Homemade Lip Gloss Recipes
Updated on July 17, 2017
Ever since we were little kids, lip gloss has been one of our very favourite makeup products. In fact, it’s the first “makeup” we ever owned and learned how to use! Sure, we’d put Chapstick on before to keep our lips hydrated and stop them from getting chapped, but there’s something about a nice smelling lip gloss with a big of colour or shimmer to it that just gets us excited to use it.
We quickly learned, however, that we have some minor sensitivities to different products and ingredients that are often found in store bought makeup, including lip gloss. Many brand name glosses include synthetic ingredients that, while harmless to most people, make our lips feel tingly and uncomfortable. We tried switching to organic brands only not so long ago, but because the organic makeup industry has been trending, the products can be a little bit more expensive because people are willing to pay higher prices to keep up with what’s fashionable and reduce their environmental footprint or contribution to animal cruelty. That’s a valiant cause, but we also need to be a little bit more cost conscious, so we solved the problem by learning how to make our own lip gloss!
Check out these 15 fragrant, delicious, and natural DIY lip gloss recipes that will not only keep your lips look hydrated and healthy, but also let you track the ingredients you’re using since you’re making them all by yourself.
1. Simple creamy vanilla lip gloss
We know we talked about colour above, and we sure do love a cute pink gloss, but what about those days where you’re feeling au naturel, don’t want to have real makeup on, and really just need to hydrate your lips? Then smell becomes priority instead, and there are few smells we find more comforting than simple, rich vanilla! This creamy gloss recipe from Smart Schoolhouse will give you everything you need in a natural way without adding any extra shimmer or rouge to your face when you don’t need it.
2. Sheer cherry lip balm
Are you into the idea of a little bit of colour for your lips but you’d still refer a nice sheer look because you’re feeling natural today? Then this yummy smelling cherry recipe from Poppy Juice is just what you need! It’s got a little bit of a tint to it but not so much that it’ll look like you’re wearing lipstick but skipped the rest of your makeup routine. On top of that, it smells pleasantly like natural cherries!
3. Vaseline and Kool-Aid lip gloss
Do you actually find that the best solution to any dryness you feel around your lips to be simple Vaseline? Well, that’s easy to get and affordable to buy, and it’s also quite gentle if you have skin sensitivities. Using Vaseline, however, doesn’t mean you have to be excluded from the fun smelling lip gloss club! We love this tutorial from Margot Madison because it teaches you how to use a pack of Kool Aid powder that will cost you less than $1 to transform a portion of Vaseline into a yummy gloss that smells like fruity cocktails and gives you just a subtle touch of colour. Just make sure you don’t have any allergies to coloured food dyes first! Many Kool Aid flavours contain hints of red dye that some people’s skin doesn’t agree with.
4. Natural beeswax lip gloss
Are you intent on keeping things as natural as possible, right down to the look and smell, because your lips and skin are more sensitive than most and you’re not even willing to risk the Kool Aid idea? In that case, keep your lips pleasantly hydrated by using beeswax to make a little pot of super moisturizing lip gloss! It’s like using Burt’s Bees brand products but without the brand name price tag (and you get the fun of doing it all yourself). Check the recipe out on Homemade for Elle.
5. DIY raspberry lemonade lip balm
Was your primary motivation for making your very own lip gloss actually the world of possibility it opens up when it comes to flavour and smell? Then here’s an idea for you that we’ve actually smelled in real life and we can assure you it’s so nice that it’s practically indulgent. Dear Crissy‘s tutorial guides you through the process of making your very own raspberry lemonade scented lip gloss that you can mould into a stick, just like a classic Chapstick.
6. Homemade lip stain
Have you actually been searching around for DIY lip gloss options that will give you a little bit of colour because you want that rosy lipped look but you’re still wary of store bought products in general? Then you’re going to love this homemade lip stain from How Does She! We made this one ourselves at home and adjusted how much colour we added to create one that’s very subtle and light pink and one that’s a bit deeper in colour for a little more staining impact.
7. Cool winter lip balm
It might be summer now, but we’re so health conscious in the winter that we start preparing many months in advance, since we’re so apt to getting sick and drying out. That means this is the perfect time of year to start stocking up on homemade lip glosses before the cold weather hits and everyone’s lips dry out! Just because you’re using your lip gloss as a winter defence, however, doesn’t mean you can’t make it nice and winter themed so you actually enjoy putting it on and feel the seasonal spirit. Beautylish shows you all the steps for making a pleasantly mint scented lip gloss that has just a touch of a pink tone and will feel cool in a calming way on your dry lips.
8. Lavender coconut lip balm
We’ve always found the scent of lavender very pleasant and calming, and that makes a lot of sense since it’s actually proven to have anti-anxiety effects for many people! Sometimes, however, it’s nice to change our favourite scents up a little bit, so we were very excited when we came across this DIY lavender coconut combination from Overthrow Martha. Their tutorial is simple to follow and enjoyable to read, which is only made better by the fact that the lip gloss smells nothing short of amazing when you’re finished.
9. Soft chocolate lip salve
For us, there’s always one forerunner in any list of flavours or scents: chocolate. We will choose chocolate over just about anything else! It makes sense, then, that we’d keep coming back to this fantastic chocolate scented DIY lip gloss tutorial from Soap Queen over and over again. Besides the flavour, the formula here gives you a really soft gloss that glides on well without ending up too mushy or greasy feeling on your lips. The whole thing is sweet!
10. DIY lemongrass lip balm
Have you always loved fruit and citrus smells above anything else because they make you feel refreshed and awake each time you use them? That makes total sense to us, so of course we couldn’t create a list that didn’t have something along those lines featured on it! This lemongrass recipe from Dear Crissy is not only easy to make, but it’s also very gentle, extremely natural, and one of the most pleasant smelling options you’ll find just about anywhere.
11. Clove and orange lip balm
Are your favourite beauty products always the ones from the independent beauty store that makes their own things and always smells a little bit like incense? We often enjoy a scent that’s a little more spicy and rich than light and sweet, so we simply had to track down a recipe like that as well! Check out how My Merry Messy Life made the perfect clove and orange scented lip gloss using beeswax and essential oils in just a few simple steps.
12. Coco-rosy homemade lip balm
We’ve talked a lot about how much we love chocolate, but you already know that we love switching our favourite flavours of things up too. Imagine, then, how pumped we were to come across a tutorial that lets us combine sweet and floral notes in the form of a fragrant chocolate rose gloss! We love the way the scents play off each other, letting us thoroughly enjoy it each time we hydrate our lips. See the full details on Crunchy Betty.
13. Homemade sparkly strawberry lip balm
Making your own lip gloss is a great idea for many reasons, but one of the best parts is that you have full control over what it’ll look like. Just because you’re going for a more natural recipe that doesn’t involve certain sensitivity triggers you might have doesn’t mean you can’t make yourself a gloss that will grab people’s attention! That’s where this sparkly strawberry gloss from Torie Jayne comes in to save the day. You’ll get the cutest shimmer when you turn and catch the light, and how subtle or stunning it gets is up to you!
14. Sweet manuka honey balm
If you’re looking for a scent that’s very subtle then sweet things are always great options, but even those can be a little bit overwhelming sometimes. Instead of walking around smelling like you rolled in straight up sugar, try making yourself a light manuka honey gloss that will keep things nice and airy and not annoy you when you wear, in case you’re sensitive smells too. Soap Queen has the full ingredient list and tutorial for you.
15. Minty chocolate homemade lip balm
Even if you don’t often indulge in treats and sweet foods themselves, do you quite enjoy using products that at least smell like your favourite treats, since that’s pretty much the second best option? Then you’re going to love this chocolate mint recipe from Crunchy Betty! It’s just minty enough to make your face feel refreshed, but it’s also got a pleasantly sweet undertone that makes it smell so good you’ll hardly resist being able to lick it right off your lips.
Have you made another type of awesome homemade lip balm that you loved using but that you don’t see anything similar to on our list? Tell us all about how you did it or link us to a recipe in the comments section!