Lip Balm 101 – Creating a Formula 2

We recently had a question from a customer about our lip balm formula. Here is an easy guide for creating your own lip balm recipe:

• 20% Beeswax*

• 25% solid at room temperature oil (Coconut Oil, Palm Oil, Shea Butter, Lanolin, etc.)

• 15% brittle at room temperature oil (Cocoa Butter, Palm Kernel Oil, etc.)

• 40% liquid oil at room temperature (Sweet Almond Oil, Olive Oil, Avocado Oil, etc.)

*If you want to use a vegetable wax such as Carnauba, Candelilla, or Soy, you’ll want to use about half the amount of Beeswax and add the additional amount to your solid oils.

When creating your lip balm recipe, take into consideration the properties of the oils you want to use. A great way to decide what oils you want is to collect the oils you think you’ll want to use. Once you have them all together, choose one and rub it into your skin on the back of your hand. Then ask yourself if you like the feel of the oil, does it last on the skin, does it have an odor or taste? (You’ll want to touch your tongue to the oil to find out if it has a taste.)

You can do this with your solid oils and liquid oils, but it won’t work with the brittle oils.

Once you’ve decided which oils to use, figure out your percentages. The percentages above are a general guideline, but you can increase or decrease certain ones according to how you want the lip balm to feel. For example, if you want a softer lip balm, decrease the wax and brittle oils, adding to your solid and liquid oils. (Softer lip balms are great in winter.) If you’re concerned that your lip balm may not remain firm if kept in a warm pocket, increase the brittle oils and wax while decreasing the liquid oils.

I went through my personal stash of oils to see what I might have that can make a good lip balm. I’ve never used Candelilla Wax in a lip balm, but I have heard good things about it, so that’s where I will begin. Since it’s a harder wax, I’ll only need about half as much as I’d use of Beeswax, so I’ll start with 10%.

That leaves 90% to fill. I’ll divide it up as follows:

30% solid oils – 15% Handcrafted Shea Butter, 5% Palm Oil, 10% Babassu Oil

17% brittle – 17% Cocoa Butter, deodorized

43% liquid – 20% Avocado Oil, 15% Apricot Kernel Oil, 8% Jojoba Oil

Here’s why I chose those oils.

Handcrafted Shea Butter is a great base for a lip product! It is our most popular Lip Solutions option, and shea butter is such a super emollient for dry, chapped skin. It rubs in easily but leaves a bit of a protective layer on my skin.

Palm Oil is softer than shea and leaves a bit of shine. It rubs in readily and feels smooth.

Babassu Oil is a favorite in lip balms for the slip and glide it adds. It rubs into the skin rapidly and leaves behind a nice shine.

Avocado Oil is a thick, rich oil. It sits atop the skin for quite a while, which tells me it will be a good protectant layer. It is said to help heal chapped skin, giving it a great benefit for lip products.

Apricot Kernel Oil is much lighter and has no discernible odor. It is rich in oleic acid and linoleic acid, which makes it a great option for dry or mature skin.

Jojoba Oil is another very light oil, yet it’s heavy on the benefits. It’s been used in skin care for hundreds of years!

Now that I have my formula created, I’ll give you a break and come back tomorrow with the actual lip balm.

Are you creating your own lip balm along with me? I hope so!