Have you ever perused online for a lip balm recipe only to find that many of them fill 6, 12, 24, or even 100 tubes? Have you ever yearned for a different scent or flavor of lip balm but you still have 9 tubes to use up? Perhaps you’re a fellow blogger who’s tired of all the tubes of lip balm left over from previous lip balm tutorials. Or, maybe you found an awesome Pinterest recipe and made some for friends only to have tons left over after the holidays?
Well, if this is you (because it’s certainly me!) then I’ve got you covered! Because I have figured how to make just ONE tube of lip balm at a time so that you can make a new flavor or formula whenever you want. You will no longer have to use the same old lip balm for two years or have to beg your friends and family to take just one more tube off your hands. Nope, those days are over!
How to Make Just One Tube of Lip Balm
I looked online for a recipe like this for a while one day (like seriously I was 12 pages deep in Google) and couldn’t find a single recipe for just one tube of lip balm. I then turned to the various recipes I found online and attempted to divide them into the correct amounts only to find that measuring them out was too much hassle for just one lip balm.
So, I came up with the clever idea to melt down the contents of a brand-new lip balm I had laying around to see how much a single tube holds.
The answer? One teaspoon! That may sound difficult to measure out, but I assure you it’s easy!
Here are the ingredients you need for a super moisturizing and nourishing lip balm:
• ¼ tsp beeswax or candelilla wax for Vegans
• ¼ tsp carrier oil like coconut oil, sweet almond, etc.
• ½ tsp pure shea butter
• 2 drops of essential oil like lavender, peppermint, vanilla, rose otto, jasmine, tangerine, etc. (avoid using phototoxic essential oils lemon, lime, grapefruit, bergamot, etc.)
• 1 empty lip balm tube
• A small pyrex measuring cup
• A small spatula
• A kitchen towel
You can also do a simpler version of ¼ tsp beeswax and ¾ tsp of carrier oil. All you have to remember is that the wax to oil ratio is 1:3.
Loving Preparation – How to Make Just One Tube of Lip Balm
1. Measure out your wax, shea butter, and carrier oil and add them to the pyrex measuring cup.
2. Fill a sauce pan about an inch of water and then place the pyrex measuring cup to the pan.
3. Bring the water to a boil and wait for the ingredients to melt completely, stirring on occasion to mix.
4. Prepare your lip balm tube (I usually place something underneath it the capture any spills).
5. Once the ingredients have melted, remove from the water bath and place the pyrex on a folded towel to prevent the contents from cooling too quickly.
6. Add your essential oil and stir to mix.
7. Carefully fill your lip balm tube to the top and let it cool completely before capping. Use the spatula to help scrape the melted ingredients from the sides if needed.
8. Wipe the outside of the tube to remove any oils and then label it.
9. Enjoy your singular tube of lip balm!
To make this even EASIER, just add the wax, shea butter, and carrier oil to a pyrex measuring cup and pop it in the microwave for 10-15 second increments until completely melted. Add your EOs, mix, and pour. Viola!
I hope you give this a try! Let me know if you do in the comments below!
Don’t miss out on my other DIY beauty tutorials:
How to Make Lip Balm
Homemade Skin Brightening Mask
6 Skincare Tips That Cleared My Acne Naturally
All Natural Bath Bomb Recipe
Thyme Serum for Acne Free Skin
I just made this, and doubled the recipe in order to make 2 tubes of lip balm – used 1/2tsp wax and 2tsp carrier oil – and it didn’t even fill an entire tube! How is everyone making a full tube of lip balm with this recipe?
Excellent now I can make just 1. Thank you!!!
You’re so welcome, B!
Why no lemon, bergamot, other types of citrus?
Citrus oils react harshly in direct sunlight and will cause your skin to sunburn.
Not all citrus and not if properly diluted. Look for bergapten-free Bergamot and Google Sun-safe Dilution. The orange family is safe (still dilute properly).
I’d like to try this but I have a question, would it be possible to just leave the butter part out all together?
Hi Chyna!
You can leave out the butter, just sub with more carrier oil 🙂
Thank you! This is great and I love the feel on my lips! How do you suggest I adjust the measurements to make a larger batch (25 tubes)
Hi Sonia!
Let’s see, I think it would be:
2 TB plus 1/4 teaspoon of carrier oil
2 TB plus 1/4 teaspoon of beeswax
4 TB plus 1/2 teaspoon of shea butter
50 drops of essential oil
You are awesome for putting this out. Especially love that you say coconut or almond oil. So many recipes use coconut and I’m not a fan of it. Now I can try out all the different flavors I want.
You’re welcome, Leslie! In fact, you can use any carrier oil you like as the base 🙂
That seems like a large amount of peppermint oil! I don’t want it to burn my lips. I’m new to essential oils. Will it be too much?
Hi Marissa!
Add two drops!
THANK YOU !! THANK YOU!! I have been looking at lip balm recipes for a while now but, as you said, I didn’t want 25-100 tubes of it. Just made my first tube using your recipe with peppermint oil. I LOVE IT! It took less than 10 minutes including clean up. I will never buy lip balm again!
YAY!! So glad you like it! 😀
Gosh, you saved my life one million times!!! This is not only perfect for the amounts, but for the ingredients!!! I was desperately looking for a recipe using shea butter. Besides, all the other I found were with coconut oil – it doesn’t go with my skin. Yours were the only one that specified ‘carrier oil’. Thank you from here to eternity, Lady!!!!
Oh my goodness! I’ve been wishing for this. I just made 1 tube of Lip Balm! Thank you for publishing that.
You’re welcome Carol! I was tired of having so many lip balms lying around and friends and family were soon overrun as well! Glad I could help 🙂
What can replace Shea butter with?
Hi Oliver!
You can use any other butter or carrier oil like cocoa butter, mango butter, sweet almond oil, coconut oil, etc. 🙂
I have all these ingredients and was wondering if I could also add cocoa butter as well? Im not sure if i should leave it out or not. Thanks!
Absolutely!
I know it wouldn’t be the same, but since I don’t have any essential oils could this be made without it? I’m eager to make some lip balm.
Hi Debbie!
Yes! You can definitely make this without essential oils 🙂
Just made a single lip balm, it is fantastic. Feels very good on my lips. I added a few drops of vitamin e and some lipstick color from an old tube.
Awesome Fran! So glad you liked it! <3
Oh my gosh! Thank you so much! Been looking for this for days!
Woohoo!! So glad you found it Denise! 🙂
Microwaving doesn’t compromise the integrity of any of the ingredients?
Hi Cindy!
It can to a degree if you microwave for long periods of time. I usually only use the microwave when I’m in a pinch for lip balm.
I just started getting into making lotions/bath soaks/lip balms. This is so perfect for playing with different essential oils in lip balms with out using up a lot of product. Thank you so much!
You’re very welcome! I have never liked having too many of the same thing lying around, and being a blogger you can only imagine how much stuff can build up! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Hi, can’t wait to try this! Just a note: The ratio is 1:3 not 1:4. (1 part wax to 3 parts oil or… 1/4 tsp wax to 3/4 tsp oil)
LOL! Thanks for catching that Karen! 🙂
Good to know for the “base” recipe. I subbed in Argan Serum and Argan butter…