An easy way to add a shimmer of color to your lip balms using lip safe micas! This tutorial will show you how easy it is to add micas to lip balm base. Stay tuned for a tutorial showing you how to formulate a simple lip balm recipe in which you can use even more beautiful mica colorants!
Supplies and Equipment Needed
Spoons or butter knives
Rubber gloves
Glass measuring cup
Digital Scale
Disposable pipettes
0.15cc scoops
Microwave or mini melting pot
Lip Balm Tubes
Avocado & Jojoba Lip Balm Base
Sugared Strawberries Flavor Oil
Lip Balm Sweetener
Lip safe Micas in Russet, Passion Orange and Bordeaux
Step 1: Place your glass container on the digital scale and tare out the container (zero out the scale). Measure out 1 ounce of the Avocado & Jojoba Lip Balm Base. (This is approximately 2 Tablespoons of base).
Step 2: Slowly melt the base in a microwave for 30 seconds at a time until fully melted. Do not overheat! Slowly stir between each 30 seconds. Optional: if you have a mini melting pot, add the measured lip balm base to this pot instead of the microwave.
Step 3: Add the Sugared Strawberries Flavor oil to the melted lip balm using a disposable pipette. Start with 1% and if necessary, work your way up to 3%. I chose to use 3% in this tutorial.
For 1 oz of balm:
6 drops = 1%
12 drops = 2%
18 drops = 3%
Step 4: Using the same process as in Step 3, add the sweetener. I chose to add 2%, however, you can add up to 3% in your lip balm. Stir slowly until fully incorporated. Note: The sweetener may be in a solid state in your bottle – simply warm by placing the uncapped bottle in your microwave for about 10-20 seconds or placing the bottle in a hot water bath.
TIP: How to test if your lip balm is flavored or sweet enough: Take a clean pipette and drop one or two drops onto your palm and let it cool & set (within seconds). You can then test this small amount on your lips to see if you need to add more flavor oil or sweetener. Do not exceed recommended dosage.
Step 5: A super easy way to add a nice hint of shimmery color to your lips is to add lip safe Micas to your lip balm. I added 6 scoops of Mica to 1 ounce of lip balm base – this is about 1/8 tsp. You can use up to 1/4 tsp to one ounce of lip balm.
Step 6: Stir the base very well, making sure all Mica is incorporated into the mixture.
Step 7: Taking a clean disposable pipette, slowly fill each lip balm tube to the top.
Step 8: Allow to completely cool and set before capping. If you cap while the lip balm is still warm, condensation will form.
Experiment with different Mica colors and different amounts to see which you like best. Also try mixing colors to create a color shade that will complement your flavor oil!