As part of my switch from commercial products to natural ones, I started looking in my makeup case for things that I could trade out. I recently had to throw away all my lipstick because it had gone rancid, so it seemed like a good idea to look into a natural replacement. I looked online and natural lipsticks tend to run $8-10 per tube. I thought that was nuts. I don’t even pay that much for the commercial stuff. So I did some research and found that you can make lipstick and lip gloss at home very inexpensively. I figured it was worth a shot to try it.

What you see in the photo are the three colors that I made. I know they look very similar in the photo, but they’re actually quite different on the lips. The top one is very pale and super shimmery. The one on the left is a rich brownish-red and the one on the right is a shimmery copper. The recipe I used for these is not the same as the ones I found online, but I was missing some of the ingredients that are commonly used. I figured that what I could make with what I had would be good enough, and I was right.

My lipstick is made with four ingredients: coconut oil (from the grocery store), unrefined shea butter, IQ Naturals Mineral Powder and bubble gum drops. In each container I put 4 drops of coconut oil, one drop of bubble gum oil, then filled the rest almost to the top with shea butter. I used a knife tip to scoop a small amount of the powder into the container and then mixed well. I kept testing the color on the back of my hand and added more powder until I got the color I wanted. That’s all there is to it. Now, in the future, I’m going to do this a little differently. It works well, but I’d like it to be easier to apply, so I’m going to order some white bees wax and add that to make it thicker. Oh, and don’t skip adding something that will scent the lipstick. Unrefined shea butter does not smell good, and it’s right there under your nose. If you use cocoa or cinnamon or things like that for color, that might scent the lipstick enough, but I’m not sure. I’m going to be making some beet root lipstick this week, but I haven’t done any other food-based colorings.

I know some people might find it weird to use mineral makeup to make lipstick, but I figured it made sense. I bought my mineral makeup kit back in October 2012 and I still haven’t used it all up. The eyeshadows and blush were too sparkly for my taste, so they’ve gone unused. They were, however, the perfect colors for my lips. They’re 100% natural minerals, so I had no fear of the safety of using them. I’ve been putting these on my lips for days with no ill effects. I like that they have sparkle too. I really don’t know what I would have to buy to make a food-based lipstick sparkle like that, and I’m a big fan of shimmery lipsticks. This lipstick is also really moisturizing, not drying like most commercial lipsticks I’ve owned.

This particular blend is quite shiny even without the sparkle. The coconut oil makes it glossy. If you want a more matte look I’d put less or no coconut oil. This can be applied with your finger or a lip brush. If you want it to be more solid you’d have to add bees wax. As I said, I’ll be doing that to future batches. I’m happy with these results though. I know not everyone has mineral makeup to use, but for anyone who does, this would be a good trick. Of course, I recommend trying the IQ Naturals mineral makeup. It’s really great and less than half the cost of BareMinerals and Bare Escentuals. I know that fans of Bare Minerals slam IQ Naturals, but I’m hooked. I love how light and natural it looks and how inexpensive it is. I also like that it never damages my skin like the regular makeups I used to buy did.

Briana Blair

Briana Blair is an author and artisan. She has published more then 30 books and thousands of articles across multiple sites. After practicing Paganism and witchcraft for 25 years, she's now on a journey as an atheist and skeptic. She's eclectic, unpredictable, and always evolving. Facebook - Twitter