You can make a great lipstick out of your favorite lip balm recipe. If you don’t have a favorite from-scratch recipe, you can use a pre-made base like the one here or I’ve designed a few recipes for making lipstick at home below. Remember, if the recipe calls for a liquid oil that you don’t have, you can substitute any liquid oil.
Sheer Lipstick
2 oz. Beeswax
2 oz. Grapeseed Oil
1 oz. Wheatgerm Oil
optional 1 tsp. Zinc Oxide (by volume – optional – may substitute titanium dioxide)
4 tsp. lip safe mica (by volume – mix and match color to perfection)
The Zinc Oxide will provide a opaque, matte effect to your lipstick. If you use just mica, you will have a more sheer lip balm.
Melt the beeswax in a double boiler. Once fully melted, add the Grapeseed and Wheatgerm oil. Pour your colorant into the double boiler and stir well. Let this mixture sit until it begins to thicken slightly (thus suspending the colorant better) and pour into jars or tubes
Matte Lipstick
Because of the Candelilla wax, this lipstick is a more waxy feeling lipstick than the Sheer Lipstick. The Candelilla wax helps the color adhere to the lips.
Phase 1
4 oz. Castor Oil
4 oz. Jojoba oil
.5 oz. Beeswax
1 oz. Candelilla wax
1/4 oz. wheatgerm oil
Colorant phase
8 full teaspoons of lip safe mica or lip-approved pigment
optional: 1 teaspoon of titanium dioxide
1 oz. Castor, Olive or Wheatgerm oil Hint: Castor provides more shine than Olive or Wheatgerm
Melt the waxes in a double boiler. Once they are fully melted, add the Castor Oil and Jojoba oil. In a separate bowl, add your mica to the liquid oil of your choice. Mix in well and make sure there are no clumps. Add the colorant mixture into your double boiler and mix thoroughly. Remove this mixture from the double boiler and let sit until mixture begins to cool and thicken (thus suspending the colorant through out the lipstick). Once cooled to an appropriate thickness, pour into jars or tubes.
Not sure that you’ve got the best color or the nicest texture? I like to freeze a few butter knives in the freezer for an hour prior to making the lipstick. By dipping the end of a frozen knife into your colored lipstick mixture, you can instantly test the color and texture of your homemade creation.
Hi i want to ask about wax. In Singapore, I can only find beeswax and candelilla wax at the craft store in the isle where they place candle and melt&pour soap supplies.
Will it be ok if i used the wax i find there to make lip products? or should i look for “cosmetic-grade” wax online (which can b found overseas.)
is there a huge difference between the craft wax and “cosmetic-grade” wax?
Good morning!
I’d ask the store that you are purchasing it at, but they (cosmetic vs. regular grade) can be vastly different with processing aids (unsafe chemicals can be used in candle waxes) and how many impurities they have (less stringent regulation for candle based products). We usually suggest looking for cosmetic grade products so that they are safe for your body and skin. I hope this helps! ๐
-Becky with Bramble Berry
The zinc oxide clumped up, what did I do wrong.
Hi Janis! The Zinc Oxide can clump up at times, and you didn’t do anything wrong! The best way to fix that is to premix it using a mini-mixer in a liquid oil like Sweet Almond or Grapeseed Oil. ๐
Mini-Mixer: https://www.brambleberry.com/Mini-White-Plastic-Mixer-P4721.aspx
Sweet Almond Oil: https://www.brambleberry.com/Sweet-Almond-Oil-P3205.aspx
-Becky with Bramble Berry
I want to gloss lipstick, can I use Castor oil? Or how to gloss lipstick? Thanks
Excure me. Can you tell more about the weight of “lip safe mica” in lipstick? Or the maximum total weight of the lipstick? thank you
Hi Reyna!
In this recipe all our measurement are by weight except the micas which we do by volume. So, in this recipe 8 teaspoons of mica is about 1.3 ounces. I hope this helps and let me know if you have any other questions. =)
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Would someone there happen to know how to thin out revlon`s color-stay liquid lip color that comes in a tube. The applicator that comes with it does not fully reach to the end of the tube ,so i cant get the last of it out and find it wasted. i have called revlon and they have no answer or just dont want to reveal the trick. thank-you kindly.
I wish we had an answer for you but since it’s not our product, we don’t really have a solution. I wish we did! We don’t suggest using any oils to try and get out the rest of the color as it may breakdown the color-stay properties of your lipstick. I’m sorry we couldn’t help you further!
-Becky with Bramble Berry
Slightly “melt” it via hot water bath or microwave might do the trick…then pour it into a lip balm pot.
That’s a great suggestion Tonya! If you use it Mar, you’ll have to let us know how it turns out. ๐
-Becky with Bramble Berry
All of the INCIs for the Micas are listed in their descriptions on the website, and most of them are Carmine free! =)
I just found this website today and am very excited about the idea of making my own cosmetics and soaps. The hardest thing to find are natural lipsticks and this post looks like it make be a great place to start. I would like to use the Vegan lip balm as a base but wonder if any of the lipstick toned micas are Carmine free.
I have seen mixed opinions about using wheat germ oil in a lip balm due to its shelf life. What is the shelf life of a lip balm made with wheat germ oil if wheat germ
oil is the ingredient with the shortest shelf life?
I like Wheat Germ because it’s so shiny and glossy on the lips but yes, it does have about a 6 month shelf life so shorter than say, Sweet Almond Oil.
I would like to make lipstick using cochineal. Any idea how I would do this? My main concern is the organic nature of the cochineal making the product turn rancid. Any suggestions?
I would definitely ask your vendor about your concerns. My guess is that since cochineal is such a commonly used colorant additive in make up and lipsticks that going rancid would not be a concern.
Other than that, you’d just add like any other colorant and mix in well. It sound be an extremely fine powder to ensure that you do not get any grains.
Hi, I tried your recipe for matte lipstick, and thank you very much, I succeeded in consistence at last!
But I have a problem: the color. Before adding the colorant in oil I mixed it to have the desired color (I wanted dark pink). But when I tried the lipstick, the color was orange, not pink! What do I do with it?
It sounds like you may just need to experiment with a different lip safe mica. I would suggest mixing Merlot Mica and Red Mica.
https://www.brambleberry.com/Merlot-Sparkle-Mica-P3064.aspx
https://www.brambleberry.com/Cellini-Red-Lip-Safe-Mica-P3068.aspx
And here’s another recipe to try http://www.soapqueen.com/bath-and-body-tutorials/lip-products/fun-summer-lip-balm-2/
Courtney from Bramble Berry
Dear Soap Queen,
I tried your matte base, but my titanium won’t melt well with my mica and oil base. I have little pieces of white bits left in my bowl :S and at the use of the lipstick, the color won’t show on my lips. Would you give me advises please ? Thanks for sharing your receipes.
If you purchased the Titanium Dioxide from us it’s oil soluble so it should be mixing in with your base. Sound like you need to add more colorant if you want it to stain your lips.
Courtney from Bramble Berry
I need gluten free products. What do recommend substituting for the wheatgerm oil?
There really isn’t a replacement for wheatgerm oil but any liquid oil will work. Vitamin E oil is gluten free…that might be a nice addition.
Courtney from Bramble Berry
hi im back and i was wondering if we have soap scraps that have already been scented could we but them back in the microwave? i need to know i dont want to waste my soap esspecially becase it took so long to get it and pay for it! I love you michales but your prices r just to high
Yes. You can put the scraps back in the microwave, melt them back down and make up a new creation. OR you can embed them in your soap like in this video http://www.youtube.com/user/soapqueentv#p/u/36/EMYygHyUrzY
Have fun!
Courtney from Bramble Berry
You can use 1.5 oz. Candelilla Wax. It is considerably more brittle than beeswax so keep that in mind when you're making the product. =)
Hi! I'm also making a vegan matte lipstick and you recommended using cadelilla wax in place of beeswax. Since candelilla wax is already in the receipe, will I use 1.5 oz. of cadelilla wax? That would be 1 oz. of it already in the recipe and .5 oz. to replace the beeswax?
Thanks for your help!
The sheer lipstick should fill about 20-25 chapstick tubes and the Matte recipe should fill about 45-50 chapstick tubes.
Here's the link https://www.brambleberry.com/Clear-Chapstick-Tubes-P4750.aspx
How many tubes of lipstick will this make? Thanks!
You could use Candililla wax =)
hi its soapmaster here! when i do soap making i have ben noyicing these random cuts! WHY? i have one hole finger covered in bandaids and its hard to type with out my favorite finger sincerly yours,emily
AAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
What can I use instead of beeswax? I'm looking to make a vegan lipstick. Thanks!
It depends what medium they are in – alcohols last longer than other options – but rule of thumb is a year but can go longer if they are in an alcohol base.
What would be the self life for extracts? I have ginseng,rosehip & nettle.
Hi Anon,
Your lip gloss/lip stick will last as long as the shortest-shelf-life oil. So, if you're using an oil that has a shelf life of 3-6 months or less (say, Evening Primrose Oil), your lip stick will last that short amount of time.
You can use ROE and Vitamin E to help extend the life of your lipstick because both of those additives help prevent rancidity.
Just wondering how long the lipstick lasts in terms of shelf life? I'm looking forward to making it this weekend!
Hi Anon –
I’ll post your question over at the Teach Soap Forum but I normally think my fragrance lasts really well in bath fizzies.
Is there a particular fragrance you’re using that’s trouble or just all of them? Any idea on your usage rate?
Wow, great tutorial! I’d be afraid to attempt lipstick making though. I have no idea how to end up with a good colour!
AM,
This is unrelated to this post, but I have a question and didn’t know where to send it. How can I get fragrance to last longer in bath bombs? As soon as I make them, they smell wonderful. I shrink wrap them, but after opening them- say 6 months later, the scent is almost gone. What am I doing wrong? Is there such thing as a scent preservative?