If you suffer from dry chapped lips, try these seven DIY recipes to help soothe, heal and protect.
There are many oil, butter, herb and essential oil choices when it comes to making lip care products.
If you’d like to further customize these recipes or swap out oils that you don’t have, be sure to check out my post on Creating Custom Lip Balmsfor lots of information and options.
If you’d like to a make a recipe vegan, remove the beeswax and replace it with half as much candelilla wax.For example, if the recipe requires 0.5 oz beeswax, then you’d replace that with 0.25 oz candelilla wax.
You may need to remelt the lip balm and add more wax if it turned out too soft, or add more oil if it turned out too hard.
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Simple Honey & Sugar Lip Scrub
This recipe features honey, which can help repair and soften skin, plus granulated cane sugar as a gentle natural exfoliating agent to help slough off dry flaky skin.
To make, mix equal parts of sugar and honey together. Depending on the viscosity of your honey, you may need to add a little more sugar or honey to the mix.
Gently and very lightly rub the honey and sugar mixture over your lips. If possible, let it stay on there for a few minutes before gently rinsing off with warm water and a washcloth. Follow with a protective lip balm.
This scrub is also excellent for dry flaky winter skin in general, so I usually treat my entire face, throat and hands at the same time as my lips.
Use once a week or as needed.
Chamomile Lip Scrub
This recipe features chamomile, which is helpful for soothing and relieving irritation, plus sunflower oil, for it’s reparative effects on skin.
For variety, you can trade out the chamomile for other skin-loving herbs such as calendula, violet leaf and plantain. You can also switch out another favorite oil for sunflower, if you’d like.
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) chamomile infused sunflower oil (see HERE for how to make)
- 2 tbsp (abt 26 g) granulated sugar
Combine the sugar and infused oil and stir well. To use, gently rub a small amount over dry flaky lips with your finger. Rinse off with warm water then follow with a protective lip balm.
(This recipe can also be found on page 135 in my print book, 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home.)
Don’t own a scale?
If you don’t have a scale to make the following recipes, then these volume-weight conversions should be helpful:
- 1 tbsp oil = about 10 to 12 grams
- 1 tbsp butter (shea, mango, etc) = about 14 grams
- 1 tbsp tightly packed beeswax, grated or pastilles = about 10 grams
These are rough estimates, so you may need to make adjustments to your recipe. If your lip balm turns out too hard, melt it again and add more oil. If it turns out too soft, melt it again and add a bit more beeswax.
Calendula & Tamanu Lip Balm
Calendula is a well-loved herbal flower that helps soothe and repair damaged skin. It’s featured in this recipe alongside tamanu, a powerful oil that’s helpful for a wide array of skin conditions.
(Tamanu oil should be avoided by those with tree nut allergies.)
- 1.25 oz (35 g) calendula infused oil (see HERE for how to make)
- 0.25 oz (7 g) tamanu oil (or more calendula oil if allergic)
- 0.5 oz (14 g) beeswax
- around 12 to 14 drops sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) essential oil
Combine the oils and wax together in a heat proof container. Set the container down into a small saucepan filled with an inch or two of water, forming a double boiler of sorts.
Heat over medium-low heat until melted.Remove from heat and let cool slightly about 1 minute before stirring in the essential oil. Fills about 12 to 14 lip balm tubes.
(Sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) will not cause sun sensitivity.)
Dandelion & Plantain Chapped Lips Treatment
Dandelion and plantain are two of the best skin-healing herbs around. The best part about them is that they’re often available in your own yard, free for the picking!
This lip balm recipe has a softer texture so that it’s easy to use when poured into tins. To make it firmer, you could try adding a bit more beeswax.
- 1 oz (28 g) dandelion-infused oil (see HERE for how to make)
- 1 oz (28 g) plantain-infused oil (see HERE for how to make)
- 0.5 oz (14 g) kokum or cocoa butter
- 0.5 oz (14 g) castor oil
- 0.5 oz (14 g) beeswax
- 10 to 12 drops peppermint essential oil
Combine the oils, butter and wax together in a heat proof container. Set the container down in a small saucepan filled with an inch or two of water, forming a double boiler of sorts.
Heat over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from heat and let cool slightly about 1 minute. Stir in the essential oil if using. Pour into heatproof containers. Fills about six half-ounce tins.
(This recipe can also be found on page 129 in my print book, 101 Easy Homemade Products for Your Skin, Health & Home.)
Chamomile Lip Balm
- 1 oz (28 g) chamomile-infused oil (see how to make HERE)
- 0.5 oz (14 g) castor oil (or more chamomile-infused oil)
- 0.15 oz (4 g) shea (or other) butter
- 0.5 oz (14 g) beeswax
- optional: 8 to 10 drops peppermint essential oil for flavor/scent
If allergic to shea butter, try mango, cocoa or avocado butter instead. If you can’t use any of those, omit the butter completely. You may need to adjust the beeswax a slight bit to compensate, but you may not have to.
Fills around12 to 14 tubes.
(Find more details and printable labels for this recipe HERE.)
Super Healing Cold Sore Lip Balm
This is a lip balm recipe I created for my son when he was a toddler and suffered from cold sores triggered by sun exposure.
It features lemon balm, a common garden plant which has been studied for its ability to fight the virus that causes cold sores.
You can find the full recipe HERE.
Mint Cocoa Lip Butter
This final recipe is in response to a request for lip butter that can be made without the use of beeswax or other types of wax.
- 1 oz (28 g) unrefined cocoa butter (I love using THESE easy cocoa butter wafers)
- 0.25 oz (7 g) oil of your choice (I used sunflower)
- about 10 to 12 drops peppermint essential oil
Combine the cocoa butter and oil in a heatproof jar or container. Place the container down into a small saucepan that has about an inch of water in it, forming a makeshift double boiler.
Heat over medium-low heat until melted. Remove from heat. Let cool a minute, then stir in the peppermint essential oil.
Pour the melted mixture into a small jar then place the jar down in a bowl of ice water. Stir frequently as it cools, scraping the edges of the jar so it’s evenly mixed.
The butter will thicken as it cools. It will feel hard to the touch, but quickly melt on your skin. To use, rub a small amount on your fingertip then smooth over your lips.
Without the addition of wax, it will need to be applied more frequently.
