As Monk said, “It’s a blessing… and a curse.” That’s me and my enthusiasm for, well, many, many things. When I first started making body stuffs, I was instantly sucked into a swirling void of ingredients, and I wanted to try everything, regardless of cost or the fact that there are literally hundreds of things to try in the natural body ingredient world. The same thing happened with sewing (I currently have 300+ meters of unused fabric in my basement), fancy paper, cookbooks, spices, fonts, stationery, gel pens (c. 2002), Beanie Babies (c. 1998), and even those utterly awful Lip Smackers (c. 1999). I’m sure there have been others, those are just the easiest to remember. The point, however, is, that I have a tendency to go over-board with stuff.
So, that brings us to my concoctions cabinet. I eventually managed to restrain myself from trying everything after my bank balance reared it’s ugly head and scared the living daylights out of me. Lack of 100% experimentation aside, I still think I’ve tried a solid array of oils, butters, and other hippie-type stuff that falls into the reasonable price category. I’ve found some favourites, and hopefully I can spare you the same stuffed-cupboard fate.
This should also save you some money, as I’ve listed the average price you should expect to pay. If you don’t want to buy a full litre you might end up paying more than half of the per litre price, but definitely not more overall. Whatever you do, don’t buy your oils your local organics or handmade cosmetics shop. They usually charge at least twice as much as online. These prices are sourced from New Directions Aromatics, my favourite online shop for this type of stuff. They have great shipping prices, and locations in many large countries so you probably won’t have to pay duty and border-crossing fees. I also like Saffire Blue. They’re cool, have great prices, and often carry things NDA doesn’t.
($9/L)—This is an inexpensive, low-odour carrier oil that is great for massage oils, lip balms, and lotions
Aloe Vera Juice
($8/L)—I love using this instead of water for making lotions and facial masks. If you’ve ever had a sunburn, you probably know that aloe is great for your skin. Just make sure you use the juice, not the green goop from the drug store! Pro tip: order the 200x powder if you can find it, it’s a much better deal if you mix it properly, and lasts longer. I got mine from Saffire Blue.
Apple Cider Vinegar
($3/L)—Apple Cider Vinegar (or ACV, as it is often referred to online) has a very devoted following of people who use it for everything from weight loss to detox to aftershave. I really only use it as an ingredient in a post-shampoo rinse (about 1/2 cup to 2 cups of water), but it’s great for that, and it’s nice to know I could use it for tons of other things if I wanted to. I just buy it at the grocery store, it should be pretty cheap there.
Argan Oil
($13/100mL)—This oil is now so essential to me that it comes pretty much everywhere with me. It’s not as cheap as some oils, so I tend to just use it on my face, and it’s perfect for that. It soaks in quickly without any greasiness, and I promise it won’t clog your pores or cause any epidermis explosions. If I could only have one oil, this would probably be it. I even use it to remove my eye make-up.
Baking Soda
($3/kg)—No one seems to appreciate simple sodium bicarbonate for all the awesome things it can do. Body-wise, it’s a great exfoliator, a gentle facial cleanser, and a handy-dandy deodorant ingredient.
Beeswax
($10/lb)—Get the natural stuff. It should still smell like honey and be a nice golden colour. Buy it locally, if you can. I use beeswax for body butters, lip balms and glosses, and some soaps. It’s wonderful.
Camellia Seed Oil
($26/L)—I first read about this oil in a museum, believe it or not. It’s the oil from the seeds of the plant that gives us tea (Camellia sinensis), and it has been used for centuries in Asia for hair care. I think my favourite thing about Camellia Seed Oil is how quickly it absorbs into my skin. It sinks right in, leaving behind silky smooth delight. I love it in serums, facial creams, and hair products.
Castor Oil
($7/L)—This oil is a must-have for soap making. It adds both moisturizing and lathering properties that can’t be matched with other oils. It’s also great for hair, and for adding shine to lip balms and glosses.
Cocoa Butter (Raw)
($22/kg)—Raw cocoa butter smells like expensive chocolate, and who doesn’t want that in their body products? It’s my favourite option for brittle fats.
Refined, Bleached, & Deodorized Coconut Oil
($8/L)—This is a must for soaps as it gives you great bubbles!
Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
($18/L)—It’s more expensive than the refined, bleached stuff you use for soap. Use this wonderfully coconutty version for hair, body butters, lotions, and lip balms.
Glycerin, vegetable
($7/kg)—Glycerin is a humectant, so it attracts moisture out of the air and to your skin in lotion and cream applications. Just make sure you use it as an ingredient, and not straight, or it might start pulling moisture out of your skin, which is probably the opposite of what you want. It also makes things shiny, and adds a sweet taste to things. Just make sure you add it to the water portion of an emulsion, or it will turn into little gritty beads in something like body butter.
Grapeseed Oil
($10/L)—This is one of the cheapest oils that sinks into the skin quickly. Great for lotions!
French Green Clay
($20/kg)—This one took a while to grow on me, but now that it has, I never want to be without it. Mixed with a bit of aloe vera juice, jojoba oil, seaweed powder, and a few drops of essential oils, this clay makes a mask that sucks crap out of your face like you wouldn’t believe. My problem areas (chin) are noticeably smoother after using, and blemishes heal in no time after an application.
Jojoba Oil, Golden
($40/L)—It’s not the cheapest oil you’ll come across, but it is super-rich and you don’t need much to reap its benefits. I love it for hair products and lotions.
Olive Oil
($20/3L)—I buy olive oil in large amounts because I use it so much for soap making. Because it’s also a great food item, this is one of the few ingredients you can often buy for less at the grocery store. Watch for deals!
Bee Propolis
($15/50mL)—Bees make this handy substance as an antimicrobial for keeping their hives spic and span. It contains every known vitamin (with the exception of K), and is pretty much every kind of ‘anti’ you can imagine. Nature’s polysporin, pretty much. I love it in lotions and creams.
Shea Butter
($12/kg)—This was one of the first ingredients I started using, and I LOVE it. So much. The smell can be a bit off-putting to some people, but there’s always the deodorized stuff. I find it smells a bit like dirt or old lipstick, but I don’t mind it. Shea butter makes amazing body butters, soaps, and lotions. It’s also great straight, and does things for my dry feet that nothing else has.
Vitamin E
($10/100g)—It’s great for your skin (promotes healing, good for scars), and is an anti-oxidant, so it can help prolong the shelf life or products that contain water.
Emulsifying Wax
(~$8–15/500g)—There are lots of different kinds of emulsifying waxes, but they all do more or less the same thing—create a super duper easy emulsion at percentages of 5–10%. They also thicken, so you’re guaranteed a lovely lotion like concoction when you work with them. My favourite is emulsimulse. If you want to make lotion, get some of this. I have yet to find a way to make a satisfactory light, non-greasy lotion without emulsifying wax.
Essential Oils
I realize this is highly subjective, but I love: Cardamom, Cinnamon Bark, Fir Balsam, Grapefruit (Pink & White), Lavender (French), Lemon 5-Fold, Lemongrass, Orange, Patchouli (Dark), Pine Scotch, Rosemary, Spearmint, Spruce (Black Wild), Tea Tree (Australian), and Vanilla 10-Fold.
Starter Kit Shopping List
If you have everything on this list, you’ll be able to make lotions, creams, masks, body butters, lip balms & glosses, serums, and soap (just add lye). And you should be able to get it for about $100CAD, assuming you go with smaller sizes.
- Almond oil, sweet
- Argan oil
- Baking soda
- Beeswax
- Castor oil
- Cocoa butter
- Coconut oil
- French green clay
- Jojoba oil
- Olive oil
- Shea butter
- Vitamin E
- Emulsifying wax
Bare Bones Starter Kit
This one is closer to $70. It doesn’t have the makings of soap, but it will let you make lotions, lip balms, creams, masks, and facial oils.
- Almond oil, sweet
- Argan oil
- Baking soda
- Beeswax
- Cocoa butter
- Extra virgin coconut oil
- French green clay
- Shea butter
- Vitamin E
- Emulsifying wax
This entry was updated on December 2, 2013.
This was very helpful. Thank you for posting! What about your essential oils? What do you find are the most useful?
Oh dear… that’s another entire entry (it’s on the list, believe me)! To start with, I’d recommend lavender (all around awesome), tea tree (antibacterial), lemon/orange/lime/grapefruit (all or take your pick, they’re cheap and great for soaps and cleaning products, though not body products due to the photosensitivity), chamomile (calming, smells fantastic), helichrysum (expensive, but worth it to me), and spearmint & peppermint (they are very different and I enjoy having both). Those oils are great for a wide variety of things (lip balm to soap to lotion to cleaning products), and most of them are pretty reasonable in the price department. Now… stay tuned for the full entry!
Do you get refined shea and cocoa butter? The NDA site is great!
I always buy unrefined/raw versions of ingredients wherever I can. Especially with cocoa butter! Buying deodorized cocoa butter should be a crime since the raw version smells amazing. Just like good chocolate! Mmmmm 🙂
I am in the process of ‘starting over’ and I have fell in love with your recipes as well as your guide of what to buy first. I would go nuts and get everything if I wasn’t sure where to start! I appreciate your posts and I definitely stumbled upon this site for a reason=)
It’s great to meet another clean DIY-er, Krista 🙂 I remember when I first started getting into this, and I definitely still have quite a few bottles of this and that random ingredient that I never really found all that useful. I’m glad you can learn from my mistakes! Also, keep your eye out for an entry on the things to get if you want to make your own make-up—that’s coming up in a couple weeks 🙂 Have fun & feel free to reach out with any questions you might have!
I’m new to your site (and just love it so far!!) and definitely appreciate the list of “must have”s as well as your favorite place to purchase.
My question is on soap and the use of lye — it seems so caustic. Do you have any recommended alternatives?
PS: It’s great that you love peppermint — so many natural products say mint, but they must be a blend. To me, peppermint is so refreshing and clean smelling!
Hi Jennifer! Thanks for reading 🙂 There is no such thing as making soap without lye—that’s like trying to make a baking soda & water volcano and wondering why it just sits there, lol. I wrote an entire entry on why, and why lye really isn’t that scary—you can read it here.
Which peppermint is your favourite? I haven’t tried many, but I do prefer NDA’s Peppermint Supreme to their Japanese.
I just finished reading your entry on soap making — looks like a lot of us are/were afraid of lye! Great information and also really appreciate the follow-up messages from other readers.
I don’t know how “pure” their products are (I’m new to all this, remember), but I like doTerra’s peppermint – very uplifting. I might try your preference of NDA.
It’s a surprisingly common fear—I think there is some confusion out there about the different types of dangerous. There’s dangerous, like fire—immediate harm if you touch it. Then there’s danger from something like radiation, which takes years to rear its ugly head. It can be easy to think all dangers are of the insidious variety if you don’t know better.
I’ve heard good things about doTerra, but I’m always a bit suspicious because most people who say fantastic things about them are part of their MLM structure and are selling their products on commission. I recommend the suppliers I do for no kick backs whatsoever… plus, they are way cheaper because I’m not making any money off them, lol. I did also read today that doTerra’s peppermint EO is not a first press EO, but I don’t think that makes it any less pure, it’s just sort of like extra virgin vs. pomace olive oil.
New to the site and now bookmarked.
Question on aloe. I have aloe growing like a weed in Houston. Do you think this can be used instead of Aloe juice? I am looking to make baby chest rub.
Thank you!
Welcome, Shana! I am super jealous of all your homegrown aloe 🙂 The only thing that’s growing like a weed here in Canada right now is the snowbanks! Anyhow, this article on using raw aloe should help you out. Just remember that the made from fresh stuff will spoil much faster than the refined juice, so don’t make too much at once, and do be sure to use it quickly 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Thank you. Reading. I store it in the freezer. Appreciate it.
This is so interesting and helpful! Thank you! I am brand new to DIY and wondered if you could explain the percents in the measuring. It’s probably infant obvious, but the percents translated to mg is confusing to me. Thanks very much. =)
Hi Susan! Thanks so much for reading 🙂 Using percents to measure with requires a bit of math, but the bonus is you can choose to make exactly as much of something as you want. Basically you start with the final amount you want to make, and then divide that number by 100. That gives you what 1% is. Then, multiply that up to get the amounts of each ingredient. I usually choose 100g because that means 1%=1g, so the math is super easy (and 100g is a good amount of lotion to make, it’s just under half a cup). So if I needed 20% of something, that would be 20g. If I wanted to make 50g of something, 1% would be 0.5g, so 20% = 10g. Make sense?
Yes, thanks so much! I appreciate it. 🙂 You’ve made it clear and easy to understand. :-)! Will jot it down to remember exactly. ( my brain goes on hiatus)
I just launched an FAQ page with this info as well, since it seems to be a pretty common question 🙂
A great idea, the FAQ! Thanks very much. Very helpful! =)
🙂
Is beeswax a suitable substitute for emulsifying wax or is it totally different?
Thanks!
P.S. I love your blog. Please write a book!
🙂
Hi Lauren! Sadly, definitely not—they really don’t have anything in common other than their names. Swapping out emulsifying wax for anything other than a complete emulsifier is like using a paint chip instead of an egg because they’re both yellow. You can pair beeswax with borax to make an emulsion, but then you can only do a 1:1 ratio of oils to water, which makes for a very greasy lotion. Just think of it as something like what the Body Shop calls body butter—that’s about what it produces.
My favourite e-wax is Emulsimulse, and it is “a natural source self-emulsifier for oil in water emulsions. It is ECOCERT approved for use in Certified Organic products.” It’s the cleanest emulsifier I’ve found yet.
Thanks so much for reading and for your support! I would love to write a book, maybe it’ll happen someday 🙂
I have heard two different things on the shelf life of EOs. 1. The shelf life is indefinite and 2. one year. Can you shed any light on this? Or how long do you keep your EOs?
From my research and experience… it depends. So useful, I know. Oils like patchouli get better with age. Others supposedly weaken. However, I’m pretty sure that 1 year mark is rubbish, assuming you’re storing things properly. I keep mine in the dark glass bottles they come in, in a cool, dark cupboard, and I’ve never noticed and degradation in quality, even after 3+ years. And I have never heard anything about, or personally encountered, EOs spoiling—they just get weaker/lose some of their punch. I hope that helps, haha.
Thanks! This is so helpful to a beginner such as myself! I have been shopping all over the internet the past few days and one ingredient is really vexing me. Vitamin E oil. There are so many kinds and so many contradicting statements about what the “real” stuff is. What do you recommend? Or what should I look for/avoid? Thanks!
Hi Maggie! To be honest, I buy the vitamin E I can afford, which is the MT50 Full Spectrum stuff from NDA. I’ve been happy with it, but it’s also the only stuff I’ve ever used since the other one they sell is 5x the price!
I recently made the oatmeal dream cream (about 2 months ago). Was so impressed with it that I shared it with family and friends. 2 days ago I opened my daughter’s jar ( didn’t make enough for myself!!!!!) and noticed what looked like mold. It smelled fine, but the greenish stuff has concerned me. Was it the oatmeal? Should I have put it in the refridgerator? HELP please.
thanks
bev
Hi Bev! It doesn’t sound like you’ve done anything wrong at all—that greenish stuff is definitely mould. Mould will eventually grow in anything with water in it. I find I can generally get at least 2 months (sometimes more) out of a lotion without preservatives if it is stored in a pump-top bottle so I’m not always dipping my fingers into it. I just make lotions in small batches and watch them for spoilage, sort of like food 🙂
I just stumbled on your blog via Pinterest. Great blog. I just started down the natural DIY road a little over a year ago. I see you are in Canada, me too. I get a lot of my ingredients from Oshun in Salmon Arm and Soap and More in Calgary, depending on whose prices are better. I’m looking forward to trying some of your recipes.
Hi Annetta! It’s always lovely to meet another Canadian online 🙂 I’d definitely recommend checking out the suppliers I link to above—they are both SUBSTANTIALLY cheaper than the two you mentioned! I know Soap & More re-sells some stuff from NDA at a markup.
I’m so glad I found this page. Guess my lotion making will have to wait until I get some emulsifier. Sigh. I do have most of what was on your list. But I will have to get the Shea butter, Beeswax, and green clay as well.
I’m so excited to get started. Hopefully, I can move on to soapmaking after I get a little confidence with the lotions first. I’m so glad I found your blog.
There’s a few different kinds of emulsifiers, but I’d recommend a complete emulsifying wax like Emulsimulse as a good starting point for lotions. You’ll need something like polysorbate 20 if you want to make room sprays 🙂
Thanks for DIYing with me!
I have to say I’m so excited to be trying out some of your recipes – I’m a new DIYer and I love the idea of just making some of this stuff myself instead of buying. Last year I was introduced to Lush, and love many of their products, but thought it odd that they seemed to use so many chemical ingredients for supposedly natural products. I see so many recipes on your site that I can use instead!
Thank you for the shortlist of staple ingredients… I’ve placed one order already and have nearly double that in my wishlist, so I’m hoping I can manage to go slow and take my time experimenting. Some of the first things I’ll be trying is your tigerbalm, eczema cream, and lotions though!
Hi Megan! Welcome to the wonderful world of DIY 🙂 You’ll love it here 😉 Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions!
Haha! Found this too late–already over my head in ingredients and learning I’ve bought some I’ll never use. Live and learn–I only happened upon this post by chance while rummaging around to rediscover your recipe for cream deodorant. We have a LOT in common; my budget just came around and walloped me upside the head!
I hope it’ll help you out in the future 🙂
Hi Marie, I have just recently discovered your blog and love it! Thanks so much for sharing the recipes you develop. As I’ve devoured the recipes and been making my own foray into beauty diy, I have struggled to find proper storage for my ingredients. When you’ve mentioned your “supply cabinet” I often wondered how large a storage area you use and what it looks like. (Hint hint!) I don’t have a pantry or any room to spare in my kitchen so for now I’m using a chest of drawers in a bathroom, but taller bottles don’t fit and I have to drag everything to the kitchen when it’s time to assemble. The drawers also don’t pull out all the way so the back of the drawers are hard to access. Any thoughts or insights you could share with us? I have also wondered how you know where to start with proportions and such when developing a new recipe. Thanks again for sharing all your hard work with the internet. 🙂
Hi Christine! I’m lucky enough to have a secondary kitchen in my house… it’s pretty small as far as kitchens go, but it’s got a good amount of cabinet space for all my ingredients. I’d probably recommend a wardrobe or some other type of shelving unit if you can find one—one with variable height shelves 🙂 I never DIY in the dingy basement storage kitchen, though, so I’m still lugging ingredients upstairs to actually use them.
I’ve got an article on starting to develop your own recipes here 🙂
Dear Marie,
Thankyou so much for keeping me entertained this winter (i’m in Australia) with all your recipes, tips, ideas. You are an inspiration 🙂 In my quest to procure the ingredients, I am finding it almost impossible to find alcohol free witch hazel distillate in Australia. In recipes where there is alcohol, I am guessing a distillate with alcohol wouldn’t be a problem, but how crucial is it in other recipes? An insight would be appreciated.
Hi Michele! Thanks so much for reading 🙂 If you can’t find alcohol free witch hazel I wouldn’t worry about it too much unless you have very dry skin. The added alcohol can make the witch hazel more drying, which obviously isn’t ideal if your skin is already dry. The addition of alcohol shouldn’t break any recipes, though.
We might have the same problem. I have all those ingredients except propolis (although I have tried that one before when I was in Brazil). Help?! 😉
I believe they call this the blind leading the blind 😉 Ha!
Hi Marie,
I have two quick questions, do you buy the organic versions of the products or is that unnecessary? And what would be another good clay to buy?
Hey Maggie! I usually do not bother with the organic versions of things as they are significantly more expensive, and not available for all the ingredients I like to work with. For clays, three good starter ones are French green, white kaolin, and bentonite; after that you’re mostly just playing 😉 Those three will cover your bases and work in 90% of recipes that call for clay!