These cute DIY holiday lip scrub recipes gently exfoliate dry, flaky lips, leaving your lips softer, smoother and more kissable. Depending on the flavour, these fragrant scrubs can also add a little plumping to dehydrated winter lips. Read on to learn how to create four winter lip scrubs in festive scents such as frosted cranberry, peppermint candy cane, spiced orange and gingerbread.
The minute the cold weather hits, more often than not so does the dry, flaky skin. And nothing looks more unappealing than applying lip gloss or lipstick over chapped or dehydrated lips.
However, lip scrubs are an easy, homemade fix. These DIY lip scrub recipes will help slough off the dry, flaky skin caused by cold weather and indoor heating, all while leaving your lips softer, more moisturized, and maybe even looking a little plumper.
These festive lip scrubs are also incredibly easy to whip up in your own kitchen. All you need is a few simple ingredients. Plus, a handful of little glass containers that you can reuse for future batches.
I used glass containers with faux wood lids which make these scrubs a little nicer for gift giving. There’s just something special about receiving a handmade gift, especially one that shows the recipient that you took the time to make something thoughtful with them in mind.
And speaking of homemade gifts, these lip scrubs would also pair well with a DIY tinted lip balm!
Ingredients for DIY holiday lip scrubs
Finely ground sugar
The base of these delicious-tasting winter lip scrubs is finely ground sugar.
Sugar gets a bad rap, but it also has some benefits, too. Sugar is an inexpensive and all-natural exfoliator, which is an obvious plus in DIY beauty and skincare.
I used finely ground sugar (or caster sugar) for these lip scrub recipes because it’s far gentler on delicate lip skin than regular sugar.
When exfoliating, you always want to be mindful of not causing micro-tears, which can occur if you use larger exfoliating particles such as coarse sugar or salt. You can read more about that topic here.
If you don’t have fine sugar on hand, then you can use a coffee or spice grinder to make sure the sugar you use in these recipes is extra fine.
Fractionated coconut oil
Besides finely ground sugar, you will need fractionated (liquid) coconut oil, MCT oil, or another unscented liquid carrier oil of your choice.
Olive oil works as well, but you may find that the scent of olive oil doesn’t complement these holiday flavours.
The benefit of fractionated coconut oil is that it’s liquid at room temperature. Regular coconut oil will solidify and make your lip scrub too firm, so I don’t recommend using melted coconut oil for these recipes.
As well, both fractionated coconut oil and MCT oil are made up of mostly saturated fatty acids, which oxidize more slowly. Using an oil that is predominately saturated will stop your lip scrub from going rancid and give it a longer shelf life.
As for skin benefits, coconut oil is occlusive, helping to lock moisture onto lips. It also provides both antibacterial and anti-fungal properties.
Essential oils
You will also want to use a few essential oils to fragrance your scrubs.
You can choose to blend multiple oils, or you can use pre-blended holiday scents such as this this gingerbread essential oil blend.
Or, if you prefer not to use essential oils on your lips, you can also use a few drops of flavoured liquid stevia extracts to flavour and fragrance your lip scrubs.
Honey
You can also add honey to your holiday lip scrubs for extra moisture. Honey is already included in the gingerbread scrub, but if you prefer you can add it to any of the other lip scrub recipes.
Honey is wonderful for the lips due to it ablility to hydrate and soften. It’s also antibacterial and has a low pH level that’s compatible with our skin’s preferred pH range.
In addition to its moisturizing capabilities, honey imparts a naturally delicious scent and taste to your lip scrubs.
Ideally, you should choose raw or unpasteurized honey to reap all the additional antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits that honey can provide. But if you don’t have it on hand, pasteurized liquid honey will work as well.
DIY holiday lip scrub recipes
Cranberry lip scrub for gentle exfoliation
This cranberry lip scrub is ideal for gentle exfoliation. The star ingredient in this lovely red sugar scrub is cranberry powder. Cranberry powder can aid in gentle exfoliation and imparts a fruity cranberry scent to your lip scrub.
Cranberry powder is also the exfoliating agent in our festive cranberry face scrub recipe, which is a very gentle scrub for use on delicate facial skin.
Ingredients for cranberry lip scrub
2 tablespoons fine sugar
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil
1/2 tablespoon cranberry powder
Pinch of beetroot powder for colour
The beetroot powder is optional, but it will leave a lovely pink stain on your lips which just might be an added bonus.
Candy cane lip scrub for plumping
This peppermint candy cane lip scrub exfoliates and hydrates, while peppermint essential oil stimulates, giving your lips a plumper appearance.
Please proceed with caution if your lips are chapped, as peppermint essential oil will sting on broken skin. Do a patch test if you’re unsure.
Peppermint lip scrub ingredients
2 tablespoons fine sugar
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil
1 teaspoon of raw honey
3 drops vanilla extract or vanilla oleoresin
2 drops peppermint essential oil, candy cane essential oil blend, or peppermint liquid stevia
Pinch of natural pink food colouring
Spiced orange lip scrub for plumping
This spicy lip scrub incorporates sweet orange essential oil with a dash of cinnamon. Its scent is reminiscent of mulled cider. And due to the addition of cinnamon, this variation of lip scrub can also add a little plumping to your lips. However, skip the cinnamon if you tend towards sensitivity.
Spiced orange lip scrub ingredients
2 tablespoons fine sugar
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil
3 drops sweet orange essential oil or orange liquid stevia
Dash of cinnamon
Gingerbread lip scrub for gentle exfoliation and plumping
This delicious gingerbread lip scrub will remind you of warm gingerbread cookies. The scent of this variation is reminiscent of the classic holiday cookie, all while leaving your lips softer and a little fuller thanks to the dash of cinnamon.
Again, proceed with caution if your lips are cracked as cinnamon can cause irritation if used on broken skin.
Gingerbread lip scrub ingredients
2 tablespoons finely ground brown sugar
1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil
1 teaspoon of raw honey
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
3 drops vanilla extract or vanilla oleoresin
2 drops gingerbread liquid stevia or gingerbread essential oil blend (optional)
How to make holiday lip scrubs
- Add the sugar and spices (if included) to a small mixing bowl.
- Next, add the fractionated coconut oil or liquid carrier oil of your choice.
- Add your essential oils (and stevia, if desired) and mix well to incorporate.
- Carefully transfer to small glass containers.
- To use your lip scrub, massage gently onto lips and then rinse with warm water.
- Pat dry and follow up with a moisturizing lip balm. You can also use a lip mask for even more hydration.
Tips for making and using lip scrubs
These lip scrub recipes are water-free so they do not require a preservative. However, be sure to use your scrub with dry hands so as to not introduce any water (and thus bacteria) into your jar.
If made with liquid coconut oil, your scrubs should stay fresh for at least a year. But if you’re using an unsaturated liquid carrier oil which can spoil faster, be sure to make your lip scrubs in small batches so that they stay fresh longer. Also, be sure to store your scrubs in a cool, dark cupboard or drawer away from light or heat.
As well, always try to follow up your lip scrub with a moisturizing lip balm or lip mask! We have a DIY lip mask that can be applied after exfoliating for extra hydration and plumping.
You can also add a little vitamin E to your lip scrub recipe, or apply it after if you prefer. I often put a little camellia oil on my lips after I use a lip scrub.
After your lips are soft and supple from your lip treatment, you can also apply a non-toxic gloss or lipstick which should go on smoother, with no flakiness.
Frosting by Clove + Hallow is Kyla’s new go-to shade of lipstick and my favourite lipstick shade is Sake by Bite Beauty.
DIY lip scrubs for kids
I realize some of these lip scrub flavours might be considered a bit kid-like so these recipes could also be a fun craft to do with pre-teens.
They might even make for a cute homemade stocking stuffer for older children or young teenagers as even kids can be prone to dry lips in the winter.
Another added benefit of these scrubs is that they’re edible (before you add the essential oils). Although, I don’t recommend eating them or consuming essential oils.
However, if you accidentally get a little of these scrubs in your mouth during use, you won’t have to worry about ingesting preservatives or other questionable ingredients.
Please be aware that peppermint essential oil is a mucous membrane irritant so it’s not safe for young kids. And please note that you should always research an essential oil’s safety before using it on or around children.
DIY Holiday Lip Scrubs for Soft Winter Lips
Learn how to make easy holiday lip scrubs with natural ingredients like sugar, essential oils and moisturizing coconut oil. Gently exfoliate dry, flaky lips with festive winter scents such as cranberry, peppermint candy cane, gingerbread and spiced orange.
Materials
DIY Cranberry Lip Scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sugar
- 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil
- 1/2 tablespoon cranberry powder
- Pinch of beetroot powder for colour
DIY Candy Cane Lip Scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sugar
- 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil
- 1 teaspoon of raw honey
- 3 drops vanilla extract or vanilla oleoresin
- 2 drops peppermint essential oil, candy cane essential oil blend, or peppermint liquid stevia
- Pinch of natural pink food colouring
DIY Gingerbread Lip Scrub
- 2 tablespoons finely ground brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil
- 1 teaspoon of raw honey
- 1/2 tablespoon cinnamon
- 3 drops vanilla extract or vanilla oleoresin
- 2 drops gingerbread essential oil blend or gingerbread liquid stevia (optional)
DIY Spiced Orange Lip Scrub
- 2 tablespoons fine sugar
- 1 tablespoon fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil
- 3 drops sweet orange essential oil or orange liquid stevia
- Dash of cinnamon
Tools
- Small glass jars for storage
Instructions
- Add the sugar and spices (if included) to a small mixing bowl.
- Next, add the fractionated coconut oil or liquid carrier oil of your choice.
- Add your essential oils (and stevia, if desired) and mix well to incorporate.
- Carefully transfer to small glass containers.
- To use your lip scrub, massage gently onto lips and then rinse with warm water.
- Pat dry and follow up with a moisturizing lip balm for extra hydration.
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More DIY beauty recipes for the holiday season
Looking for more natural beauty recipes that are perfect for winter? Check these out:
- Peppermint Hot Cocoa Body Butter
- Gentle Cranberry Face Scrub
- Simple Lavender Pine Soap Recipe
- Sugar Cookie Body Butter
- Holiday Body Scrub Recipes
For even more natural DIY beauty ideas, follow us on Pinterest! You can also find us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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Rebecca
Monday 4th of September 2023
If you want them to be shelf stable or last up to a year, can you use a natural preservative? If so, which one would be best to use? Can't wait to try them! I want to make them as gifts!
Kyla
Thursday 7th of September 2023
Hi Rebecca, since these lip scrub recipes don't contain water, they actually won't need a preservative. It's hard to make guarantees with DIY products but they should last up to a year anyway with proper sanitary precautions, especially when using fractionated coconut oil or MCT oil, which is very shelf stable. So happy to hear you'll be making them as gifts and would love to hear how it goes. 😊
Christie
Saturday 21st of November 2020
Oh that is so cool!!! I love how this exfoliates and hydrates to give that extra plump! I'm adding to my list of recipes to try!
Kanwal
Sunday 30th of August 2020
I follow your recipe word to word. But my lip scrub not look like yours. I made ginger bread one but it look soo dry and feel harsh on lips while scrubbing. Help me please how can i make it soft and usable.. thank you
Kim
Monday 31st of August 2020
Sorry, the recipe didn't work out for you. I think you just need to add some extra coconut oil and that should fix the issue. Try adding half a tablespoon more, if that doesn't work, add another. You should be able to reach the right consistency by slowing adding more oil. Good luck!
Farzaneh
Thursday 23rd of April 2020
Thanks for all the recipes! What is the shelf-life for most of your products? Do they go hard with continuous exposure to air? Or do the ingredients separate?
Kim
Thursday 23rd of April 2020
You're welcome! It depends on the recipe. We tend to make a lot of things in small batches (such as these lip scrubs) so we haven't had an issue with separation. Also, some of our recipes include a safe preservative. Hope that helps!
Rebecca Dillon
Saturday 4th of January 2020
These flavors are the bee's knees. Lip scrubs are a must for winter. But you just took them to a whole new level!
Kim
Sunday 5th of January 2020
Thanks so much, Rebecca! We agree - DIY lip scrubs are definitely a winter necessity!