Lip balm, lip gloss, lip stick, and now lip butter. I have created many different natural lip products over the years to replace all the tubes of lip products I used to buy. This lip butter is super easy to make with just a few ingredients and melts like butter on your lips, hence the name!
It’s a little more moisturizing than other lip balms so it’s perfect if you need an extra boost of hydration.
Lip Butter vs Lip Balm
When I first heard the words lip butter I thought it was just a weird name for a lip balm. It turns out that there is a difference between the two (even if it’s very subtle). Lip balm uses a combination of waxes and oils to moisturize the lips. Lip butters can also use waxes and oils, but they are also added to many gloss butters.
Shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter, and cupuacu seed butter are some of the top favorites here. Butters are thicker than liquid oils but not as hard or sticky as beeswax or candelilla wax. They also have a unique fatty acid profile that is good for the skin and lips.
Lip Butter Ingredients
I kept the ingredient list simple so you don’t need to buy a ton of different oils and butters to make this. Beeswax helps thicken, while cocoa butter and mango butter add that comforting feeling. I also added meadowfoam seed oil to make it diffusible and essential oils for fragrance and added lip benefits.
Mango Butter
First we have mango butter. I love how smooth and creamy it is without being too thick. It is softer than cocoa butter and feels like shea butter. Mango butter is one of the few butters with astringency, so it doesn’t leave the skin or lips feeling overly greasy.
You can substitute shea butter, but shea butter has a tendency to get gritty when it cools. A good way to prevent this is to not cool any product made with shea butter in the fridge, instead of at room temperature.
Cocoa Butter
I chose cocoa butter because it is thick and gives the lip butter more thickness without relying on beeswax. Cocoa butter is high in saturated stearic and palmitic fatty acids and creates a lipid barrier to prevent moisture loss. It also smells amazing with its slightly chocolatey scent!
Meadowfoam seed oil
This carrier oil may not be one you have worked with before. It adds a nice sheen to the mix and makes the creamy butters more spreadable on the lips. Meadowfoam seed oil is a moisturizing emollient, but absorbs more easily than heavier carrier oils like olive or avocado oil. If you don’t have one on hand you can use any liquid carrier oil you like, but it will affect the absorption and texture of the lip butter.
Essential Oils
Essential oils not only create this wonderful scent, but add additional soothing and aromatherapy benefits. Just make sure you choose a safe lip balm that won’t irritate this delicate area! Oils like cinnamon, lemongrass, clove, and ginger may smell good, but they can cause burning or sensitivity to lip products. And others like lemons and limes can cause phototoxicity (aka burn when exposed to the sun).
Here are some of my favorite safe lip essential oils that you can use:
- Lavender
- Sweet orange
- Geranium
- Mandarin
- And a roll
- Rose
- Spearmint
- Peppermint
Since the cocoa butter gives this lip butter a chocolate flavor I like to use essential oils with a nice white chocolate flavor. In this collection I used lavender, but peppermint and orange are also really good with cocoa butter.
Another important safety note when it comes to essential oils is dilution. In general, how much essential oil you use in lip products depends on the specific oil. None of the above is overly harsh, so a good rule of thumb is .5 to 1 percent. This comes to about 5-10 drops in this recipe. It can be tempting to add too much, but less is usually better when it comes to essential oils!
Here’s how to make your own lip butter.
Ultra Creamy Lip Butter
This creamy lip butter is super moisturizing and melts to the touch to seal in moisture.
Reveal: 2 ounces
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Add all the ingredients except the essential oil to the top of the double boiler. Heat and stir occasionally until completely melted.
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Turn off the heat and add the essential oils.
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Immediately pour into your lip balm containers and allow to cool completely.
- Store in a cool, dry place for best shelf life. This will last about 6-12 months if stored properly.
- This recipe yields about 13 standard tubes of balm.
Tips for Making Lip Butter
We really mix everything together, melt, and pour into the bowls. There are no multiphase formulas or complicated steps. I have a heatproof glass bowl that I only use for DIY products and will use that as a double boiler. You can also melt ingredients in a dedicated Mason jar for easy pouring.
I found it easier to wipe off the wax/butter residue with paper towels after pouring the product into my bowls. Don’t go looking for soap and a washcloth to clean up or you’ll have a waxy mess!
Avoid storing your lip butter in hot or humid conditions which will degrade the ingredients quickly. This includes leaving it in a hot car or in a bathroom with a hot shower.
Have you made your own lip butters or balms before? What is your favorite perfume to use? Leave a comment and let us know!
