Three simple ingredients, and you're on your way to a pretty DIY tinted lip balm made with all-natural ingredients like freeze-dried raspberries.
Not long ago, I tried making a natural lip gloss with beets. As anyone who’s diced up a salad with this root vegetable knows, it’s not a pretty sight.
My hands, my towels, and pretty much my entire kitchen were covered and stained with pink. Needless to say, it created quite the mess!
So when I saw that people were making homemade blush with freeze-dried raspberries, I thought, why not a DIY tinted lip gloss or, better yet, balm? Bonus: raspberries are way tastier than beets anyway!
Jump to:
Why Make DIY Tinted Lip Balm?
DIY tinted lip balm is a fun and simple project that anyone can do at home with just a few ingredients and the benefits are numerous:
Control the ingredients — You can ensure you are using natural and nourishing products on your lips.
Customization — You can customize the shade to your liking by adding more or less of the tinting agent.
Save money — It is a cost-effective way to have multiple shades of lip balm without breaking the bank.
It's fun! — Lastly, making your own lip balm can be a fun activity to do with friends or family.
Ingredients
- 1–2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½–1 teaspoon beeswax for a firmer consistency
- ½ tablespoon ground freeze dried raspberries add more if desired
Why Raspberry?
In addition to being the perfect color for this DIY tinted lip balm, raspberries also provide benefits for your skin (and your lips count as part of that!) Raspberries are loaded with antioxidants, namely vitamin C and polyphenols, which help protect your skin from damaging free radicals in the environment that lead to premature aging [source].
Other antioxidants you can find in raspberries include vitamin E, magnesium, lutein (which provides brain-boosting power as an added perk), and beta carotene. Raspberries also contain flavonoids [source], which are natural substances that act like antioxidants [source].
The benefit of freeze-dried raspberries is that they are frozen at the peak of freshness, so you know they contain the highest amount of nutrients (often even more than the ripe kind).
And if you're thinking, "Freeze-dried raspberries? Where the heck do I buy those?" Well, I'll tell you: Trader Joe's! Not only do they sell freeze-dried and fresh raspberries, but they are also super affordable (some frozen fruits and veggies can get pricey).
And if you don't have one nearby, you can order them online or try a local health-food store.
How to Make DIY Tinted Lip Balm
Step 1 | Make raspberry powder
Grind freeze-dried raspberries into a fine powder. I use a coffee grinder; just don't forget to wipe it out afterward.
Step 2 | Melt coconut oil and beeswax
I put the oils inside a glass Pyrex measuring cup, then place it inside a small saucepan with 2 inches of water and bring it to a low boil.
Step 3 | Add powder
Add raspberry powder and stir to combine. You can add more powder to make the color more intense.
Step 4 | Pour into container
Transfer to a container with a lid and let sit to harden. See below for tips on keeping the color from separating.
How To Keep Raspberries from Sinking
As the balm cools and solidifies, the grounds will start to settle at the bottom. That’s when you want to turn the container upside down (with the lid on) or on its side to help keep it evenly distributed. Or just keep stirring as the mixture cools.
If you're still having trouble keeping the mixture from separating, there are a couple of things you can try:
1. Wait until the wax has cooled to just slightly above room temperature but hasn't totally solidified yet. Then add the raspberry powder and give it a good stir.
The cooler the wax is when you add the raspberries, the better it will hold the powder, and the less separation will occur.
2. Use an emulsifying wax to hold everything together. While beeswax is often touted as a natural emulsifier, I've found that it doesn't work as well as real cosmetic-grade emulsifying wax.
Substitutions
Beeswax — Try all-natural and vegan carnauba wax.
Raspberries — if you are having a tough time finding freeze-dried raspberries, you can also try beetroot powder like in this lip stain recipe.
I also tried freeze-dried cherries. The taste was good, but if I’m being honest, the color was less intense (which was a total bummer). But feel free to go crazy and combine the two!
You could also use cocoa powder or hibiscus powder for different color options.
Storage
This recipe should last 3–6 months. If you'd like to extend the shelf life even further, try using an additional preservative such as Leucidal Liquid SF.
And as with any homemade beauty product, always keep an eye out for a change in consistency or mold. If you see fuzz, it's time to toss it!
FAQ
Grind your raspberries as fine as you possibly can using a coffee grinder. After powdering them, try sifting the powder with a fine mesh strainer to get rid of any noticeable chunks or seeds.
But even if you take these precautions, your balm might still feel a little grainy since the raspberry powder is what gives it its color. A slight graininess just comes with the territory!
I picked up mine at a local craft store, but you can find similar ones here.
Sure! Vanilla or almond extract would be great in this. Just make sure to add an emulsifier or wait until your wax has cooled considerably before adding them. Add 1–2 drops of a gentle essential oil like lavender or chamomile.
I haven't tried making this with fresh raspberries, however, I'd expect you to have a hard time getting the mixture to blend. Since raspberry juice is mostly water, the juice (and thus the color) will separate from the wax as it cools, and you might be left with a mess.
Plus, anything made with fresh fruit will go bad within a matter of days, drastically reducing your lip balm's shelf life.
Homemade Raspberry Lip Balm
Equipment
- Double boiler or microwave-safe bowl
Materials
- 1–2 tablespoons coconut oil
- ½ tablespoon ground freeze dried raspberries add more if desired
- ½–1 teaspoon beeswax for a firmer consistency
Instructions
- Grind raspberries in a coffee grinder until you have a very fine powder.
- Melt the coconut oil and beeswax (if using) together in a double boiler (I just put the oils inside a glass Pyrex measuring cup, then place whole thing inside a small saucepan. Fill the saucepan with 2 inches of water, and bring to a low boil.)
- Add raspberry powder and stir to combine.
- Transfer to container with lid and let sit to harden.
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.
Photos by Lindsey Johnson
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