How do they make lip gloss?

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Learn how to make lip gloss that is 100% natural, 100% nourishing and 100% easy to get right! Whether you’re looking for a glossy clear lip gloss or a hint of rosy color-this post has you covered! This homemade lip gloss recipe contains all natural ingredients like sweet almond oil, castor oil, kokum butter and beeswax. This formulation comes together to give you a glossy, moisturizing lip gloss you’ll love!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links, meaning, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Learn more

Learning how to make lip gloss is not only simple, it’s a fool-proof DIY recipe that can’t go wrong. You’ll be thrilled at the final product and your lips will also thank you!

Why Make Your Own Lip Gloss:

Since many lip glosses contain questionable ingredients such as petroleum jelly, and synthetic emulsifiers. Often the glossy look comes from the ingredient polybutene. Polybutene is classified by the Environment Canada Domestic Substance List as toxic or harmful. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Assessments have strong evidence that Polybutene is a human irritant for products used around the eyes, on the skin, or aerosolized. Polybutene is commonly used as an airplane adhesive. 

Plus, lip products have been found to contain heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and five other metals. This is an issue since the average lip product wearing woman ingests 24-87 milligrams a day.

How to Make Lip Gloss!

What I look for in a lip gloss is shine, a hint of color and long wearing. I would also like relief from dry lips but often resort to a diy lip balm for that. However, this recipe ticks all the boxes for a perfect natural lip gloss. 

I ended up making 4 different batches of DIY lip gloss. I wanted to figure out how to get the glossiest finish with the prettiest color. As you can see from my pictures, I have a ton of lip glosses! While I came up with several different colors, the colors are all very subtle. However, I will let you know below how to achieve the colors I ended up with.

I also played with different essential oils as well as different flavored oils.

DIY Lip Gloss Ingredients:

• Sweet Almond Oil is an easy to find carrier oil. It is light yet nourishing. It is also light in color which is a must when trying to achieve different lip gloss colors. Coconut oil is also a clear/white oil. However, it is not as moisturizing as I’d like in a lip product. If you aren’t concerned about a clear oil, you could use avocado oil, olive oil, sunflower oil, jojoba oil, grapeseed oil etc.
• Castor oil is a thick, clear oil that is often used in lip gloss recipes because it gives that lip gloss a glossy finish and has great staying power since it tends to be a thicker oil. Vitamin E oil is another thick oil that could be a good option if you don’t have castor oil. 
• I used kokum butter because it is a white butter. Again, I didn’t want the yellow you get from shea butter or cocoa butter. However, my first batch did have shea butter but I tinted it with mica powder.
• I also opted for white beeswax rather than yellow. Beeswax is what thickens up the oils and butters and provides a protective layer over the lips. There is no alternative-it’s a must!
• To scent or flavor your homemade lip gloss, you can use your favorite essential oils or you can use different flavors used to make candy. I added cinnamon essential oil to one batch for a little lip plumping action!
• Coloring a lip gloss can be done several different ways. Mica powder (iron oxides) are the most effective way to get color. A sliver of lipstick works well too. Natural ingredients like beetroot powder or cocoa powder can also be used but I find those leave a gritty texture. You can also use blush or eye shadow to color your lip gloss.

What You Need to Make DIY Lip Gloss:

I found this huge set of different lip gloss containers that would be so cute for my DIY Lip Oil or this recipe!

How to Make Lip Gloss

Yield:

5 lip gloss tubes

Prep Time:

20 minutes

Total Time:

20 minutes

Learn how to make a lip quenching, shiny lip gloss that contains only natural ingredients you can feel good about!

Materials

• 2 TBSP. Castor Oil
• 1 TBSP. Sweet Almond Oil
• 1 TBSP. Kokum Butter
• 1/2 TBSP. White Beeswax
• 1/8 tsp. Mica Powder *optional*
• 1/4-1/2 inch of Lip Stick *optional*
• 5 drops Essential Oils *optional*
• 10 drops Candy Flavor *optional*

Tools

• Lip Gloss Tubes
• Small Funnels
• Small Pot/Glass Pyrex Measuring Cup (double boiler)

Instructions

1. Fill a small pot half way full with water and place a glass pyrex measuring cup inside.
2. Add oils, butter, color (lipstick sliver or mica powder) and beeswax to the glass cup and allow to melt.
3. Once melted, remove from heat and add flavoring or essential oils.
4. Using your small funnel, pour into lip balm tubes, replace the cap and let cool.

Notes

• In the recipe, I add different options for getting colored lip gloss. I don't mean for you to use all of them in one batch.
• I also intend for you to choose either essential oils or candy flavoing oil. Not both in one batch.
• I used squeeze tube containers as well as actual lip gloss applicators. Both were incredibly easy to work with. I will say, the squeeze tubes worked best for this diy project.

Did you make this product?

Please leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Facebook

Use a homemade lip scrub to make lips smoother and plumper before wearing lip gloss!

Different DIY Lip Gloss Color Options:

• The best way to tint your lip gloss is by using cosmetic grade mica powder. It blends beautifully and adds zero texture to your gloss. There are many colors available and a little tub will last you forever.
• Eye shadow or blush powder works well too but you do run the risk of grit depending on the quality of the makeup you use.
• A chunk of lipstick is your best bet on actually getting color to transfer to your lips. If you are looking for a colored lip gloss, I would go the lipstick route and add 1/4-1/2 an inch of lipstick to your lip gloss mixture. I added less than that and it barely tinted my lips. AND-I used a bright red!
• You can always use no color for a clear lip gloss.

Despite the vibrant colors you see in my pictures, that color does not transfer much to the lips. If you’re looking for a lipgloss with obvious color, I suggest using much more of whatever type of color you choose. 

I had a lot of fun playing with different colors and proportions! Even though, my lip glosses didn’t end up having much color, the finished lip gloss turned out so pretty.

You might be interested in my Vegan Lip Gloss recipe with beet root. It has a gorgeous natural color but as mentioned, beet root does leave your lip gloss a little gritty.

I’ve also tinted lip balm/gloss with crushed, dehydrated raspberries! Now that was one yummy DIY!

You might also enjoy browsing all my homemade lip balm recipes!

What About A Preservative?

Since we are only using oil based ingredients, you do not need to add a preservative. Your homemade lip gloss shelf life is around 6 months.

This recipe makes 4-5 tubes of lip gloss containers. They are the perfect gift!!

As you can see, the lip gloss base recipe contains totally natural, simple ingredients. You can tweak the colors and scents to your own liking. I know you’re going to love making this DIY lip gloss recipe. It is so nourishing to the lips and gives that glossy look many of us are after!

I’ve made so many tubes, now I’ve got to figure out what to do with them! I only have so many family and friends-lol!

I hope you enjoyed learning how to make lip gloss!

xx, Jenni

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Between the current '90s revival and the ever-increasing popularity of minimalistic, fresh-faced makeup, lip gloss is enjoying a wave of popularity that's not likely to ebb as we head into summer. Lip gloss emphasizes shine over color, and is a must-have for your makeup kit––but what is lip gloss made of exactly? Here's a quick intro to the composition of lip gloss, what to look for when shopping, and a few of our favorite lip gloss picks.

What Is Lip Gloss Made Of?

Like any makeup product, lip gloss can vary significantly when it comes to formula, but there are a few key components that tend to be found in nearly all iterations. The first of these ingredients is emollients. These are the oils that give lip gloss its slick, wet texture, and shine. Depending on the quality of the lip gloss, these oils may be synthetic or (as is the case with natural and organic lip glosses) ingredients like coconut oil, jojoba oil, and vitamin E.

One of the features that sets lip gloss apart from lipstick is that the latter tends to rely more on wax than on oil, which creates a firmer, less slippery texture. However, one of the other key ingredients that lip gloss is made of is thickeners. These include waxes and clays, which can be either natural or synthetic, that help the lip gloss to stay put on your lips without dripping or smearing. While lipstick generally tends to have more staying power than lip gloss based on its composition, a well-made lip gloss will hold up over the course of a party or meeting thanks to its balance of oil and wax.

Beyond these basic ingredients, lip gloss often includes coloring agents. Tinted lip glosses can rely on either traditional dyes or natural elements like fruit extracts to achieve the desired shade. For glittery glosses, ingredients like iron oxide or mica are often included.

What Is Iron Oxide?

Iron oxide is a naturally occurring mineral deposit that can be used as pigment in cosmetic products. Depending on the type of iron oxides used, the color may range from red to orange, yellow, and even black.

Additional ingredients vary by product, and can range from sweeteners in flavored lip gloss to sunscreen in UV products. If you’re curious about a particular product, the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database is a great resource for researching toxic ingredients.