One of the advantages of creating your own products is that it enables you to choose your ingredients, many of which can be natural - the gifts of Mother Earth - and which some may argue, have much greater therapeutic and skin care properties than synthetic ingredients.  In contrast, many manufactured products have a high content of man made chemicals, which are not always necessary nor appealing for those who have more natural lifestyle preferences. 

In addition to the greater ingredient choice that creating your own products allows,  it is a fun, creative, relaxing and rewarding pastime. One which brings a sense of pride and nurturing both to yourself and loved ones when making products as gifts.

Please note that if you wish to sell your finished products to the general public, they legally require an external safety assessment for each product under the European Union Cosmetics Regulations.  For further information, contact your local Trading Standards or Department for Trade and Industry.

Before starting your creation, please ensure that you follow the health and safety guidelines for production and also check that the intended ingredients & finished product will be safe for your intended user.  All this information and 50+ recipes are available in a Guide to DIY bath, body and facial products.

To give you an idea of what types of products can be made, here is a list of ones which I have made myself, the ingredients you need and a couple of recipes to whet your creative appetite!

Bath melts, mini guest soaps, soap loaves, body exfoliator (with sugar or salt), mini foot exfoliators with shea butter, lip balms, moisturisers and face balms, serums, eye gels, cleansers, toners, body spritzes, foot refreshers, facial oils, body massage oils, body lotions, creams and butters, bubble baths, shower gels, room refreshers, body and face masks....

 

BATH SALTS/BODY EXFOLIATORS:	CLEANSERS/LOTIONS/CREAMS/BODY BUTTERS/HAIR PRODUCTS:	BALMS-lip, body, facial, BATH MELTS and BODY MASSAGE BARS:
Sea Salt or Sugar Carrier oil Soft butter e,g shea or semi solid carrier oil e,g Babassu, Coconut Dried flowers/herbs Essential oils or fragrance oils Preservative (for the exofliator) Tub or jar for storage	Base product with essential oils or fragrance oils   or to make from scratch:  Cetyl alcohol (natural, vegetable derived thickening ingredient) Emulsifying wax (vegetable derived - to bind the oils and water), Carrier oil Hydrolat or distilled water Butters and/or semi solid oils e,g Babassu, Coconut Essential oils or fragrance oils Preservative, Bottle, tub or jar	Butters Beeswax or olive wax (suitable for vegans) Carrier oil Essential or fragrance oils Dried flowers or herbs for decoration if required A mould for setting the bath melts and body massage bars Jar or tub for storing balms
FACE & BODY MASKS:	SOAPS:	TONERS/BODY & FOOT SPRITZES
Aloe or vitamin gel for gel masks Kaolin or fullers earth for clay masks Hydrolat or distilled water Essential oils, preservative, Glycerin and/or carrier oil for additional moisture	Melt and pour soap base Liquid dye Botanicals if required Essential or fragrance oils Soap mould	Hydrolat/floral water or Distilled Water with       Essential or Fragrance oils Solubiliser Mist spray or ordinary bottle.
EYE GELS:	BODY and FACIAL OILS:
Aloe or vitamin E gel, essential oils, jar or tub.	Carrier oil, essential oils, bottle for storage

Please note: preservative is only required for products made from scratch which either contain water or will come into regular contact with water e,g exfoliators which tend to be used with wet fingers in the bath/shower. The preservative prevents the growth of bacteria, which would cause serious skin infections and also extends the shelf life of your product from about 2 wks to 12-24 months.

Moulds for soaps, bath melts, body massage bars etc. I currently use shaped and regular ice cube trays, used and clean chocolate box inserts, small tupperware boxes and any other item which is useful to be a mould. Make sure it is strong enough to hold the product, yet flexible to release when set. Also take care pouring hot fluids into plastic containers, they may melt. Allow to cool a little before pouring!

RECIPES

Facial or Body Massage Oil
1)Select your preferred carrier oil(s) e,g grapeseed, sweet almond, macadamia, castor
2)Add up to 5% wheatgerm oil - this helps to extend the shelf life of your other carrier oils and stops them from turning rancid too quickly
3)Add a blend of up to 3 essential oils (use correct dilution) suitable for skintype, skin condition e,g eczema or fragrance preference
4)Stir well with a spoon, decant to your bottle


Mini Guest Soaps
1) Cut up a small block of clear melt and pour soap (the photo to the left is based on 100g) and melt in a double boiler.  This is where you place a heatproof bowl over the top of a pan of water on the stove, like when melting cooking chocolate.
2) Once melted, allow to cool (but before setting) a little, add 1-2 drops of liquid dye, essential oils or fragrance oils to suit
3) Pour into your mould.  Once set, release from the mould and cut into slices 2-3cm thickness
NB  Ice cube moulds in various shapes and sizes can be purchased from supermarkets and places like Ikea.  These, along with other small tupperware containers are great moulds for small soaps. 

If you wish to make a soap loaf, use a loaf tin (used in cooking but use for soapmaking only) lined with greaseproof paper or a larger and deeper tupperware box.  Once set, release from the mould and slice into bars.

Face or Body Cream

Phase A 6g butter of your choice   10g carrier oil   5g emulsifying powder   5g cetyl alcohol

Phase B  37.5ml Floral Waters        37.5ml distilled water

Phase C Essential or fragrance oils   0.5% preservative

Heat phase A ingredients for 15-20 mins
Heat phase B ingredients for 5-10 mins in another double burner
Place bowl of oils and butters into another bowl/pan of iced cold water to prevent bittiness once set
Slowly add the Phase B ingredients a little at a time and whisk (hand or electric) until you reach your desired texture and consistency.
Add phase C ingredients.  Decant into your jar or tub.  Leave overnight before use.

NB Butters = shea butter, cocoa butter etc not dairy butter!

 

Lip Balm (can also be used as body or facial balm, just increase the quantities)

1 teaspoon bees wax       1 tsp shea butter
1 tsp cocoa butter          2 tsp sweet almond oil

Melt all the ingredients together in a double burner and place in another bowl of iced water.  Add fragrance oil e.g. chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, peppermint in 1.25% dilution once cooled but before setting.  You can also use real chocolate!  Give it a good stir with a spoon.  Pour into jars and apply!

If along the way, you make a few mistakes which end up in the bin, please don't worry!  Its a bit like cooking or starting any new activity, it takes some time to build up your skills....remember the old adage  Practice makes Perfect!  Enjoy!