I have a teenage daughter who plays saxophone and flute. She’s thriving in ways that differ from me, and I love watching her grow. One downside of wind instruments: they often leave her with very chapped lips and irritated skin around the mouth. That inspired me to create a gentle lip scrub to remove dead skin without aggravating tender tissue.
I also make my own tinted lip balm for a simpler morning routine. Instead of applying a balm and then a separate color product, I tint Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm so I get hydration and color in one step. It saves time while keeping lips moisturized and protected.
Why make your own lip products
Making your own lip care lets you know exactly what you put on your lips. Because lip products can be ingested, ingredient safety is especially important. Unlike other skincare, lip products can enter the body when we lick or swallow, so choosing safe, simple ingredients matters.
Recipes in this article
- GIY Coconut Oil Lip Scrub Recipe
- GIY Tinted Lip Balm Recipe
GIY Lip Scrub
Lip scrubs help restore soft, healthy lips by gently removing dead skin. This is a choose-your-own-adventure recipe: mix and match simple pantry ingredients to suit your preferences. It also makes a thoughtful homemade gift.
The version below uses just a few food-safe ingredients—coconut oil and a fine exfoliant—so ingestion risk is low. Still, you’ll want to enjoy it sparingly rather than eat it with a spoon.
How a lip scrub works
Scrubs remove excess dead skin that clings to living skin. Dead skin can’t stretch, so it limits movement and can cause cracking and pain. Exfoliating gently removes that dead layer, allowing the living skin to move and heal. Lips dry out faster than other skin because they lack sweat and sebaceous glands, so regular gentle care helps maintain softness.
Ingredients:
The exfoliant – sugar, baking soda, or colloidal oatmeal
The exfoliant is the active ingredient. For lips, use a very fine exfoliant because lip skin is thin and sensitive. Superfine or baker’s sugar works well; you can make regular sugar finer in a food processor or coffee mill. Powdered sugar is usually too fine and won’t exfoliate effectively. Baking soda is a milder, less sweet option. Colloidal oatmeal (finely ground oats) adds soothing, nourishing properties—grind rolled oats to a fine flour if needed.
The base – Dr. Bronner’s Virgin Coconut Oil
Virgin coconut oil acts as a gentle base that replenishes and protects lips as you exfoliate. If the coconut oil is solid, melt or liquefy it briefly so it blends evenly with the exfoliant.
The nourisher – honey, sweet almond oil, jojoba oil
Optional nourisher ingredients like honey, sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil help replace lipids and attract moisture, improving softness and resilience. They’re not required but make a lovely addition.
The flavor – extracts, spices, and more
Optional flavorings let you personalize your scrub: cocoa powder, peppermint or orange extract, or cozy spices can add a pleasant scent and taste. Experiment with small amounts to find combinations you enjoy.
GIY Coconut Oil Lip Scrub Recipe
Ingredients
2 Tbsp. (30 g) exfoliant: superfine sugar, baking soda, or colloidal oatmeal
1 tsp. (5 ml) Dr. Bronner’s Virgin Coconut Oil, liquified
½ tsp. (2.5 ml) optional nourisher: honey, sweet almond oil, or jojoba oil
Flavor options — ideas to try:
- Chocolate: ½ tsp. (2.5 g) cocoa powder
- Mexican chocolate: ½ tsp. (2.5 g) cocoa powder + a pinch of cinnamon
- Mint chocolate: ½ tsp. (2.5 g) cocoa powder + a drop of peppermint extract
- Pumpkin pie: 1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
- Orange creamsicle: 1 drop orange extract + 1 drop vanilla extract
- Sunburst: 1 drop orange extract + 1 drop peppermint extract
How to:
1. Mix all ingredients to form a thick, dough-like paste. Transfer to an airtight container for storage.
2. To use, pinch off a small amount and massage gently into lips, then wipe away excess. Apply a protective lip balm afterward.
Use once or twice a week. This scrub is especially effective as an overnight treatment when followed by a generous layer of balm so lips can absorb nourishment while you sleep.
GIY Tinted Lip Balm
Creating a tinted lip balm is an easy way to combine color and moisture in one product. By tinting an existing lip balm base you can customize shades and make attractive gifts. People often react with surprise when I reveal a tinted tube of Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm—because the base itself isn’t tinted, but you can tint it yourself.
Ingredients
The base – Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm
Use Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm as the base. Melt it gently to mix in colorants—this avoids the need to formulate a new base from scratch and preserves the balm’s conditioning properties.
The colorants – lipstick, blush powder, oil-soluble edible powders
Colorants that work well include a small slice of lipstick, pressed blush, or oil-soluble edible powders like cocoa or certain hibiscus or rose powders. Ensure ingredients are safe for lips and, ideally, ingestible. Powders must be oil-soluble to mix smoothly; test by rubbing a bit of powder with olive or coconut oil—if it blends without grit, it should work. Avoid powders that remain gritty or dyes that might stain lips unevenly.
Adjust the amount of colorant to reach the desired shade.
Tools
Double boiler: Melt the balm gently over simmering water to avoid overheating. A heatproof measuring cup placed over a pot works well for pouring back into tubes or tins.
Tiny funnel: Helpful for returning the melted mixture into a lip balm tube with precision. If you don’t have one, pour into a small tin instead.
GIY Tinted Lip Balm Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tube Dr. Bronner’s Organic Lip Balm (any flavor)
- Colorant — starting points (adjust to preference):
- ¼ tsp. (about a ¼-inch / 6 mm slice) softened lipstick
- 1/16 to 1/8 tsp. (0.3–0.6 g) oil-soluble powder such as blush, cocoa, or edible hibiscus powder
How to
1. Unscrew the tube and remove the balm. Use a toothpick to scrape any remaining product from the cartridge. Push the cartridge back into the tube so it sits at the bottom.
2. Melt the balm gently in a double boiler.
3. Stir in the chosen colorant until the mixture is uniform. A thin utensil like a chopstick works well.
4. Carefully pour the tinted balm back into the tube using a tiny funnel or transfer it into a small tin.
5. Chill in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes to set, then store at room temperature.
Shelf Life of GIY Lip Scrub & GIY Tinted Lip Balm
Although no formal shelf-life testing was performed, these simple, pantry-based formulations should keep for many months when stored in a cool, dry place.
Now it’s your turn!
Which recipe will you try first? I’d love to hear how you customize the scrub or tinted balm and what combinations you create.
Further reading:
- GIY Coconut Sugar Scrub
- 3 GIY Castile Soap Scrubs
- Healthy Hand & Foot Care
- GIY (Green-It-Yourself) with Non-Toxic DIY Recipes for Cleaning & Body Care