How to Make Lip Gloss Base

If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re as big a makeup lover as I am! I’m a massive fan of subtle lip gloss. It’s such an effortless product, but it works wonders for adding an extra touch to your look. Yes, you could buy a lip gloss base, but where’s the fun in that? So, instead, let’s get a little creative and make our own. Join me in this blog post as I explain how to do precisely that!

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I think making your own lip gloss is a fun and novel thing to do. Whether you’ve never made your own makeup before or are an old hand, you can either use your lip gloss base on top of lipstick or just as a clear lip gloss, letting your natural lip color shine through. Alternatively, you can go all out and customize your gloss by adding different colors to it.

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How to Make a Lip Gloss Base: The Quick Study

You can make a lip gloss base with either Vaseline or Versagel, which many lip gloss bases are made from
To make an organic lip gloss base, you can use either Beeswax, coconut oil, caster oil, an essential oil such as Vitamin E.
It’s easier than you think to make lip gloss base; all you need is your chosen base + color (which is optional).
You can make this at home with a double boiler, or two pots, a syringe + lip gloss pots to store — color or glitter is optional.

What’s Lip Gloss Base?

Before I go any further, let’s clarify what I mean by lip gloss base. Really, it’s what it says on the tin. It’s the base of a lip gloss, an odorless, colorless gel that’s typically a bit sticky. Just think of those lipglosses you buy in beauty or drug stores – a lip gloss base has the same texture.

What’s Lip Gloss Base Made From?

That depends. Why? Because you can opt to make an organic version using just natural ingredients (more about this later) or use Vaseline. The latter is sometimes also referred to as Versagel, and I’ll tell you more about that further down too.

What’s in Versagel?

Primarily, Versagel contains a product called hydrogen polyisobutene. This emollient is combined or gelled with a mix of butylene/ethylene/styrene copolymer or ethylene/propylene/styrene copolymer. You likely have a jar of Vaseline in your medicine cabinet at home.

Interestingly, it’s actually used in tons of products:

Cosmetics like mascara, fragrances, and perfumes
Skincare such as moisturizers or sun lotion
Hair products, including serums, hair color, hair conditioner, and styling products
Pharmaceutical products like ointments, powder, and baby oil

If you’ve never come across it, you’ll find it in most, if not all, drug stores. It’s colorless, has a shelf-life of up to three years, and is waterproof.

Is There Just One Type of Versagel?

There are two kinds of Versagel you can use to make your lip gloss base:

Versagel M500
Versagel M750

Let’s check out each one.

Versagel M500 is a thick mineral oil that’s cosmetics-grade. It’s a popular choice because it’s safe, OK to use on sensitive skin, and has moisturizing properties. It locks in moisture, making it great for dry skin. Versagel M500 isn’t very greasy and is easy to wipe off.

In contrast, Versagel M750 is thicker than the M500 but still spreads well. In addition, it’s greasier than Versagel 500. Many lip glosses, including some premium range ones, contain Versagel.

So, now you have a better sense of the types of lip gloss bases you can make, I’ll explore what you need to get started. Of course, this largely depends on whether you want to make an organic vegan-friendly gloss base or a Versagel/Vaseline(petroleum) lip gloss base.

What’s in Organic Lip Gloss Base?

As the name suggests, organic lip gloss is made from natural products, so they don’t contain Versagel/Vaseline and are vegan-friendly. The difference here is that organic lip gloss is typically shinier.

Organic lip gloss bases typically include the following ingredients:

Beeswax. Note: Beeswax is considered vegetarian but not vegan. It doesn’t contain insect or animal flesh since it’s harvested without the bees’ consent. However, this doesn’t tally with vegan principles.
A base oil such as coconut oil or caster oil
An essential oil, for example, Vitamin E
Color that comes from plant-based lip gloss pigment (optional)
Glitter (optional)

Of course, there are already masses of amazing vegan lip glosses available to buy online or at your favorite beauty store. Still, it might be fun making your own!

Making Organic Lip Gloss Base

Before diving in, think about this process a bit like baking a cake. Before combing all your ingredients, you’d line them up on the kitchen countertop to ensure they are all in the right quantities.

When making your own lip gloss base suggest taking the same approach, so everything is to hand.

So, here’s your shopping list of ingredients to make an organic lip gloss base:

Three parts of your chosen base oil (see above) – I like coconut oil
One part beeswax
Color and glitter (optional)
Ten drops of essential oil, such as Vitamin E oil

You can also add other lip-softening ingredients like mango butter. If you go with this, halve your chosen base oil to 1.5 parts and add 1.5 parts of mango butter instead. This list will give you a nice thick lip gloss base. If you prefer your lipgloss to have a runnier consistency, follow the above list, but only use two parts of base oil or one part of base oil and one part of mango butter.

What Tools Do I Need to Make an Organic Lip Gloss Base?

To make an organic lip gloss base, you’ll need the following tools:

A stovetop
A double boiler pan (two pots that stack on top of one another) so the steam from the water in the bottom pan rises to the top pan where your ingredients are. The heat will melt and fuse your ingredients.
A spoon (metal or wooden is fine)
A syringe
A lip gloss container – either a pot or a tube
An apron and paper towels (in case things get messy!)

So now, with your ingredients and tools to hand, you’re ready to get going!

How to Make Organic Lip Gloss Base

Next, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to make a lovely natural lip gloss base. Remember many ingredients are optional (glitter, color, and essential oils).

Add the beeswax to your double pan.
Place the double pan on your stove on a gentle heat
Melt the beeswax, stirring the beeswax constantly while it’s melting
Add your base oil to the double pan and stir well
Once it’s mixed thoroughly with your beeswax (usually a few minutes), turn off the heat
Add the essential oils and mix well (I’m going to talk a bit more about these lower down in a separate section)
Allow your mixture to cool down and thicken.
Once it’s cool and thick, you can add color and/or glitter.
Pour your mixture into your lip gloss pots or use a syringe or pipette to pour it into lip gloss tubes.

Pro Tip: If you’re in a rush and want your lip gloss to cool down and thicken fast, put it in your freezer for 20 minutes. Add more base oil if your mix isn’t as thick as you want it to be. Job done!

Ingredients to Make Lip Gloss Base With Versagel

Like organic lip gloss bases, the quantities needed depend on whether you want a thick base or a base that’s more liquid in consistency. It’s down to personal choice in the end, but when I prefer a thicker base because I find it’s longer lasting.

Here’s what you need for a thicker product:

Two parts of Versagel
Three parts of base oils (same as those already mentioned)
Optional color (you can still go for a plant-based option if you want to)
Optional glitter
Essential oils (just like making an organic lip gloss base)

If you want a looser consistency, reduce your Versagel to one part.

Related Read: Best Lip Gloss Style Guide: How to Find the Best Colors for You?

What Tools Do I Need to Make Lip Gloss Base With Versagel?

This list differs slightly from the tools needed to make an organic lip gloss base. The most important thing to note is that I don’t recommend you use direct heat to melt your ingredients.

Take a look at what you need:

A spatula or spoon
A microwave
A microwave-proof bowl like a Pyrex bowl
A thermometer
A syringe or pipette
Lip gloss pots or tubes
Paper towels and an apron

Now that you have all those items lined up let’s look at how you make your perfect lip gloss base with Versagel.

How to Make a Lip Gloss Base With Versagel

Follow this simple method if you want a less glossy and thicker consistency using Versagel:

Add your Versagel/Vaseline and base oil to your bowl
Place it in the microwave and melt and mix in 30-second bursts until the two are melted and mixed together well
Add essential oils of your choice and mix in well
Add any color or glitter you’d like and mix in well
Put into pots or lip gloss tubes

And that’s it!

A Guide to Lip Gloss Color

Of course, if you want to, you can keep your lip gloss base as it is – clear. However, if you prefer to add a hint of a tint, here are a few natural products you can find at home to get you started.

The best way to add natural color is by using natural powders. For example:

Beetroot powder for a red gloss
Cocoa powder for a brown tint
Raspberry powder for a deep pink gloss
Hibiscus powder for a pink tint
Ginger powder for a yellow gloss
Non-spicy paprika for an orange lip gloss

Many health stores sell beetroot, hibiscus, and raspberry powders because they can be added to food products such as yogurt, jelly, smoothies, and sauces. As for the others, you probably already have them on your kitchen spice rack!

As for quantities, see our FAQ section (below) to learn more about how much product to add to your lip gloss base.

FAQs