Make Your Own Lipstick
After researching for our post on toxicity in our cosmetics. I couldn’t help but wonder whether I could make that one item that I can’t leave the house without… my lipstick. I set out on a quest to find out. Oh sure I made lip gloss when I was a teenager. But, lipstick? The first thing I found was a cool place in LA where you could make lipstick as a girl’s field trip. You know, a place to go with your best friend spend a hundred bucks and come out with a custom lipstick. (yes, I will give you the link at the bottom of the post). But, I wanted something different. I wanted to be able to make it myself and mix the colors and add the flavors any weekend without spending a hundred bucks for one tube of lipstick. The challenge was on.
As always, You Tube and Amazon to the rescue. It turns out, it can be done and I am going to share how I went about making my own lipstick. The kit(s) that were used in all the tutorials were no longer being sold so I had to find all the ingredients and build my own kit from parts. I wanted the flavors as well, why not. Teenage habits never change it seems and the only kit that had flavors and most of the basic ingredients was….yes….a lip gloss kit. The kit came with shea butter, almond oil, bees wax and 4 different flavors to add. Perfect. I then had to find and buy the lipstick molds. Turns out you can probably find everything except the molds in Micheal’s or Jo Ann’s if you like to venture out and shop in the U.S..
Then came the tough part, the colors. I checked on the toxicity of the mica colors used in several name brands of lipsticks and found them to be safe. Having the “too much” gene, I went on the hunt for a multi-pack of colors. I came across a pack of 50 different cosmetic grade mica powder colors to mix and blend. I discovered that you can mix the powders with rice flour to make highlighters and blush as well. Who knew?! I was thrilled. Just be sure you get cosmetic grade! Within 3 days my orders arrived. 1-lipstick mold, 1-lip gloss kit and 50 mica powders. I called my daughter and scheduled a day of play, creating our own make-up.
It was super easy! You blend the amount of shea butter, almond oil and bees wax depending on how moisturizing and stiff you would like your lipstick to be. Coming off the winter dryness, I opted for more almond oil in my mix. You mix everything inside the lip gloss pot. Microwave in 15 second bursts until the wax melts. Add your colors until you reach the shade you prefer. Here is where the artistry comes in. With 50 colors to choose from mixing and matching you feel like an alchemist. I did find that I had to add quite a bit of the mica powder to achieve the deep color I was after. Finish with one to two drops of flavoring ( I chose cherry. Yum). Wipe the inside of the lipstick mold with olive oil on a q-tip and pour in your mix. Set in the fridge to harden and in 15-20 minutes you can put your lipstick into its case. Oh yes, I ordered empty lipstick cases as well. That too much gene again.
The best part about making your own lipstick is you can make any color that suits your fancy. If the mix is not as stiff or moisturizing as you would like, you can just remelt and adjust before you pour it into your molds. Have fun!
Here is that link to have a girl’s day having custom lipstick made for you while you wait:
https://www.bitebeauty.com/lip-lab
Link to hard to find products I ordered from Amazon:
Mica cosmetic grade pigments:
https://www.amazon.com/s?k=lipstick+mica+pigments&i=arts-crafts&ref=nb_sb_noss