how to make chapstick with spf
How to Make Chapstick with SPF
The first place on my body that I can feel the effects of sun and wind exposure is on my lips. After wandering the desert, mountains, hills, or any other outdoor arena, I find myself babying my lips for days afterwards with gas station chapsticks. I’m diving into how to make chapstick with SPF, using easy-to-acquire ingredients that are identifiable. My kissing lips say “no thanks” to isopropyl myristate. Actually, I don’t know if that’s bad or not.
What is SPF?
SPF stands for sun protection factor. It’s the standard at which sunscreen will protect you from UVB rays.
The Factor a mathematic Factor, modifying your current ability to stand in the sun. If you normally burn after 10 minutes, SPF 15 would give you 10×15 minutes in the sun before burning.
SPF Ingredients
Coconut Oil, Almond Oil, and Shea butter all have sun protection properties of about 5 SPF.
Ingredients for Homemade Chapstick with SPF
- Chapstick Tubes or .5oz Lip Balm Tins
- Paper Cups
- Beeswax – 2 Tablespoons
- Shea Butter (+5SPF) – 2 Tablespoons
- Coconut Oil (+5SPF) – 2 Tablespoons
- Almond Oil (+5SPF) – 2 Tablespoons
- Essential Oils for Flavor/Scent – 10 to 15 Drops
This makes 4oz at the last drop.
The 50 Chapstick Tubes at .15oz (7.5oz total) or 12 .5oz (6oz total) should be sufficient to house all of this mixture while leaving you with some clean containers.
Since we can pronounce mostly everything up there, we can call it a natural chapstick. What’s more convenient is that every ingredient is easy to find and it works
How to Make SPF Chapstick
Mix the Beeswax, Shea Butter, Coconut Oil, and Almond Oil on the stove at low heat and bring to melting. Mix well.
Separately, I like to put the flavoring oil in a paper cup and pour the melted mixture into the paper cup to save some time.
Once the mix is in the cup, mix the scented oil in again. Press the edges of the paper cup to create a lipped ledge to pour into the chapstick tubes. This will be much more accurate than a mug or cup you have lying around.
You’re all set!
Final notes
The final note on how to make chapstick is that this is totally a home project. You can change out and experiment with the ingredients by playing with the volumes. For example, reducing the beeswax and increasing the shea butter would create a more luxurious feeling on the lips, while reducing longevity and toughness of each tube.
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