Sunflower Lip Balm (Using Vegan Sunflower Wax)

This small batch vegan lip balm is easy to make and perfect for smoothing over dry chapped lips.

Sunflower wax (Helianthus Annuus seed wax) is a natural vegan wax sourced from sunflower seeds.

It can be used to replace beeswax in lip balms and salves, only you don’t need as much sunflower wax as beeswax, when making substitutions.

One thing that really surprised me when I first bought it, is how ultra white sunflower wax is.

Before I first used it a few years ago, I had read that it can also have an odor, but I didn’t notice any in the type that I bought.

Lip balm made with sunflower wax feels just like regular lip balm on my lips. I love it!

small jar of sunflower petals and oil infusion

For this recipe, I used sunflower oil that I had infused with dried sunflower petals; however, plain sunflower oil, or another light carrier oil such as olive or sweet almond, will work fine too.

If you use freshly dried and vibrant yellow sunflower petals, the oil will be more yellow, and your lip balm will be too. If the sunflower petals have been dried for a while and are paler, the oil will be a much lighter shade.

See my article – 10 Things to Make with Sunflowers – for directions how to infuse sunflower oil.

Castor oil helps lip balm formulas glide on smoothly and also lends a slightly glossy finish. If you prefer a more matte look and feel, you can try substituting it with more sunflower oil.

For other substitution ideas, check out my post on How to Create Custom Homemade Lip Balms.

tubes of lip balm surrounded by dried sunflowers

Sunflower Lip Balm

This small batch size only fills 3 or 4 lip balm tubes. Double, triple or quadruple the recipe as needed.

Add all ingredients to a heat proof measuring cup or jar. Set the cup down into a saucepan filled with a few inches of water, creating a double boiler of sorts. Place over a medium-low burner until everything is melted together.

If you’d like to test the texture before pouring, pop a metal spoon in the freezer for a minute then pull it out and dip it directly into the melted lip balm. It should cool and harden immediately. Dab a bit on your lips and see how you like the feel. You can add more wax or oil at this point to adjust hardness level.

Once you’re satisfied with the result, remove the cup from the pan, wiping off any water so that none drips into your lip balm. If you’d like to add a few drops of essential oils for scent & flavor, do so now. Good choices include: peppermint, spearmint, or (sweet) orange. Carefully pour the hot mixture into tubes or small containers.

Shelf life on lip balm is usually 9 months to a year, depending on how well it’s stored. You can extend this by adding a few drops of vitamin E or rosemary antioxidants to the recipe.

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4 Comments

  1. Well, I do much prefer sunflowers over dandelions, Jan! I guess that’s why one is considered a flower and the other a weed (to many, at least). Yet another attractive and informative post. Thanks!

  2. Just saw this recipe when looking for Sunflower lip balm recipes. Any idea how if and how much beeswax i could incorporate as well into this recipe? Also what could i use instead of shea butter as it gives me hives? Hope you see this!

    1. Hi Abi! You could incorporate some beeswax into the recipe, either completely replacing the sunflower wax or combining the two. I haven’t tried it out to be sure of exact amounts, but if you add beeswax to the recipe, you should add more oil so it won’t be too firm. You’ll have to kind of experiment with amounts and then if it’s not how you like it, you can just melt everything and add more oil/wax as needed until it’s just right! :) Instead of shea butter, you can use mango or avocado butter. You could also use cocoa butter or kokum butter, but since they’re much harder, you would use a bit less or add more oil to the recipe to help compensate. Good luck with your lip balm experiments! :)

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