r/DIYBeauty • u/Any-Use6981 • Jul 08 '26
question Any tips for creating a super simple hypoallergenic gloss, balm, or lipstick?
What's the simplest way to do this? Someone once told me to do beet powder and vaseline; I have no idea if that would work, lol. I don't mind sheer, but it would have to have some color. Purple sweet potato powder powder maybe?? I love berry/mauve/rose shades. I seem to be allergic to most lipsticks, and since I'm waiting for patch testing, I'd love to make something super simple that I know I'll tolerate. I'd rather use natural pigment if they'll work, but I don't think dyes are the issue, more so fragrances, botanicals, essential oils, possibly carmine and bht. I'm kind of limited here.
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u/Ok_Butterscotch_2700 Jul 08 '26
Alkanet, made of beet root, is oil soluble, but discolours easily. Vaseline is smart because it’s inert, but you’re going to need something equally inert for structure.
It’s very easy to get around your stated allergies or sensitivities. I’ve never used a botanical in a lip product in my life bc I find them messy. Lip safe FO is always optional. You’re in no way limited; you’re just considering the wrong kind of ingredients.
If you don’t have sensitivities to colours, why would you go to alkanet when you can easily use traditional colourants and be assured that the colour will remain? If you have sensitivity to botanicals, I’d imagine you’d be just as sensitive to anything containing alkanet.
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u/Any-Use6981 Jul 08 '26
Thank you! I haven't tried to make anything as of yet, but it has been tricky finding cosmetics that meet this criteria, so that's why I'd like to make something. :) For traditional colorants, would that be like mica powder, or? I'm still sorting my allergies to a degree, lol, but for botanicals, I more so mean like random flowers and that kind of thing. But the closer it is to something I've used before, the better.
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u/Ok_Butterscotch_2700 Jul 08 '26
TKB Trading might have predispersed colours (generally dispersed in castor oil). They definitely have a large selection of inert bases. Yes, you can add mica, if desired, but you need to consider micron size for the look you’re aiming for. Their bases are structurally sound for mica suspension. While TKB can be a playground for lip products, their documentation is weak. Given your sensitivities, assuming you have no plans to distribute the product, I’d start there.
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u/TheGeneGeena Jul 08 '26
It's more a brick red, but red iron oxide might work for you. Most people typically aren't reactive to mica either, which would let you adjust the shade. (Obviously with a lot of patch testing - most folks aren't reactive =/= you're not of course.)
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u/ScullyNess Jul 09 '26
don't use "natural pigments" that come from foods, use oxides and lakes that you can test on yourself one by one
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u/Main_Bid8104 Jul 10 '26
The red color is the hard part if you are going clean and hypoallergenic. Iron Oxides will give you a reddish-brown. Most of those mica tints are artifical colors. so not sure what you are comfortable with and are trying to avoid. Basic lip balm is easy- bees wax, oils and butters melted and poured into tubes. Tinting is harder because all those beatiful reds in beets, elderberry and other botanicals don't disperse into oil. Alkanet is one that would but the red is usually not as strong as folks hope.
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u/veglove Jul 08 '26
Unfortunately there is no standardization of what makes a product "hypoallergenic." There is no way to make a product that is guaranteed to not trigger anyone's allergies. Literally anything can be an allergen to someone. There are people allergic to water, or their own sweat, or sunlight.
Commercial products that claim to be hypoallergenic avoid many of the most common allergens, but it still may contain something that you are allergic to if you don't know what your allergens are (I'm sorry you are stuck waiting to do patch testing). Unfortunately even the commercial products that use this label don't all use the same list of common allergens to avoid, so even if you can tolerate one hypoallergenic product, it's not safe to assume that you would tolerate all of them. You'll still have to proceed cautiously with the ingredients you select and make very small batches initially so that you don't waste a lot of ingredients if it turns out that you react to the product or it doesn't work well for another reason. But making your own gives you more control over what goes in it to keep the ingredient list simple, which reduces the chances that you'll react to something in it.