Frugally Sustainable

A Resource for All Things Frugal and Sustainable

A Recipe for Homemade Warm Vanilla and Honey Lip Balm

A Recipe for Homemade Warm Vanilla and Honey Lip Balm 2
Share on Pinterest

Through this blog I chronicle and share the daily happenings of my life.

So naturally, when I made the.best.lip.balm.ever. I instantly knew I wanted to give you the recipe!

I realize there are about a bazillion recipe out in Internet land for homemade lip balm — I know because I’ve tried several. And actually, lip balm was the first homemade body care product that I made all on my own. But homemade lip balm…

  • is fun, quick, and easy to make
  • is perfect for the beginner
  • makes a wonderful gift (Tip: This is perfect to give as a gift for a new teacher, a new mom, for a birthday, or just because.)
  • is so much better than store-bought
  • allows you to control the ingredients

…and I don’t think we could ever have to many recipes to try!

This balm is seriously amazing. Think of applying the perfect mix of vanilla and honey to your lips! Not to mention, the deep penetrating moisture of this balm stays on your lips for hours and provides a ton of healing properties and protection from the summer sun and winds.

And here’s how I made it.
Warm Vanilla and Honey Lip Balm

A Recipe for Homemade Warm Vanilla and Honey Lip Balm

Supplies

-15-18 standard lip balm tubes or 3-1 oz tins
-a small digital kitchen scale
-small pot or double boiler

Ingredients

-1 oz. (approx. 2 tbsp.) sweet almond oil
-1 oz. (approx. 2 tbsp.) shea butter
-1/2 oz. (approx. 3 tsp.) beeswax
-1/4 oz. (approx. 1 1/2 tsp.) raw, organic honey
-1/2 teaspoon vanilla oil

Method

  1. In a small pot — or double boiler — over low heat melt the almond oil, shea butter, and beeswax. Stir continuously until all is melted and well blended.
  2. Remove the pot from the heat and add raw, organic honey and vanilla oil. Whisk well — this can be done my using a small whisk, fork, or with a chopstick — and attempt to distribute the honey throughout the oil. (Note: This can be rather challenging. So don’t be discouraged if a bit of the honey remains un-distributed. The trick is to stir and pour.)
  3. Pour the mixture into lip balm tubes and/or tins.
  4. Let them cool on the counter until hard.
  5. Cap and label.
  6. Store as you would any other lip balm. Keep away from extreme heat.
  7. Use within 2 years.

*This recipe will make enough to fill approximately 15-18 standard lip balm tubes or 3-1 oz. tins.

Download and Print the Recipe:Warm Vanilla and Honey Lip Balm .pdf
Download and Print the Lables: Warm Vanilla and Honey Lip Balm Labels .pdf (Note: If you are using standard lip balm tubes here are the labels that I use. You may like to purchase the Avery 6583 oval labels by clicking this link.)

Notes

-Don’t have sweet almond oil…feel free to use coconut or olive. I love sweet almond oil for this recipe because it’s a wonderful moisturizer for the lips!

-This recipe should keep your family stocked with lip balm for several months…saving you tons of money in the long run.

–Vanilla oil is not the same a vanilla extract. Do not use vanilla extract in this recipe.

-Consider substituting peppermint or pink grapefruit essential oils for the vanilla. Each one makes a wonderful tasting balm.

Where to Buy this Stuff?

I purchase organic sweet almond oil and shea butter from Mountain Rose Herbs.

Vanilla oil can be purchased here.

Standard lip balm tubes and tins can be found by clicking this link.

Use this link to find a local source for raw honey. Or check Farmer’s Markets in your area. It can also be purchased online by clicking this link to the Bulk Herb Store.

What about you? Have you ever tried your hand at making lip balm? Share your favorite recipes with us!

Share on Pinterest
Category:

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. I want to make this! My only problem is I want to make my own personal care products to save money but by the time I buy all these oils, beeswax, etc that would be one expensive lip balm :/

    • The initial cash layout may be expensive but the ingredients last incredibly long and will make many many batches of lip balm. You can also use the oils, wax, and essential oils for other bath and body blends so they will be put to good use.

    • For me, it is not just about saving money, but also about saving myself.

      I happen to be very sensitive to a lot of the chemicals in commercial cleaners, cosmetics, and perfumes. My skin redness has noticeably decreased since I started making and using trmy own soaps.

      I think it is also kind of political for me. I read that Triclosan is messing up the land in my area. Too much stuff gets put in products we unknowingly ingest. Would you eat a nice spoonful of Vaseline? Well, it’s a major ingredient in commercial lip balm. That’s just the beginning. It all adds up and harms some of us earlier than others. I am taking back my body and my family’s skin. Stepping off my soap box now.

      If you were looking to save money, I would suggest a mix of beeswax and olive oil. Repurpose an old tin. Find the proportions online or experiment yourself. I love being able to smear my lip balm on my cheeks. Hot dawg! No weird stuff in my lip balm! I could even melt it and eat it!

      PrairieGrandmother is so right. This is not a single-use recipe. All of the ingredients happen to be in my house already because I make my own soap and lotion and cleaners. (P.S. The book is great! I LOVE LOVE LOVE “Simply Clean!” Not affiliated, just an honest and grateful fan).

      Shea butter is expensive if you buy it in the cosmetic section (and not always available in pure form). You can get it in bulk in some co-ops or health stores. It is amazing for skin. Seriously so amazing.

      The vanilla oil can get pretty pricey. You can easily live without it.

      I wonder if the honey will separate without an emulsifier. I have heard lanolin is a good ingredient for this. I will have to see how it works with the vanilla. The lanolin I am accustomed to is too strong for lips. Then again, I am used to the stuff that comes from wool with grass in it. I spin and process raw wool.

    • but then you will have more lip balm for less and better care! i tried this resipe and it works wonderfully!

  5. Stephanie – The way it becomes a LOT less expensive is by purchasing the ingredients that overlap with other recipes. Substitute/eliminate some ingredients to keep the number of items to a minimum. For example, you could use whatever oil you already have in place of the almond oil. I use the coconut oil from our kitchen. Instead of the vanilla oil, you could leave it out or substitute it for an EO you already own. I’d avoid citrus EOs, though, because they can cause photosensitivity. I make my own vanilla extract with organic vanilla beans, so I used a vanilla bean in some coconut oil (solar-infused). It covers the scent and the oil and I already owned both due to other homemade purposes. You can also get a group of friends together and make a large batch and divide it up. Or, you can make a large batch and give some as gifts. They last a long time.

  6. You should probably note that the honey will seep out within a short period of time and make a bit of a stick mess…. honey is a water-based substance, and water obviously doesn’t mix with oil without an emulsifier. And if you put in that much flavor oil it could be dangerous (concentrations of flavors and essential oils/fragrance oils are limited to low levels, at least in Europe). Homemade won’t work well because if you infuse it in alcohol you have the same solubility (and microbiological) issues, and if you try to infuse vanilla in oil, well, it just won’t work well, because it releases it’s aromas primarily into aqueous solutions.

  9. Thanks for another great recipe Andrea! I was reading in your comments and saw you infused your own Vanilla Oil, I’m so glad you mentioned that. I have everything I need to do that! Thanks for sharing your creativity with us 🙂

  10. How did you get the little dimple at the top of your lip balm tube? (In your photo) Kink of looks like a lifesaver. Any tips on pouring it into the tubes?

    • The dimple is just a feature of the tube. Pouring hot liquid in the tube means a little divot is created as the solution cools.

      I am glad to hear you like it. Some people work hard to eliminate the dimple.

  13. Sounds great! I wonder if Bitter Almond instead of vanilla would work? LOVE the scent of bitter almond!

  14. I, too, would like to know how to pour it into the tube so it looks so “professional”! 🙂 It looks better than store bought.

  15. Excited to start making and using for myself. Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for the recipies and the web links! You rock!

  16. Sounds great and I can’t wait to try this. Do you know how I can add color to the lip balm? I would love just a hint of color so that I can use this every day in place of lipstick. Thanks!

    • To add color to your lip balm, try slicing off a small amount of lipstick and add it to your mixture when it’s still hot enough to melt. Then stir or whisk to combine thoroughly. This will give you a sheer tint of color. Or if you prefer something more natural, try adding a small amount of cocoa powder or cinnamon to the mixture and whisk briskly to completely combine.

  17. Just made some lip balm, and like a few others, my question is….what is the best way to fill the tubes? I had it all running down the sides, and it hardened before I could fill them all, so I had to re-heat. Any pointers you could share?

  18. I have found the easiest way to fill the lip balm tubes is to first group a bunch of them together with a rubber band. This will make it easier for them to stand up and thus more stable when pouring the mixture. Also, for filling something with such a small opening I use plastic pipettes found at craft stores in the candle making section. (I found mine at Michael’s) And if you start filling them immediately, (while the mixture is still somewhat hot), you won’t run the risk of having it set up too quickly before it’s all dispensed. I keep the mixture hot by leaving it on the double boiler but with the burner turned off, the steam from the water below should be enough to keep it at a liquid state long enough to get the job done.

  20. I made this lip balm a couple nights ago. I love how well it hydrates my lips! I poured it into 1 oz tins, and the only problem I have is that after it hardened, it is really hard! I have to scrape my nails into it to get some onto my finger to spread. Did I add too much of a specific ingredient, or do I need more of an ingredient? I tried to follow the amounts exactly, but don’t have a kitchen scale!

    • If you don’t like the consistency or want more scent, you can remelt the mixture and add whatever it needs. For example, more vanilla oil for a better scent or more liquid oil to make it softer. Go light on the liquid oils and scent at first. It’s easy to add more of these later, but you can’t take it out.

  21. I DO love this recipe. My only problem is filling the tubes. About a third of my tubes have mostly just honey because it settles on the bottom of the lip balm mixture. So I had to remove all the lip balm from all the tubes and re-melt. Then had to keep on whisking quickly, use a pipette to fill the tubes. Even though the honey is now ‘evenly’ distributed among all the tubes, the honey in each tube STILL settled along the bottom of the tube, so I’m fairly certain when i reach the bottom, it’ll be a sticky mess! I wanted to gift these! But now I have over 30+ lip balms for my family (doubled recipe).

    • Honey adds a nice creaminess to the lip balm. If you use it, you will need to stir until the mixture begins to cool. Otherwise the honey will separate.

    • I’ve found it’s easiest to pick up a few packages of ear dropper/eye dropper tubes (sold near the eye drops section) – their usually one time use unless you are diligent and want to try and clean it without the thin glass breaking (at least this has been my past experience).
      For the separation issue – I would quickly fill a tube then pop it right in the freezer to help that separation from happening too much. I also am constantly whisking the mixture to ensure no settling of the oil or honey can happen. An extra set of hands is always helpful but isn’t too hard by yourself. And if it starts to harden, just put the bowl back on top of the water pot.

  22. we found the best way to fill the tubes/pots is to use a medicine syringe, like i used my infant’s (old) ibuprofen syringe thing. it works extremely well and there were no spills!

    we had a layer of dark (assuming honey, per previous response) settled to the bottom of the jars. this is a great balm, just wish it wouldn’t have separated like it did.

  23. I really like your recipe. I found a recipe on youtube but this is my favorite so far and I can’t wait to try it. My only question will be if I can use vanilla extract in place of the oil?

  24. I have made this recipe and several other s that are similar. I am finding that at first it is great but after a few days the Shea butter becomes gritty again and the mixture separates. Any idea why this is happening? I bought the ingredients from Mountain Rose Herbs so I was confident that they were good quality. Any ideas?

    • It’s probably the honey that is gritty. If you pour your mixture just as it starts to cool, rather than when it is hot, it will prevent separation of the ingredients and your final product will be smooth and creamy. You can take what you’ve already made and remelt it to try again rather than making a whole new batch.

  25. Everyone in my family loves this lip balm. They all say it’s the best lip balm they’ve ever used. I have to agree with them! I subbed peppermint oil for the vanilla and it turned out delicious. Thanks for the great recipe.

  26. I can’t get the honey to mix in!!!
    It doesn’t simply separate later, it never incorporates at all. It beads up in the oil mixture, and then settles on the bottom of the tubes. If I don’t keep the mixture hot, I can’t pipette it into the tubes, so allowing it to cool won’t work.
    Help?

  27. Hi, I had already tried to add honey into my lipbalm and tried hard to mix it well but the honey still not well distributed. It becomes like those pebbles shape in the mixture and after I pour into the empty lipbalm stick, it becomes a spot. So how can I solve this problem? =(

  28. I made it last night and it was absolutely awesome. I substituted peppermint oil for vanilla oil because I have no idea where to get it in South Africa. I gave it to my friends as well and they loved it. Would love to try it with vanilla oil

  32. if your balm is gritty it could be your shea butter Is getting too hot, it will become gritty if it does. I usually melt the beeswax all the way then add in the shea to keep from overheating. An emulsifier is handy when trying to mix in honey which is not an oil. teddy, I don’t personally use Vaseline because I don’t like it and I don’t want that in my balms but you can use Vaseline in balms. however you still need beeswax if you want to hold everything together.

  33. I am new to this and am wondering what ingredient keeps it shelf stable. And how long is it shelf stable?

  34. I am having an issue with the honey part – no matter how much I stir and whisk, I always seem to have the honey separate and be at the bottom 🙁 any ideas? I am using organic raw honey.

    • First, I used a medicine syringe to fill the tubes. But in order to get it just right, so the oil (I think it’s the vanilla oil more than the honey) wouldn’t sink to the bottom of the tube, I needed to cool the mixture off until it was thick and I could incorporate the oil. Then I warmed it all back up. When it was liquid enough to suck into the syringe, I started “sampling” the consistency by sucking it up into the syringe and pushing it back out into the pan. At first, the last that I pushed out would already be hardening, so I knew it wasn’t warm enough. I knew it was warm enough when everything in the syringe would come out as a liquid. AS SOON as that started happening, I turned my burner off and filled the tubes as fast as I could. No settling on the bottom because it didn’t take that long to become a solid.

  35. I made this lip balm and it turned out great. I loved it and so did some of my friends and family.

  36. I tried this out last night and they turned out great!! I didn’t have vanilla oil so I substituted lavender and the smell is amazing. Also, for half the batch I added just a small amount of cocoa powder to give a little tint. These should last a long time 🙂

  37. can we replace the beeswax with the other? ’cause I’m a schoolkid and need to make this for our final project, but the beeswax is too expensive. and i thought that maybe we can change the beeswax into something else? reply please! 🙂

    • You should be able to find beeswax at a local coop in the “bulk” section where you can buy just as much as you need and shouldn’t cost you more than a couple dollars.