If you want to pamper your lips or make a gift for a friend, a DIY lip scrub is a great option. Lip scrubs are so easy to make, and since they’re anhydrous (meaning they don’t include any water), they’re also a safe DIY project that you can even make with kids.
How to Formulate a Lip Scrub
A big part of learning how to make your own lip scrub is having fun with it and creating your own custom creations. Before we dive into our recipes, here are the basics that’ll help you customize and adjust your lip scrub to your liking.
The Basic Ingredients
A homemade lip scrub almost always includes the same two basic ingredients: oil and some sugar. The oil is the moisturizing base, while the sugar acts as the exfoliant.
You can just combine whatever cooking oil and sugar you already have at home and make a great lip scrub. Make sure to choose food or cosmetic-grade ingredients that are lip-safe.
The ideal ratio is 2 parts sugar to 1 part oil. It gives that perfect oily sand texture that’s not greasy or heavy but still manages to clump together just enough not to be messy.
If you don’t want your scrub to be too harsh or intense, you can grind your sugar down to a fine powder, which will make your formula a little smoother.
Mixing and Storing
All you need to do is mix the ingredients together, and you’re done! You’ll need a container in which to store everything. A small travel jar is ideal since it’ll hold just the right amount of scrub.
Be careful not to make a large amount since, as with any DIY cosmetics, it’s best to use up your lip scrub within a few days. If you store your lip scrub in the fridge, you might be able to use it for up to a week.
Playing Around
Once you start adding other ingredients, the texture can start changing a little. You can use a bit of plant butter instead of oil, for example, to give you a scrub that’s a little more solid at room temperature, while adding a wax will give your entire formula a more balm-like texture.
Consider Some Additives
Other popular additives include flavor extracts and pigments. Additionally, if you want your lip scrub to last a good amount of time, vitamin E can prevent the oils in it from going rancid. As you play around with ingredients, you can slightly adjust the ratios to achieve the texture you like best!
1. Easy 2-Ingredient DIY Lip Scrub
To start you off, this is the most basic lip scrub you can make. We recommend making it with coconut oil, but olive oil, grape seed oil, or whatever other oil you have on hand will work just as well. If your coconut oil is solid at room temperature, soften it by putting it in the microwave on the defrost setting for 30 seconds.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. melted coconut oil
- 2 tsp. sugar
2. Ultra-Moisturizing Homemade Lip Scrub
Adding a bit of lanolin to your lip scrub will make it even more moisturizing. Lanolin, also known as wool wax, is a healing, ultra-occlusive ingredient. It works remarkably well to repair chapped lips, so adding it to your formula will increase its moisturization powers.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp. coconut oil
- 1/4 tsp. lanolin
- 2 tsp. sugar
3. Cocoa Lip Scrub Recipe
If you want a delicious, chocolatey experience, enhance your lip scrub with a bit of cocoa butter and cocoa powder. It’ll take on that delicious chocolate scent and make your lip exfoliation routine a little more enjoyable.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp. cocoa butter
- 1/2 tsp. coconut oil
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- Pinch of cocoa powder
4. Oil-Free Lip Scrub Recipe
If you don’t like keeping oils around the house or you’re worried about breaking out, it’s just as easy to make a homemade lip scrub with honey instead of oil. Honey is a gentle, soothing humectant that can help hydrate your lips without leaving behind a greasy residue. It might be a little sticky, but wiping it away with warm water is as easy as can be.
If your honey is a little too stiff, you can heat it up gently by placing the entire container inside a bowl of hot water. This will allow you to mix it more easily with the sugar.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. honey
- 2 tsp. sugar
5. DIY Lip Scrub with Vaseline
We all have Vaseline or petroleum jelly on hand. Vaseline on its own can actually work reasonably well as a lip balm. Mixing it with sugar makes for a nice, thick lip scrub that moisturizes the lips nicely.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tsp. Vaseline
- 2 Tsp. sugar
6. DIY Lip Scrub with Coffee
If you’re a coffee addict, you can certainly make a lip scrub with coffee grounds. It’s a great way to upcycle used coffee grounds, although opting for fresh grounds may offer your lips some antioxidant benefits. One thing to keep in mind is that, unlike sugar, coffee grounds are a lot messier and a little less gentle, so consider using this scrub over the sink.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 1/2 tsp. coffee grounds
7. Plumping Cinnamon Lip Scrub Recipe
If you’d like to give your lips a stimulating boost, a bit of cinnamon can plump them up. Cinnamon contains slightly irritating fragrance compounds that promote an inflammatory response. You wouldn’t normally want this, but it can temporarily plump up your lips and enhance their color. We don’t recommend using this lip scrub recipe often, as it may aggravate your lips or the skin around them. Save it for just once in a while.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- Pinch of cinnamon
8. Flavored Lip Scrub Recipe
If you’re into tasty treats, a flavored lip scrub is a lot more fun to use. We suggest avoiding actual food-based ingredients since those don’t tend to stay stable for long.
Flavor extracts, on the other hand, disperse easily, don’t cause issues in the formulas, and they tend to provide a more prominent taste. You should be able to find a plethora of flavors in the baking aisle at your grocery store, including vanilla, peppermint, coconut, and a whole range of fruits.
Ingredients:
- 1 tsp. coconut oil
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- 1-2 drops of flavor extract
9. Choco-Mint Lip Scrub
Peppermint and chocolate make one of our favorite flavor combinations. For the lips, this recipe gives a cooling, refreshing touch while exfoliating your lips.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 tsp. cocoa butter
- 1/2 tsp. coconut oil
- 2 tsp. sugar
- Pinch of cocoa powder
- 1 drop of peppermint extract
Photos via @sarahapp, Instagram
