Can I tell you a secret? I don’t actually own or wear much makeup. It kind of started when I had my first baby. I was bleary-eyed all the time, and makeup was just not worth the effort.
By the time I had more kids, all of my makeup was destroyed by tiny, inquisitive children, and I never bothered to replace it. Instead, I opted for simple mascara, lip gloss, and maybe a little blush now and then. (My skin has never felt better, so I guess that’s a win!)
Who knew less is more when it comes to saving time and creating healthier skin. A great tip to skipping foundation is to use tinted sunscreen—it provides sun protection and just a bit of coverage.
I’m kind of addicted to making my own beauty products now. Because I have super sensitive skin, I’m pretty picky about what I will put on it. Both of these plant powders, cranberry [source] and beetroot [source], contain anti-inflammatory compounds and powerful antioxidants called phytochemicals that heal damaged cells.
Coconut oil is my saving grace (add another to the 101 uses list)! I use it for everything. And it just so happens to make the perfect lip gloss and cheek stain, too. How many commercial blushes or lip glosses are safe enough to eat? Exactly.
DIY Coconut Oil Lip Gloss
This recipe calls for four ingredients: coconut oil, shea butter, cranberry powder, and beetroot powder. My local health food store carries both of those powders in the bulk spice and herb section. But I’ve also seen the cranberry powder at Whole Foods.
I have also been buying freeze-dried cranberries for a few years, and they work great here, too. Just give them a spin in a clean spice grinder. Cold weather means chapped lips, at least for me. Shea butter adds extra moisturizing and a bit more firmness to the texture.
It’s important to let the mixture cool before transferring to a jar. As it cools, the coconut oil and shea butter will solidify. The color might separate a little bit from the main mixture. I made sure to keep stirring while it was cooling down to keep the color particles suspended, and it worked great.
When it came to room temperature, I beat the mixture with a spoon to give it an almost whipped texture that was very creamy and smooth. A little dab or two is all you need for pretty cheeks and lips.
Both coconut oil and shea butter melt at body temperature and will absorb into the skin, leaving that light layer of color on top of your cheeks and lips. For a more balm-like texture, beeswax can be added.
This cheek stain and gloss will keep for a few months if stored in a cool, dry place. The mixture can melt a bit if the room temperature is too hot. Adding beeswax will also help with that if you live in a warm climate or make this during the summer.
Want an even simpler two-ingredient lip stain to try?
2-Ingredient Lip Stain
- 2 tablespoons vegetable glycerin
- 1 fresh sliced beet
In a double boiler, heat the vegetable glycerin until small bubbles appear. Place sliced beets into the warmed glycerin and see the color begin to appear.
Continue to heat the beets and glycerin mixture until a dark color appears. The beets will remain semi-solid.
Once the desired color appears, remove from the heat, take out the beets, and pour your product into a container. The shelf-life may be shorter because of the fresh beet ingredient, so plan on using it up in 1–2 weeks.
DIY Cranberry Coconut Lip Gloss + Cheek Stain
Equipment
- Small saucepan
- 2-ounce glass jar with lid
Materials
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil
- 1–2 teaspoons shea butter
- 1/2 teaspoon beeswax pellets (optional, see note)
- 1 tablespoon freeze-dried cranberry powder
- 1/2 teaspoons beetroot powder
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt the coconut oil. Add the cranberry and beetroot powders and mix. Let stand for 30–60 minutes, or longer, to infuse the oil. If using the beeswax, heat the coconut oil again and add the beeswax, allowing it to melt completely. Let cool until still fairly warm, but not too hot. Strain the warm oil through several layers of cheesecloth placed over a fine mesh sieve. Press gently on the solids to extract as much of the oil as possible. Stir in the shea butter (it should melt easily if the oil is warm enough), and let cool.
- As the mixture cools, it may start to separate a little bit. Stir to keep the color particles suspended in the coconut oil. When it's solidified, gently beat it with a spoon until light and creamy. Transfer to a small jar with a tight-fitting lid. If placed somewhere cool, it will keep for several months.
Notes
This article was medically reviewed by Dr. Gina Jansheski, a licensed, board-certified physician who has been practicing for more than 20 years. Learn more about Hello Glow’s medical reviewers here. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
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It is too bad that the originator didn’t respond. Makes me afraid to try it and waste ingredients. Don’t post unless you can answer questions…
She was kind enough to post the ingredients list which you can easily see is derived of natural ingredients. Even if it wasn’t you can modify to your delight.
How about don’t post a negative comment without doing some critical thinking first.
Hello and thanks for this simple recipe ! So many diy are sooo complicated with many products !
Just a question though : I wanted to pu my gloss in an old lip gloss bottle, you know those tubes with a brush. Do you think your recipe would do for that or is it too creamy and thick ? Or maybe I can add just a few drops of sweet almond oil for example ; or less shea butter ?
Thanks for your advice !
Great idea! Can I use anything instead of shae butter?
I also really love this idea! Does it really work as a cheek stain? I feel like it would simple melt off or look too oily.
I LOVE this idea! Can’t wait to test it out with my girls!
Really awesome – will start using coconut oil immediately, as I luckily always keep it in my fridge for cooking….and you are right, it’s eatable!:-)
Thanks for a very useful post….
Can beeswax be used as a 1:1 substitute for the coconut oil? I live in a very humid climate 9and simply cannot put coconut oil on my face without breaking out like crazy) but I live the idea of DIY beauty products, especially ones that do double duty like a lip and cheek color.
Ooh, ive been meaning to try my hand at some diy beauty products for a while… (After years of not really considering the ingredients in the products I put on my skin, I’ve started to question the wisdom of applying so many chemical cocktails). Reading this has made me feel more inspired to start!
I was so excited to try this, and I did. But then I was so disappointed. It was very pale, and didn’t actually transfer any color to my skin at all, not lips, cheeks, lightest part of my hand, no where.
I even added extra beetroot powder as recommended.
I’d love to hear what you have to say. I was thinking that maybe I filtered it too much, so then I added in more beets without filtering it out again and still, no color. Also I let the coconut and powders sit for just over an hour.
Thanks.
Another thing, when I went to rate this recipe it would only allow me to fill in “5 stars”?!
Maybe it’s my computer, but somehow I really don’t think so, everything else is running normally…. That’s not cool.
I had to exit out of that screen and write this all in another one just to get from having the false “5 star” rating.
Did you ever get a response or get the recipe fine tuned? I’d hate to go to the trouble and have it not work. I get an allergic reaction to all commercial lipsticks and stains probably from the red dye.
Her recipe said to keep stirring to keep particles suspended and you wrote that you let ingredients sit for an hour! Maybe that’s why it didn’t turn out right! Try again it worked for me and I had great color. :)
Great :) Is the beetroot cranberry powder expensive? I do have Coconut oil, but just wondering about prices.
I’d love to see a photo of someone wearing it! The proof is in the pudding :)
This is so cool! My favorite cheek stain is made with 50% coconut water, so I’m sure I would like this homemade one as well.