Why your lips need lip balm (+ tallow lip balm recipe)

In both the summer and winter months, dry lips can be a problem. Nothing is worse than having dry, cracked or flaking lips. Today I am going to share about the benefits of lip balms and how it can help you with this common annoyance. As a bonus, you will also get my “how to” guide on making the best lip balm with a tallow base!

Just as the rest of your skin needs hydration, so does the skin of your lips! As the weather changes, you may find that your skincare routine needs to also. Cold temperatures and sun damage can leave your lips feeling less than stellar and be a reminder that you need to take care of your lips (something I personally forget to do). Below I share the perfect lip balm recipe to help sooth your sun burnt, wind burnt, or just plain dry lips that provides long-lasting hydration. 

lip balm benefits

1. It protects your lips

   • Just like your skin needs protection from time to time, so do your lips. Environmental factors such as sun exposure, living in dry climates, or cold weather can all make you realize that benefits of a good lip balm! Natural lip balms not only moisturize your lips, but the beeswax creates a thin layer that protects lips too. 

2. Uses to simple, natural ingredients

   • When picking a lip moisturizer, stay away from harsh chemicals. This is especially important for our lips because not only does our skin absorb the ingredients, but you can unintentionally ingest the ingredients when you subconsciously lick your lips. 
   • Petroleum jelly and mineral oil are 2 synthetic ingredients to avoid for their environmental and health impacts. Unfortunately, they are both common ingredients found in commercial lip balms. 

3. Helps you have soft lips

   • Whether you are kissing the man in your life or your kids, you want soft kissable lips! Daily use of a moisturizing lip balm is a great way to beat signs of dryness.

1. Brightens lips

   • When used in combination with a lip scrub, lip balms can help give you healthy lips. The lip scrub can help remove dead skin cells to promote brighter lip skin. 

2. Acts as a lipstick primer

   • When matte lipstick doesn’t go on smooth, it is usually due to dry or cracked lips. Using a lip balm before can help you achieve a smoother look.

3. Heals chapped lips

   • Nothing is worse than chapped lips. Lip balms are the perfect product to improve the health of your lips when they are feeling less than stellar. 

tallow lip balm ingredients

The best part about this lip balm recipe? You only need 2 ingredients (3 if you include essential oils)! I have found tallow to be a better choice than shea butter. This natural lip balm helps to protect your lips while also encouraging supple lips.

Here are the natural ingredients in my homemade lip balm and the benefits they provide:

1. Tallow

   • Tallow is made from rendered beef fat, which is a natural lip emollient. It is known for its health benefits and is packed full of fat soluble vitamins which help to repair damage from harmful UV rays that can cause fine lines and wrinkles. 
   • One fat soluble vitamin found in tallow is vitamin e. Vitamin E is a popular ingredient in skin care products because it helps to protect your skin from free radicals and the damage they cause. It also helps to plump lips as it is deeply hydrating.
   • Tallow is also full of essential fatty acids, such as conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA has anti-inflammatory properties, meaning it can help soothe your skin from redness and irritation from environmental damage. This makes it a great, nourishing lip balm for those days your lips are chapped and dry.
   • Vitamin K is another fat soluble vitamin that occurs naturally in tallow. It is great for lip products because it also helps to soothe irritations and overall lip health. 
   • I cannot skip talking about vitamin D. This vitamin (often referred to as a hormone) helps promote new skin cells, repair damaged cells, and also protects again free radical damage (like after those days we forget to use some sort of sun protection!) 
   • Lastly, the skin care super star, vitamin A. It encourages the production of vitamin A and healthy skin cells. This means it helps to reduce fine lines and wrinkles while slowing down the skin’s again effects, resulting in a more youthful glow. 
   • Tallow is also similar to our lip oils, also called sebum. Sebum is the oily, wax-like substance that helps to moisturize and protect our skin. 

2. Beeswax

   • Beeswax is another ingredient that is popular in animal based and vegan skincare products.  It has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. This helps to keep skin and lip care products from going bad.
   • It also provides a protective barrier and helps to prevent the skin from losing moisture. This locks moisture into your lips! 

3. Essential oils

   • You can use essential oils for their benefits or because you simple enjoy the smell of them. There are all sorts of different flavors you can make with essential oils!

essential oils

When picking essential oils, be aware that citrus essential oils in your lip balm and increase your lips sensitivity to the sun. These oils should only be used if you plan to use your lip balm indoors or at night. You can read about essential oils and photosensitivity here. 

Some fun lip balm combinations I love include:

• peppermint and vanilla
• grapefruit and spearmint
• eucalyptus and spearmint
• lemon and lavender
• orange and vanilla 

types of containers

You can use old lip balm tubes that you have thoroughly cleaned. If you do not have those, you can buy empty tubes online. 

Another option would be to buy tin containers to store it in. Since they have a wider opening, they are easier to pour your melted lip balm into also.

interested in a non-tallow lip balm recipe? Check out this one here!

how to make your own lip balm

1. warm up your double boiler set up.
2. measure your tallow and beeswax.
3. add them to your double boiler set up and melt completely.*
4. once melted, turn off the heat.
5. add your essential oils and stir.
6. pour into your lip balm containers.
7. allow to harden for 12+ hours.
8. enjoy your lip balm!