How To Create Lip Product Recipes

If you’re a DIY diva, you’ve probably sampled more than your fair share of the product recipes on the internet and thought, “I can do better than that.” You absolutely can! The beauty of lip gloss and balm is that the basics are simple, and you can build from there for higher quality, different effects, and better style. Learning how to create lip product recipes is a trial-and-error process, and honestly—even the errors are fun to make, too.

The Recipe Outline

Your recipe should fill in the details of this structure, adding ingredients, techniques, and steps to make it your own. Take plenty of notes, so you remember what works and what you should never attempt again.

1. Create a base.
2. Heat until melted.
3. Add moisturizers, pigment, and flavors as desired.

Start With a Theme

If you don’t have at least some sort of focus, your recipes could get out of hand. For instance, creating “The Best Lip Gloss Ever” might require more time than you can spare before lunch. Do yourself a favor and limit your goals to something more attainable. You can find inspiration from other recipes online, putting your own twist on them. Or you can create your dream product, the one thing you can’t seem to find on the market. Maybe you want to make something that glows in the dark, or captures the exact shade of strawberry cheesecake melting under a Tucson sunset. Maybe you want lip gloss that tastes like peanut butter. We’re not here to judge, just to help get you started on your quest.

Do Some Research

There are safety concerns involved when you’re pioneering a beauty product. For starters: will your recipe kill anyone? Do a little homework so you’re confident you don’t use any dangerous ingredients. Are they fine to ingest and apply to your skin? How much is too much? You’ll soon learn that words like “pure,” “natural,” and “organic” don’t really mean anything when it comes to cosmetics; there’s no legal standard for those labels.

Assemble Your Tools

You can’t create a recipe in your mind; you have to get a little sloppy in the “lab.” Your lab is simply a clean and sterilized surface, probably your kitchen table. You’ll need to have all your equipment at hand, because you don’t want to go rummaging through drawers with honey all over you. Start with these tools:

• Microwave-safe bowls
• Pot holders or oven mitts
• Spoons and spatulas
• A plastic syringe
• Cute lip gloss tubes or balm containers
• Disposable gloves, paper towels, makeup wipes, and anything you think will protect your belongings and home. Pro tip: TV’s “Dexter” always covered the whole room in plastic wrap if he planned to make a mess.

Then, lay out a selection of ingredients you’d like to try in your recipe. Even natural foods you find in your kitchen can be harmful if used incorrectly, so check with the FDA’s guidelines. Steer clear of anything water-based or be prepared to add preservatives to your product to keep it from expiring too quickly.

Choose a Base

If you’re starting out, you can cut to the chase with an all-in-one balm or gloss kit that does most of the base work for you. A specially made base like Versagel can cut out several steps and ingredients in your pursuit of the right finish and texture. Otherwise, you can experiment with different waxes, butters, and plant oils to form your base. A few to try:

• Beeswax
• Soy wax
• Shea butter
• Cocoa butter
• Mango butter
• Sweet almond oil
• Coconut oil
• Castor oil
• Hemp oil

Add Moisturizers

A few more ingredients can tailor your lip product to target certain problems; for instance, carrot oil has antibacterial, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory properties. It is also antifungal and prevents cracking at the corners of your mouth. Shea butter can provide protection from the sun up to 8 SPF, and emptying a capsule or two of vitamin E can generate new skin cells and soften your lips. You can remove some of the guesswork and maximize your product’s healing qualities with specially made mixtures like No Prob-Llama’s Premium Lip Oils Max for Lip Gloss.

Blend in Color

You can keep your lip treatment transparent, or add pigmented ingredients for a more polished look. You have many natural options, including:

• Beetroot powder for red
• Alkanet root for pink
• Annatto seed powder for orange
• Chlorella for green
• Unsweetened cocoa for brown

You could mix in a piece of your favorite lipstick, or experiment with unique ingredients like Kool-Aid powder. If you’re trying to achieve a more complicated color or sparkle, you can use lip-specific DIY products such as No Prob-Llama’s Glitters or Pigment Powders. Some even have a duo-chrome effect, with colors between red and blue or violet.

Give It Some Flavor

Don’t create a recipe that tastes too good, or you’ll end up licking it off—wasting your new product and drying out your lips. Rather, balm or gloss should have a “flavor” that leaves a hint of scent for a little aromatherapy. No Prob-Llama has a lip gloss flavoring oil for almost any scent imaginable, including a special candy-cane blend that’s perfect for the holidays. Or you can try a few drops of your favorite essential oil; popular choices include vanilla, rose, grapefruit, lemon, and orange.

Perfect the Texture

If you’re making a recipe for balm, you should measure out ingredients for a consistency that will be hard enough for a jar. Even if your concoction gets thinner from oils, you can always pivot to a lip gloss. It just needs to be easy enough to apply, and pleasant enough to wear.

Share With the World

If you want to keep your recipe secret, you can trademark the name, brand, or logo—but not the mixture itself. It’s possible in some cases to patent it, but there are a lot of qualifications and it could take years. Better to add a little more beauty to the world, posting it on social media or online. After all, why learn how to create lip product recipes that no one else gets to make? No Prob-Llama is here to help you with equipment, ingredients, and ideas, so your creativity can take over.