Preventing Pigment Settling in Colored Lip Balm

How to Make Colored Lip Balm with a Smooth, Non-Settling Texture

The issue of color and White Iron Oxides settling in your lip balm occurs because these pigment powders are solid particles that do not dissolve in oils or waxes. Instead, they need to be dispersed evenly throughout the lip balm base. If they are not uniformly dispersed and kept suspended while the lip balm cools and solidifies, the pigment particles will settle to the bottom, causing sedimentation and an uneven texture.

Here is advice for the problems you are experiencing:

Solutions for Sedimentation and Uneven Texture

1. Pigments Disperse, Not Dissolve: Pigments (Mica, Iron Oxides, Titanium Dioxide) cannot be dissolved like dyes. They are solid particles that must be dispersed to remain suspended evenly in the lip balm base.
2. Preparing the Pigments: To achieve better dispersion, it's best to mix all your pigment powders (Mica, White Iron Oxides, and any other pigments for the nude shade) together first. Then, Pre-disperse this pigment mixture in a small amount of one of the liquid oils from your formula (like Castor Oil or Squalane). Mix thoroughly until you have a smooth, concentrated paste without clumps.
3. Mixing into the Lip Balm Base: Once your main lip balm base (waxes, butters, oils) is fully melted and liquid, add the pre-dispersed pigment slurry to it. Stir quickly to incorporate.
4. Continuous Stirring While Cooling: This is the most critical step. After adding the pigments to the still-liquid lip balm base, stir the mixture continuously. Do not stop stirring until the lip balm starts to visibly thicken and you can see that the pigments are remaining suspended and not settling to the bottom. Pour into your containers just as it begins to thicken. Continuous stirring prevents the pigments from having time to settle before the lip balm solidifies.

Additional Questions

• Do you need a solvent? No, you do not need an additional solvent. The oils and waxes in your formula act as the medium to disperse the pigments.
• When to add them for better dispersion? Add the pigments (preferably pre-dispersed in oil) when your main lip balm base is fully melted and liquid. However, the key is continuous stirring while the lip balm is cooling down.
• White Iron Oxides or Titanium Dioxide for opaque color? Generally, Titanium Dioxide provides better opacity than White Iron Oxides at the same concentration. If you want an opaque nude color, you should primarily use Titanium Dioxide for the white/opacity component and add small amounts of other Iron Oxides (red, yellow, black) to adjust the shade to the desired nude.
  • The product White Oxides EasyMix™ (ID 274) you are using is described as a dispersion-treated Titanium Dioxide powder coated to disperse easily in oil/silicone, which is suitable for lip balm.
  • Titanium Dioxide 200nm EasyDisperse™ (ID 236) is another option for easily dispersible Titanium Dioxide in oil.
• Color and lip balm base not mixing well: This issue is a direct result of poor pigment dispersion, causing the pigment particles to feel separate from the base. Following the steps for pre-dispersing and continuous stirring while cooling will resolve this.
• Is mica okay for lip balm? Yes, cosmetic-grade Mica is safe and commonly used in lip products. However, Mica provides shimmer, pearl, or sparkle effects. It does not provide opaque or uniform color coverage like Iron Oxides or other pigments. If you primarily want an opaque nude color, you should reduce or omit Mica and focus on using pigments like Iron Oxides and Titanium Dioxide instead.

In summary, your main issue is likely the technique for mixing and dispersing the pigments. Try pre-dispersing the pigments in a small amount of oil first, and most importantly, stir the lip balm mixture continuously as it cools down until it starts to thicken and the color remains suspended. This will help you achieve a smooth, uniformly colored nude lip balm.