How to Make Lip Gloss (Base Recipe + Customizable Color Options)

Sharing is caring!

Would you like to learn how to make lip gloss at home that moisturizes and also looks amazing? Not only will you learn step by step how to create your homemade lip gloss recipe, you will also learn how to make a lip gloss base that can be customized to any color you like!

All you need is a few simple ingredients!

Let’s dive on in!

Lip Gloss Base Options

If you do a quick google search for clear lip gloss base, you will see that the pretty popular lip gloss base, Versagel pops up.

What is Versagel?

Versagel is a thick, sticky lip gloss base that is comparative to retail lip gloss. It is clear in color and contains no odors or scents.

What is Versagel made from?

Versagel is made from Hydrogenated Polyisobutene (and) Ethylene/Propylene/Styrene Copolymer (and) Butylene/Ethylene/Styrene Copolymer.

Although they sound scary, these ingredients all received a rating of 1 in the Skindeep Database.

Versagel is an option if you're in a time crunch and don't want to make your own diy lip gloss base.

But for today's homemade lip gloss recipe, the first step is going to be creating a lip gloss base.

How to Make a Natural Lip Gloss Base

The lip gloss base we're making is going to consist of five natural ingredients:

• Baobab oil
• Babassu oil
• Castor oil
• Meadowfoam Seed oil
• Beeswax

These ingredients are what will give your lip gloss a smooth texture and help keep your lips hydrated!

The first step will be to add the 5 ingredients above to a heat safe beaker or pyrex and place it in a small pot or double boiler.

Once the base ingredients are melted then cooled a little, next comes the fun of adding colors & shimmer!

The bronze mica, white mica, and beetroot extract are your pigment ingredients and are going to be used to give your lip gloss a customized color!

These lip gloss ingredients can be added in a variety of ratios and can be mixed and matched to give your lip gloss base a customized color.

That's the fun of learning how to make lip gloss, you get to customize it for you!

Lip Gloss Squeeze Tubes

Lip gloss tubes are an essential item to have in you’re making your own gloss! There are different types of tubes so be sure to pick a gloss tube style that you like!

This lip gloss recipe is squeeze tube or applicator wand friendly!

Need some help finding lip gloss tubes to buy, check out a few options below: 

• Cosmetic Packaging Company – US
• Amazon– US (these are the tubes I used)

I prefer having a squeezy lip gloss tube so I can give it a quick squeeze now and then to keep everything incorporated.

Lip Gloss Ingredients

We touched a little on the ingredients in your lip gloss base and the options for tinting. Now we're going to take a closer look at why we chose these ingredients. (If you want to learn all about natural skincare ingredients, check out our Ingredient Library…)

The ingredients in this recipe are natural and will help keep your lips hydrated and plump all day long!

• Baobab Oil is a plant based oil that is non-comedogenic and doesn’t leave skin feeling heavy or greasy. It’s hydrating and will help keep your lips plump and smooth! Baobab Oil also helps form a barrier over skin making it a great ingredient to use on your lips. Click here to learn more about the benefits Baobab oil. Jojoba oil or grapeseed oil can replace the baobab oil, if you don't have it on hand.
• Babbasu Oil is a thicker oil with a consistency close to that of coconut oil. It is great for dry skin and relieving mild irritations. If you don't have babbasu oil on hand, feel free to swap it out for coconut oil.
• Castor Oil is high in antioxidants and can help protect skin from free radical damage. It can also moisturize and soothe skin making it perfect for lips that are prone to chapping or peeling. It is one of the key ingredients in our homemade lip gloss base recipe.
• Meadowfoam Seed Oil helps keep skin soft and smooth making it a great choice for use on lips! It helps to balance skin and keep it from becoming too oily or dry. It is used in a lot of lip care products to help heal dry or cracked lips. 
• Beeswax is a popular lip care ingredient! It helps protect lips from dryness, peeling, and chapping while keeping them hydrated. It can help protect lips from environmental damage and UV rays as well. 
• Bronze Mica Powder is a pigment powder that makes products a rich bronze color. A little goes a long way when adding micas to your lip gloss.
• White Mica Powder is a pigment powder that adds a light shimmer effect to cosmetic products.
• Beetroot Extract Powder is a natural pigment that adds a rich red color. We start with a small scoop of powder, but feel free to adjust if you prefer more bold colors.

Lip Gloss Flavor Oils

I haven't included lip gloss flavor oils in this lip gloss recipe, but you can if you'd like. Some ideas of different flavors for lip gloss are vanilla, cherry, and peppermint.

You can add a few drops of your favorite flavor oil to the melted lip gloss base before adding the pigment ingredients.

Some people prefer to use essential oils with a little bit of stevia added for sweetness, but it is completely up to you!

The possibilities are endless!

Now that you know what you need to make your lip gloss, let's get to the recipe!

Lip Gloss Squeeze Tubes

Lip gloss squeeze tubes are an essential item to have if you’re making your own gloss! There are different types of tubes so be sure to pick a gloss tube style that you like!

This lip gloss recipe is squeeze tube or applicator wand friendly!

Need some help finding lip gloss containers to buy, check out a few options below: 

• Cosmetic Packaging Company – US
• Amazon– US (these are the tubes I used)

I prefer having a squeezy lip gloss tube so I can give it a quick squeeze now and then to keep everything incorporated.

I think we've covered everything, so let's get to the lip gloss recipe!

DIY Lip Gloss FAQs

How do you make lip gloss at home?

You can make your very own lip gloss at home using our lip gloss recipe! You’ll need the ingredients listed above as well as a few materials that you probably already have at home! 

What oils do you use for lip gloss?

For our lip gloss recipe you’ll need baobab oil, castor oil, meadowfoam oil, and coconut oil. All of these oils are hydrating and can protect lips from damage!

What ingredients should not be in lip gloss?

There are a lot of ingredients that we like to steer clear of when we’re looking at skincare products and cosmetics! Here are a few that we wouldn’t like to see in any of our lip care products and that you won’t find in our recipe!

• Parabens
• Petroleum jelly
• Fragrance

What makes lip gloss so shiny?

In many lip gloss products the use of castor oil gives it that glossy, shiny look and our lip goss recipe is no exception! The castor oil in our recipe not only hydrates and plumps, but it also gives your lips and natural shine!

What gives lip gloss its color?

The color in many store bought lip glosses can be toxic or bad for skin. In our lip gloss recipe, you’ll be using mica powder and beetroot powder to customize the color of your gloss!

Is lip gloss good for lips?

Some lip glosses can be drying and actually contribute to lips that are dry and prone to peeling. Our DIY lip gloss is hydrating and plumping. It contains oils that help to soothe skin and keep your lips from becoming dry and chapped. If you’re prone to dry or chapped lips you can apply lip balm before your gloss!

Wrapping Things Up

Making your own lip gloss is a fun and creative way to DIY. If it's your first time formulating lip gloss, don't be nervous! Just whip up our lip gloss base recipe and let the fun and creativity begin!

If you've enjoyed learning all about how to make lip gloss, be sure to share and pin this post!

Share and Pin This DIY Lip Gloss Base Recipe For Later!

You may also enjoy these Posts:

* Originally published July 13th, 2021, updated February 24, 2022