Protected, Soft and Glossy Lips

Are you looking for a vegan lip balm formula that goes beyond the classic Coconut, Shea and Castor? This how-to guide shares ideas and steps for making a glossy vegan lip balm with nourishing staying power that goes beyond the ordinary.

Breaking Through the Coconut Oil Barrier

I ran out of my last stash of home-made lip balm the other day, which presented an opportunity to make a new batch to share with friends and clients. I wanted a vegan friendly option with shine that doesn’t rely on castor oil or coconut oil. Why? Those oils are too heavy for me and I want to experiment! I’ve been getting to know a variety of different nut & seed oils over the past few years to break through the comfort zone of coconut, shea and the few other ingredients often shared in DIY recipes.

It’s All About the Nut & Seed Oils!

Branch out and have fun experimenting with a variety of “fixed” oils (aka: nut & seed) to see which support your skin’s needs depending on the time of year! For instance, my skin doesn’t do well with the heavier butters and coconut oil, so I’ve been exploring different, less saturated oils from temperate climates such as cranberry and blueberry.

Vegan Lip Balm Formulating Guidelines

This formula includes Candelilla wax, Olive-based Squalane and a sweet smelling Blueberry seed oil I am in love with. I hope you enjoy creating our own glossy vegan lip balm using this formula as an inspirational guide!

Formula Guide by Percent (%)	Formula Example
1%* Essential oils (by volume) 10% Candelilla wax (by weight) 10-12% Cocoa butter (by weight) 78-80% Liquid Fixed oils (by volume) Similar to cooking, formulating is all about proportions and working with ingredients to support your intention. A lot of hardener, such as Candelilla, is not needed to “fix” the liquid oils.	Essential oils: 10 drops Copaiba oleoresin 5 drops Rose maroc Hardeners: 3.0 grams Candelilla wax as hardener 3.6 grams Cocoa butter chips (unscented) Fixed Oils (%’s rounded up): 8.0 ml Avocado Oil 6.0 ml Squalane (Olive) for shine 5.0 ml Pumpkin seed oil 4.5 ml Blueberry seed oil
Notes: Play around by swapping out oils, butters and waxes! You aren’t limited to candelilla either. Until recently I didn’t know sunflower wax exists as a vegan option! *Read here for essential oil dilution rate information	Notes: The above makes approximately 30 mls (volume)/ 1 ounce using the percentages shown in the left column.

Lip Balm Supplies, Ingredients & Intentions

• Double boiler
• Heatproof beaker, such as “Pyrex” brand, for melting and pouring
• Scale
• Graduated cylinder/beaker
• Stirring rod or spatula
• Lip balm containers
  • Opt for reusable metal and ditch the plastic tubes
• Essential oils of your choice
  • Stick to 1%-1.5% oils maximum in a formula. (See more about dilution rates.)
  • Choose between 2-3 oils to support your intention
  • I chose Copaiba oleoresin for its mild, balsamic and protective qualities and Rose maroc for its calming-centering qualities for the heart chakra. These oils also smell lovely alongside the aromatic Blueberry seed oil.
• Candelilla wax: Vegan wax, adds shine.
• Butters/Nut/Seed oils of your choice: (following are oils chosen in my latest batch)
  • Cocoa butter wafers:
    • Unscented as I don’t want a Cocoa aroma overpowering other aromatic components in the formula
    • Adds hardness, emollient & protective
    • Also, I added this as I need to use up my stash! Without this I would need to adjust the percentages of the hardener and liquid oils.
  • Avocado: Carotenoids, Protecting, Penetrating
  • Pumpkin: Antioxidant, Carotenoids, Protecting
  • Squalane (Olive): Adds slip and shine, protective barrier, not sticky like Castor Oil
  • Blueberry:
    • The aroma is gorgeous!!!!
    • Antioxidant, Penetrating & Nourishing, Carotenoids and Vitamin E

Formulating Steps

• Set up the double boiler with water in the bottom and top pots and turn on the heat
  • Go low and slow: simmer, not high heat!
• Insert the heat proof measuring cup into the double boiler
• Set up your lip balm containers
• Weigh the wax and transfer to the measuring cup
• Weigh the cocoa butter and transfer to the measuring cup
• Stir the butter into the wax to incorporate
  • Be patient: this may take time due to Candelilla wax’s high melting point
• Measure out the liquid fixed oils
  • Slowly stir the fixed oils into the wax blend
  • Go low and slow! Do not overheat the delicate fixed oils!
• Remove the beaker from heat once ingredients are incorporated
• Stir the essential oils into the mixture
• Transfer the mixture to your containers & affix lids once cooled