How to Make Lip Gloss

Making homemade lip gloss can be a fun and rewarding activity to do by yourself or even to share with your kids or friends. By making homemade lip gloss, you can ensure the final product is exactly the texture and consistency you want, with your favorite combination of ingredients. You can use nourishing oils that will keep your lips soft and healthy, and add your favorite flavors and even a touch of color if you like.

Homemade lip gloss ingredients

Lip gloss can be made very simply and quickly by combining a bit of lipstick with petroleum jelly. But if you want to avoid petroleum products, or would like a smoother, more pleasing texture than petroleum jelly offers, there are many other ingredients to give you an all-natural, nourishing base for your homemade lip gloss. Popular, natural ingredients for homemade lip gloss that are also good for your lips include:

-beeswax
-almond oil
-safflower or sunflower oil
-cocoa butter
-vitamin E oil
All these, either alone or combined (vitamin E oil should be used sparingly and combined with other ingredients), provide a high-quality start for your homemade lip gloss. Common secondary ingredients for homemade lip gloss include:
-honey
-cocoa powder
-essential oils
-aloe vera gel
-coconut oil

Add these to the base ingredients for additional nourishment, protection, and flavor.

Homemade lip gloss recipes

By mixing and matching the above ingredients, you can invent any number of custom blends to match your needs and skin type. Below are some basic, simple recipes for homemade lip gloss to get you started.

-Basic Beeswax Lip Gloss Combine
Mix 2 parts beeswax with 7 parts almond oil. Melt in a microwave (carefully) or double boiler. After the base ingredients are blended, add one part honey. Add a few drops of essential oil, such as peppermint, citrus, or another flavor.

-Chocolate Lip Gloss Melt
Mix together 3 parts cocoa butter with a small amount of vitamin E oil. Blend with cocoa powder for a chocolatey gloss. Try mixing beeswax with other oils, and in different proportions, for a variety of textures. Bear in mind that beeswax is more solid than other bases, and will probably need to be mixed with softer or liquid oils to work well.

How to make flavored lip gloss

The easiest way to make flavored lip gloss is to add a few drops of essential oil to your blended base ingredients. Essential oils are readily available in most health food stores and come in a variety of flavors. Peppermint is a popular option, as are citrus oils. Eucalyptus oil can produce a medicated lip balm. With all flavors, use very small amounts. Essential oils are extremely concentrated, so build up from a drop or two until you get the concentration of flavor you want.

The best thing about homemade lip gloss is that you can invent your own, custom combination that treats your lips better than any commercial lip gloss ever could, because it's been formulated just for you.

The Hottest Lip Glosses

Lip gloss is all the rage, with a wide variety of types and colors available, from sheer to bright, fun colors, to glosses that give coverage nearly as complete as traditional lipstick. The best lip glosses often include moisturizers and vitamins that are great for your lips, and sometimes even include sunscreens and plumping elements. Take some time to investigate the huge selection available and you're sure to find just the right lip gloss to complement your look.

Lip gloss vs. Lipstick

Lip gloss and lipstick both have their pros and cons, as well as their fans and detractors. Lipstick gives a longer lasting, more intense color and more thorough coverage, while lip gloss offers shine and a glowing, sometimes even sparkly look. Lip gloss also often comes with flavors, making it even more fun to wear. Many younger women prefer lip gloss, associating lipstick with older women and perceiving gloss as more "youthful." Those who prefer lipstick enjoy its longer lasting color and rich, vibrant hues. Whichever you prefer, there's sure to be a product that will suit you.

Why lip gloss beats lipstick

In addition to personal preference, the best lip glosses offer other advantages over lipstick. Gloss offers softer colors that are more flexible for daytime to nighttime use, offering tint and shine without being overwhelming. Lip gloss also offers a more flexible, less "cakey" texture and can be more comfortable to wear, though it requires more frequent refresher applications. Its shiny, sparkling look adds a sexy, kissable touch. Many lip glosses also have a high SPF rating--15 to 20 SPF is not uncommon.

How To: Homemade lip gloss

For an even more individual and personal touch, you can make your own homemade lip gloss. It's relatively easy to concoct a formula that will not only be the perfect color, but custom flavors, as well. Some common bases for homemade lip gloss are beeswax mixed with almond or sunflower oil, cocoa butter, and almond oil mixed with honey. These ingredients are melted together on the stove. You can add essential oils for flavor, or add vitamin E oil for an even more nourishing blend. You can even add powdered cocoa for color and a tasty chocolate flavor.

Best lip glosses

For the best lip glosses, shop around online or in your favorite cosmetics store. Compare ingredients to find lip glosses free of petroleum products, or even lip gloss that has no artificial colors, flavors, or fragrances. Some of the hottest lip glosses in stores include glosses that are a cross between lip gloss and lipstick, providing longer lasting, more opaque color while preserving the shine of lip gloss.

Other trends in lip gloss include organic glosses, often beeswax and almond oil based, with vitamin E to help nourish your lips. These innovative, all-natural ingredients make organic formulations among the hottest lip glosses on the current market. Whether your lip gloss comes from a pricey salon or you make it on your own stove top, it's an indispensable addition to your make up palette.