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Vanilla Latte Lip Balm

Filed Under: Lip Products

Difficulty: Intermediate
Time: 10-20 minutes
Yields: 20

Here’s a great example of less ingredients = awesome product. One solid oil, one liquid oil, and one butter – boom! A luxe lip balm is born. And, bonus: it even adds just the right amount of gloss while conditioning and soothing chapped lips.

Vanilla Latte Lip Balm

Recipe:

4 oz Cocoa Butter

2 oz Coffee Butter

.6 oz Avocado Oil

20 Classy Lip Pots

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ONE: In a small heat-safe container, use a microwave to melt the Cocoa Butter. It helps to break it down to the smallest chunks possible before heating it or you can mix it with the Avocado Oil to help the butter melt down smoothly. Cocoa butter has a higher melting point that other solid oils, so be sure your heat-safe container is able to withstand prolonged temperatures and if it’s glass, remove it from the microwave with a pot holder.

Melted Cocoa Butter

TWO: Add the Coffee Butter to the Cocoa Butter and stir until the Coffee Butter is completely melted and the mixture is no longer cloudy (you may have to zap it in the microwave for a few more seconds).

Adding Coffee Butter

THREE: Add the Avocado Oil and mix well (if you didn’t already during the Cocoa Butter melting phase).

Adding Avocado Oil

FOUR: Line up the Classy Lip Pots (sans lids) and pour the mixture into the containers. Allow mixture to harden. Twist on the lids and enjoy!

Pouring into Lip Pots

This recipe does not make use of any flavor oils, so what you’ll taste is just the natural flavor of the Coffee Butter and Cocoa Butter. As-is, the flavor is much like a great cup of black coffee. But if you usually take your coffee with sugar, try adding a bit of Stevia or Lip Smacking Sweet to the recipe. Prefer cream? Why not try Vanilla or Buttercreme (or Caramel or Coconut or…) Flavors; the possibilities are staggeringly fun!

Edited to add: As written, this lip balm recipe is on the softer side for ease in application with the finger from the lip butter pots. A comment below recommends that the addition of 25% beeswax works well for giving the lip balm a bit harder texture if desired! 

Single Pot

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91 Comments

  2. First let me apologize for all the questions, I’m still new to all of this. Another reviewer mentioned substituting Shea butter for the cocoa butter to prevent clogged pores around the lips; if I substituted would I use the same amount of Shea butter (4 oz.) or should I use a different amount and how will this change the final product? Also, I would like to use the tubes, which I believe are more sanitary than the pots, I know beeswax was recommended to help harden the balm but could I use Candellila wax instead? Finally, can I promote this product as all-natural?

    • Hi Jamie!

      You can swap out butters, just keep in mind that this will change the consistency of your product. Personally, I have never had issues with using Cocoa Butter around my lips, but everybody’s skin is different :). Shea Butter is much softer than Cocoa Butter, so substituting will result in a much softer lip balm. Instead, I would recommend cutting the Cocoa Butter in half, and using half Shea Butter.

      Because the term natural is not regulated, it means something different to everybody. You may find this blog post helpful! Personally, I would consider this product natural.

      Natural vs. Organic: http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/natural-vs-organic/

      You may also find this blog post helpful, it has a lot of tips when creating lip balms. It also has a great recipe that uses beeswax to create a harder balm. Candellila Wax works as well.

      Talk it Out Tuesday: Lip Balm:
      http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lip-products/talk-it-out-tuesday-lip-balm/

      On other tip, is the spoon trick! This is a handy trick to know when you are experimenting with making your own lip balm formulas. It allows you to test the product before it hardens to see if you like the color, or texture.

      Spoon Trick:http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/tips-and-tricks/spoon-trick/

      I hope this helps! 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

      • Thank you so much for answering all my questions and doing it so quickly, especially after a holiday weekend 🙂 I continue to be impressed by your customer service.

  3. Just made this. It was so easy! I added a little bit of beeswax (approximately 10%) based on other reader’s comments, and I also added a little bit of vanilla flavoring oil to enhance the “vanilla” part of the lip balm. Smells and feels GREAT! This is going to be one of my go-to recipes from now on! Thanks so much for sharing!

    • Hi Joyce!

      I’m so glad you enjoyed making this lip balm! I bet the additional vanilla smells amazing 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  4. Following this revipe, my lip balm turned out grainy. For my second try, I temperred the butters and popped the balms in the freezer after pouring (as instructed by Brambleberry customer service). This gave me a smooth balm.

    • Hi Jill!

      I’m so happy that those techniques resulted in a smoother balm for you! Working with butters can be a little tricky, but tempering and quickly cooling are always my first suggestions 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  5. i tried making this recipe and it turned out rather oily and took a really long time to set. i tried pouring into tubes and it ran out the bottom of quite a few…is it possible i poured it too hot?

  6. Also, sorry, I did not get where the “vanilla” in vanilla latte came from. Did I miss the vanilla part in the recipe?

    • Hi Susanne!

      While we did not add vanilla to this recipe, we found that the Cocoa Butter gave this lip balm a vanilla type scent. That combined with the caffeinated Coffee Butter is where we got “Vanilla Latte” 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  7. This looks like a really nice recipe, especially with addition of beeswax to make it a little harder,
    BUT….
    these ingredients, as well as most oils, butters, herbs, etc.and most natural ingredients, should always be heated using a double boiler to melt them & NOT the microwave! The microwave will almost certainly destroy or at the very least, lessen the beneficial properties of your beautiful ingredients!!
    What a waste!!

    • Hi Susanne!

      Using a double boiler is definitely a great method when it comes to making lip balm, and is one we use frequently. We have found the microwave to be an easy/fast alternative, but deciding between the two is a personal preference 🙂 I hope you give this recipe a try, it’s one of my favorites!

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  8. Hi! Since lip balm in tins is applied with fingers to lips (of course!!), should we consider adding preservative to the formula?

    • Hi Nicole!

      Because this recipe does not contain water, adding a preservative is not necessary. Preservatives will help avoid bacteria growth due to the water in a recipe. I wouldn’t worry about it! 🙂

      -Amanda with Bramble Berry

  9. Hi!

    I don’t have avocado oil, but I do have jojoba. Is that an ok substitute?

    Also, I want a bit firmer a balm so how much beeswax should I consider adding?

    Thanks! 🙂

    • Hi Colleen!

      You can absolutely substitute out the Avocado Oil for Jojoba Oil and still have a lip-loving balm. If you want it a bit firmer, we would suggest adding the addition of 25% beeswax for giving a bit harder texture if desired!

      Beeswax: https://www.brambleberry.com/Beeswax-Yellow-P4206.aspx

      We suggest experimenting with different usage rates at 25% or under until you get one that works for you. The best way to test how your final product will turn out is through the frozen spoon trick.

      The frozen spoon trick is a super easy way to test if you like the consistency of the lip balm you are making before it hardens up.

      All you need to do is stick 1-2 spoons in the freezer about 10 minutes prior to melting your ingredients. Once all of your ingredients are melted, you pull the spoons out of the freezer and stick the tip of it in your melted mixture. It will immediately harden up and be the texture and consistency it would be when your recipe has hardened. It is a super easy way to adjust your recipe before you’ve poured it in your containers!

      You can see the trick in action in this Soap Queen TV episode: http://vimeo.com/26122357

      I hope that this helps! =)
      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  10. I kinda wanted a caramel Machiato taste to this lip balm. Would you recommend your caramel flavoring oil to this lip balm?

  11. Where does the “vanilla” come in to play? It doesn’t even state that it smells like vanilla at all lol. How strong is the coffee smell?

    • Hi Amy!

      That ‘vanilla’ smell comes into play with the coffee butter. To some of us, it really smells like a Vanilla Latte Coffee, but I’m sure everyone has a different scent they take from it. The Coffee Butter smell is actually stronger than most of our butters, so that is something you will want to take into consideration when making this balm. We hope you get a chance to try it out! =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

      Coffee Butter: https://www.brambleberry.com/Coffee-Butter-P3444.aspx

  12. Hi, this looks really good and I’d like to try it out. If I made it though, would it have an expiry date?

  15. Hello! I am anxious to try this and am wondering if you use the tubes instead of the pots, about how many tubes this recipe would fill? Also, if I decide to add any flavor oils how much oil would you recommend for the above recipe? Thanks! 🙂

    • Good morning, Nyxie!

      As this particular recipe is written, the lip balm is on the softer side for ease in application with the finger from the lip butter pots. If you want to use the lip balm tubes, the addition of 25% Beeswax works really well for giving your lip balm a harder texture that will stay in the tubes.

      White Beeswax: https://www.brambleberry.com/Beeswax-White-P4211.aspx

      Yellow Beeswax: https://www.brambleberry.com/Beeswax-Yellow-P4206.aspx

      If you used our chapstick tubes, you could get about 40-50 tubes out of this recipe. This lip balm actually has a great natural flavor to it, because of the Coffee Butter (yum!), but if you wanted to add flavoring oil to it, we would suggest using .25 ounces of flavoring per 10 ounces of lip balm. So in this case it would be about .25 ounces for this entire batch!

      Lip Flavorings: https://www.brambleberry.com/Flavoring-Oils-C177.aspx

      I hope this helps, let me know if you have any other questions. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

      • Awesome! Thanks for your feedback! I can not wait to try this and see how it turns out. 🙂

  16. FYI| using cocoa butter around your lips will cause clogged pores, shae butter is a better solution since it is non-comedogenic.

  17. I made this Vanilla Latte Lip Balm recipe, adding beeswax so it would work well in chapstick tubes. It didn’t get grainy but after a couple of weeks, it did get a bit of a bumpy feel. Could this also be because the coffee butter got overheated?
    Thanks for your help.

    • Good morning, Suzanne!

      We definitely found that adding the additional beeswax in this recipe helps it to solidify while in the chapstick tubes. When this particular recipe gets exposed to cooler temperatures, it tends to get a bit of a bumpy feel to it. It’s not harmful and all you need to do it is heat of the surface of it by running your fingers over the top surface of the balm to help it warm back up. I hope this helps! =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  18. I made this lip balm and on about the 4th day it began to form some graininess.What solutions would you suggest. I want to make it again because so many folks liked it because it glides nice.

    • Good morning, Toni!

      It sounds like the Coffee Butter might have been overheated a bit. Next time you make this recipe, I’d suggested tempering the Coffee Butter like you would when you melt chocolate. That will help to prevent any graininess in your final product! I hope this helps. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  20. Hi,
    I just tried to make this recipe. It worked just fine when I did the frozen spoon trick. So I poured it into my containers. How long should it take to harden? It has been sitting there for about 10 minutes now and is still liquid. The other recipes I have made with your base hardened pretty quickly. SO I wasn’t sure if I did something wrong or if this one just takes longer. It smells amazing by the way!

    Thanks,
    Kristy

    • Good morning, Kristy!

      It might take up to an hour to harden, but if you are having trouble with it, you can just pop it in the fridge and it should harden up quite nicely. I hope this helps. =)

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

      • Just adding that mine took several hours to harden. I was beginning to wonder what I could’ve done wrong, went to bed, and next morning it was fine.

  21. How can I determine if there is- and how much SPF is in the lip balms I make? And what ingredients can I use to add SPF?

  22. I was just wondering if it would be ok to add a touch of vanilla extract to this recipe in place of the flavor oil?

    • Hi Jaime!

      If the Vanilla Extract that you are using is water soluble it won’t actually mix in with this recipe, but if you find an oil-soluble one it would be a fabulous alternative to the flavoring oil. 🙂

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

    • Good morning, Rebecca!

      The frozen spoon trick is a super easy way to test if you like the consistency of the lip balm you are making before it hardens up.

      All you need to do is stick 1-2 spoons in the freezer about 10 minutes prior to melting your ingredients. Once all of your ingredients are melted, you pull the spoons out of the freezer and stick the tip of it in your melted mixture. It will immediately harden up and be the texture and consistency it would be when your recipe has hardened. It is a super easy way to adjust your recipe before you’ve poured it in your containers!

      You can see the trick in action in this Soap Queen TV episode: http://vimeo.com/26122357

      I hope this helps!
      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  24. I made the lip butter this morning, the only change I made was to use 2oz of dark chocolate and 2 oz of cocoa butter…it is good enough to eat 🙂
    Thx for the recipe

  25. I used the slide tins for this recipie and LoVed it! However if anyone puts it in their pocket DISASTER!!! Liquid in about 15min. They were in my car yester day..65 and sunny and they were not melted but they look weird, soft and bubbly. Can cadelilla wax help the final product melting point?

    • Good morning, Tabitha!

      We typically suggest starting out around 25% of your total recipe and going up from there. But, it does depend on the rest of your recipe.

      For example: If it’s 75% cocoa butter already, 25% isn’t going to work (too hard). If it’s 75% liquid oils, 25% isn’t going to work (too soft). So it really matters about that 75%. So, I’d suggest starting out with 25% Beeswax and using the frozen spoon trick to see if it is the right consistency you are looking for!

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

  27. Can I use coconut oil or shea butter in place of the coffee butter not sure if the pharmacy i buy all my oils at sells coffee butter I didnt see it the other day I was there.

  28. My first lip balm try!
    It was kind of a disaster.. I filled all the tubes up to find them like the above posts, all dripped out of the bottom! Since the recipe was done in jars I suppose that’s why they were unaware that it would be a huge mess on your counter if you used tubes. I returned as much as I could to my pyrex from the half recipe that I did and measured by the pinch method two pinches of beeswax (lol), put my tubes on a frozen vegetable box and repoured. There in the fridge now (at this point they were already setting up), hopefully all will be well. Of my half batch I halfed that and flavored with kahlua on one half and creme brulee on the other half with gold mica.

  29. I made this just now. I did have the problem of it running out of the tubes but I popped them in the fridge!! I also added a package of stevia to sweeten it up, can’t wait til they are ready!!

  30. Hey! I was just wondering if there was a replacement for coffee butter, I don’t lik coffee, thanks!

  31. Hi
    Anyone make this yet?? I tried a half batch and it was too liquid. Ran out the bottom of the lip balm tubes. Had to add beeswax. Maybe it’s the coffee butter. I didn’t get mine from Bramble Berry. Any ideas??.

    • Good morning, Dawnia.

      We didn’t run into any problems with ours being too liquidy. I’d contact the vendor that you got the coffee butter from and see if they’ve had any problems. But, you can always add beeswax to help harden up the recipe. Did you try the frozen spoon trick?

      -Becky with Bramble Berry

      • I did buy my coffee butter through Otion, and put mine balm in slidey tins. It is really soft, like applesauce soft. I’m adding beeswax. Other than that, the recipe is excellent. It smells soooo good.

        • The frozen spoon trick is a super easy way to test if you like the consistency of the lip balm you are making before it hardens up.

          All you need to do is stick 1-2 spoons in the freezer about 10 minutes prior to melting your ingredients. Once all of your ingredients are melted, you pull the spoons out of the freezer and stick the tip of it in your melted mixture. It will immediately harden up and be the texture and consistency it would be when your recipe has hardened. It is a super easy way to adjust your recipe before you’ve poured it in your containers!

          You can see the trick in action in this Soap Queen TV episode: http://vimeo.com/26122357

          -Becky with Bramble Berry

  32. I make something similar to this, but I like the simplicity of this recipe! Will have to try and compare 😉

  33. OMG! This looks AMAZING! I squealed when I saw the picture with the title 🙂 It doesn’t have alot of ingredients & is super easy…I’m going to have to try this! This would be perfect for a girl party too 😉

    ~Nickie~

  34. Hooray!!! what a wonderful recipe to wake up to this morning!!! I am ordering it right away – wow – thanks so very much!!

  36. Yummy!! Also wondering, if it would work in a tube? If not how much beeswax would you add??
    Thanks!!!

  37. Yum! This lip balm sounds sooo tasty! I don’t have coffee butter, but might try it with Avocado Butter and see how it goes…

      • Hi all,
        I made this but found I had no cocoa butter at the time, so substituted Mango butter, which made it very soft, so had to go back and correct with 1oz of beeswax. That worked fine and I really like the coffee taste you get. I will make it again with the cocoa butter next time and see how it does. But coffee butter is just out of this world!