These homemade lip balm recipe and lip gloss recipes are the perfect way to spoil yourself or a friend! Homemade lip balm is easy, fun to make and wonderful!
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE making homemade lip balm. I’ve made it for years and every fall I make a fresh batch just in time for winter!
Making homemade lip balm is such an easy thing to do that it makes a wonderful homemade Christmas present.
Some of the ingredients you may not be familiar with but your can find most of them at a health food store or they carry many essential oils at places like Wal Mart in the craft or cake decorating section.
Try these homemade lip balm recipes from volume 1 of our cookbook:
-Tawra
Lip Balm Basics
There are many ways to make homemade lip balm. Basic lip balm contains oil, beeswax and flavoring (optional). I prefer a softer lip balm. If you want one that is a little more waxy, add an additional teaspoon of beeswax. Experiment to see which you like the best.
Use any of the following oils when making your homemade lip balm:
- coconut oil
- castor oil
- almond oil
- sunflower oil
- lanolin
- jojoba oil
- olive oil
- shea butter
- cocoa butter
Vitamin E is a preservative and is also thought to be healing for your skin.
Comfrey root and rosemary extracts may be used for their healing properties. If you wish to make your own extracts, you may boil comfrey and rosemary in sunflower oil for an hour or two. Strain oil before using in lip balms or creams.
To fill the containers, I use a small baby food spoon but you could also use a dropper or tiny funnel.
Homemade Lip Balm Recipe
1 tsp. beeswax beads
1 tsp. sunflower oil*
1 tsp. coconut oil*
1 tsp. (total) comfrey and/or rosemary extract (optional)
2-5 drops flavoring (optional)- peppermint, cherry, grape, vanilla, orange or anything you like.
1 capsule Vitamin E**
Heat oils and beeswax just until melted. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Use a dropper to place in tubes or small jars.
This is my favorite homemade lip balm and I’m very picky about what kind I use.
* Note: Most days, I don’t have both sunflower oil and coconut oil on hand so I just use one or the other.
** Be sure to use the vitamin E. It’s a preservative and the lip balm will go rancid after a few months if you don’t use this. (Ask me how I know! ;-) )
Chocolate Lip Balm
1 tsp. beeswax
1 tsp. cocoa butter
1 tsp. sweet almond oil (or coconut or sunflower)
1 capsule Vitamin E
3-6 chocolate chips (optional for chocolate lip balm)
Heat oils and beeswax just until melted. Add Vitamin E and chocolate chips. Mix well. Use a dropper to place in tubes or small jars.
Honey Lip Balm
2 tsp. beeswax
7 tsp. sweet almond oil
1 tsp. honey
5 drops flavoring (optional)
1 capsule Vitamin E
Heat beeswax and oil just until melted. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Use a dropper to place in tubes or small jars.
Homemade Lip Gloss
3 Tbsp. petroleum jelly
1/4 tsp. lipstick*
Melt petroleum jelly and lipstick in the microwave just until melted. Mix well and place in a jar.
*Add more or less lipstick for desired shade. This is a great way to use up the last bit of lipstick in the tube.
Sparkling Lip Gloss
4 Tbsp. petroleum jelly
1-2 Tbsp. glitter or edible glitter*
1/2-1 tsp. lipstick
10 drops flavored oil
Melt petroleum jelly and lipstick. Add glitter and flavored oil. Omit lipstick for clear lip gloss.
* Edible glitter may be found at cake decorating stores. You could also use shimmery eye shadow instead.
Tips
Use a lip brush to get the last bits of lipstick out of the tube. Save old lipstick and lip balm containers and put your homemade lip balms in them.
You can buy small clear containers at the Dollar Tree or use small mustard and jelly containers (the kind received in Christmas gift packs) are also great for storing lip balm.
Put on lip liner, then lip gloss or petroleum jelly. This gives your lips a shine and makes it look like you are wearing lipstick.
Click here to get our Dining On A Dime Cookbooks 25% Off NOW! They’re filled with tasty recipes and tips to make your life easier!
Where can I get all of this stuff from? beeswax beads?
And the little jars?
thanks!
Beeswax you find online or at healthfood stores. You can even just cut up a beeswax candle.
How can I have coloured lipglos with a powder colour?
Thank you in advance 😊
Just add some mica and stir it in.
You can find some clear plastic containers in the cosmetic area of Dollar Tree.
Can you pill containers ? I have so many empty ones
I don’t know why not.
Where can I find the tubes to contain lip balm.. I think it’s more hygenic way to apply, rather than using fingers that might have germs .
You can find them online.
You might try the craft section at places like Hobby Lobby and Jo Ann fabrics too.
This might be shocking to you…but bacteria is good for us!!
Nope it isn’t shocking at all. Have know for many years that it is good for us. I even worry a little what the next generation is going to be like if we have sanitized them to death.
kids these days are always inside. im 17 but the only reason im always inside is cause i have medical probs and cant really go out or i will dislocate a joint. if i walk through the house i dislocate my knees. i would LOVE to go out and do sports.
What flavoring oil or flavors are you talking about?
Essential oils and flavorings. You can go to the craft or baking section of most stores (even Walmart) and they will have different type of oils and flavorings. Our fabric store has a big baking and cake decorating section and they carry everything you need. You can order them on line too. Just type in essential oils. They have them in with spices in some places too. Just ask for essential oils and flavorings and they can tell you.
I just got 30 with cute label on Amazon for 6.89 :)
Hobby lobby has them
I saw them at Hobby Lobby. They had beeswax also.
I got all of my supplies from Amazon
Beeswax can be found where people sell their own harvested honey. Beekeepers often sell it!
Try Hobby Lobby, they have a lot of great stuff..
I wish I knew where to get some really pretty jars. I’ll have to look around for some. This all sounds so simple and the lip gloss one sounds like it would take nothing to make! Some of the girls I know are going to be getting lip gloss for Christmas!!
Amazon!!!
Amazon has small glass jars .25 oz. about the size of a Carmex jar, but clear. I use them for my lip gloss.
For those of us in the UK, Amazon and Ebay have all we need: beeswax pellets, little pots and / or lipstick tubes, and essential oils as flavouring (I love the lemon or orange) – check the one you want is edible though!
Buy jars on Amazon. They also have very pretty labels to make your jars look great
I’m allergic to beeswax is there something we can use in place of that to get the same texture?
Hi Lisa, I’m allergic to beeswax also. I have been making my own for about 30 years now and I never add any wax and it still hardens, but you can use palm wax. That’s used in many of the vegan lipbalms.. Have fun making your lipbalms. Much Love <3
Oh, also soy wax… <3
Cocoa butter is pretty hard! It also gives you a chocolate flavor or smell.
I had questions, but upon scrolling down – I can see that they were already asked .. .. .. and answered:)
What is the flavoring? Is it essential oils ?
Usually it flavoring like peppermint oil you use from the grocery store.
What about the orange or grape? Those sound yummy esp. for young girls.
I’d prefer not to use artificial flavorings :)
PS…. I love your website and have passed it on to many friends :)
For the vitamin E,do i just drop a whole capsule in or do i cut it open?
I poke a needle in it and then squeeze out the oil. You can also buy bottles of the oil.
I have liquid vitamin e…how much could I use in place of the capsule…half to 1 tsp??? Thanks
Yeah, give or take. I use about 1/4- 1/2 tsp. depending on how big my batch is.
I thought once Vitamin E was exposed to light then its not as effective. Is it just less effective as a vitamin but works just as well for a preservative?
Yes, it’s a good preservative. I haven’t heard about it not being as effective.
Has anyone found a place where we can purchase pretty little jars for the lip balm?
Try the wedding dept. at Hobby Lobby.
dollar store has alot of little plastic jars
Amazon!!!
Just FYI,Great to use those little cute tiny jars of jelly’s you get at christmas from the company’s that have cheese and meats.Some have cute designs or gold lids.I have been saving a few for something,and this would be perfect!
Wow these are really neat. Can’t wait to try! I have a jar of coconut oil I’ve been wondering what to do with. I bought it a few months ago thinking I was going to start this new “diet” and I really can’t stand the flavor when I cook with it. I’m glad to know there is something I can use it for! I just need to get the vitamin E, beeswax and containers now.
I was wondering about coconut oil for cooking. I know some people swear by it but I just can’t justify the price!
Coconut oil makes the BEST fried chicken, but it is pricey. My grandson, who only wants to eat cereal, actually ate 2 pieces the night I fried it with coconut oil. Wish I could find a way to get it cheaper, I’d use it all the time.
if you get it in large amounts, the price drops. Make sure you get a good brand, tho, as some are cheap. A great one comes from www.tropicaltraditions.com. You can get the expeller pressed, which is cheaper, for cooking. It is still very healthy, even tho it is “refined”…it’s not refined in the normal sense wher the oil is damaged. You can buy large amounts in gallon or 5 gallon size. Try first, tho!
I think coconut oil makes the best popcorn. I got all paranoid about the stuff I the microwave popcorn and decided to do it on the stove in coconut oil. It’s the best.
I use coconut oil for sauteeing veggies and I especially like the oil added to a bit of butter or olive oil and melted to drizzle over popcorn.
Yeah, I think it’s an acquired taste. The problem is I tried to “acquire” it just before morning sickness for my current pregnancy started. Not a good time to try new things! Tried using it for cooking things I would normally use canola oil for and got completely turned off of it!
I have been researching lip balm recipes. i made it years ago and couldn’t remember it. This was the most helpful. Thank you so much! I like all the options that you give.
Do you happen to have a recipe for hand lotion?
Thanks
Jackie
We do have. This recipe is in Dining on a Dime and Pretty for Pennies. We also have in there how to make Lotion Bar, Lip Balm, salve and much more.
Almond Lotion
1/2 cup almond, olive or vegetable oil
1 Tbsp. beeswax
1/4 cup distilled water, boiling
1/8 tsp. Borax
5-6 drops essential oil
Heat almond oil and beeswax together until melted. Combine water and borax. Slowly pour borax mix into heated oil while stirring with a wire whisk. Add essential oil. Coll and place in bottle. Makes about 1 cup.
I would like to try making this! I do have coconut oil but need to find other ingredients. For those wondering what else you could use coconut oil for, I use it to pop popcorn and I also put it in my oatmeal. I did try to make a deodorant with it which also had baking soda and cornstarch. I can’t remember exactly where the recipe came from. It seemed to work okay! ;)
The balm was going rancid with sunflower oil because it has a small shelf life. The balm will last as long as your oil does. Google information about shelf life of oils.
This is one reason I usually don’t make too many homemade things because as cool as it may seem not to have preservatives in things you can get even worse things in your homemade baby wipes, lotions, make up removers etc. like mold, mildew and germies. I am continually amazed that people just don’t know or understand that many years ago this is the reason they invented and used preservatives in the first place. If all these homemade cleaners, toiletries etc. had worked so great in the first place they wouldn’t have had to change them and start adding preservatives. Using oils and anything else without preservatives you will have them spoil.
I use up my old lipstick, by scraping out what’s left in the tube, then putting in a small dish with Vaseline and some plain chapstick. I microwave to melt and stir. I keep it in this dish and just dab it on. I add the chapstick, so that it isn’t so greasy, and won’t smear all over my face
Can you use small plastic containers to hold the lip balm or will they melt.
I think I would melt the wax in a glass dish then put it in the smaller containers but is the wax too hot to use in plastic? I saw some really cute containers at Bed, Bath, and Beyond yesterday and thought they would be the perfect containers to use as gifts.
Maggie it does depend on the containers but I have pour very how broth in them sometimes and they do ok. They do have a package of the perfect size containers for lip gloss at the Dollar Tree and are the hard plastic which work really good for this too.
How long will the lip balm last for approximately?
Forever almost. The vitamin e is a preservative besides being good for your lips but even with out the ingredients aren’t things that really spoil. Not for years anyway.
Is it possible to use a normal recipe and just a a couple of drops of vanilla essence?
Yes
I want to incorporate ALOE VERA gel in my lip balm. Do u have a recipe for that? Please hopefully u do. If u don’t, what could I replace it with in a recipe, or could I just add a teaspoon of it into the mixture at the end
No I don’t have a recipe for it but I would just add a bit in and see what happens. I would say 1/2-1 tsp. should be enough.
I have only haven the hard capsil vitamin E. will that melt? Can I just use that ?
I poke a hole in the capsule and then just squeeze out the vit. E.
I just made the basic lip balm today, however, I did have to make it twice. The first batch I made exactly per the instructions. It was way too sticky. The second batch I cut the beeswax in half & added essential oils. I love it!
I have 2 homemade beauty recipes to share:
Magic Bath Salts
4 cups Epsom salts
1 envelope unsweetened Kool-Aid (any flavor)
Pour 1/2 the epsom salts into a one-quart container. Empty the pouch of Kool-Aid into the salts. Cover and shake until combined. Add the rest of the salts and shake again. The mixture will be subtly colored, but the color magic happens when the salts hit the water and the fruity scent is released. Use 1/4 to 1/2 cup per bath.
Toothpaste
1/2 cup baking soda
2 teaspoons salt
3 teaspoons glycerin (available at Walmart)
10 or more drops of peppermint or wintergreen extract (flavoring)
1 drop of blue or green food coloring (optional)
warm water
In a small bowl, mix the baking soda and salt. Add the glycerin, flavoring, and if desired 1 drop of blue or green food coloring. Add warm water, one drop at a time, until desired consistency. Spoon the mixture into a clean squeeze bottle or any convenient container with lid. You may adjust the amount of glycerin to arrive at a consistency that suits you.
When I followed your honey lip balm recipe but every time i add the flavoring it separates from the oil. Any suggestions?
I think what happened is you got a water based flavoring instead of oil based. I’m sorry I didn’t make it clear. I didn’t even know they made water based flavorings.
I just made some Lip Gloss this morning. My easy recipe is about 3 tablespoons Crisco and 1 packet of pink or red Kool-Aid (cherry, strawberry, black cherry, etc). Melt on low heat in pan, after mixing, until liquid. Mix and then refrigerate until solid. Comes out nice.
My friend gave me some lip balm in a little round tin last Christmas. I have been looking for some of the tins to make my own lip balm. I found some plastic ones at Bed, Bath and Beyond but haven’t seen the metal ones. Anyone have any ideas where I might locate them? Would Michael’s or Joanne’s have them? I love your recipe, Bea, and always have Kool-aid and Crisco in the house so this would be easy to make. Only one question, did you use the original Kool-aid – non-sweetened? This would make lovely gifts for my sisters and friends for Christmas.
you can get small metal cans – round, square and heart shaped from Oriental Trading – on line.
Amazon has several different sizes..
AMAZON
Maggie, The lip gloss recipe comes out real nice. You would be surprised how nice it looks and feels when done. You use the small packet of Kool-Aid. The ones without sugar. There is about 1 tablespoon of Kool-Aid in them. Just put about 3 tablespoons of Crisco in a bowl and mix, then put in pot on low heat until liquid or in microwave. Mix a few times when liquid and then put in container and place in freezer for awhile, or refrigerate until it becomes solid again. Crisco is good for skin too, so it moisturizes lips, and since both Crisco and Kool-Aid are edible, you can give to young girls, and if they lick their lips when lip gloss is on, there are no harmful chemicals.
Isn’t Crisco what women used years ago for a heavy duty lotion or cream for rough hands and things Bea? Seems like I remember reading that some where. Will have to try this recipe my granddaughters.
yes it works so well. I have a child that licks her lips on winter and this is what heals them.
BEA is Crisco better than Vaseline
Bea, One more question. How long do you think this will last without it going rancid? I have Crisco on my shelf a long time but it has not been heated. Does that change the properties? I want to be able to make these as gifts but want to tell the receipient how long to keep it or where to keep it (fridge or purse?).
May make some this afternoon since my Burt’s Bees lip gloss went through the laundry yesterday. Luckily,no clothes were damaged (that I can see yet) but now need something since the weather here is getting colder and lips are getting dry.
Maggie Bea can probably answer you better but I am pretty sure this is one of those things that will last for a very long time. Like you said Crisco will keep forever almost and the Kool aid the same way. Heating it shouldn’t change it’s properties at all so if you could make it now for Christmas gifts and it will last most of next year even.
That’s great news. I’ve been in the hospital and the ambulance bill arrived yesterday. Not sure how much the insurance will cover of this $600 bill so want to make as many gifts as I can this year. This lip balm and some homemade fudge will be nice and easy gifts.
Just an FYI, I found some wonderful necklaces at Avon for $5 each that donate money to domestic violence charities ($3.48 of each necklace). I purchased a number of these for Christmas and birthday gifts throughout the year. Again, these and some lip balm will be nice gifts, too.
Maggie, be sure to follow-up with your insurance company about the ambulance bill. I work in the health insurance field and that is one service we offer is helping our clients with medical claims. We work with the insurance company on behalf of our clients to make sure they get correct payment of benefits. You would be surprised how many times thing are billed incorrectly or get paid incorrectly. If no one catches the error, the client loses out on benefits.
I don’t know if your insurance is a private policy or through an employer. If it is through an employer, check with Human Resources. They can either help you or give you the phone number of the agent, who can help you. :)
Angie thanks for letting Maggie know about that and us too. When you are sick sometimes it is so hard to deal with these things so I do appreciate it when someone explains or tells us about these things.
Jill, Yes, Crisco was recommended in the past for rough dry skin. I have a book written by a women who was told be a female dermatologist to even use Crisco on your face (in small amounts) and it helps moisturize your skin. Also, doctors sometimes recommend Crisco to heal scars from burns etc. AFTER skin is treated first, and skin cools down. Apply later to help heal.
Maggie, I would think that the lip gloss made with Crisco and Kool-Aid would have a long shelf life.
Jill, Hope your granddaughers like the Lip Gloss.
Where on earth do u find vitamin e capsules?
You can get e capsules almost any where. Look in the vitamin section at Wal Mart, Dollar General or any grocery store. I did find some in the face cream section of the Dollar General one time too.
Jill if you are using vaseline do you still need vitamin E, or if using crisco do you need vitamin E for the lip gloss. I made some gloss for the first time yesterday with 4oz of vaseline and a package of strawberry cool aid and it came out purple and greasy, what did I do wrong?
The Vit. E is a preservative so you almost always need it but not necessary if you are using vaseline. The greasy is because you used too much Vaseline and the purple is because the strawberry must have had some blue in it.
I have had some different face creams, etc. to go bad, resin smell. From now on I am going to put Vit E in any creams, etc. that contain oil. Can’t hurt. Of course I am learning to make my own now.
You might try the Crisco instead of vaseline too. Even though they both are greasy the texture of the Crisco may not be quite as heavy as the vaseline and maybe a texture you like the feel of better.
If you want an idea of what the Lip Gloss would be like using Crisco just put some PLAIN Crisco on your lips. The only difference is by adding the Kool-Aid it will have a tint or color. Lip Glosses are shiny and tinted. Cherry Kool-Aid may give you more of a pinkish tint.
For the honey lip balm, how many 15ml containers can you make? I have got 7 of them. Thanks!
i want to ask u tht if can’t find the beeswax than can i use the petroleum jelly instead of the beeswax for making my lip balm please do let me know as i will be eagerly be waiting for ur reply.
Thank You
xoxo
You can but it will be VERY soft. If you can’t find beeswax for making things you can always use a beeswax candle.
one more thing tht i would like to ask u tht is it ok if i use the food essence to give flavoring to my lip products :)
Yes you can use the food essence. The only little drawback on using flavored anything it sometimes causes people to lip their lips because they like the flavor which will cause them to dry out more.
My daughter made it.However she added a little Strawberry Kool-Aid,which gave it a pink tint,loves it
Little jars could be purchased at a bead store or the bead section of a craft store. You can usually get 6 for about $2.
You can also use this formula for making solid perfume. (But without the Kool-Aid. Ha.)
Instead of Kool-Aid and essential oil, add a few drops of your favorite cologne or perfume. Makes a nice gift, or it is a nice gift for yourself.
Linda :o)
Well I tried the honey lip balm recipe and used coconut spread instead of oil ( had some in the fridge ) the balm turned out great but once it set I had a little liquid runoff. Is this likely from the use of the spread instead of oil, or is it a common problem? Might this be avoided by using more beeswax?
Yes, spread usually has water added to it. It won’t hurt it just drain it off. Adding more beeswax won’t help if there is water added to it. Next time just use pure coconut oil.
Ok thanks!!
It would be very helpful If you included the number of tubes or jars each recipe makes. thanks
We will try in the future to do that but until then what you can do if you have a question on what size container for different recipes is just add up the ingredients. For example if it calls for 5 tsp. of something that is about one and a halt tablespoons so you know you need a container that will fit that amount. If it is 9-10 tsp. that is about 3 Tbsp. etc.
According to Wiki comfrey might be dangers and could cause VOD – veno-occlusive disease, is that so?
I have no idea. Don’t use it if you are worried about.
About how many twist up tubes or small tins will your typical lip balm recipe make? Thanks
I would say around 3 – 4. If you have more leftover you can just pour it into another container and then let it hardened and when you run out melt and refill your lip balm container.
I was needing advice or help, please. I made lip balm and instead of using a double boiler or a crockpot I used a rice cooker. There was condensation on the lid and when I lifted the lid there may have been water fall into my lip balm mixture base. Is it still safe to use? I used vitamin E to preserve it, but I would not want it to go rancid. Just wondering if it will still last?
It is still safe. Oil and water don’t mix so most of the water is on the outside and if you wipe off the moisture or let it air dry for a bit most of it will evaporate. Water also doesn’t make it go rancid it is the oils that go rancid on their own plus it usually takes quite a while for most oils to go rancid and when they do it can’t make you sick or harm you it will only taste slightly off.
I like the idea of the lip balms, when I use the basics for the lip balm what do I put in to make it lavender color along with lavender oil…
Do I use purple food coloring for lip balm and candles and is there an actual purple coloring or do I use red and blue coloring
If you use purple food coloring it might turn your lips purple. It’s best to buy a purple skin safe colorant and then with candles you need a special candle colorant.
Bulkapothecary.com has scents, colors and flavors
I made this yesterday and I do love it but….it’s kind of runny. That is for lip balm. I’m wondering if maybe it could be that I used actual honey comb with honey in it in place of the beeswax beads. Maybe I need to use more of it? Will definitely try again but would appreciate your thoughts on this. Also I cut back on the essential oil it just seemed like a lot. Happy with the results of that.
That could be it. It would be best for at least the first time when you use a recipe to try to stick to it as much as possible because in some recipes it doesn’t take much to change the whole recipe so you might try it with the beeswax beads and see what happens.
So…I decided to try to add more honeycomb to my balm. That doesn’t work. Theres to much honey in it and not enough comb. All those nooks and crannies take away from the amount of wax you get out of that. And then you have more honey. So just saying that the actual honeycomb doesn’t work. Will get beeswax and make a new batch :-)
I heard vitamin E is not a preservative
Vitamin E helps prolong the shelf life of oil based things but does not work with water based items like that
Hi Jill ,
Can I use Vitamins E in home made lotion as. a preservative?
Yes Dawn you can.
You can find all kinds of containers on an app WISH. I found both plastic and glass tubs and tubes!
What did you use to make the lip balm purple? and how much lip balm does the recipe make? and where can I find the metal tins? Can’t wait to try this.
You can use lip safe colorants but I just used some old lipstick. The metal tins can be found on Amazon or pretty much anywhere. Just search lip balk tins.
And to ward off cold sores add lysine to the mix…your lips will thank you.
Yes Gina. I have taken Lysine for years orally and it does work for that
About how much balm and gloss does this recipe make? 1,2,3? On soap recipes it says makes 8 bars or 12 bars.
This makes enough for 2-3 small tubes.
Hi! I see you mentioned you like a less waxy balm. I typically don’t use balm, because I don’t like wax. I use lip creams, I really like it soft and creamy! Can I use even less beeswax then the recipe calls for, or would that mess up the consistency? I’d really like to try this, but prefer a creamy texture. Thank you!!
These ingredients are just “average” ones you can adjust them to what you like the best so you can leave as much of the beeswax out that you would like
Can you use Bees Wax instead of petroleum jelly for the lip gloss?
I don’t use Petroleum for anything.
Yes Sheri you can
Jan 2018
I don’t know if you have looked for the dry sugarless Kool-aid packets lately, but they are gone. I have even asked several store managers, they say that it isn’t being made anymore. We can’t get it. Sorry to be sharing such sad news.
I can’t use coconut oil so can make it with the coconut oil
You can substitute another oil if you want Debbie.
Great recipes. I love the color of the lip balms in the picture. How do you give them that pretty (lavender) color and what can we use that is not shimmery mica for subtle coloring? Does vegetable food coloring preserve well?
You will have to experiment a little Lily because different combinations of ingredients will look different. We usually get the colors for our lip balms by using and mixing together leftover lipsticks and adding to the balms or lip gloss – you don’t need to use mica. I am not sure on whether vegetable coloring preserves but you can use vitamin E for a preservative if you need too.