Ultra Creamy Lip Butter

Lip balm, lip gloss, lipstick, and now lip butter. I have made many different natural lip products over the years to replace every tube of lip product I used to buy. This lip butter is so simple to make with just a few ingredients and melts like butter on your lips, hence the name!

It’s a little more nutritious than other lip balms, so it’s perfect to use when you need hydration.

lip butter vs lip balm

When I first heard the word lip butter, I thought it was a strange name for a lip balm. It turns out there are some differences between the two (albeit more subtle ones). Lip balm combines wax and oil to moisturize your lips. You can use some waxes and oils for lip butters, but you can also add creamier lip butters.

Shea butter, mango butter, cocoa butter, and cupuaku seed butter are some of the favorite butters here. Butter is thicker than liquid oil, but not as hard or waxy as beeswax or candelilla wax. It also has a unique fatty acid profile that is good for your skin and lips.

lip butter ingredients

I’ve kept the ingredient list simple so you don’t have to buy tons of different types of oils and butters to make this. Beeswax helps thicken the consistency, while cocoa butter and mango butter add a luxurious emollient feel. We also included meadowfoam seed oil to improve spreadability and essential oils to add fragrance and effect on the lips.

mango butter

First, there is the mango butter. I like how it feels soft and creamy without being too thick. It’s softer than cocoa butter and feels more like shea butter. Mango butter is one of the few butters that has a slightly bitter taste, so it doesn’t leave your skin or lips feeling overly oily.

You can substitute shea butter, but shea butter has a greater tendency to turn gritty when cooled. A good way to prevent this from happening is to chill products made with shea butter in the refrigerator instead of room temperature.

cocoa butter

I chose cocoa butter because it is harder and makes the lip butter thicker without relying too heavily on beeswax. Cocoa butter is rich in saturated stearic and palmitic fatty acids, which form a lipid barrier and prevent moisture loss. It has a slight chocolate scent and it smells really good!

Meadowfoam seed oil

You may not have used this liquid carrier oil before. It adds a nice lightness to the blend and makes the creamy butter spread more easily on the lips. Meadowfoam seed oil is an emollient that locks in moisture, but is more easily absorbed than heavier carrier oils like olive oil or avocado oil. If you don’t have one on hand, use your favorite liquid carrier oil. However, this will affect the overall absorption and texture of the lip butter.

essential oil

Not only do essential oils smell amazing, but they also add soothing and aromatherapy benefits. Choose lip-safe essential oils that won’t irritate this sensitive area! Oils like cinnamon, lemongrass, clove, and ginger may smell great, but they can cause burning or sensitivity to lip products. And things like lemons and limes can cause phototoxicity (aka sunburn).

Here are some of my favorite lip care essential oils:

• lavender
• sweet orange
• geranium
• mandarin
• neroli
• rose
• spearmint
• mint

I like to use nice smelling essential oils with white chocolate because the cocoa butter gives this lip butter its chocolatey scent. I used lavender in this batch, but peppermint and orange also work really well with cocoa butter.

Another important safety note regarding essential oils is dilution. Typically, the amount of essential oils you use in your lip products depends on the exact essential oil. Nothing in the above list is overly harsh, so 0.5-1% is a good rule of thumb. This recipe makes about 5-10 drops. It may be tempting to add a lot more, but when it comes to essential oils, less is usually more!

Here’s how to make your own lip butter.

Tips for making lip butter

In reality, all we have to do is add everything together, melt it, and pour it into a container. There are no multi-step formulas or complicated steps. I have a heat-safe glass bowl that I only use for DIY items, and I’ll be using it like a double boiler. You can also melt the ingredients in a dedicated mason jar for easier pouring.

I found that the wax/butter residue was easy to wipe off with a paper towel after pouring the product into the container. Don’t go straight for soap and towels for cleaning. Otherwise you will end up with a waxy mess!

Do not store lip butter in hot or humid environments. This will cause the ingredients to break down faster. This includes leaving them in a hot car or in a bathroom with a steamy shower.

Have you ever made your own lip butter or balm before? What is your favorite scent? Let us know by leaving a comment!