Natural Skin Care Recipes Book
Rapheal Charlton
Sweet Almond Oil-One of the absolute best carrier oils for anti aging. It is full of Vitamin E, which helps with nourishing and tightening. It is an affordable oil and has little to no smell. You can add this oil to any product that calls for a carrier oil-it is wonderful for just about every skin type!
Beeswax Pastiles-Beeswax is used when you need to thicken up oils. It will not blend water and oil together. I have tried several times. Beeswax is very beneficial for the skin and acts as a protective barrier allowing essential oils, butters and carrier oils to penetrate the skin. Always buy pastiles so you can measure with ease. I suggest staying away from white pastiles because they most likely have been bleached. Yellow is way more antural!
Rosehip Seed Oil-This is one of the most popular carrier oils that reduces the signs of aging. While it is a little more expensive, it is a great addition to your skin care ingredients. It makes creams incredibly silky while reducing sun spots and wrinkles! I even mix it with my powdered mineral make up for flawless coverage!
Citric Acid-Citric Acid actually lowers the pH of your product, making it more acidic. Bacteria does not grow as easily or rapidly in an acidic enviorment. Technically, citric acid is not a preservative but it does help prolong your shelf life. The citric acid I use comes from Mountain Rose Herbs-a company I trust to keep it real! Citric acid will typically be used in cleansers. Citric acid can not be used with the preservative Neodefend.
NeoDefend-NeoDefend is my preservative of choice. A preservative is very important in recipes that contain water because water is notorious for forming mold and bacteria. While pursuing beautiful skin, mold and bacteria are not a good thing! NeoDefend is very gentle for the skin, unlike typical preservatives. It is non-GMO and certified organic. Each recipe only takes a tiny bit, a little bit goes a long way.
Double Boilers-Translated a medium sized pot filled halfway with water and a glass pyrex bowl (like THIS) placed inside. This keeps your ingredients from getting too hot. When working with carrier oils you want to keep the heat at a minimum because heat will take away the benefits of your oils. If you are making lotions, you will need 2 double boilers.
Hand Held Blender-This is an absolute must when making lotions. They are so much better than blenders. Blenders tend to be a MESS to clean up and often create way too many air bubbles.
pH strips-Knowing the pH of your water-based products is important-The higher the pH, the more bacteria. Plus, you want your products to be pH balanced as to not cause an in balance in your skin!
Not only do essential oils work hard to make your skin beautiful, most of them are also antibacterial and anti fungal. This is amazing prolonging the shelf life of your creation because the oils can help keep your product free from bacterial and fungus.
I pay a lot of attention to ingredient labels. I am obsessed with the skin care line, Eminence. I trust that what they are using is above board and safe. They use a combo. of preservatives, sodium benzoate and potassium sorbate. These preservatives are pretty gentle and only work when the pH of the products is around 3-6. I did not choose these preservatives for my products only because I wanted something very easy to work with. Having to add 2 different preservatives to my creams to get full protection and then having to figure out the correct percentage was to iffy!
NeoDefend is my preservative of choice in my products. It is considered certified organic and non-gmo. It is antioxidant and very gentle to the skin. Those of you weary of using a preservative must remember that it only makes up .75-1% of your product. You can read more about and purchase NeoDefend HERE.
Jodi!! Thank you so much! No matter what type of water you use, bacteria is going to be a problem. You have to have some sort of preservative unless you intend to make only about a weeks worth at a time. What preservative are you using? How fast is it going bad?
I love your blog and have tried and use a bunch of your recipes. I get comments all the time on how good my skin looks!! Thank you sooo much for sharing your knowledge! I LOVE thst my skin looks great since switching completely to all natural DIY products!
CAUTION: Avoid using this preservative in formulations that contain either ascorbic acid or citric acid. There is evidence that a chemical bond between the ingredients in Neo-Defend and these two common acids can create a substance called benzene, which should be avoided in skin care.
Marjo-Lavender is a basic oil that pretty much does it all but you can easily replace it with other oils such as Roman Chamomile for calming or Geranium for evening skin tone. It just kind of depends on what the DIY is and what you are looking to get out of it!
Hi Jenni- I am making a product to be used intra-vaginally (personal lubricant) and externally (massage oil). What would you recommend as the best natural preservative for this? Rosemary Leaf Extract or C02 ext, or Vit E (or both)? Thank you so much!
I m a teenager nd i want to start a korean skin care routine.i hv combination acnepron skin with Whitehead & blackheads.should i start a diy skin care routine or invest in normal products for better results.which would be beneficial?suggest me pls
You mention using citric acid and Neodefend. Please caution your readers to never use Neodefend in formulations that contain either ascorbic acid or citric acid. There is evidence that a chemical bond between the ingredients in Neodefend and these acids can create a carcinogenic compound called benzene.
When creating new skin care recipes, I generally formulate them with ingredients I can use for other things. I especially like it when the core ingredients can be used internally for health and wellness, as in this recipe. Here are the ingredients that inspired this recipe, along with reasons they are good for the skin and other ways to use them.
These delightful little berries are chock full of antioxidants and are known to be brightening for the skin. Bilberries also have tannins, which help to tighten and tone the skin. In addition to the external benefits, bilberries are a tasty and nutritious culinary ingredient. You can use them to make herbal syrups, add them to smoothies, or even make jams and jellies.
As a skincare ingredient, honey helps by hydrating and softening the skin. It also contains natural antioxidants that, like bilberries, are great for maturing skin.
Of all of the ingredients in this recipe, honey is by far the most versatile. It can be used in place of sugar in many culinary recipes, as a base for herbal electuaries and pastilles, or eaten right from the jar for sore throats.
Jessicka Nebesni is the Senior Marketing Strategist and Herbal Liason for Mountain Rose Herbs. She is always working towards sharing the most educational, empowering, and useful resources with the Mountain Rose Herbs community. Having practiced Macrobiotic food preparations in California, beekeeping in Oregon, and making herbal crafts for local farmers markets in New Jersey, she has a wide variety of experiences and knowledge to share. Her passions include preserving food, gardening, practicing herbal wellness, making DIY skin and body care recipes, and living a lifestyle of minimal impact on the Earth.
Dead Sea Mud Mask with 100% Natural French Green Clay Absorbs excess oils and impurities, tightens pores, reduces acne and blackheads, exfoliates, promotes blood circulation to cells, balances skin for a matte appearance, and also features jojoba oil, aloe vera and vitamin E.
Toners were originally designed to rebalance skin after cleansing. They get rid of excess oil, dirt, and leftover makeup after you wash your face and prepare the skin for moisture, the last step in your skin care routine.
Oily skin that is stripped of natural oils actually produces more oil to overcompensate, creating a vicious cycle. Even though it sounds counterproductive, using oils to moisturize your face keeps oily skin balanced and moisturized without clogging pores and is great for healing and repairing problem skin.
7fc3f7cf58