Thank goodness for this amazing copycat Burt’s Bees lip balm recipe. This easy to make diy chapstick is just as good if not better than the original!
I am a bit of a chapstick snob. My lips have been spoiled with the best – Burt’s Bees chapstick. It’s just so silky and moisturizing with the perfect balanced flavor profile.
It’s the best! And while I do love the Burt’s Bees Lip Balm brand as my go-to chapstick, I’m sure you realize the cost involved in this!
It’s a wee bit expensive.
And yet I can’t get enough of it.
I am addicted.
Seriously, I love it so much that I have a tube in my purse, in my bathroom, in my car, in my husband’s car, next to my bed and even one in my kitchen.
I had to think of a long-term solution – besides buying stock in Burt’s Bees. Haha.
So, I found a way to recreate the Burt’s Bees chapstick recipe myself.
For reals, you guys, this is the best copycat diy Burt’s Bees chapstick ever created! Not to brag or anything… but I nailed it!
Here’s why you’ll love this easy chapstick recipe.
It’s so inexpensive to make. Just around 12 cents per tube vs $3.00 store bought.
- Tastes exactly like the Burts Bees chapstick recipe.
- It’s so inexpensive to make. Just around 12 cents per tube vs $3.00 store bought.
- It’s so fast to make. You can make your own chapstick in just 5 minutes.
- It’s SO easy to make. Your ingredients are simply melted together and poured into an empty tube to cool.
- It’s free of all the extras or unhealthy fillers that are added into other homemade chapstick recipes.
You guys are going to love this homemade chapstick recipe. Like seriously LOVE IT!
How to make chapstick that tastes and feels just like Burt’s Bees?
First, I took a look at the back of a tube to figure out what ingredients are included. Low and behold, the Burts Bees chapstick ingredients are pretty simple; Beeswax, Sunflower oil, Vitamin E, Lanolin, Peppermint, and Rosemary. I knew I could make a lip balm recipe that matched my favorite brand so that I could share this with the world!
I got right to work looking for and ordering up some of these natural items like Beeswax and Lanolin. Found some chapstick tubes online and ordered them in. Then I played in my kitchen for a few days trying to get the recipe right.
And I did it! My chapstick diy recipe feels, smells and tastes just like Burt’s Bees Lip Balm!!
Plus when I did the math they only end up costing me only $0.12 per tube – WOW!
What is chapstick made of?
INGREDIENTS:
- 20 grams Beeswax (about 3 Tablespoons of the whiter beads, but you can use a white/yellow bar too)
- 20 grams Cocoa Butter or Coconut Oil (about 2 Tablespoons)
- 45 grams Sunflower Oil (1/4 cup)
- 8 drops Vitamin E oil (4 vitamin E oil tablets worth)
- 2 drops Rosemary essential oil
- 12 drops Peppermint essential oil
- Pea-sized drop of Lanolin (don’t use much of this or your balm will taste bad)
I added the ingredients in grams so that if you have a little scale you can get accurate & exact measurements (which is best) but if you don’t have a scale I measured them too.
How to make your own chapstick?
I never realized how extremely easy it is to make chapstick! Basically all you need to do is melt it all and pour into your containers! Easy peasy.
When I first started making chapstick recipes I used a glass measuring cup and melted my ingredients in the microwave which worked perfectly fine. But now I am using the double boiler method, which I like for a little more control of the melting process. I used a metal measuring cup to add all my ingredients into.
First, measure out all your ingredients except essential oils into a cup or pan. Cut open the little Vitamin E tablets and squeeze the good stuff into the cup.
Next, melt all the ingredients slowly, and stir. The beeswax seemed to take the longest to melt, but it was all melted within a couple of minutes.
Once it’s all melted add your essential oils and mix it up.
Then test it out, to make sure it has the flavor you want by letting a tiny bit cool on your finger. Rub it on your lips and check if its just right. If you feel it needs more mint or other flavorings, add more!
Then use a dropper to add the melted goodness into chapstick tubes. (If it cools too quickly before you’re done filling your tubes, just pop it in the microwave or back on the double boiler till it melts again.)
Then voila! You are done. Just let them all cool.
I had more liquid than I had tubes so I poured the rest into a small container and let it cool. I will stick this one in my bathroom and use it everyday, it will probably last me a whole year!
I cannot believe how easy it was to make my favorite Burt’s Bees Lip Balm from home!
Burt’s Bees Lip Balm Recipe Clone
Ingredients
- 20 grams Beeswax (about 3 tbsp)
- 20 grams Cocoa Butter (about 2 tbsp)
- 45 grams Sunflower Oil (about 1/4 cup)
- 8 drops Vitaman E oil (about 4 tablets)
- 2 drops Rosemary essential oil
- 12 drops Peppermint essential oil
- 1 drop Lanolin pea sized
Instructions
- Measure out all your ingredients except essential oils into a heat friendly cup or pan. You can use a glass dish in the microwave also. I cut open the little Vitamin E tablets and squeezed the good stuff into the cup.
- Next, melt all the ingredients, and stir. The beeswax seemed to take the longest to melt, but it was all melted within a couple of minutes.
- Once it’s all melted add your essential oils and mix it up.
- Then test it out, to make sure it has the flavor you want by letting a tiny bit cool on your finger. Rub it on your lips and check if its just right. If you feel it needs more mint or other flavorings, add more!
- Then use a dropper to add the melted goodness into chapstick tubes. (If it cools too quickly before you’re done filling your tubes, just pop it in the microwave till it melts again.)
- Then voila! You are done. Just let them all cool.
Notes
Nutrition
TOP QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
What essential oils are good for lip balm?
For my copycat Burt’s Bees lip balm I used peppermint essential oil and rosemary essential oil. While these are the essential oils for copy cat Burt’s Bees original flavored lip balm, some people do opt to use lime, orange, vanilla or wintergreen essential oils for their homemade lip balm and those turn out wonderfully too.
I’d suggest you stick to my exact copycat Burt’s Bees lip balm recipe to ensure that you’re getting a solid match up for this favorite lip balm flavor and texture while getting the same excellent results, moist lips!
Can you put essential oil on your lips?
As long as you’re using the food safe essential oils listed in this Burt’s Bees lip balm copycat recipe, then it’s safe to use essential oils on your lips.
Even aromatherapy addicts know that you can’t place some essential oils directly on your skin without a carrier oil. Some essential oils are too potent to use directly on the skin, lips, or any other body part. But the ones listed are safe for using on lips.
What can you use instead of beeswax for lip balm?
As you can see, you’ll need 20 grams of beeswax to make Burt’s Bees lip balm at home. I believe this is essential in making a copycat lip balm, but if you want to know what you can use instead of beeswax for lip balm, some readers in the past have used soy wax and said it works.
Since soy wax isn’t any harder than beeswax it’s an equal replacement as far as measurement goes. I personally like the beeswax for lip balm as I feel it provides more of a protectant and moisture quality than soy wax for lip balm would.
Can you leave out the Lanolin?
This is one of the most popular questions I have and the answer is yes, you definitely can leave it out. I personally like what it brings to the lip balm and helps my lips stay softer longer so I keep it in my recipe. But if you don’t want to add it in or if you want this lip balm to be vegan, then you can leave it out.
How much does this homemade lip balm cost?
Each tube costs $0.12 each to make + about $0.17 for tube/caps vs. $3.00 Burts Bees Lip Balm at store. I am listing below several options for you for each ingredient just in case you’d like to see where it is the least expensive to buy them.
Beeswax: need 20 grams/.7 oz/ about 3 tbsp beads ($0.46)
- Amazon (16 oz.) $9.99
- Etsy (1 oz. brick) $10 shipped
- Hobby Lobby (1 lb block): $14.99
- TheSage.com (8 oz.) $16 shipped
- Michaels & Craft Warehouse (1 lb. block) $17.99
Cocoa Butter ($0.60)
- Hobby Lobby (1 oz) $2.99
- Amazon (2 oz). $5.86
- Health food store, local (2 oz.) $5.99
- TheSage.com (8 oz.) 6.75 + shipping
Lanolin ($0.06)
- Amazon (4 oz.) $6.47
- The Puritans Pride (7 oz). $8.39 + shipping
- The Sage (8 oz.) $8.00 + shipping
- Health food store, local (8 oz) $15.70
Essential Oils ($1.05) :
- Order online from my favorite brand doTERRA
- Amazon $8.98/both flavors (haven’t tried this brand but maybe good?)
Organic Sunflower Oil ($0.28): purchased at Walmart for $3.96 (plus had a $1.00 off coupon on it) so =$2.96
Vitamin E Oil ($0.23): purchased 15 ct. bottle at Walmart for $0.88
Lip Balm Tubes: I ordered mine through thesage.com and you can find them on Amazon, but have also heard people order them on ebay inexpensively too.
Final thoughts on making my own Burt’s Bees Lip Balm.
The only drawback I can see is the initial start up cost can run you anywhere from $30-$60 for all the ingredients. Seems pretty hefty for making homemade chapstick that you can just buy for $3 per tube at the store.
But after I got all the ingredients, and only used a teeny bit of them, I was able to make 20+ tubes of my expensive Burts Bees chapstick. That would have been over $60 worth of Burt’s Bees.
AND you will be able to make lip balms and other products in the years to come with all the leftover oils and products!
I will NEVER go back to buying store made chapstick again after this experience. I am hooked for life. It’s so easy and when I see that I only spent $0.12 per tube of Burt’s Bees lip balm I feel good knowing I am saving lots of money!
MORE DIY RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
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About Karrie
Food is my love language. But so is saving money. So I like to combine the two a lot and make thrifty make ahead and freeze meals to save time. Because life is busy, and freezer meals can come to the rescue for all of us. And yes, they actually CAN taste good. Read more...
Comments & Reviews
Ally says
Do you use virgin sunflower oil or pure sunflower oil?
Ally says
Is there a difference between using the coconut oil vs. using the coconut butter?
Karis says
So excited to try this! I never see the beads of beeswax so if i were to cut a chunk off a bar of it what it weigh in ounces? And might be a weird question to ask but is all lanolin the same, like the kind they sell for breastfeeding moms (lansinoh brand) says pure lanolin on it and i have a ton of it left over, would that be okay to use?
Karrie says
Hmmm…I am not sure about the lansinoh. It is the same consistency of lanolin, but as long as there are no other ingredients I think it would be fine to use. And yep, just weigh hunks of bar off and measure in ounces. Good luck.
Ally says
Is there anything different from using doTerra essential oils vs. another brand that is cheaper?
Karrie says
I know that the DoTerra essential oils are therapudic grade pure, so I like the company very much!
Wendy says
You could probably add a bit of a melted crayon for color. I use crayons to make lipstick all the time. I am very picky about my colors and it is easy to tweek. I melt the crayons first in a metal spoon over boiling water and stir with long toothpicks then pour on wax paper to harden until I am ready to use in my lipstick recipes. Just a thought. I do not like the idea of using lanolin. I am going to try but you did a great job!
kim says
Love this! Only have found recipes with petroleum jelly which I cannot use because I use O-2. I am thinking that I might try a little adjustment and find a way to add some color!
Rebecca at thisfineday says
I love love love this as I’m addicted to lip balm! Thanks so much for the recipe and the post. I agree, I would sooo bring this along as the thing I could not live without!
Billie says
How about the Burt’s Bee’s coconut foot stuff? I love that stuff and since my husband is diabetic and they really have to be careful with their feet, we got thru a lot of it, but it’s SO expensive!!!
Andi says
This is genius! Burts Bees is my FAVE. I just found your blog today and I’ve been browsing for over an hour…I’m hooked. Love your ideas and enthusiasm!
Karrie says
Thank you so much! So glad you like my blog.
Stefani says
I am seeing liquid lanolin on amazon. Will this make a difference?
Karrie says
I am not sure, I have never tried the liquid lanolin..
Nicole says
I love this! But i want my tubes to be different than the plain white ones, or the same color as the burt bees cover. i found clear ones, which would be cool! Could i possibly color the balm itself?
Karrie says
Yes Nicole, you can use any kinds of tubes or tins. If you want to easily color the lip balm try adding a little tiny slice or two of lipstick to the recipe. That’s the easiest way I know to add color.
Carissa says
Will do. I’ll try it and if it is too hard for my liking, maybe I could add some shea butter?
Also, did you find that the beeswax made it hard to clean the pot you used? I have heard of this and was wondering what your experience was.
Ellaregee says
Yes! I learned that the hard way bat beeswax in making other products with it!
Ellaregee says
Yes! I learned that the hard way about beeswax in making other products with it!
Frank says
Since you’re using a double boiler and not direct heat you might be able to use a heavy weight plastic bag to line the pot. When I did candles I melted the wax by boiling it in a bag.
Carissa says
Really? I thought the coconut oil would probably make it softer because of melting so easy. I just thought if I could substiute coconut oil for the sunflower oil, the lip balm would have a longer shelf life, and I wouldn’t have to be concerned about it going rancid, as some of my burt’s bees have.
Karrie says
Hmm…maybe you are right. Give it a try, I am a beginner at making homemade recipes, so all I know is that the one I put together tastes just like it. Give it a try, maybe it will work? Let me know.
Sheila says
vitamin e oil is a natural preservative and will help extend the life of your finished product.
Carissa says
Do you think that making this with shea butter instead of cocoa butter, and coconut oil instead of sunflower oil would work? If so, would I need to add more beeswax, so it would’t be too soft & prone to melting in a pocket? Is it necessary to use a dropper/pipette to fill the lip balm tubes, or can I just carefully pour?
Karrie says
Well the problem is that it would probably be a bit harder if you use coconut oil instead of sunflower oil. Sunflower oil is a liquid form and coconut oil is solid at room temp. You could try to carefully pour, give it a try! If some spills over the edges you can wipe it off.
Tracy says
Shea butter is quite a bit softer than cocoa butter so you would definately need to add a little more beeswax. I like the firmness of Burt’s Bees so I like mine a little more firm though. It’s really just personal preference. Karrie is right that coconut oil is a solid at room temp but melts with body temp. You can also get liquid coconut oil, it’s just a little bit more spendy. I pour mine from my glass measuring cup and am just careful and it works fine for me. Hope this helps!!
ala-kat says
You mention using either cocoa butter OR coconut oil, but you only refer to the butter. Have you made it with oil? I lack only two ingredients (lanolin & beeswax), otherwise I’m ready to make this.
Karrie says
I did make it with coconut oil, but my favorite combination is the cocoa butter.
Amanda says
Hi! I love the mango butter burts bees and I was wondering if you think that using mango butter instead of cocoa butter would be ok. on the ingredient list it lists both coconut oil and mango butter. So i’m not sure if I need both or just one? Does your lip balm taste super pepermint-y? Maybe I will just substitute pepermint out for another essential oil.
Karrie says
I say play around with it and see if you like it. My lip balm is really nice and pepperminty just like Burts Bees. Feel free to use another essential oil if you want to. Have fun with it.
Steph says
I wish I could buy burts bees for $3! I live in Australia and they are $6 each tube! Insane price difference between the two countries (not fair)!
I’m going to have to try and find Aussie suppliers so I can make some!
Pei says
That’s a great saving! Do you have to wait for the liquid to cool down a bit before pouring in to the plastic container?
Do you have a recommendation about where to purchase the containers? Thank you!
Karrie says
Hi, no you don’t want to wait for it to cool or it’s too late. Make sure its liquid when you pour it in the containers. I added the links to the containers in the post above. 🙂
Kara says
Don’t know if anyone else mentioned this but there are about a million other things that you can make with your $50 investment materials. Most of them don’t expire but coconut oil makes awesome lotion. And as far as the sunflower oil… It is great as a salad dressing. I felt the same way after my initial soap making adventure but you have so many fun ingredients that are great to make other stuff now!!
Leila says
You can add in titanium dioxide powder into it. Just be warned that it will turn your lip balm white, and therefore, your lips. It is a natural sunblock. There is one other mineral that can be used, but I can’t remember it right now. It will also turn it white, but is a natural sun block. Both are safe for skin use.
Coconut oil is not a natural sunblock. Vitamin E has an SPF of about 4, so while low, it will offer minor protection. I also live in Utah (Utah valley) and make my own lip balm and have, so far, found the vitamin E to be enough. Granted, I don’t spend as much time outdoors as you do.
Don’t use any citrus eo’s in the lip balm, as they can increase skin photosensitivity. I.e. increase your chances of getting a sunburn.
Brenda, you may want to play around with the quantity of titanium dioxide you put in the lip balm. You might be ale to find a happy medium in which you aren’t turning your lips white, but getting good protection.
I also won’t recommend using a liquid or solid sunscreen in the lip balm. They are not designed for ingestion and many contain harmful chemicals. Putting it in a lip balm GUARANTEES ingestion. Any time you lick your lips, you ingest a bit of the lip balm.
Jen says
How about using hibiscus powder to tint it? I just printed off a recipe for homemade lipstick that uses hibiscus powder for the tint. I got mine on amazon.
Andrea says
I believe the other mineral is zinc oxide 🙂