There is a variety of lipstick recipes available in books and online. As long as you aren't afraid to experiment, you can make everything from matte lip gloss to natural lip balm in the comfort of your own home.
Making Your Own Lipstick
There is a litany of reasons why people make their own lipstick. In addition to saving money, following simple lipstick recipes gives you the chance to develop your own one-of-a-kind lip color and flavor. Lipstick is an invaluable component of a woman's cosmetic collection. Most girls willingly admit that they wouldn't dream of leaving their homes without applying a coat or two of their favorite lipstick, so imagine the thrill of being able to make your own lip color creations without breaking the bank. Fortunately, you don't need a degree in chemistry to follow lipstick recipes. Homemade lipsticks are easy to make and require just a few ingredients.
Begin with a Base
At the root of lipstick recipes is the base. To create lipstick from scratch you will need a base. You can either make your own or purchase ready-made bases in lipstick making kits. The bases are basically yellowish paste, which can be used in recipes for lipsticks, lip balms and lip gloss. Some ingredients used in standard lipstick bases include:
- Beeswax
- Canuba wax
- Vitamin E acetate
- Castor oil, grape seed oil or other kind of oil
- Vaseline
The base ingredients are mixed with a variety of other products to create lipsticks that include your own personal stamp.
Popular Lipstick Recipes
One of the beauties of experimenting with lipstick recipes is that you get to choose your own ingredients. You can make rare lipstick shades and unique flavors that aren't sold commercially. Once you get started you'll discover that making your own lipstick is quick, easy, cost effective, and most of all, fun.
Some popular lipstick recipes include:
Beet Red Lipstick
Ingredients:
- 1/4-cup beeswax
- 1/4-cup castor oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- Beet juice
Directions: Melt beeswax over medium high heat, and then add oils. Next, add as much beet juice as needed for desired color.
Sheer Lipstick
Ingredients:
- 2 ounces beeswax
- 2 ounces grape seed oil
- 1 ounce wheat germ oil
- 4 teaspoon lip-safe mica colorant
Directions: Melt the beeswax in a double boiler. Once fully melted, add the grape seed and wheat germ oil. Pour colorant into the double boiler and stir well. Allow mixture to rest until it begins to thicken slightly. Pour finished mixture into plastic lipstick molds.
Matte Lipstick
Ingredients:
- 4 ounces Castor oil
- 4 ounces Jojoba oil
- .5 ounces beeswax
- 1-ounce candelilla wax
- 1/4-ounce wheat germ oil
- 8 teaspoons of lip-safe mica
Directions: Melt the waxes in a double boiler. Next, add the castor and jojoba oils. In a separate bowl, add the lip-safe mica to the wheat germ oil. Mix well, making sure there are no clumps. This is your colorant.
Add the colorant mixture into the double boiler and mix thoroughly. Remove the mixture from the double boiler and let sit until mixture begins to cool and thicken. Once the lipstick is cool, pour into jars or plastic tubes.
Lipstick-Making Tips
Once you get the hang of making your own lipstick you can swap out ingredients to make unique shades and textures. Basic ingredients, such as castor, grape seed and wheat germ oil can be found at drug and health food stores. Mica pigments can be ordered online.
For best results, take time to test out the pigment combinations on a knife or chopstick before using them to make lipstick. Also, consider purchasing plastic lipstick molds, which open at the sides, so your lipstick is easy to remove. In addition, if you insist on creating lipstick that look professionally made, take a cigarette lighter and burn the top of the lipstick to melt it into the desired shape.
