it takes a while to get honey warm enough to blend in; because it is so liquid, it looks blended in but it is not really MELTED together. Have to be patient! Keep up the good work.
My honey also would not blend in. it stayed at the bottom of the pot. I bought my beeswax from Amazon and used a good raw honey. Can I fix this batch or try again and start over.
Try remelting it? Was your water in the pot warm enough?
Where did you get the container to put it in?
The glass containers with the white lid came from sunburst bottling company. I’ve purchased from them before for my vanilla extract gift bottles. Good company, but you have to order before they tell you the shipping cost which is weird.
The metal tins (which are my personal favorite) are from Amazon.
Can you kindly share what was the root cause for the separation so others do not repeat it? I’d love to try this as I too am a chapstickhalic. 🙂
She thought it had to do with the beeswax that she used. She just bought some random stuff from Hobby Lobby.
What beeswax do you recommend? Hubby is on the way to Hobby Lobby for last minute gift ideas.
I buy mine from a local honey store, or from Amazon. I honestly don’t know the difference between stuff at stores.
Made this today and my honey seperated also. All the honey came out in the last jar. Any ideas?
Shoot me an email and we’ll troubleshoot it. The other person who had this issue has (likely) pinpointed it to product she used.
Just made this today and had an issue with the honey and wax separating. Any clue as to what might have gone wrong? Thanks!
Did it separate once the chapstick cooled, or before? I’ve made tons of these, and I had one container separate (the other from the same batch didn’t separate at all). Shoot me an email and we can troubleshoot it.
I have a recipe very similar to this and have never had a problem with the honey separating because I add the honey as the mixture begins to cool, just before it gets impossible to pour. I add my flavorings/essential oils at this point as well.
Where did you get the jars?
Those ones were from Sunburst bottling company. They sell wholesale prices. I’ve seen them at the fabric store as well for about $1.00. If you have a Joanns, and a ton of coupons, they’d be the same price as Sunburst.
super timely response but… thought you might like to keep an eye out for those little glass jars that jellies come in from popular holiday baskets. My in-laws bring them back for the kids form hotels and when they go on holiday. The kids think the personal size is fun and I reuse the jars for all sorts of fun stuff. Freecycle postings also yield these!
Good Luck!
where do you buy beeswax?
I’ve bought it on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003UBK5II?ie=UTF8&tag=thisb02-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=1789&creativeASIN=B003UBK5II but you can also find it locally.
Shockingly I just found a national honey producer locator: nd/
Also check out “bees” or “beekeeping supplies” in your yellow pages.
And/or hit a farmers market. Those people will likely know bee people.
Hobby Lobby carries beeswax in 1lb blocks.
Sarah, I LOVE your lip balm and solid lotion recipes! Just made my first batch this morning, and gave you props on my blog 😉
https://www.greenorganicmama.com/2012/02/homemade-lip-balm-solid-hand-lotion.html
Wow, thank you so much for the linking! I’m glad you love the lip balm and lotion bars! The microwave trick is genius!
What do you think about an empty (very clean) old glue stick? Or even an old chapstick case? So it would be more like a “Chapstick”? Do you think that would work? Can’t wait to make this, by the way, because I am addicted to chap stick!!
I think it would work great! I would probably lean towards trying it with a chapstick container before a gluestick, but that is just me.
I’d love to hear if it turns out. Please check back and let me know if you end up making it!
I found brand new chapstick tubes on Amazon.
Mrs.N. check on line under chapstick tubes and you will find lipbalmtubes.com where you can purchase brand new tubes to fill with your own chapstick fairly inexpensively.
Dump cooks feed the world! That needs to be needlepointed on a pillow.
I forgot to mention that the measurements were of the items in “hard” form for the beeswax and coconut oil. For the beeswax, a little goes a long way. If you want the chapstick more like vaseline, go very light on the wax.
The silver tins are from an amazon purchase I made last year, and the glass jars are from Sunburst Bottle Company. They’re about $.80 each I think. It’s hard to tell by the photo, but they’re pretty big!
Thank you! I am a “dump cook” too, but I have had only a small amount of experience with beeswax and have no idea how much to use to make this stiff enough. I will try it! After I round up some suitable containers. 🙂
I use the tiny little travel jars from Walmart (travel section of toiletries)… they come in 2 packs and are perfect for lip-balms. I made my children some too and they don’t fight over who’s is who’s because the jars are their favorite colors.
Can you tell me exact proportions?
do you need to use beeswax? Or can you just do berry juice and coconut oil please advise thank you.
Beeswax would create a chapstick like mixture. Never heard of using berry juice, but just coconut oil would make it pretty greasy. And it would be melted in the summer.
Yolanda, I don’t measure. I’m what my family calls a “dump cook”. I did a “double” batch above. For a smaller batch, I would say maybe 4 tblsp of beeswax, 10 tblsp of coconut oil, and 3-4 tblsp of honey. for the essential oils if you use them (I don’t because it dries out my lips), maybe 25 (ish) drops?