Shea Butter Lip Balm positively luscious lip balm provides relief and a healing boost for dry, chapped lips. Shea butter, sweet almond, coconut oil, and beeswax form a perfect nurturing barrier to protect your lips against capping, helping them stay super soft and super kissable.
How to make Shea Butter Lip Balm?
Find some cute containers and this recipe makes a fun gift too. To add some color, melt a pea-size amount—or more!—of your favorite lipstick in this balm. Enjoy!
Shea Butter Lip Balm
Equipment
- measuring spoons
- double boiler
- tiny whisk
- rubber spatula
- lip balm tubes
- jars or tins to hold a 1 ounce batch of lip balm
Ingredients
- 1 tsp grated beeswax
- 2 tsp shea butter
- 1 tsp coconut oil
- 2 tsp sweet almond oil
- 10 drops essential oils optional
- 1 pinch stevia optional
Instructions
- Start the double boiler on medium heat. Once it reaches a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Place the beeswax and shea butter in the top of the double boiler and cover. Simmer until melted, stirring occasionally. Add the coconut oil and stir until melted. To preserve the beneficial nutrients, do not overheat. Remove from heat, take the top pan off the double boiler, and dry with a towel so no water drips into your melted butter. Add the sweet almond oil and stevia, if desired, and stir with the whisk.
- Next, stir in the essential oils, scraping any of the hardened cooled mixture off the sides of the pot and back into the melted oils. Pour into your jars, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand undisturbed for 4 hours or overnight. Put the lids on tightly and label with contents and date.
- Once the lip balm has cooled and solidified in the jars or tins, you can use a clean finger or a lip balm tube to apply the balm to your lips as needed. The lip balm can be stored at room temperature and should last for several months.
- To clean up, wash the measuring spoons, double boiler, whisk, and rubber spatula with warm soapy water. Make sure to wipe down the top of the double boiler with a towel before washing to prevent any water from dripping into the melted mixture.
- Enjoy your homemade shea butter lip balm!
Notes
How to store?
Store “Shea Butter Lip Balm” in a cool dry place off from direct sunlight. Use within a year.
How to use?
To use, remove a small amount from the jar with your fingertip and spread onto your lips.
Key ingredients use in Shea Butter Lip Balm
In Shea Butter Lip Balm, beeswax is useful because it forms a protective barrier on the lips to help protect your lips and prevent moisture loss.
It has antimicrobial properties that help protect the lips that heal while providing deep hydration at the same time.
Lip balm has powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which promote the natural barrier of the skin and conserve the moisture of the lips.
Almond oil moisturizes and heals your lips. You can use a gel cap filled with vitamin E oil or a bottle of vitamin E oil.
The essential oils in this Shea Butter Lip Balm recipe are mainly used for their aromatherapy abilities.
Beeswax
Simply put, beehive is a wax that comes from bees. The worker bee produces a hive of this wax to store the colony’s honey.
There are good reasons for bees being used topically on the skin since ancient Egyptian times.
You can find wax today in many products, including:
- makeup
- sunscreen
- baby products
Thanks to its antibacterial agents, bees have a long history of being used for some skin issues. Historically, it has involved the treatment of burns and wounds.
Nowadays, it is used to soothe the symptoms of certain skin conditions, such as psoriasis and eczema (dermatitis).
A small 2003 study found that daily use of a mixture of honey on the skin of people suffering from dermatitis or psoriasis led to significant improvement in both conditions in 2 weeks. 1
A 2018 study also found that natural products, such as Beeswax, were far better at managing sensitive skin than skincare products than synthetic ingredients. 2
Natural products reduce the possibility of skin irritation while still providing soothing benefits.
Shea butter
Shia butter is thick which is extracted from shea nuts. It is white or ivory colored and has a creamy consistency that is easy to spread on your skin. Most shea butter comes from shea trees in West Africa.
High concentrations of fatty acids and vitamins make shea butter an ideal cosmetic ingredient to soften the skin. Shia butters also have anti-inflammatory and healing properties. Using Shea Butter on your body, especially on your face, can condition, tone and calm your skin.
Shia butters have proven to have extensive anti-inflammatory properties. Applying Shea Butter products can calm redness and swelling on your face. 3 4
Tree-nut oils rich in Shia Butter can soak your skin, creating a smooth and soft barrier that seals in moisture. This moisturizing effect can last for several hours.
Shia butter has also been reported to have anti-aging properties. If true, the exact mechanism is not well known and may be related to promoting collagen production or reducing the breakdown of pre-existing collagen.
Coconut oil
Coconut oil is a highly saturated oil that is traditionally made by extracting oil from raw coconut or dried coconut kernels. 5
Oil is about 90% saturated fat, it also contains mono and polyunsaturated fats in small amounts. One teaspoon contains about 12 grams of saturated fat and 1 gram of unsaturated fat.
One research has found that coconut oil may be just what your skin needs. Its benefits include:
- Reduce inflammation
- Prevent free radical damage
- Help prevent infection
Some blogs, such as OneGreenPlanet, swear by coconut oil, specifically use it as a natural moisturizer for your face. Coconut oil is gentle which is used under your eyes and in sensitive areas like lips.
Coconut oil is a fat that is extracted from raw coconut or dried coconut flakes.
Therefore, its emollient properties may make it beneficial for certain types of skin, such as dry or normal to dry skin, when it is used as a moisturizer overnight.
Coconut oil contains nutritious fatty acids that help to hydrate and protect the skin. These include linoleic acid (vitamin F), which helps the skin retain moisture, and lauric acid, which has antibacterial properties.
If you have dry, scaly skin, using coconut oil instead of your regular moisturizer can soften and hydrate your skin, making it look refreshed and softer upon waking.
Almond oil
Almonds are not just for snacking or adding to a trail mix. This nut oil can benefit your skin in many ways.
According to some clinical studies and anecdotes, applying almond oil to the skin can have the following benefits:
- Reduces nervousness and under-eye circles. Because almond oil is an anti-inflammatory, it can help reduce skin inflammation. 6
- Improves complexion and skin tone. Due to its emollients properties, almond oil has the ability to improve both color and skin tone. 6
- Treats dry skin. Almond oil has been used for centuries to treat dry skin conditions, including psoriasis and eczema.
- Improves acne. The fatty acid content of the oil can help dissolve excess oil on the skin, while retinoids in the oil can reduce the appearance of acne and improve cell turnover. 7
- Helps reduce damage to the skin. Animal studies have shown that vitamin E, one of the nutrients in almond oil, can help reduce damage to the skin due to UV exposure. 8
- Reduces the appearance of scars. In ancient Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine, almond oil was used to reduce scars. Vitamin E content can help smooth the skin. 6
- Reduces the appearance of stretch marks. According to a 2016 study, sweet almond oil can be an effective treatment to prevent and reduce stretch marks.
Essential oil
Essential oils are plant extracts made from flowers, leaves, and seeds. It may have properties that can treat certain skin conditions. If you are interested in trying essential oils for your skin concerns, talk to your dermatologist about the following options.
If you have sensitive skin, you want to clean oils that are highly acidic, such as lemon and lemongrass. The following oils are considered safe for all skin types:
- lavender
- frankincense
- sandalwood
With acne, it is important that you remove excess oil and bacteria without drying the skin, as this can increase oil production. Inflammation may be another contributing factor to acne breakouts.
Some essential oils also have the ability to balance moisture and reduce itching of skin rashes. These include atopic dermatitis (eczema) and psoriasis.
A 2015 study found that combining thyme with lavender helped treat eczema in mice, leading researchers to believe that this essential oil blend may also benefit humans with dermatitis. 9
Whether you have acne scars or age spots from sunburn, some essential oils can also help your skin tone to be used as a serum.
Your skin naturally loses elasticity and collagen according to your age, which can lead to dysfunction, fine lines and wrinkles.
Shope online ingredients
- Al-Waili NS. “Topical application of natural honey, beeswax and olive oil mixture for atopic dermatitis or psoriasis: partially controlled, single-blinded study.” Complement Ther Med. 2003 Dec;11(4):226-34. doi: 10.1016/s0965-2299(03)00120-1. PMID: 15022655.[↩]
- Draelos ZD, Levy SB, Lutrario C, Gunt H. “Evaluation of the Performance of a Nature-Based Sensitive Skin Regimen in Subjects With Clinically Diagnosed Sensitive Skin.” J Drugs Dermatol. 2018 Aug 1;17(8):908-913. PMID: 30124733. Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30124733.[↩]
- Malachi Oluwaseyi Israel. Effects of Topical and Dietary Use of Shea Butter on Animals, American Journal of Life Sciences. Volume 2, Issue 5, October 2014 , pp. 303-307. doi: 10.11648/j.ajls.20140205.18.[↩]
- Lin TK, Zhong L, Santiago JL. “Anti-Inflammatory and Skin Barrier Repair Effects of Topical Application of Some Plant Oils.” Int J Mol Sci. 2017 Dec 27;19(1):70. doi: 10.3390/ijms19010070. PMID: 29280987; PMCID: PMC5796020.[↩]
- Boateng L, Ansong R, Owusu WB, Steiner-Asiedu M. “Coconut oil and palm oil’s role in nutrition, health and national development: A review.” Ghana Med J. 2016 Sep;50(3):189-196. PMID: 27752194; PMCID: PMC5044790. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5044790.[↩]
- Ahmad Z. “The uses and properties of almond oil.” Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2010 Feb;16(1):10-2. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2009.06.015. Epub 2009 Jul 15. PMID: 20129403.[↩][↩][↩]
- Pappas A, Johnsen S, Liu JC, Eisinger M. “Sebum analysis of individuals with and without acne.” Dermatoendocrinol. 2009 May;1(3):157-61. doi: 10.4161/derm.1.3.8473. PMID: 20436883; PMCID: PMC2835908.[↩]
- Burke KE, Clive J, Combs GF Jr, Commisso J, Keen CL, Nakamura RM. “Effects of topical and oral vitamin E on pigmentation and skin cancer induced by ultraviolet irradiation in Skh:2 hairless mice.” Nutr Cancer. 2000;38(1):87-97. doi: 10.1207/S15327914NC381_13. PMID: 11341050.[↩]
- Seo YM, Jeong SH. “Effects of Blending Oil of Lavender and Thyme on Oxidative Stress, Immunity, and Skin Condition in Atopic Dermatitis Induced Mice.” J Korean Acad Nurs. 2015 Jun;45(3):367-77. Korean. doi: 10.4040/jkan.2015.45.3.367. PMID: 26159138.[↩]
I am looking for a natural lip balm that is creamy and not oily. This recipe is perfect, I’m definitely going to use it from now on and I don’t need to buy any lip balm again. Thank you so much for this recipe!