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!
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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
Tore says
I am going to try this recipe and make in bulk for Christmas gifts this year… but one question. In the picture, there are 6 tubes that you made, along with the container of your leftover lip balm. But I was wondering, how many tubes do you think this recipe will make, rather than using a big container? Thanks, your answer would help greatly, so I know how much of the ingredients I have to buy!!
Bridget says
I halfed the recipe and got 11 full tubes with a little left over (less than 1 tube). Hope that helps!
Roxanne says
How well does this stand up to the heat, because I live in Arizona?
Bob says
Let me say that this is a very good post, thank you 🙂 At first, you do not mention Cocoa or Coconut Oil. Is it in the incredients ? Could we replace Beeswax by something else and can we omit the Lanolin ?
Zarah says
Sounds fantastic and I am so impressed by the list of places to get the ingredients and how you even calculated the cost for the bulk vs per chapstick! I’m gonna try this so thank you very much! 😀
Jessica Gabriel says
Wow. I ended up on your blog from finding the freezer burn post on Pinterest. I saw the Burt’s Bees link (I have some in my pocket right now!) and clicked it. I am *impressed*! I usually skim blogs – when I read them at all – but read every word you wrote! I was blown away how you put different measurements, sourced out different places to get the ingredients and even posted a recipe card! You did some very thorough, thoughtful work. I don’t read any blogs regularly and have not signed my email onto any. But I did just now! Looking forward to whatever else you post. Thank you.
Kimberley says
I just made this and it was oh so easy, I used 1/2 sweet almond oil and 1/2 safflower oil because its what I had (I had no sunflower oil) I forgot to add the lanolin because I was distracted and added 2 drops of eucalyptus oil to the recipe and Oh My Word this is wonderful. I’m in Nova Scotia Canada and the ingredients were quite easy to find thanks to the Farmers Markets and health food stores and I ordered the tubes on ebay. I was so excited when they came in this week I couldn’t wait to try this. Thank you so much for your blog and your inspiration. (I’ve never purchased burts bees lip balm because its so expensive and I love this stuff!!)
Julianne Wyatt says
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing your copy cat’s.
Angela says
I love this recipe I made this a couple years ago but I’m not finding now. Help, where did it go?
Chavonne says
This is totally awesome! The start up cost is quite high. I do not like burt’s bees chapstick…My sister loves it. I had a difficult time finding ingredients due to a rural location. Ordered off Amazon and went to local health food store. I made 25 tubes of chapstick that may be like burt’s bees, but definitely tastes better. I did not add the lanolin. I used the recipe exactly otherwise. Thanks for the tip!
Beth says
tea tree oil is really good too! 🙂 thank you I will be making!!
jocelyne marchand says
do you know the story of the woman behind burt’s bees – she realized a long time ago that you could buy ingredients by the barrel, repackage them and sell them for a lot of money. She went from being a back to the lander who sold hand made candles (from wax she got from Burt) at craft fairs to a multi millionaire . . maybe you can start you own line of products . . . .
Fame B. says
Thank you so much for this awesome recipe and tutorial! And, my favorite part? You told us MULTIPLE options for sourcing the ingredients. Who does that?! You, that’s who! Great job. I can’t wait to make this myself.
Karrie says
You are so very welcome, let me know what you think after you try it!
Yasmin says
You can also get the lippie containers at TKB for 29 cents each or 10 for $2.90. http://www.tkbtrading.com/item.php?item_id=217&category_id=66
jennifer says
Could you use the liquid colorings that they have for soaps to add color instead of lipstick?
Yasmin says
NO! Soap colorants are NOT lip safe! Use ONLY lip safe pigments. You can substitute pigment with non-toxic color crayons.
anja says
hej i’m from germany…i just made the lip balm for the second time…i love it…i’m using not so much peppermint oil and more vitamin e oil and some propolis…thank you so much for this great recipe!! i love it and my friends can’t get enough of it.
have a nice day. greetings from germany.
Karrie says
So glad you are using the recipe Anja! Thanks for your comment.
Kitty says
Would this recipe still work if you omitted the lanolin? God, you’re so clever:)
Karrie says
I have heard folks say they left it out and it was still great. Good luck!
Debbie says
I tried the recipe and I loved the product. But I put it in little containers like what Carmex comes in. I would suggest NOT doing this, as my results were too stiff to really get any out with your finger unless it’s warm. Definitely I think the tubes would work better.
ellare says
I {used to} love BB lip balm. I used it for 12 years!! I still have probably 20 empty tubes of it because they used to send you a gob of free samples if you returned back 3 empty tubes. But they have since been purchased by some major brand – Clorox it turns out – { https://www.burtsbees.com/u/root-company-faqs-burt-s-bees.html#4 } and I don’t think they do that any more (( and this explains why there’s been an explosion on ALL grocery story shelves of BB products, not just “natural stores” where I used to have to get it )) … but that’s all besides the point of this post… I have been “addicted” to lip balms since I was 12 yrs old and starting playing a musical instrument. I eventually learned that the peppermint oil in BB was a. causing my “addiction” and b. was keeping my lips a bit chapped so that I had to keep applying. Trust me – after 12 years, it was super hard to let those little yellow tubes go! So I guess what I am saying here is – beware of the peppermint oil!
Irene DiMucci says
Fantastic, can’t wait to try making the chapstick! Thanks so much!
Nicole says
I looooooove this! I can’t use the original Burt’s bees though–I only use the honey version. Any thoughts on how to adjust the recipe to make that one??