This DIY vegan lip balm recipe is easy to make and includes just a handful of ingredients. It forgoes beeswax in favor of camellia wax or carnauba wax and includes other nourishing oils for soft, supple lips.

You'll find this recipe is so simple, it only contains 2-4 ingredients (depending on whether or not you choose to add the optional extras).

Vegan Coconut Lip Balm

This is essentially a vegan coconut lip balm because if the high volume of coconut oil used. In fact, it is really the only oil used! Coconut oil is moisturizing to the skin, and great for lips. It provides a protective layer upon application, and also brings antobacterial properites along with it.

I prefer to use unrefined coconut oil for all recipes. However, if you don't like the coconut scent, choose refined coconut oil instead.

Lip Balm without Coconut Oil

If you'd like to make lip balm without coconut oil, try substituting babassu oil. This semi-solid oil is very similar to coconut oil in that it is solid at room temperature, and melts on contact with the skin.. It's a great sub for coconut oil in just about any skin care recipe.

Learn more about babassu oil here.

Vegan Waxes

The two most common waxes used to make lip balms and other vegan body care recipes are carnauba wax and candelila wax.

Let's take a closer look at each one:

Carnauba Wax

Extracted from the leaves of a Brazilian palm tree (Copernica cerifera), carnauba wax is one of the hardest waxes available. It cannot be substituted 1:1 for beeswax because it is much more firm. When substituting for beeswax, the amount of carnauba wax in used needs to be reduced by at least 20% (you can experiment with the amount. Some cut it to 50%).

Carnauba wax must be heated to 180-185 degrees Fahrenheit in order to melt (which is higher than beeswax). Sure, be sure to warm long enough and hot enough in order to have the best outcome. Wax that is not heated sufficiently could result in a grainy lip balm.

Buy carnauba wax here.

Candelilla Wax

A very popular vegetable wax used in vegan products, candelilla wax imparts gloss and shine to homemade lip balm. It also aids in providing a creamy texture.

Buy candelilla wax here.

DIY Vegan Lip Balm Recipe

Make this quick and easy lip balm with all-natural ingredients.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon candelilla wax or carnauba wax
1 tablespoon coconut oil or babassu oil
1/4 teaspoon shea butter or mango butter
10 drops peppermint essential oil

Directions

Place wax, coconut or babassu oil, and shea/mango butter in a glass measuring cup.

Set cup in a small pot with water.

Warm over low/medium heat until ingredients are melted. Warm a couple of extra minutes to ensure everything is sufficiently melted (to cut down on any possibility of graininess).

Remove from heat and allow to cool briefly.

Add peppermint essential oil and stir to distribute evenly.

Pour into lip balm tubes and refrigerate to aid in rapid cooling which will help prevent graininess in the end product.

Once cool, cap and label.

Troubleshooting and Tips

A few troubleshooting tips to keep in mind:

My lip balm is gritty! What can I do?

If your end product is gritty or grainy it is usually because fat crystals have formed during the cooling process. The best way to avoid this is to make sure the waxes and butters are sufficiently melted AND cool them down quickly.

The quicker the waxes and butters cool, the less chance of the crystals forming.

Even though crystals, grains, or grot impact texture, there is nothing wrong with the product and it can still be used.

Learn more in my post: How to Fix Gritty or Grainy Shea Butter

How to Make Vegan Tinted Lip Balm

If you'd like to turn this recipe into a tinted lip balm, add 1-2 teaspoons of pink or red mica after you have removed the melted ingredients from heat, right before adding the essential oil.

Printable recipe: