When I first set out on my quest to find a recipe for naturally tinted lip balm, I realized that there’s not a lot of information out there! So…it became a challenge for me and thankfully I found exactly what I was looking for. And this is how it goes, I discover something cool – we try it here at home for a while – then I share it with you 
You know from this post that making lip balm is a part of my seasonal routine. For a minimal invest of time and money, I am able to keep my family — and my Mom, Dad, and dear friends — in lip balm for quite a while.
I love my lip balm recipe! In fact, I can’t even bring myself to buy it from the store ever again.
But it was missing something…a touch of color.
Natural Lip Tint
My search for a natural, plant-based, herbal solution for tinted lip balm lead me to Alkanet Root. Alkanet root has many beneficial properties yet it is primarily used as a very effective dying agent, wonderful for use in lip balms.
Used in my recipe, it gave the oils a beautiful deep burgandy tint and on my lips it was the perfect bit of color I had been looking for!
You can purchase and use Alkanet Root two way:
- Alkanet Root
If using the root, plan on infusing 1 tablespoon of the root in 1/4 cup of oil for a week or so, in a small glass mason jar. Shaking daily until you are satisfied with the color. Note: This method will eliminate the need to use the root powder in the recipe below. - Alkanet Root Powder
Can be added straight into your recipe, in the amount that is suitable for your needs.
Naturally Tinted Lip Balm ~ The Recipe
Ingredients
-1 ounce coconut oil (2 tablespoons)
-0.5 ounce olive oil (1 tablespoon)
-0.25 ounce cocoa butter (1 1/2 teaspoon)
-0.5 ounce beeswax (1 tablespoon)
-1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
-1/2 teaspoon essential oils (optional, but fun to experiment with)
-Alkanet Root Powder to your color preference. To this recipe I add approx. 1-2 teaspoons.
Directions
1. In a small pot, or double boiler, over super low heat melt the coconut oil, olive oil, cocoa butter, and beeswax. Stir until just melted.
2. Remove from heat and add vitamin E oil, alkanet root powder, and your choice of essential oils. Continue to stir well in order to combine all the oils and distribute the alkanet root powder evenly throughout the mixture.
3. Pour into your containers and then allow it to cool on the counter until hard.
Notes
-Feel free to substitute, for the olive oil, any oils you may have on hand, i.e. jojoba, almond, apricot…
-I love to infuse the olive oil with nourishing herbs such as rose hips, burdock root, calendula, or comfrey. The list beneficial herbs could go on and on! Have fun with it
-Another opportunity for creativity comes in the form of your choice for essential oils. The most common additions are: peppermint, vanilla, orange, lavender, anise, cinnamon.
Where to Purchase
-The best source for Alkanet Root and Alkanet Root Powder that I have found is Mountain Rose Herbs.
-I love the cocoa butter from The Soap Dish and Mountain Rose Herbs.
-You can find beeswax here.
-And everything else you should be able to purchase at a local grocery store.
-Not ready for another DIY project? You may purchase this balm — lovingly made by me and infused with healing and nourishing herbs — over in my Etsy Shop.
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I’m allergic to cocoa beans. Could you suggest a good substitution for cocoa butter in your recipe?
Alternate recipe I pinned awhile ago, that doesn’t use cocoa butter I haven’t tried yet but sounds reasonable
75ml (3fl oz) olive oil
1 tablespoon jojoba oil
45g (11/2oz) dried alkanet root, chopped
20g (3/4oz) beeswax
9 drops rose essential oil
Gently heat both oils in the top of a double-boiler for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, add the alkanet root and steep for around 30 minutes, to extract the colour from the root. Strain the root from the oils through a muslin cloth and compost the root. Return the oils to the double-boiler with the beeswax. Once this has melted, remove from heat and add the rose essential oil, drop by drop. Pour into small, sterilised pots or jars. Allow to cool thoroughly before capping.
This is a great recipe that I believe I will try!
Just one question: Does this recipe make 1 lip balm or multiple? If multiple, how many!?
Thanks so much!!
Hi Chelsea! This makes approx. 3 ounces of balm so it just depends on the size of your containers.
Where can I buy the lip balm containers? Is this recipe for one?
Thanks for the recipe.
Lori
I love buying my containers online from a few different places. But my favorite place for these one ounce tins is Specialty Bottle.
If you order ingredients from http://www.mountainrose.com, you can get tins from them also.
this is very cool! I make lip balm all the time for craft fairs but I have never tried tinting it! Thanks for the inspiration!
ang
Great idea, I will have to give it a try. I am always on the look out for natural products. Thank you.
Great idea and much better than using petroleum products on your lips. I’m going to have to try this, thanks for sharing.
Do you know how this fares in a pocket? I bought a homemade lip balm from a friend of a friend and the balm basically liquefied in my pocket making quite a mess! I’ve been looking for a recipe that will hold up to body heat (or a container that doesn’t leak. LOL).
Thanks!
Have never made lip balm before but this looks great! Can’t wait to try it.
I have never tried lip balm before. I am going to keep this one in my little cache of natural recipes! Thanks!
Lovely recipe! Thank you so much for sharing this one so kindly!!!
I am new to this website but love it! It is very kind and thoughtful to share the ideas that you make yourself for your business for others to use free of charge! Bless you!
Will definitely try! Do you think it would work with dried Hibiscus flowers?
What can you use instead of beeswax for a vegan recipe?
Anna, you can use candelilla wax instead of beeswax.
Last time I wanted a tinted lip balm I used beet root powder but it didn’t work berry. I’ll have to give alkanet a try.
I was just thinking about tinted lip balm the other day! Thank you for sharing this recipe, I can’t wait to try this. I do have a question though. Is this something that can be poured into a chapstick container? I am obsessed with chapstick (Lip Smackers Dr. Pepper, for the tint) but am making changes in my household to using “good-for-you” products instead of poor store-bought options. So, I need something that I don’t have to stick my finger in to apply. I apply chapstick multiple times a day and need something I can throw in my pocket and just pop the cap off and apply when needed. Thank you for any imput!
By the way, finding your blog has been the best thing for me! I am so thankful for all the work you have put into it providing such quality products and recipes and for sharing them to us all! I’ve already dumped all my shampoos, anti-bacterial soaps, body washes, and conditioners. I have ingredients on the way to make our lotions and hand salves. Then, onto purging the house of the cleaners and detergents! Look what you’ve started!! Lol!
My husband thanks you. Seriously though, WE really appreciate it.
Thank you so much! I so want to try this. Thank you for all you do and share. Your blog has been so informative.
What a great recipe. I will have to try this and if it’s ok, pass it along to my readers as well.
Just found your blog and I’m so inspired. Great stuff! Where do you buy the “pot” (can’t think of a better word in english right now…:)for the balm?
I ordered my supplies from Rose Mountain and working on this balm this afternoon, however I found that the Coco Butter is very hard, like wax, it this the way it should be? It makes it very difficult to measure out the 1 1/2 teaspoons when you have to chip away at it
Hi Barbara! Yes cocoa butter is very hard. To avoid chipping it away, try weighing it with a small kitchen scale.
I can’t wait to try making this lip balm. I was wondering if it does tint your lips and leave a nice rosy stain? I am 60 and would love to be able to use something that leaves a subtle color on my lips that does not fade or wipe off after a short time.. I hate to use lipstick. But with my gray hair I feel like my face just disappears. This might be a silly question but I wonder if I could find a natural, organic food coloring at maybe a Whole Foods Store or somewhere similar and use that instead for the coloring agent. I would think that would make the color stay longer????? Any suggestions??
Where do you order your lip balm containers from? I like that they aren’t plastic and would love to order a few for my lip balm project.
After reading the other comments I see that you get the containers from Moutain Rose. What size containers are in the pictures? They have so many to choose from it is hard to know how big they are. I was leaning towards the second to the smallest but will that be a nice size.