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.

This homemade mango moisturizer is my new favorite thing ever. It is healthy, lightweight, all natural, and my skin just can’t get enough.

I’ve just run out of my aloe vera moisturizer, so I figured it was time I whipped up a new one. I only recently have started using mango butter in my recipes, and it is a powerhouse ingredient. It is a natural emollient filled with lots of fatty acids that your skin loves- and even better, it is safe for acne prone skin!

I am so impressed with this powerhouse moisturizer! It is as luxurious as any expensive moisturizer I’ve ever tried- and it costs as little as $2.50 to make. It is so effective at moisturizing I need less than a pea sized amount to moisturize my whole face. Now that’s an amazing deal!

I like to explain the purpose of each ingredient in my recipes:

• Mango Butter: non-comedogenic moisturizer, natural emollient (attracts moisture to the skin), full of essential fatty acids (I used this one but I also like this one)
• Vegetable Glycerin: great natural moisturizer, makes the moisturizer feel more lightweight, acts as a natural preservative in high enough amounts (I used this one but this one is great if you don’t want such a large quantity)
• Beeswax: helps thicken and stabilize, while also being a great protective layer for the skin to keep moisture in (I used this one)
• Soy Lecithin: a natural emulsifier, which allows the mango butter and vegetable glycerin to mix and creates a nice texture (I used this one but I also like this liquid version)
• Acacia Powder (optional): makes the lotion feel a little thicker, natural emulsifier (I used this one but I also like this one)
• Essential oils (optional): for scent, and can also have different beneficial properties (I love lavender or orange for this recipe)

And the tools you’ll need are:

• a hand mixer, I like to use one with a whisk attachment
• an immersion blender, or lots of patience*
• a double boiler or makeshift double boiler (pot placed on top of pot of water)
• an airtight container to store your lotion

*If you can give this recipe a week, you don’t need the immersion blender. I’ll explain why in a minute.

This recipe can be made a few different ways. If you want to use liquid soy lecithin, you don’t need to use an immersion blender at all. But if you use soy lecithin granules (like I like to!), you either need an immersion blender or some patience.

Soy lecithin granules need to dissolve in water to work as a good emulsifier. Since glycerin is the “water” ingredient in this recipe, you’ll want to dissolve them in the glycerin. Except they dissolve much more slowly in glycerin than in water. I did a test to see how long, and it took me a full week for my granules to dissolve.

So anyways, if you’re less patient, you can also use an immersion blender on the granules to make sure they get mixed properly. That’s what I did, and it worked wonderfully. But it does require extra tools.

All right- let’s get to the recipe!

I really love this mango moisturizer. It makes my skin feel super dewey and wonderful. Like I said before, you only need a tiny tiny bit to moisturize with. If you slather it on it will feel sticky and take a long time to absorb. It’s so effective at moisturizing you really only need a little.

I like to use this for my face but you can use it as a body lotion as well if you prefer. It feels great on my hands.

Well, I hope you love this mango moisturizer as much as I do! Let me know how making your own mango moisturizer goes for you!

Supplies used in this post:

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