Most of us remember to slather on sunscreen when we are exposed to the sun, but what about our lips? Yes, your lips can get sunburned! Thankfully, the solution is easy: make a batch of this DIY all-natural lip balm with SPF.
Before you head out in the sun, do you cover your skin with sunscreen? We all know the importance of taking care of our skin when it comes to the powerful rays.
But what about your lips? Applying sunscreen meant for your skin directly to your lips doesn’t taste very good. Plus, it dries out your lips and dulls the shine.
Instead, try this homemade sunscreen lip balm with SPF. It will protect your lips and make them kissably soft, and it’s made of all-natural ingredients!
Here’s what we’ll be covering today…
- Should Lip Balm Have SPF?
- Essential Oils in Sunscreen Lip Balm
- How Much SPF is in This Lip Balm?
- Sunscreen Lip Balm Recipe
- Ingredients
- Materials
- Make it!
- FAQ About SPF Lip Balm
- More Ways to Stay Safe in the Sun
Should Lip Balm Have SPF?
Most of the lip balm recipes I make have some sun protection inherently in the oils and wax. Most days of the year I am confident that my lips are protected just by using these.
But in the hot summer months, when the UV levels are through the roof, I bring out the big guns: this sunscreen lip balm recipe.
Many ingredients in natural lip balm recipes provide a degree of SPF. Some oils, such as raspberry seed oil and olive oil, are said to add sun protection properties.
This recipe is based on a basic lip balm recipe, using soft oils like wheat germ, jojoba, and shea butter, each of which has SPF properties.
Essential Oils in Sunscreen Lip Balm
It’s important to also note that there are ingredients that can accelerate the sun’s effects. Phototoxic essential oils typically run in the citrus family (lemon, lime, bitter orange, mandarin leaf, and grapefruit).
For this recipe, I’ve only used essential oils that are known to help with sun protection.
Sweet orange oil is generally considered not phototoxic, which is why it is included in this lip balm with SPF. Vanilla essential oil is also included, resulting in a lovely creamsicle flavour.
How Much SPF is in This Lip Balm?
Making sunscreen or sun protection products at home is a solid way to add sun protection and one that I use for my fair, freckly (read: easily burned) skin.
Even so, I would not venture a guess as to what the SPF is of a homemade recipe. I can say that I have been using this recipe on my own lips for years and have not burned them once.
Plus, I can feel good about the ingredients that go into the recipe and on my skin. My general rule of thumb is to stay out of the sun when the UV is strongest and take steps to protect my skin (and lips) as naturally as possible.
As with all home recipes, test a bit on your skin and see how you react. Those with sensitivities, who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and for use on children should take caution and check with their health care professional.
Sunscreen Lip Balm Recipe
This recipe makes six standard-sized tubes of lip balm with SPF. If you need more or less, you can adjust the recipe accordingly.
Ingredients
- 30 ml olive oil with calendula
- 15 ml jojoba oil
- 15 ml wheat germ oil
- 2.5 ml raspberry seed oil
- 30 ml grated beeswax
- 20 ml carnauba wax
- 5 ml shea butter
- 8 drops vanilla essential oil
- 6 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 3 drops carrot seed oil
Materials
- 6 lip balm tubes
- Turkish coffee pot or small double boiler
- Small spatula
Make it!
- First, infuse olive oil with calendula by following these instructions.
- Measure all of the ingredients into a small double boiler or a Turkish coffee pot. I like to use the Turkish coffee pot because it has a pour spout. I can heat the oils up quickly and then pour them easily into the tubes.
- Once the oils, waxes, and butter have all melted together, turn off the heat and add in the essential oils. Stir well with a small spatula.
- When everything is thoroughly mixed, use the spout on the Turkish coffee pot to pour the lip balm into the tubes. Fill each tube to just above where the center screw is.
- Let the lip balm cool, and then warm up the remaining mixture in the pot so that you can top off each one of the tubes. Filling the lip balm tubes in two steps ensures that you won’t have a large depressed area with a hole in the center of the lip balm. If this still happens, then you can always add a little bit more lip balm onto the top of the depressed area and use a lighter to melt it onto the rest of the lip balm. If this recipe is just for your own use (and you don’t really care what it looks like), then just fill up each one of the tubes the first time; it won’t affect the final product’s function or usefulness.
FAQ About SPF Lip Balm
Absolutely. The skin around your lips is very thin and contains little melanin (the pigment in our skin that naturally protects against the sun). This makes the skin on your lips very susceptible to sun damage and skin cancer.
SPF 15-30 is usually all you need for a lip balm. While I can’t say the SPF of this lip balm specifically, I have never gotten a burn while wearing it.
The general rule of thumb is that you should reapply any kind of SPF every two hours, give our take depending on if you’ve been swimming or sweating, or in this case, eating or drinking.
More Ways to Stay Safe in the Sun
- Sun Safety for Gardeners: How to Stay Safe in the Sun
- Healing After-Sun Lip Balm Recipe
- Homemade After-Sun Salve Recipe
- Aloe Vera Benefits: Sunburn Treatment + More Aloe Vera Uses
DIY Lip Balm with SPF
Equipment
- 6 lip balm tubes
- Double boiler or Turkish coffee pot
- Small spatula
Supplies
- 30 ml olive oil with calendula
- 15 ml jojoba oil
- 15 ml wheat germ oil
- 2.5 ml raspberry seed oil
- 30 ml grated beeswax
- 20 ml carnauba wax
- 5 ml shea butter
- 8 drops vanilla essential oil
- 6 drops sweet orange essential oil
- 3 drops carrot seed oil
Instructions
- Measure each ingredient, except the essential oils, and add them into the double boiler.
- Melt together the ingredients over low heat.
- Turn off the heat, then stir the essential oils in.
- Once the lip balm ingredients are fully integrated, carefully pour the mixture into the empty lip balm tubes.
- Allow them to harden, then apply to lips before sun exposure!
I am allergic to wheat! What other oil can I use that is as close to or has the same qualities as wheat germ for lip balm recipes????
Hi Tori, try one of these recipes instead: https://gardentherapy.ca/chai-spice-lip-balm/, https://gardentherapy.ca/candy-cane-lip-balm/, https://gardentherapy.ca/after-sun-lip-balm/. Use the oil/wax combination from those as they are all wheat free. Have fun!
im an indian i could get these stuffs here can u suggest other remedy for my lips please
Hi, I made these and they are so soft and amazing. I’m labelling a few and giving them as gifts. If you had to guess, what do you think the SPF per tube would be? I know it’s difficult to quantify. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Emily, sorry, I can’t guess what the SPF would be. It’s properties are a combination of the ingredients that go in, and I chose those with SPF to include in my recipe, but it should not be labeled to have protective properties so that the people you are giving it to don’t rely on that. As with any home recipe, it should be tested before use and used with caution.
This lip balm sounds so soothing and moisturising. I love the variety of oils you used for this recipe and bet it must smell lovely with the vanilla and sweet orange oils.
Thanks, Irena. It’s really lovely to use and it does smell yummy!
This lip balm recipe looks so nourishing. Love the combination of vanilla and sweet orange essential oils, too. This must smell like a creamsicle!
Kyla, you read my mind! That’s exactly what I was going for :)