DIY Green Tea SPF Lip Sunscreen Balm

This is the hardest working lip balm around and will protect your pout all summer. Learn how to make SPF lip balm that combines green tea, zinc oxide, natural oils, and butters to provide protection from both UVA and UVB rays.

Some folks panic if they don't have their phone. Oh, who am I kidding? That's totally me. But I really get the shakes if I can't find my favorite homemade lip balm. That is a true emergency!

It’s so easy to forget about SPF on our lips, but it’s just as important. Spending too much time in the sun without proper lip protection can lead to dry, chapped lips, and who wants that? This DIY SPF lip balm works great under lip gloss, too.

Jump to:

• How to Add SPF to Lip Balm
• Instructions
• How to Use SPF Lip Balm
• More Homemade Sunscreen Recipes
• 1. Whipped DIY Sunscreen with Red Raspberry Seed Oil
• 2. Shea Sunscreen Booster
• 3. Zinc SPF Lotion
• FAQ
• More Lip Care Recipes

How to Add SPF to Lip Balm

This spf lip balm recipe using several natural sun protection ingredients:

• 2 ounces green tea-infused oil
• ¼ ounce beeswax
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 tsp avocado oil
• 2 tsp zinc oxide powder

1. Green tea

The polyphenols contained in green tea can protect the skin against some of the damaging effects of exposure to UV radiation and prevent premature skin aging [source]. Because it is high in antioxidants, particularly the free radical-neutralizing kind, green tea can prevent some of the effects of sun damage, like sun-induced redness and inflammation [source].

Since tea contains caffeine, it has the additional bonus of firming your skin, reducing puffiness around your eyes, and protecting the skin from the aging effects of oxidative stress [source].

Caffeine also boosts the photoprotective activity of any sunscreen you use [source]. And anything protecting your skin from the sun’s ultraviolet rays goes a long way toward the prevention of skin cancer.

2. Zinc oxide

Long used for sun protection (remember those white noses?), zinc oxide is a powdered mineral that sits on top of the skin, scattering, reflecting, and absorbing UVA and UVB rays. To provide the physical barrier on the outer layer of skin, you need to use non-nano, uncoated zinc oxide to avoid it absorbing into the skin.

Try mixing in a tablespoon with a face lotion or homemade lip balm, and you’re ready for the rays. It’s a great hardcore sunblock and perfect for babies or fair skin.

3. Carrier oils like coconut and avocado

Using oil to protect your skin seems counterintuitive at first, but some household plant-based oils contain elements that aid your skin’s sun protection [source]. Of the more common household oils, coconut, almond, and olive oil all share an SPF of 2—7 and block out about 20% of UV rays [source], providing long-lasting performance and hydration. 

—Avocado oil: SPF 4–15
—Olive oil: SPF 2–8
—Coconut oil: SPF 4–6
—Almond oil: SPF 5
—Jojoba oil: SPF 4

Since these oils in their different forms have not been tested to the degree that commercial sunscreens have, it is best to use them in combination with those to boost their SPF power and provide additional healing and antiaging effects.

Instructions

Step 1 | Infuse coconut oil with green tea

Infusing oils is one of my favorite things, and to add SPF to lip balm, green tea is the perfect choice. When applied to the skin, green tea can absorb UV rays.

Now green tea alone won't give you enough sun protection, but it's a great complimentary ingredient because it has antioxidants that also help your skin resist UV damage and the aging effects that come with it. Green tea oil also makes my favorite face moisturizer.

Because it’s so cleansing and non-greasy, you can just dab an extra-strong brew on with a cotton ball like you would an astringent or make this cooling body spray. Try adding a glass of iced green tea in the afternoon for a booster: green tea works from the inside out, too!

Step 2 | Melt beeswax

Combine the oil and beeswax in a double boiler over medium heat and heat until the beeswax has melted.

Step 3 | Add oil + honey

Remove from the heat and stir in honey and avocado oil. Avocado oil has antioxidant, anti-aging effects that combat sun damage and, like all of the plant oils, helps skin to repair itself [source].

I tend to get eczema breakouts on my arms during the summer, and avocado oil, with its natural SPF of 4–15, knocks it right off in a day or two.

Step 4 | Add zinc oxide

Use non-nano zinc oxide to avoid the risk of it being absorbed into the skin and wear a mask during this step to avoid inhaling the fine particles.

Aim for around 20% of the total weight of your lotion for SPF 30, but exact measurements can vary. I used 2 teaspoon zinc oxide powder, but how much zinc oxide to add to lip balm is up to you.

Stir the mixture vigorously to ensure that the zinc oxide is evenly dispersed with no clumps. Work fast because zinc oxide will thicken up your mixture quickly!

Step 4 | Whip together

Blend with an electric handheld mixer until creamy. More info on whipping oils here.

How to Use SPF Lip Balm

The zinc oxide lip balm recipe leaves a slight white tint on your lips, which acts as a physical barrier SPF that goes away as it melts into the skin. Not into the white tint? Mix in a bit of bronzing powder.

Apply this balm, layer a pretty gloss on top, and you're good to go. Reapply as needed throughout the day.

More Homemade Sunscreen Recipes

Store-bought sunscreens often contain harsh chemicals that many experts believe can lead to health issues. Oxybenzone and octinoxate are two of the most common ingredients in sunscreens, and many now believe these can mess with our hormones and endocrine system [source].

It's important to note that homemade products have not been tested for actual SPF value, and their effectiveness can vary. For reliable sun protection, especially during prolonged exposure, stick with one of our favorite sunscreens.

1. Whipped DIY Sunscreen with Red Raspberry Seed Oil

For more natural sun protection, try red raspberry seed oil. According to a paper published in 2000, it appears that raspberry seed oil naturally has an SPF of about 28–50 for blocking UV-B waves (which are the wavelengths of ultraviolet light that cause more damage to skin cells), and a factor of between 6.75 and 7.5 sun protection for UV-A [source].

The article goes on to state that this oil could “act as a broad-spectrum UV protectant.” This is because the vitamins A, C, and vitamin E it contains work as potent antioxidants [source] to protect against harmful UV rays.

The main advantage of these plant-based compounds, however, is the protection by carotenoids, flavonoids, polyphenols, and many other natural compounds that work as antioxidants and anti-inflammatories to mitigate damage caused by the sun’s harmful rays [source].

In particular, red raspberry extract has been shown to prevent cell death caused by UV-B rays and protects against skin injury “manifested by wrinkling, scaling, tanning, and water loss as well as epidermal thickening [source].” 

Ingredients

• ¼ cup coconut oil (this giant jar will last forever)
• ¼ cup shea butter
• 1 tsp red raspberry seed oil
• 2 tbsp zinc oxide (make sure it's non-nano)

Instructions

1. Melt coconut oil and shea butter in a bowl over warm water.

2. Add red raspberry seed oil and zinc oxide and stir together.

3. Cool in the refrigerator for 30 minutes–1 hour until you get a solid consistency. Whip for 3–5 minutes until you get a frosting-like consistency.

4. Transfer to a container with a lid and store in a cool place. Apply liberally. And always wear a hat and glasses!

Like the other oils already mentioned, it’s best to use red raspberry seed oil in combination with conventional sunscreen to provide additional protection and healing power.

2. Shea Sunscreen Booster

Shea butter also naturally protects and conditions damaged skin and offers a low level of UV protection (approximately SPF 6).

To DIY your own natural sunscreen booster, mix equal parts of your chosen natural oil (organic if possible) with shea butter and beeswax in a pan over low heat.

Stir the shea balm until it’s thoroughly blended, pour the mixture into a container, and let it cool. Once it’s hardened at room temperature, you’re ready to go!

Since carrier oils and shea butter have low SPF numbers they aren’t appropriate to substitute for sunscreen—try them instead as a moisturizing after-shower oil for an added protective boost, particularly under light summer clothing. Primarily, they help moisturize skin and repair skin damage.

3. Zinc SPF Lotion

You can make a super simple SPF lotion by combining 1 tablespoon zinc oxide with 2 ounces of body lotion.

I am just a little too vain to rock the mime look, though—I mix in loose foundation or bronzing powder for a bronzing lotion to make it less noticeable.

FAQ

More Lip Care Recipes

Want even more natural lip care recipes to try at home? Here are some faves:

References

This post was medically reviewed by Dr. Jennifer Haley, a board-certified dermatologist with extensive experience in medical, cosmetic, and surgical dermatology. 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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