This peppermint cocoa lip balm was just supposed to be a peppermint lip balm, but my cocoa butter (USA / Canada) had more ambitious plans. It is a beautiful, fragrant cocoa butter (USA / Canada), and in the end I got a lip balm that smells like a delicious little Girl Guide cookie. It glides on like a dream, and smells utterly delicious.
You may or may not remember a line of body products from the early 2000’s developed using Jessica Simpson’s name—they all reeked of cake, cookie dough, frosting, or some other sugary concoction. I say reeked because they were all scented with potent fragrance oils that left the wearer smelling like a bakery employee for hours.
I remember babysitting for a family that had a tub of the cake batter scented body lotion, and just smelling it, confused—was I supposed to spread it on my skin or eat it? In the end I opted for neither. Anyhow, the point is that this delicious lip balm will not leave you smelling like a top-selling Girl Guide cookie vendor—it will simply leave you happy, and perhaps craving a Girl Guide cookie (or three). Between the slight tingle from the peppermint essential oil (USA / Canada) and the fantastic scent, I promise it will become a fast favourite.
Peppermint Cocoa Lip Balm
10g | 0.35oz beeswax (USA / Canada)
12g | 0.42oz virgin coconut oil
7g | 0.25oz raw cocoa butter (USA / Canada) (the more fragrant, the better)
19g | 0.67oz sweet almond oil (USA / Canada)
1g | 0.03oz vitamin E oil
20 drops peppermint essential oil (USA / Canada)Weigh the beeswax, coconut oil, cocoa butter (USA / Canada), sweet almond oil (USA / Canada), and Vitamin E MT-50 (USA / Canada) out into a heat resistant glass measuring cup. Place the measuring cup in a saucepan of barely simmering water to melt the oils.
Stir in the peppermint essential oil (USA / Canada) using a flexible silicone spatula. Pour the melted lip balm into ten or eleven lip balm tubes and let cool. I like to use these labels to label my projects.
Don’t have the carrier oils called for in the recipe? Read this for a guide on how to choose appropriate alternatives.
hey! Can’t wait to try this one. Do you know how many tubes of lip balm this makes? 🙂
It makes about ten 4.5g tubes 🙂
Hey Marie! can i use mica powder for the coloring?
Yup! I’d start ~1%, and please read this FAQ 🙂
Also, can I substitute the cocoa butter for mango butter? 🙂
I’m looking to make something more neutral smelling, so I can add coconut and lime essential oils for a coconut/lime lip balm. 😀 If so, how many drops of lime essential oil, and coconut fragrant oil would you recommend for this recipe?
Hey Sahar—Sadly, you definitely cannot swap out the cocoa butter for mango butter. Read my article on carrier oil substitutions for more information. Also… there is no such thing as coconut essential oil 🙁 You either have to use the fake stuff, or get great virgin coconut oil and hope the scent comes through. And lime essential oil (along with all citrus essential oils) will make your skin more sensitive to the sun and you are pretty much guaranteed a sunburn if you put it in your lip balm… so I wouldn’t recommend doing that 🙁 I do find that in general, though, about 20 drops of EO is enough for this recipe.
I just made these tonight. I handed them out to some coworkers with strict instructions on “freebies for feedback” though personally I already love this recipe. This is the first thing from your site I’ve actually made and I was amazed at how easy and quick it was. The pnly difficulty I encountered was after I heated a measuring cup in the oven to warm up I set it down and when I went to pick it back up I had forgotten to use a potholder and burned myself a little. Oops.
Awesome! I’m thrilled to hear that, Victoria 🙂 I am still madly in love with this lip balm, and I don’t see how anybody couldn’t love it (though I guess I am a little biased). You should try some body butter now if you haven’t already—it’s the same melt together and pour philosophy, so it’s both fun and easy!
Have you experimented with a balm for fellas? I’m trying to make one that minimizes shine…any ideas?
If you’re trying to minimize shine, you’ll want to work with butters and oils that absorb quickly, and aren’t too liquidy (like coconut oil, which goes straight to a shimmery liquid when it melts on the skin). Check out my article on carrier oil substitutions for some ideas. My shea butter and cupuacu lip balms are the two least shiny ones I’ve made so far.
Thanks so much! Neglected to say how much I love your blog. Great ideas, great writing and a glimpse from my homeland (I was born and raised in Edmonton but now live on the East Coast of the US.) Thanks again!
Thanks, Carolyn 🙂 And, I believe as a Calgarian I am supposed to congratulate you on your escape from Edmonton, but mostly I’m just jealous that your weather is likely much better, and your days longer (we’re down to about 9 hours of daylight a day right now, booooo).
I promise to inform the Minister of Albertan Rivalries that you’ve fulfilled your duties! 🙂 Thanks again for your help – and for all the great ideas!
Thanks! I look forward to getting my tax rebate for that 😛
Does it need to be sweet almond oil? what is the difference between almond oil and sweet almond oil?
It doesn’t need to be sweet almond oil—apricot kernel, jojoba, and olive oil are all good alternatives. You can check out my article on carrier oil substitutions for more options 🙂 As for almond vs. sweet almond oil, I’ve never seen just almond oil sold on any of my DIY ingredient websites—it’s always “sweet”. Sweet Almond oil is from Prunus dulcis, and those are the almonds we eat, so I’m going to guess they are likely the same thing. It’s possible plain ol’ Almond oil could be from bitter almonds (Prunus dulcis var. amara), but Wikipedia tells me those are pretty rare (partially because they contain cyanide in their raw form, and also because they sound like they taste awful lol).
hello marie, i would love to know what the measurements are for making just one lipbalm tube… ?
Hmm. Well, first off, you will need a postage scale. Something that will measure down to the 0.01g. Then, divide all of these measurements by 10. But seriously, why just one tube? Even if you just have one tube to put the mixture in, make more and store it in another container in the fridge. Then just melt it down and re-fill the tube as needed. Or get more tubes… they’re about $0.15/each.
I live in the US and am wantign to try some of your recipes. My quesion is regardign the measurements in grams are you weighing the ingredients or are you using a measuring spoon/tool? Just lookignto convert to US measurements if you are no measuring by weight.
Thank you!
Hi Sheila! A gram is a unit of weight (approximately 1/28oz), so I do everything by weight. It is much easier than using spoons as it is more accurate and generates far fewer dishes! I’ve written a two part intro guide to the metric system here and here to get you started 🙂
Hi Marie, Can I use more cocoa butter? Just that I don’t have any coconut oil and I love it to smell more cocoa. And what’s the ratio?
Thanks
Hi Maysia! Sadly, no—coconut oil and cocoa butter are very, very different, and you cannot use one for the other. You can read more about it here, but it’s basically the melting point & texture differences. If your cocoa butter is highly fragrant you will still have a great, strong chocolate smell, or you can add a drop of cocoa absolute. You can also make my dark chocolate lip balm, though it is much thinner than this one, so more suited to more humid climates.
Thanks for the reply Marie. I need to find my coconut oil very soon. 🙁
At least the quantities for this recipe are small enough that you can use some food grade stuff if you have some in your kitchen 🙂
Hi Marie,
I am big fan of this blog.. I tried the lip balm recipe however i live in India and coconut oil is always in liquid form here.
My lip balm did not have the consistency i needed.. I thought I should have added more beeswax, so I placed the lip balm containers in microwave oven, then added beeswax pallets and stirred using stirrer. After cooling down, i got the lip balm with required consistency, however because of direct heating coconut oil is smelling really bad.. It is equally nourishing though..
Is there any way that I can modify this lip balm and get rid of this smell?..
Hi! Unfortunately, once you’ve scorched or burnt an oil, that’s it 🙁 It’s a chemical reaction, like burning your dinner. That’s why I recommend melting oils and butters in a water bath—that way they can never pass 100 degrees C. Have you looked at my Shea butter lip balm? Shea butter has a melting point closer to 37 degrees, so you might find that works better for you. Thanks so much for reading and DIYing with me, and enjoy that warm weather!
Hi Marie
Yesterday I made these lip balms – my first ever – and they turned out wonderfully (most of them anyway). I encountered 2 minor problems (and this is just due to inexperience), so maybe you can help me.
1) After pouring most of the liquid into the tubes, I thought I’d be frugal and melt the last of the residue in my jug to fill an 11th tube. For some reason, this last balm became too hard and didn’t have the “slip” and gloss all the others had. Could the beeswax have settled at the bottom of the jug and was therefore in higher concentration? How do I prevent this?
2) How on earth do I elegantly clean my jug afterwards?? I’m sure you’ve written many posts about cleaning beeswax residue
Hi Birgit! Yay for homemade lip balm 🙂 I’m not sure why your last tube was so much harder than the others—my hypothesis would be the same as yours. My suggestion would be to stir before pouring, and always line up more tubes than you need so you can do a quick pour and use it all up in one go.
Check out my cleaning tips entry for help with cleaning up afterwards 🙂
Does this melt in hot climate?
I wanna make sure my lip balm doesn’t melt in my purse when it’s 100 degrees out lol.
Now, I don’t want to use zinc oxide… why put on ur lips if u r not supposed to consume!!? Is there any awesome low cost substitution? Coconut oil has SPF 5…raspberry seed oils are too expensive for me. :-/ is SPF 5 really enough for lips?
Thanks!
Hi Muse! I took this lip balm to Costa Rica with me, where it was 40°C, and it was fine 🙂
As for sun protection, I never, ever recommend trying to DIY sunscreen and here’s why.
Hi! I just made the balm today. I just put 2 part beeswax and 1 part everything else lol. Came out exactly the way I want it!
Beeswax doesn’t have SPF does it? Coconut oil only has SPF 5… What do u recommend I add to the mix for some more SPF?
I think I used:
Beeswax 3 Tablespoons, give or take (vitamin A, skin protectant)
Cocoa Butter 1 Tablespoon (vitamin E, antioxidant, skin softener)
Coconut oil 1 Tablespoon (sunscreen, heals skin)
Grapeseed Oil 2 Tablespoons (high in vitamin c)
6 drops of Peppermint essential oil
I have very dry skin so I had to change the recipe around a bit. XD
🙂 Sounds great!
Glad you got something you like!
As for sun protection, I never, ever recommend trying to DIY sunscreen and here’s why.
This is THE. PERFECT. LIP BALM.
I’m so thrilled you like it! It’s easily in my tops as well 🙂
This sounds lovely! Do you think this would also work in like a lip balm jar instead of a tube? Like to apply with your finger?
Of course 🙂 I just don’t like dipping my dirty fingers into things and then rubbing them on my mouth, and a tube is easier than getting up and washing my hands before applying lip balm all the time 😛
Hi, I’m anxiously awaiting my order of lip balm tubes to arrive so I can try making this wonderful sounding project! It will be my first time attempting lip balm and I have what is probably an obvious question. How do you pour the melted mixture into the tubes? Any tricks like using a small funnel, or do you just have a steady hand??? I’m sure I’m over-thinking this in my anticipation… Thanks in advance for any tips!
Hi Becky! I’m so honored to be your first lip balm project 🙂 I like to melt everything together in a Pyrex measuring cup with a spout, and then free pour the melted lip balm into the tubes. I’ve taught workshops where this is the method, and and my students get the hang of it pretty quickly. I like to line the tubes up in a row so they’re touching so it’s easier to move from tube to tube as well 🙂 It’s easier than you think!
Thank you so much. I can picture the exact measuring cup you are describing and will try that. Thanks for all of your great posts and instructions – I’m looking forward to trying this! 🙂
Have fun!
I just had to come back and say that my first batch turned out so well that I’m making another right now to give to friends/family as Christmas (some will be 2nd time recipients who started hinting that their first tubes are now gone 😉 ).Although I haven’t worked up the courage to try anything else just yet, I look forward your new posts each week. Thanks so much for all the work you do on this blog. Happy Holidays!
Yay! I’m so glad it’s such a hit with all your friends and family 😀 Happy homemade gifting and thanks for reading!
Marie,
I thought you might like to know of an alternate use for this wonderful lip balm, so I’m sharing this anecdote: I was flying to Calgary a couple days ago…an early flight. I had to get up at 4 a.m. in order to get to the airport for a 6:20 a.m. flight. There is a Starbucks right beside the gate, so of course, I purchased a bold roast, to help myself wake up. As soon as I’d poured in the cream, I somehow snagged the cup with my hand and there went the coffee! Up my sleeve, over my suitcase, purse, and the floor 🙁 . Argh! My arm was beginning to sting, so I had a look, and there was a bright red streak about 10 cm long, and it was beginning to blister. I couldn’t believe it. I wondered what I might have along with me to ease the pain, and I thought of this lip balm, which I’d made a couple months ago. I rubbed it all along the ‘owie’, and within minutes, no more pain. It is now a couple days since, and the redness is all gone as well.
Thanks so much for sharing, Adrienne! I’m sorry about your burn 🙁 I hope your trip to my ‘hood was a good one, though 🙂
Hi Marie- I love your a site, and I LOVE this lip balm. It is the best! I am making lip balm as a party favor for my friend’s wedding. Do you think I can use this basic recipe but sub the peppermint oil for some other kind of essential oil?
Thanks!!
Hi Jamie! You definitely can, just stay away from EOs that are poisonous, irritating, or sun-sensitizing (citrus).
Hi Marie! I am new to making my own lotions and potions and came upon your bog which I am really enjoying. I am wondering about the virgin coconut oil in this recipe. Is it a solid at room temperature or a liquid? I have this one from new directions aromatics – https://www.newdirectionsaromatics.ca/coconut-virgin-organic-carrier-oil-p-2241.html as well as a fractionated coconut oil as well.
Also, do you have any balance/scale recommendations? Is a 0.01g balance/scale the best to invest in or would a 0.1g balance/scale be sufficient?
Many Thanks in advance.
Yolanda
Hey Yolanda! The one I used is the same one you linked to; it melts around 24°C, so its state depends on the season, but it’s usually solid and definitely has not been fractionated or hydrogenated.
I wrote an FAQ on scale buying that should answer your other question 🙂
Happy making!
Hello! I’ve been making this balm many times and it always turns out great!
I am thinking of switching to carnauba wax for this recipe. From what I see from your FAQ 1:4 – 1:5 should be a suitable ratio for in balm making. Thus I can substitute the 10g beeswax with 10g carnauba wax. Am I right?
Hey M! Not really—carnauba is much stronger than beeswax so a 1:1 swap is not a good idea unless you want a significantly firmer end product. Remember, this lip balm is not made entirely from liquid oils; the butters impact the consistency. Try 60-80% of the amount of beeswax and adjust as needed 🙂
Hi! I made this tonight with my two little girls–ages 6 and 8– and we all love it. The only thing I did, which was kind of stupid, was put the spatula down in the water path and then put it into the oils to stir. Now I’m worried that I contaminated the base with a drop of water and wondering if I need to pitch it all and start again (in secret, so my girls don’t know)? Just worried about bacteria, etc…
Hey Claire! It’s probably fine; with such a small amount of water, any on the surface has likely already evaporated. Because there is no emulsifier in here, you would most likely see droplets of water in the lip balm; it won’t disperse well, if at all! If you notice anything green, throw that tube away, but if it’s just a couple drops, I wouldn’t worry too much 🙂
Thanks so much! We’re all happily using our (hopefully not contaminated) lip balm and really loving it! Also just made your Winter Solstice face cream, which is amazing!!!
Yay! It sounds like the DIY bug has bitten you hard 😉 Thanks for doing some of that DIYing with me!
Can I use Cherry or orange creamsicle essentials oil instead of pepperment,and would i use the same amount of drops (20)Thanks for all that you do. Shairn
Yes, just be sure to refer to the recommended usage rate from your supplier. I’m not familiar with either product; you may find 20 drops is far too much!
Hi, Marie I was wondering how can i swap coconout oil, im pretty sure in canada Coconout oil its hard but i live in a tropical area, about 35 °C maybe hotter, so coconout oil its pretty melted, or maybe i could use more beeswax??
I’d recommend making it as-is first; I’ve taken this lip balm to Costa Rica & Australia and it was fine there! The coconut oil does pretty much nothing for making it solid 🙂
if i want to make 1 tube what Quantity of the ingredients should i use
The batch size would be 4.5g; use the first point in the substitutions list to help you scale to that 🙂
HI WHAT IS THE SHELF LIFE OF THIS PRODUCT?
Hey! You’ll find the answer to your question in my FAQ Happy making!
This will be my first Lip Balm. I make deodorant all the time. i have never made Lip Balm. I am excited. I like my Lip Balm a little firm. I am thinking about adding peppermint & chocolate & a little more beeswax to this recipe. Does that sound ok? Thank You
Hi Rita! I would make this as is since it already contains chocolate, peppermint, and beeswax. If it’s too soft I’d try reducing the liquid oil by 1g and increasing the beeswax by 1g for a future batch 🙂