Lip gloss is a beauty staple that can be worn for everyday looks and on special occasions – but conventional lip glosses can be packed with harmful ingredients. Avoiding the use of toxic chemicals on your lips is especially important because you don’t only absorb them through the skin, but you ingest them through licking your lips, obviously! You can make my gorgeous DIY lip gloss recipe with only three ingredients, castor oil, vegetable glycerin and natural carmine colorant or micas.

This red lip gloss is flirtatious and sensual. It will make your lips glossy and give a lot of shine. You could also use it on top of your lip balm or matte lipstick for extra gloss on a night out. If you are looking for a sticky and look-at-me sheen with pigmented red color, plus moisture and hydration, then you will be very pleased with my red lip gloss recipe!

Why make your own lip gloss?

In order to achieve maximum shine and longevity, many store-bought lipsticks are packed with chemicals! Watch out for ingredients to avoid on the labels, these include:

Petrolatum – Petrolatum is essentially more refined petroleum, which is exactly what it sounds like: gasoline! The refining process can add toxins, many of which are related to cancer, to the petrolatum.

Phthalates – These compounds are endocrine disruptors, which means that they can mess with your reproductive hormones – this can cause acne, weight gain, period problems and even infertility. Phthalates have also been associated with liver cancer in mice and may be potentially carcinogenic to humans.

Butylated Compounds – Butylated Compounds are preservatives that also disrupt the endocrine system, resulting in hormonal imbalances and infertility. They have also been associated with skin irritation so you don’t want them on your lips!

Parabens – You’ve probably heard about these bad guys because they’ve been in the news quite a lot. They interfere with both the immune system and the nervous system, and have been linked to cancers such as breast cancer.

Conventional lip glosses may also contain chemical colorants, artificial flavors and adhesive agents that you don’t want to be ingesting!

Are you looking for a tinted lip gloss?

A tinted lip gloss is subtle enough that it can be worn every day – and even with some of the most natural looks. It’s also a great way to brighten up your face on a (almost) no makeup day! Instead of using the carmine colorant in this lip gloss recipe, you can add mica with the color of your choice. It will give you a sheer lip gloss but it is not covering as in my red lip gloss recipe below.

My favorite micas for a tinted lip gloss is this Red rose mica.

My DIY Lip Gloss

This red diy lip gloss is super easy to make, and the best part is that it uses only two natural ingredients!

Castor oilCastor oil is a vegetable oil made from the seeds of the castor plant. It’s a completely healthy alternative to the heavily-processed and toxin-laden petrolatum used in most commercial brands. Castor oil has natural antibacterial and antifungal properties and is rich in fatty acids and vitamin E. Castor oil texture is thick and it gives shine while nourishing your lips!

Red colorant carmineTo add a color to this diy lip gloss, I use red carmine die. Carmine is a naturally derived colorant made from an acidic compound in cochineal insects. Yes, it’s made from bugs – but it’s completely safe, and is in fact, used in a lot of foods. It produces a brilliant red color that mixes nicely with castor oil for a nice tinted gloss.  The one I have been using is from Aroma zone which gives a deep red color. I was not able to find it anywhere else that one this website.

OR

Micas

Vegetable glycerin – will add thickness to your lip gloss as well as prevent the lip gloss from going everywhere. Make sure you get vegetable glycerin and look at the labels so it is USDA Organic,  Cold-pressed, and Chemical-Free. It is clear, odorless and has also softening and lubricating benefits.

You will also need a lip gloss container with a brush like this one!

DIY Lip Gloss With 3 Ingredients

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 1 lip gloss

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pour all the ingredients directly in a lip gloss container.
  • Shake well.
  • That's it, you are have done your homemade lip gloss recipe!
Tried this recipe?Mention @organicbeautyrecipes or tag #organicbeautyrecipes!

This diy lip gloss is covering because the carmine colorant is a vivid red color, like a cherry Popsicle.

If you opted for the mica, it will be more of a sheer lip gloss. How do you like this lip gloss recipe?

Please rate it in the comments below so if you would like me to share more recipe like one!

Eve Cabanel

I’m Eve, a DIY organic skincare recipe creator since 2010 that loves to make a big mess in the kitchen! I’ve embarked on a journey to empower women to ditch all the chemical-filled commercial beauty products and to share how to make your own organic beauty recipes at home towards a healthier lifestyle. Homemade face & body creams, body butter, lips balms, face masks, shampoos, and all-natural perfume will have no more secret for you! I am self-taught, read many books, and spend many hours in the kitchen creating brand new homemade beauty recipes. All my recipes are unique and are tested on humans! In 2016, I studied Aromatherapy and became certified by the School of Natural Health Sciences.

View Comments

  • Hi Eve,
    Can this lipgloss recipe be used in a rollerball? If not, do you have one that can? I am looking to make a color tinted moisturizing lip gloss/oil with staying power. Thanks!

  • In the ingredients, you said 30ml, but linked to bottles that hold 1.2ml. How many ml of lip gloss will this recipe make?

    • it makes 30 ml lip gloss total. So if you use 1.2ml lip gloss containers, then it makes 25 lip gloss containers.
      I've updated the link so it uses 10 ml lip gloss instead, so you would need 3 if you buy this one: https://amzn.to/2W79Bco

  • Hi,
    I really love your recipe and I was wondering how long will I be able to use this lip gloss before it expires.4

    Thanks

    • Thanks Ruth, that can last for about 6 months depending on the shelf life of the oil you use.

  • Hello! Do you know how long this lip gloss will last? What is your opinion on using organic alcohol as a preservative?

    • Hi Tara, it will last about a year and not need to add alcohol to preserve it.

  • Hello! I’m loving that this is all organic and safe but is there possibly a video where you are going through the process? I do plan on making the lip gloss rather soon and like to make sure I won’t do any screw ups. Thank you so much !

    • Hi Shane, sorry I don't do videos just yet because of lack of time but its a good idea for sure.
      Its pretty easy to make the lip gloss but if you prefer a step by step with photos, I will post one next weekend so make sure you subscribe to my newsletter.

  • thank you Eve for sharing this your amazing recipes. can you please recommend a diy face cleanser, toner, scrub and cream for me. i have oily face that breaks out these days. help a sister

    • Hi faustina, to restore the balance of your skin and avoid acne, I actually will share my facial routine soon so stay tuned!

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