Oh! Pretty lip gloss!
There are so many options. From chocolate flavored to strawberries and cream. From a slight shimmer to a brilliant red. I use to love all the lip gloss, and lip stick… Then I met my husband. I’m sure he thought it was pretty but he wasn’t a fan of kissing my favorite shimmery strawberries and cream lip gloss. Sure it tasted good, but he just didn’t want to wear it, or feel it on his lips. I guess I can’t blame him… It isn’t exactly manly.
Let’s not sugar coat this…
What I didn’t know about my lip gloss was what was in it. I’m sure i thought that if it is designed to go on my lips then it would be safe. Boy was I mistaken!
Common ingredients used in lip gloss, chap sticks, or lipstick:
Solid Waxy Materials
You want a lip stick that stays thick and solid in the tub but spreads easily on application. To accomplish this lanolin oil, hydroxylated lanolin, polybutene, and microcrystalline wax are often used.
Lanolin is a fatty substance found on sheeps wool. This ingredient is safe and natural, although a little wierd… how does your fatty sheep’s wool lip gloss taste? Yummy! Ha!
Polybutene is a polymer, or in other words a plastic. In general it is smart to avoid plastics. Most plastics contain BPA and have other estrogenic compounds. Polybutene is also known to be an irritant to the skin, eyes, and lungs.
Microcrystalline wax are produced by de-oiling petrolatum, as part of the petroleum refining process. I don’t really know about its safety, but beeswax is far superior.
Pigments for color
Titanium Dioxide, Iron Oxides, Mica, Carmine, Red 6 Lake, Red 7 Lake, Red 21, Red 27 Lake, Red 30 Lake, Red 33 Lake, Red 36, Orange 5, Yellow 5 Lake, Yellow 6 Lake, Blue 1 Lake.
Titanium dioxide, iron oxides, mica, and carmine are all minerals. There is some question on the safety of some ingredients used in mineral makeups and some caution on what ones should be placed on the lips. The other common pigments are all chemically created dyes. Although many people consume food dye on a daily basis without a second thought, it doesn’t mean it is safe and it certainly isn’t food. Although I don’t eat my lip gloss I do still try to avoid artificial dye when coming in contact with my skin. It only takes 26 seconds for the chemicals in the products we place on our skin to reach the blood stream. It’s easy to forget that the our skin is an organ it is designed to both protect our insides and to absorb things. As an organ it should be treated delicately.
Esters or Fatty Acids (myristates)
To give it sticking power cosmetic companies use ethylhexyl palmitate, isopropyl myristate, ceresin, isopropyl lanolate wheat germ triglycerides, aloe extract, and soyabean oil.
Fragrance
Most lip products have added fragrance. Any product that has the word “fragrance” on the label means that it can contain hundreds of different chemicals and be labeled simply as fragrance. (source)
So it isn’t all bad. But it could certainly be better. And it could generally be cheaper. And although my hubby still doesn’t like to kiss my colored lips it is still a part of who I am. I like to be bold a sparkly on occasion. So, to accomplish that I now use this DIY lip gloss recipe.
- 1 tsp. white beeswax (like this)
- 3 tsp. shea butter (for chocolate lip gloss, use cocoa butter) (like this)
- 2 tsp. Coconut oil, or almond oil (like this)
- 11 tsp. castor oil (like this)
- 10 drops of your favorite essential oil (like this)
- Pigment, mineral makeup
- Melt wax and oils together in a double boiler.
- Remove from heat and add essential oils.
- Use a bulb syringe to transfer into lip gloss containers.
Are your cosmetics natural and toxic free?
Now before you toss your entire drawer of beloved cosmetics straight in the trash, you should check the Skin Deep Database. This website is a wealth of knowledge for all makeup products and can help you decide which products to love and which to dump.
Like this post? Please share it by:
Pinning it here!
?-??? When following the “diy lipgloss” recipe and instructions, at what point is the pigment added? Pigment (mineral make up) is listed as an ingredient but it’s not mentioned in the actual instructions? I am by far the most ungifted when it comes to ANY sort of diy/craft project— therefore I actually need the directions for mixing in the color componant. ?
You can add the pigment at the end, before putting it in the containers. 🙂
Do you think I could add honey to this without messing with the consistency? Maybe 1 TBSP?
I think it would probably work just fine.
I have everything on hand to make this day lip gloss. I intend to use beet root powder, peach powder and hibiscus powder as pigments. i would imagine that mixing them with the warm oil/butters would make for a smoother, non gritty texture, even though the powders are extremely finely ground. Any thoughts?
I have another thought on this day. I’m going to use just a bit of either cinnamon or peppermint essential oil to act as a natural lip plumper. Not to much though, as both oils can burn, but it doesn’t take much of either to create a natural plumping effect..
This looks very interesting!!! I think I will try it!
Just a note, carmine is not a mineral. It’s actually red dye made from crushed beetles! Yuck”
How many lipgloss does one batch make?
It’s been a long while since I’ve eeded to make these So I don’t remember for sure, but I think it was around 7. This will vary depending on the size of your lip gloss container.
I know this is really old but what you do is infuse your oil with the powder (s) then strain through cheesecloth.