A few years ago, when I discovered how unregulated the cosmetics industry is, I started making my own natural beauty products. I wanted to avoid nasty additives and ingredients that aren’t properly tested. I didn’t want to mess around with my skin, so I did lots of research. I’ve since fallen in love with certain ingredients that I find myself going back to over and over.

Since then I’ve gone from following tutorials and making other people’s recipes, to making small changes to those, to creating my own recipes from scratch. I’ve got a ridiculously large stockpile of different oils, butters, clays, and waxes. You don’t need to get as large a stockpile as I do to make your own stuff though! You can use a few simple ingredients to replace pretty much any of your personal care products.

So, these are my 10 favorite ingredients that I LOVE to put in my homemade natural beauty products:

1. Aloe Vera

Aloe will get my top spot pretty much forever. It’s a nice lightweight, non-greasy moisturizer. It is naturally anti-inflammatory, full of antioxidants, and it reduces redness and irritation. I like to use an all natural aloe vera gel, but lots of people just pop a leaf off their own aloe plant and use it straight from there.

Some of my most popular recipes feature aloe: my aloe vera moisturizer, aloe vera face wash, and aloe vera sunburn soother.

2. Avocado oil

A few weeks ago I wrote a post about why avocado oil is so popular lately. It might be my favorite carrier oil. It feels less greasy than some other oils and it is rich in vitamin E. I often add vitamin E to my recipes, so using avocado oil means you’re getting that already.

I’ve used avocado oil to make a green tea face scrub and my aloe vera sunburn soother.

3. Beeswax

Beeswax is great for so many reasons- I don’t know how those bees do it! Between beeswax, honey, and being amazing pollinators, they really are some of the most useful creatures out there.

Anyways, beeswax is an awesome ingredient in homemade recipes. It basically forms a protective barrier over the skin which keeps the moisture in. It can also help make some lotions semi-waterproof. And it’s an emulsifier, which means it allows oils and waters to mix when making homemade natural beauty products.

I’ve used beeswax in pretty much everything… but some of my favorites are my homemade sunscreen that’s good for your skin, my green tea eye cream, and homemade all natural lip balm.

4. Coconut oil

Coconut oil has to make the top ten of most natural beauty mavens. Although, I think it’s being overshadowed lately by avocado oil. Regardless, coconut oil is much beloved, and for good reasons.

It is naturally anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial, and it is a GREAT natural moisturizer. It’s supposed to be one of the best oils for your hair because your hair absorbs it easily. Plus it smells amazing. Because it is solid but soft at room temperature it can balance out the texture of a lot of lotions.

Some of my favorite recipes with coconut oil are my peppermint body butter, homemade hot oil hair treatment, and my all natural lip balm.

5. Cocoa butter

If you’re a chocolate lover, you’re bound to love cocoa butter. The amazing chocolate scent gets me every time. Plus it melts at skin temperature, so it makes a great ingredient for thicker lotions and body butters. Cocoa butter is a great emollient (prevents moisture loss) and is high in antioxidants. When its cold enough, it whips up to a wonderful texture.

Some of my favorite recipes with cocoa butter are my silky cocoa butter body lotion, my pumpkin spice lotion, and peppermint body butter.

6. Essential oils

I’m not one to talk about the health benefits of essential oils, but they do make great ingredients in homemade natural beauty products! Whether its just for scent, or to add some extra benefits to your products, they are a great addition. I am a huge fan of Rocky Mountain Oils, because I believe they have the best oils for the best price (if you want to know more reasons why I love RMO, you can click here).

Essential oils have different beneficial properties depending on which oil you use. Lavender is one of my favorites because it not only smells amazing, but is a great anti-inflammatory oil. You can add essential oils to most homemade natural beauty products, but some of my favorites are my homemade soothing scalp mask for dandruff and irritation, my aloe vera face wash, and pumpkin spice lotion.

7. Green tea

Green tea is amazing for your skin, whether you drink it or put it directly on it. I love using recipes with green tea in them because it does so many great things for your skin. It is naturally anti-inflammatory and full of antioxidants. It also has a small amount of caffeine which can tighten pores.

My favorite products with green tea are my green tea face scrub and my green tea eye cream.

8. Mango butter

I’ve only recently started experimenting with mango butter and now I’m wondering what took me so long! It’s a wonderful emollient oil that is solid at room temperature. It has a faint scent of mango (yum), and it does a great job at moisturizing. It’s also non-comedogenic, which means it is highly unlikely to clog pores and cause acne.

I’ve only featured one recipe so far with mango butter, but it is a great one! It’s my miracle mango moisturizer.

9. Jojoba Oil

Jojoba oil is very cool, because it has properties of both an oil and a wax. It’s a great lightweight, non-greasy moisturizer. It is also non-comedogenic, which means it is highly unlikely to clog pores and cause acne. If it were less expensive I would use it all the time. Because it is a wax it also helps emulsify and improve the texture of lots of homemade personal care products.

Some of my favorite recipes with jojoba oil are my all natural facial sunscreen and my aloe vera face moisturizer.

10. Argan oil

Argan oil is definitely one of my favorites, but it ranks a little lower because it is pricey. If it were more affordable, it would be one of the main ingredients that I use in the bulk of my recipes. I often use a small drop of it on my face for a simple moisturizer.

Argan oil is great because it moisturizes your skin without leaving you feeling greasy. It is absorbed quickly. It is also non-comedogenic, which means it is highly unlikely to clog your pores and cause acne. The silky soft feel of argan oil is one of the reasons I love it so much.

I’ve used argan oil in my anti-frizz aloe vera hairspray and my homemade beach texturizing hairspray.

So there you have it- my top ten ingredients for making your own natural beauty products! What do you think? Are you ready to stock up? Good luck!

The post Top 10 Ingredients for Making Your Own Natural Beauty Products appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.

Last week I posted How to Make Homemade Sunscreen. In that post, I mentioned that the recipe was not very acne-friendly. At least for me personally, coconut oil makes my face break out. It has a comedogenic rating of 4 out of 5, meaning it is very likely to clog your pores. So, the sunscreen is great for use on your body, but if your face is acne prone like me, you might want to use a separate face sunscreen.

I had that in mind when I made this recipe. I used only ingredients with low comedogenic ratings. And it has done WONDERS for my skin. I have started using it as my daily moisturizer. So now I have an awesome moisturizer with SPF that makes my skin glow. Seriously, my skin loves this stuff.

Ok- this sunscreen is a natural moisturizer, has anti-inflammatory properties, is non-comedogenic, is waterproof, and has no harmful chemicals. I promise, it is not too good to be true. It is true!

It cost $6.48 to make about 4 ounces of this facial sunscreen. When you think about how much the “natural” sunscreens for your face cost in stores, that’s a really good price. It is really thick and you only need a tiny amount to cover your whole face, so the small bottle will last you a while.

Don’t you hate reading ingredient labels and wondering what the heck some ingredients are and why they are in cosmetics? Well here is why I used each of these ingredients:

• Shea Butter: Natural SPF of 3-8, natural moisturizer, non-comedogenic, good source of vitamins for skin, anti-inflammatory (You can get it here)
• Jojoba Oil: Natural SPF of 4, non-greasy oil moisturizer, anti-bacterial, natural antiseptic, non-comedogenic (You can get it here)
• Beeswax: Makes sunscreen waterproof, protects skin against damaging elements, antioxidant, anti-bacterial, and anti-inflammatory (You can get it here)
• Zinc Oxide: Sun protection (You can get it here)
• Red Raspberry Seed Oil or Carrot Seed Oil: Natural SPF of about 30-40, anti-inflammatory (You can get it here or here)
• Vitamin E Oil: Antioxidant, natural moisturizer, anti-inflammatory, helps preserve shelf life of sunscreen (You can get it here)

Before I started making my own cosmetics I had no idea that oils could have natural SPF in them. It makes sense when you think about it. This recipe uses both oils and zinc oxide to achieve a higher SPF level. If you want to learn more about natural sun protection- this is a great article.

So if you leave the zinc oxide out- this recipe will naturally have an SPF of about 20 or so. That is my unprofessional estimate based on the oil SPF ratings.

The sunscreen is super easy to make. All you need to do is melt everything but the essential oils and zinc oxide in a double boiler, or a pot placed on top of a pot of boiling water. It only takes a few minutes and a little bit of stirring.

It looks like a lovely shade of honey once it is melted down.

Next all you do is add the essential oils and zinc oxide. And that’s it! Super easy.

The sunscreen is very thick and will not squeeze out of a squeeze bottle. I recommend putting it in a bottle or jar with a wide lid so you can scoop it out.

Like I said already, I am kind of obsessed with this stuff. It has been great for my skin and I use it as my daily moisturizer. It also survived a day at the beach without me getting burnt. So it is good on all fronts.

Try making it and let me know how it goes for you!

This homemade sunscreen is great for your face, but you should also check out my homemade body sunscreen! Together the two are a perfect complement.

The post How to Make Homemade Facial Sunscreen (Acne Friendly and Good for your Skin) appeared first on Pins and Procrastination.