Chapped Lips? Make DIY Lip Scrub

I’ve had enough of this winter. Even though it’s officially spring, here in the northeast it’s still winter. My yard is completely covered in snow. Ugh! And though I’ve bought a couple of new hydrating lipsticks and gloss, Too Faced La Creme Lipstick and Estée Lauder Lipgloss, in addition to the peppermint oil-infused Stila Color Balm Lipstick, my lips are still chapped and flaky. In fact, I’m finding it’s difficult to put lipstick on chapped lips, and it doesn’t look great.

I decided I should stop complaining and do something about it. I like to make things, so I thought I’d make my own lip scrub to get rid of the flakes and give me nice smooth lips again.

There are two ways to go: Easy & Quick or Natural.

Easy & Quick Lip Scrub

Let’s start with Easy & Quick. The ingredients should already be in your pantry and bathroom cabinet:

• 1 T. honey
• 2 T. sugar: either granulated sugar or turbinado also called raw sugar — I used Sugar in the Raw that I had on hand because I wanted sugar with big crystals
• 1 T. petroleum jelly
• optional flavor: maple syrup, vanilla, caramel, a little jam.

The flavor is definitely optional. I think the honey and sugar provide enough flavor, but if you like more flavor to mask the taste of the small amount of petroleum jelly, go right ahead. Just don’t eat it!

Put all the ingredients in a bowl or in a jar if the mouth is wide enough, and mix till combined. If you want it to be a little looser, add a little more honey. Store it in a small glass jar (like a repurposed moisturizer jar or baby food jar etc.) or plastic container. I keep almost everything in the fridge though it may not be necessary. The lip scrub should last quite a long time because none of the ingredients spoil.

Natural Lip Scrub with Shea Butter

Some people don’t like using petroleum jelly because it’s derived from petroleum. So here’s the first natural version. You can substitute a natural balm such as shea butter in its original form, not the lotion. I usually have shea butter on hand because it keeps forever. It’s really emollient, full of vitamins including vitamin E, and it helps soothe and heal scars.

Shea butter can be purchased at Walgreen’s, L’Occitaine or on Amazon. Click shea butter here.

Put 2 tablespoons of shea butter in the top of a double boiler and heat the shea butter to soften it. If you don’t have a double boiler, heat some water in a saucepan to a boil. Take the saucepan off the heat, and place a bowl with the shea butter over the saucepan. It will melt quickly because shea butter melts at low temperatures. Once it’s softened let it cool, so it doesn’t melt the sugar crystals. The sugar crystals do the exfoliating!

Then add 2 T. honey and 4 T. sugar, and optional flavor like maple syrup that won’t spoil. Store in a glass jar. Don’t store this in the refrigerator because the shea butter will harden. Use within a few weeks.

Natural Lip Scrub with Natural Substitute for Petroleum Jelly

If you have some time on your hands and you like crafting, you can make your own natural, non-petroleum jelly. Once you have the ingredients, it’s no big deal. You need beeswax, and I suggest you get organic beeswax, meaning it comes from fields that were not sprayed with fertilizer, fungicide or weedkiller. Important since you’re going to put it on your lips.
There are many sources for beeswax. Amazon sells 5 one ounce bars of 100% hand poured beeswax, cosmetic grade, triple filtered for $7.50.

Making the natural non-petroleum jelly is the first step. You can use this product for other uses as well as for the lip scrub, so you won’t be going to all this trouble just for a little lip scrub. 😉 The ingredients you need for this phase are:

• 1 ounce of beeswax (1 log like the small log in the photo above)
• 6 gel capsules of 400 IU vitamin E
• 1/2 c.sweet almond oil (you can buy this at Whole Foods, a health food store or Trader Joe’s) or coconut oil, which is more widely available these days.

Place 1 ounce of beeswax (ie one 1 oz log) in the top of a double boiler (or in a metal bowl placed on top of a saucepan filled with water part way). Melt the beeswax, and then squeeze in the oil from the 6 capsules of vitamin E and add the 1/2 cup of sweet almond oil, stirring constantly as the beeswax thickens and cools. Once it’s thickened, scoop it into a glass jar, but let it cool completely before you put the lid on. Store in a cool dark place or in the fridge.

To make your lip scrub, scoop out 1 T. of the natural petroleum jelly, and let it cool enough that it doesn’t melt the sugar crystals. Mix in 1T. honey, 2 T. sugar and a little almond extract, if you have some on hand, to enhance the almond flavor from the oil. Store the extra lip scrub in a little glass jar in the fridge.

Finished Lip Scrub

Take out a little lip scrub, say the size of a pea, and apply it to your lips with your finger, or for more exfoliating, with a soft or baby toothbrush. A little goes a long way.

Massage for a couple of minutes. If any of the granules remain, rinse them off or gently remove with a tissue. Apply your favorite lip balm to keep your smooth lips protected.

You can also use this scrub on rough hands, feet or elbows, if you like.

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I hope you enjoy these recipes. If you really get into it, you can make these to give as gifts. Crate & Barrel sells adorable little glass spice jars for about $2 that would be just perfect for the lip scrub. Or go to AC Moore or Michael’s to find little jars for even less money.

Here’s mine. It took about 3 minutes to make (the Easy & Quick method). And it worked.

So, will you try making one? Please let me know what you think, and how it turns out for you!

Allison Cohen

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