One of the questions I am asked the most is along the lines of “I don’t have ingredient X, can I use ingredient Y or Z instead, or just leave it out?”. Sometimes the answer is a quick yes, and sometimes it’s a complicated no. So, I put together this guide to help you understand the different roles different carrier oils play in different formulations. That way you can start to understand how things work and make easy and successful substitutions! In this entry I’ll be talking about plant-derived carrier oils and butters—the basic building blocks of many skincare formulations.
What are carrier oils?
The term “carrier oil” encompasses hundreds of different oils and butters. In the most basic sense, the word “carrier” serves to distinguish oils that are not “essential” oils. Common carrier oils include olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, grapeseed oil, canola oil, sweet almond oil, walnut oil, and more. The oils in this category vary wildly in terms of texture, colour, thickness, nutritional composition, and scent, but generally they are our base oils/butters.
Shea butter, up close and personal.
So… what are the variables?
Carrier oils serve a variety of purposes. Here’s a quick list that I’ll elaborate on further down:
- Bulking/Diluting
- Consistency
- Speed of absorption
- Texture & melting point
- Special features & benefits
- Cost
Bulking/Diluting
The most basic, obvious thing carriers oils do is basically make up the majority of many products (along with water in some formulations). They are a lot like the flour or butter in a cookie recipe. So, when it comes to the “can I just leave it out?” question, the answer is pretty much always no. You must replace eliminated carrier oils with something similar, or you will very drastically alter the final product (imagine cookies made without flour). It will either be too hard, too soft, the essential oils won’t be diluted enough and will be irritating, or, or, or… the list is pretty much infinite.
Don’t leave out ingredients that compose the majority of a formulation, and if you do, understand the final product will likely be nothing like what you thought you’d get.
Consistency
The most important purpose after being the base of every formulation is consistency. The consistency of an individual carrier oil is based on its consistency at room temperature. Is it a) liquid, b) soft, or c) brittle? Each one will contribute differently to a final product (think oil vs. butter when baking).
One of the most common substitutions people inquire about is using shea butter instead of cocoa butter. This, however, is rarely a good idea. This is because shea butter is soft and sticky at room temperature, whereas cocoa butter is smooth and brittle, like a bar of dark chocolate. Shea butter will not provide the same smooth, thick/hard final product as cocoa butter will.
So, when you’re trading ingredients, your first consideration should be if the replacement ingredient is the same consistency as the original at room temperature. Really, after this, it’s all gravy. Your final product will likely not be exactly the same, but it should be just fine.
| Liquid Oils | Soft Oils | Brittle Oils |
| Olive oil | Coconut oil | Cocoa butter |
| Canola oil | Shea butter | Kokum butter |
| Grapeseed oil | Cupuaçu butter | Illipe butter |
| Sunflower Oil | Murumuru butter | Tucuma butter |
| Safflower oil | Mango butter | |
| Argan oil | Babassu oil |
Speed of absorption
The most important job carrier oils do is generally moisturizing and softening the skin. Carrier oils are loaded with great fats that make your skin happy. However, there’s a big difference between oils in how quickly they absorb into the skin. Some sink in quickly, some slowly, and some very, very slowly. Some are “drying” oils, some leave your skin feeling extra soft and not at all greasy. Some are so heavy and slow-absorbing you won’t be able to touch paper for 20 minutes without leaving greasy fingerprints everywhere. Depending on what you’re making, you’ll want a different oil. If you want a lotion that you can use on a day-to-day basis without it interfering with things, you’ll want a lightweight oil that absorbs quickly. If you’re making a lip gloss, you’ll want one that absorbs slowly so it will sit on your lips and look shiny. If you’re making a facial serum and you have oily skin, you’d probably look at using a drying oil instead of a heavy, slow to absorb oil.
So, when swapping out oils in a formulation where absorbency is important, ensure the replacement oil is pretty similar to the original in terms of absorption speed. Here’s a quick chart (it is not comprehensive by any means!) of oil absorbency speeds. If you’re looking for more information, check out the Humblebee & Me DIY Encyclopedia; each carrier oil and butter profile includes a description of the absorbency speed.
| Fast to Absorb / Lightweight | Average to Absorb / Medium weight | Slow to Absorb / Heavy weight |
| Safflower | Jojoba | Avocado |
| Camellia Seed | Kuikuinut | Castor |
| Hazelnut | Argan | Flax seed |
| Grapeseed | Sweet Almond | Evening Primrose |
| Rosehip | Olive | Oat |
| Apricot kernel | Coconut | Shea butter |
| Canola | Sunflower | Black currant seed |
| Fractionated coconut | Babassu | Borage |
| Macadamia nut | Cocoa butter | |
| Mango butter |
And remember—trust yourself! Does it feel heavy or slow absorbing to you? Does it feel light/fast absorbing? Somewhere in the middle? That’s really all that matters. What does it feel like to you and do you want that feeling in your end product?
Texture & melting point
These two things are pretty closely tied, so I’m grouping them together. Melting point is really only important with oils that are solid at room temperature, as liquid oils generally tend to stay that way when they’re out and about, as their tipping point into the solid realm is generally far below temperatures you’d want to apply body butter in (olive oil solidifies around 1°C).
One substitution I am asked about a lot is swapping coconut oil for shea butter, and vice versa. The reason this may not work is a difference in both texture and melting point. In terms of texture, coconut oil is smooth and oily; shea butter is thick, tacky, and sticky. Coconut oil melts at 24°C (75°F), shea butter at 38°C (100°F) (interestingly enough, cocoa butter melts at 34°C [93°F], even though it is much harder at room temperature). Considering body temperature is 37°C (98°F), this means that coconut oil will liquefy the instant it touches the skin (or on a warm day), while shea butter takes some encouragement. So, in something like lip balm, coconut oil will provide a better glide as it will melt as soon as it touches your lips, while a shea butter lip balm will likely skid across the lips for the first few seconds (assuming it isn’t 35°C/94°F+ outside).
So, when making substitutions in a formula where the melting point and texture are important, be sure to pay attention to the melting points and textures of your ingredients.
Special Features
You don’t have to spend long reading descriptions, benefit lists, and reviews of various carrier oils to decide that you need every single one of them, stat!
There are carrier oils that are said to help with pretty much every ailment: acne, psoriasis, warts, dry skin, oily skin, sore muscles, soft tissue injuries, sprains, sunburns, eczema, burns, cuts, sprains, rosacea… and the list goes on. Promises of miracles can generally be disregarded, but some oils are genuinely better for skin that is mature, acne-prone, oily, dry, or sensitive.
In addition to the benefits of an oil, sometimes a formula will call for an oil because of its individual scent, the three most obvious ones being cocoa butter (smells like chocolate), coconut oil (smells like coconuts), and beeswax (smells like honey).
When a formula calls for an oil and makes a big deal out of its special features or scent, that generally means swapping it for something else is a no-go.
These three carrier oils/butters are all very different, especially in the scent category!
Cost
If you’re making a wash-off product like a cleansing oil or a bath oil, it should be using predominantly pretty inexpensive oils; this is because all that oil is really doing is being an oil in the most basic sense (generic lipids!), and then getting thrown away down the drain. I really wouldn’t recommend using your expensive oils in place of cheap oils here. You can, for sure, but the notion of pouring $15 of argan oil down the drain when $0.50 of sunflower oil or fractionated coconut oil would do the same job makes me very sad. I recommend saving your expensive carrier oils for leave-on applications, and typically for your face; your feet don’t need a beautiful sea buckthorn serum!
Want to see how cocoa butter, shea butter, and coconut oil are different from one another?
So, you want to make a substitution…
Here’s how to walk yourself through that.
- Are your ingredients the same state at room temperature? They should be. Liquid & liquid, soft & soft, etc.
- If they’re the same state, what’s the absorption speed like? If the original formula calls for a fast absorbing oil (like grapeseed) and you use a heavy one (like avocado) instead, be prepared for a final product with a different absorption speed.
- Does your formula contain at least 10% wax or is it an emulsion? If not, you should pay attention to the melting points of the ingredients. In lip balm you can use coconut oil (soft, 24°C melting point) instead of shea butter (soft, 37°C melting point), but that won’t fly in something like a wax-free body butter where we’re counting on the higher melting point of shea butter to keep the final product solid.
- Does the formula call for a specific carrier oil because of its special properties? If so, I’d stick with what the formula calls for, especially if that carrier oil makes up 50%+ of the formula. If you don’t have it, just make something else… you basically would be anyways if you swapped out the star ingredient of a formula for something different.
Hope that helps! If you have anything to add (I’m sure I’ve forgotten something…) or have any questions about something I forgot to cover, feel free to comment below!
What a great post for someone who is just learning these things. Thank you for posting and I can’t wait to see the other ones you mentioned.
Thanks for reading, Tasha! If you have any other questions/entries you’d like to see, feel free to pass the ideas along 😉
Can you use vitamin E oil as a carrier?
No, it’s not a true carrier oil.
Hi I’m making this recipe for acne and scars.
6 drops frankincense oil
4 drops lavender oil
2 drops tea tree oil
30 ml jojoba oil
I don’t have jojoba oil can I use neem, coconut or almond oil as substitute of jojoba oil? Plz help
Almond would probably be the best choice because it is liquid (unlike coconut oil) and doesn’t smell like butt (like neem). Happy making!
In body butters recipes call for shea, cocoa and mango butter.. What can I use in place of mango butter?
Thanks a lot! And GOD bless you for sharing your knowledge with us. Am new with your videos and new to formulating. So am trying to watch each and every videos of yours before I finally start formulating on a large skill, also I will join the patrons soon.
Which oil can be used as an alternative oil for ‘Sweet Almond Oil’ ?
Refer to the second chart and the guide at the end for many options and how to think through this 🙂
OMG! This is really I am looking for. Because i want to make a lotion which is thin, light and fast absorb, not greasy. And here I am, bumped to your article. Thank you so much.
Would you think this oil/butter combination is good?
Shea Butter 3%
Sweet almond oil 3.5%
Apricot kernel oil 3.5%.
Or i will change shea to mango butter?
Hey Sarah! When it comes to lotion, oil phase size ends up being a lot more important than the oils you choose. What you’ve listed out would make for a 10% oil phase, plus your emulsifying wax, so ~13.5% oil phase. That’ll be a fairly thin, fast-absorbing lotion regardless of oils used 🙂 Happy making!
DO you know which carrier oils would be the thickest consistency? Making a Braiding gel for cornrows but it keeps coming out to viscose and suggestions?
Is Rosemary essential oil ok for kid’s hair
I do not recommend using essential oils on children. If you want to, seek out information from qualified educators like the Tisserand Institute 🙂
Thanks for the clear and informative post!
I am trying to make an hydrating barrier cream for my horse that suffers from hyperkeratosis. He has really dry skin behind his knees that cracks and leaves scabs so it needs to be a barrier cream that absorbs quickly and has a ton of moisturization in it. It’s partly due to mites, fungal and bacterial. I figured coconut oil for its antifungal, wheat germ, primrose and grapeseed oil for moisturization and jojoba oil to quickly absorb into the skin. Any tips on what would be the best ingredients to make this cream/lotion?
In a hair care recipe, is there a good substitute for flax seed oil?
Wow, I have read hundreds of blogs… but I haven’t NEVER posted or commented on one…. So my first ever blog comment is (lol)
I have gotten pretty good with my knowledge of liquid carrier oils, which this Blog is extremely helpful with…. However, I have already had the misfortune of trying to substitute Shea butter for Coconut oil (solid) because I tried it after listening to a “certified Aromotherapist,” say it was a great switch. (Even though I thought it was iffy from the get go. . But I tried anyway). It was a disaster!
I currently steering clear of any recipes that contain water or the likes, until I feel comfortable that I have researched enough and feel educated enough to make an informed decision on which preservatives I want to use.
Anywho… my question is…. you said shea is not a very good replacement for coconut…. but….. do you have anything in mind that you think would be a suitable substitute? I swear all the easy recipes and products call for coconut oil (solid) and I’m trying REALLY hard to not use it for a while because I think it may be making my skin MORE dry. But ALL the easy, waterless, recipes have it!!!!! GRR!
Hey Heidi! Babassu oil is a really good swap for coconut oil—so good, in fact, that it’s almost indistinguishable and if you don’t like coconut oil, you likely won’ like babassu oil either. I tend to think coconut oil is really over-hyped in the DIY world. It can be lovely, but it’s certainly not an “everything to everyone” ingredient as its frequency of use might have you think! If you and your skin don’t like it that is totally ok and normal 🙂 I recommend checking out this section of my website. Many of the formulations collected there are anhydrous and not all of them use coconut oil 🙂 Happy making!
I’m going to make body butter. Most recipes call for coconut oil, but I’d rather use an oil that absorbs faster. Is it ok to substitute apricot oil for the coconut?
This is a really useful post! I look forward to the post about essential oils!
Thanks! If you have any other post requests, feel free to share them—I’d be happy to add them to the list 🙂
This wonderful Guide is just Best thing you can do for anybody who’s learning about Essential Oils and trying to live a natural life.
Thank you so much, I am keeping all this information in a notebook and in Evernote ( Online)
I can’t wait for your future post Lessions.
Thanks for reading, Maureen! I am currently working on a list of “beginner” type lessons—if you have any ideas, feel free to pass them on 🙂
Hi Marie,
You’re such an inspiration! Reading your post is like a 2 in one healing balm for me. What with the funny but relevant analogy and all. You make the chemistry behind DIY much fun and tolerable to people like me.
I was wondering if you could make a post on the ‘vegan’ side of any ingredient. For example, things like Germall Liquid Plus, according to my limited research is not vegan and I have a hard time finding a ‘vegan preservative’. Appreciate your thoughts on this.
Hey Hani! Thanks for reading 🙂 In my experience, the vast majority of cosmetic ingredients are vegan. Carmine, silk, beeswax, tallow, lard, lanolin, emu oil… that’s about all I can think of for ones that aren’t. I’m fairly confident Liquid Germall Plus (INCI: Propylene Glycol, Diazolidinyl Urea, Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate) is fully synthetic. The propylene glycol is definitely vegan (though I suppose arguments could be made re: the possibility of dinosaurs being involved in the petro-source… though that would open up a whole new can of worms!). The Diazolidinyl Urea uses allantoin as part of its synthesis, and while that *could* come from animal urine, it’s almost certainly synthesized. Iodopropynyl Butylcarbamate also appears to be synthetic.
As a general rule, it’s cheaper to synthesize something than to harvest it from animal or plant sources, so most isolated chemicals/compounds that could come from animals don’t. One could just synthesize pure urea, for instance, in a lab… or one could harvest massive amounts of animal urine, isolate the urea from it, and then purify it. I know which method I’d prefer, lol! I hope that was helpful 🙂
Loved the article… thanks for doing such a great job explaining things that could be confusing to a beginner like me… in your list of oil I notice you did not mention Neem oil…. do you have info on it… what it is used for or how to use it or its properties, and uses
thank you
Thanks for reading, Nicole! I’ve never worked with Neem oil, but from what I know of it, it would be in the “special” category. It is a popular ingredient in bug repellents, and from what I understand, it smells absolutely awful (which is what makes the bugs stay away). It is very viscous and does not absorb into the skin readily. I would not use neem oil in anything that wasn’t to repel insects, basically (or designed to take advantage of any of neem oil’s other benefits—it is said to be good for problematic skin conditions as well). It would not be a good substitution oil.
thank you for your input on the subject
🙂
Excellent!!! You did an awesome job describing the features of them and actually pointed out a really good fact about how one can’t really exchange shea butter for cocoa butter (something I’m guilty of lol). Now I realize I will probably have to alter the amounts of my other ingredients when I make this swap in certain recipes – like my stretch mark salve. Your blog is GREAT!!
Thanks for reading, Christina! I’ve been meaning to write this post for ages, I’m so glad you’re finding it useful 🙂 It’s easy to forget how much chemistry is involved in all these DIY projects, and while I’m hardly keen to get out my periodic table again (ugh lol), remembering a few basic principles can really help.
Hi Marie,
I make amazing bath bombs with shea butter, coconut oil and cocoa butter but I’ll need to change my recipe as I need to speed up the process somehow and melting the butters is quite time consuming.
Can you please recommend which carrier oils have very similar properties than these butters as my customers love my bath bombs so I need a very similar if not better result.
Thank you so much for your answer in advance.
Warm regards,
Zsolt
One book I refer to when thinking of substituting an oil is Delores Boone’s “Handcrafted Soap”. It has really good charts listing oil properties etc.
Cheers.
Fantastic, thanks Jane! I tend to get the majority of my information from the internet, and it’s good to be reminded that there are great resources at your local library as well 🙂
Hi!
I am wondering where I can find more information about absorption. You made a really good point when you mentioned that oils “feel” different on the skin, and that for things like body lotions that you will use daily, you would want something that absorbs quickly.
What oils absorb quickly?
Which oils are “dry” oils, and do most dry oils moisturize well?
Thanks!
Ann! I’ve just gone in and added a table and some more information about oils that absorb at different speeds, and how to learn more 🙂 The only drying oil I know about is rosehip—it is a perfectly fine moisturizer, it is just called “drying” because it absorbs so quickly. I believe it is also slightly astringent.
Marie, as always I am amazed how good and to the point, laced with humor ( which is part of your cute makeup) your articles are. Thank you so much for all the info. You are amazing, a walking encyclopedia on cosmetics. Love your youth, your energy, your joie de vivre. Happy new year and stay safe Marie. Hello from frigid Hamilton
Thank you. This is very helpful!
Let me know if you have any other questions/topics you’d like to see covered 🙂 And thanks for reading!
Really helpful material. Actually i m making a oleogel by using different gelators and emulsifiers the only problem lies in the oiliness. Can you help me to reduce the oiliness? Also you didnt mention about mineral oil
I love your post, thank you very much. It was very helpful for beginners, like me…
Thanks for reading!
What a great post , I love your style , you make everything so easy to understand. Eagerly awaiting the next instalment .
Thanks for reading, Jo! If you have and requests for new entries I would love to hear them 🙂
I did not notice coconut oil in your table…where does it fit in?
Hi, Anne! Coconut oil is soft at room temperature, absorbs on the quicker side of average, and melts at 24° (which is pretty low for oils that are solid at room temperature as it means it’s only barely solid at 21°).
I use coconut oil in the toothpaste I make, but it is always liquid in the summer. What is a good alternative?
Also, what are your thoughts on glycerin in the toothpaste mix?
Hmmm… you could try thickening the coconut oil with a bit of beeswax, since you’re probably using the coconut oil for all its fantastic anti this & that benefits 😉
I have no problems with glycerin in toothpaste—it’s a humectant, and it tastes sweet, which is always a bonus for anything that goes into your mouth 🙂
Thank you so much for this wonderful blog & explanation of the differences between the carrier oils. Invaluable knowledge ~ thank you for sharing.
Thanks for reading, Kathy! Keep an eye out for more entries in this series—the next will be on essential oils 🙂
I want to make your lemongrass & seaweed shampoo bar and was wondering what I could replace the lard with. I don’t see it listed here. What could I use instead?
Hey Lauren—Great question! I’ve written an article on using lard & tallow in soap that should help you out here 🙂
Thank you!
Did I change your mind? 😛
Thanks so much! I just made lotion and think it’s a little thick. Really informative and well organized post. Bookmarked for my next batch!
I’m glad you found it useful 🙂 Be sure to check out my guide to essential oil substitutions as well!
Hello Marie! I’ve really been enjoying educating myself on oils and soaps on your blog, thanks for providing so much helpful and easy to understand information! I have psoriasis and haven’t been able to find anything that really helps(and that doesn’t kill my immune system). So I am on a quest to find something natural to moisturize and heal my skin with the goal being to at least make it feel better if not actually heal it. Do you have any suggestions on a soap or lotion(or both) that I could make that would help? Currently I’m just using coconut oil with some essential oils(tea tree, lavender) and it helps a little but it’s also super greasy feeling. Any insight would be much appreciated by my itchy skin! 🙂
Hey Stephanie! Bummer on the psoriasis 🙁 My first suggestion would be shea butter, which I’ve found to be fantastic for eczema. I know eczema and psoriasis aren’t the same thing, but it may help. My other suggestion would be to check out the list of advanced search results on psoriasis at NDA. Read up on ’em and see what sounds good 🙂
Thanks Marie! Appreciate the suggestions. I’ll head right over to that site, and I’ll let you know when I find my miracle cure! 🙂
Good luck & keep me posted 🙂
Just a tip: if you keep your lotion in the refrigerator, it’s nice and cool when you put it on. I find it very soothing for itchy skin 🙂
I love doing this for after sunburn lotions 🙂 it’s divine!
Thank you so much for this! So informative and easy to read and understand. The charts are extremely helpful!
Thanks, Norma! If you liked this article you should also check out my article on essential oil substitutions and my brief guide to solubility 🙂
Wow! you made clear almost everything! thanks for that.. just one question D: .. when makin body butter, do you think i coul substitute shea butter with coconut oil? please answer and thanks 😀
Thanks, Salome! As I explain in the article, shea butter and coconut oil aren’t generally a good swap as they have drastically different melting points and textures. That said, they are both in the soft category, so you can try it, but the texture, scent (if using raw versions), and melting point of the final product will be quite different, especially if that ingredient makes up a large part of the recipe.
I love your blog! I’ve recently started making soap and selling it on Etsy, which is really fun. Is your soap available for sale? Your posts are beautifully photographed and inspiring, so thank you! I was just wondering what size soap mold you use? I’m using a hinged wooden loaf mold that makes 12 1″ thick bars that are 3.5″wide x 2″ high. However, I like how your bars are more vertical than horizontal and would love to know what size mold you use. Thanks in advance and keep doing what you’re doing!
Hi Alexa! Thanks for reading 😀 I don’t end up selling anything I make. I’ve got a lot of reasons, but they generally boil down to my being far too busy making soap & writing about it to sell it as well 😛 (Plus a more than full time job, social life, etc.).
The inner measurements of my mold are 15″ long, 3.5″ across, and 3.5″ deep. I have a series of dividers that support the lid; they are 2.75″ high, giving the mold an effective depth of 2.75″ (the lid is 0.75″ thick). Each inch of the mold holds 100g/oils of soap; so the entire mold holds a 1500g of oils batch of soap. It’s also exactly as long as sheets of parchment are long, meaning it’s super easy to line as well. Basically, it’s the perfect size!
And, I think you’ll find if you rotate your soaps 90° they’ll be pretty close to the shape & size of mine (just 1/4″ wider—1.75×3.5″ instead of 2×3.5″) 😛
I must say you have an amazing site! I have learned so much! I have tried many of your recipes and they all come out fantastic.Thank you!
Thanks so much, Grace—I love helping people learn all about DIYing 🙂 A big thank you for reading & DIYing with me, it is so appreciated.
THANK YOU!
This is exactly the information I needed right now. To busy to poke around your site today but you’re bookmarked and I’ll definitely be back.
Awesome, I’m so glad I was able to help 🙂 See you around soon!
I would love to get into making medicated Natura soaps, for example soap for eczema prone skin or psoriasis. Soaps or body washes for oily skin, acne breakouts, soaps that prevent the breakouts etc… I’d love it if you could write an article for DIY Beginner Dummies lol, like dumb it down for newbies like me!! PLEASE CONSIDER!! THANK YOU
Hi Fallon! Products that claim to treat conditions like eczema are considered drugs, and aren’t something you can DIY and sell. Drug claims have to be supported with drug studies and lots of paperwork, so I suggest avoiding them 🙂
I have created lots of content for beginners; you’ll find it under the “Where to Start” header in the main menu. Happy making!
thank you so much!
i have recently given up mass produced lotions and creams and now make my own body butter. this is so helpful for me. thanks so much!
I’m thrilled to hear it, Susan 🙂 Enjoy all all your new DIY concoctions! Also, if you haven’t checked out my new post on DIY for Beginners, you totally should, it walks you through more info like this & great starter recipes 🙂
Hi! LOVE your post. I was wondering if you could leave out cocoa butter out when making lip balm, and just use olive oil, coconut oil, cocoa powder, and honey. Thanks!
P.s. Can you leave out beeswax?
Hi Ayse! As to your question… please don’t do that if you want to make lip balm 🙂 You will end up with a liquid (coconut oil melts at 24°C and when combined with another liquid oil the final product is liquid unless your house is about 5°C), with gritty bits of cocoa powder sunk to the bottom, and a blob of honey floating on top (honey is water soluble and will not easily emulsify with oils, especially without a thickened to stabilize the emulsion). You need the beeswax especially to thicken it up and give you something solid, and the cocoa butter helps thicken it and gives a lovely texture and fragrance. Additionally, the beeswax helps the layer of butters and oils adhere to your lips so they stick around and moisturize them 🙂
Love it! It’s so nice to have such helpful info in one spot. Thanks!
Thanks, Claire! Be sure to check out my other quick guides on essential oil subs and solubility as well 🙂
Hi Marie,
I absolutely detest coconut and everything related to it. However, it is so prevalent in most recipes. Obviously shea butter is not a good sub. I was thinking babassu oil?
How about mango butter? Can I use that instead of coconut oil?
Thanks for your help 🙂
Hi Megan! I’m so sorry to hear you detest coconut 🙁 If you just hate it (and aren’t allergic to it) I’d still use it in soaps, as it is so good at creating really lovely lather, and isn’t at all noticeable in a final bar. For non-soap applications, babassu is the best substitute I’ve ever worked with. It has a similar texture and melting point, though it’s not so similar in the price department, unfortunately. Mango butter is closer to shea butter in that it’s quite thick and has a higher melting point, so I’d save that for other projects 🙂 Thanks for reading!
Love this! I’m just beginning to decide to make homemade products like lotions. I was wondering should I put more shea or coconut oil for my lotion? This article helped me – more shea, because it’s almost 30 degrees right now and the coconut oil is liquid! With more shea, the lotion will be solid w/out me having to use the fridge.
Please PLEASE make another informative article on essential oils, extracts, and all. I would be so appreciative. I’m only a teen, by the way! Sick of the chemicals all around me and wanna go natural. Thanks, you have made a huge contribution in my decision!!
If you have a lotion recipe or deodorant one especially, please post it! Thanks!
Thanks, Divya! You can also try thickening up your lotions by using a smidgen more emulsifying wax (7% instead of 5% makes a surprisingly large difference), or adding a gram or two of beeswax, which is a very powerful thickener 🙂
I do have an article on essential oils! Two, in fact—here and here 🙂 You should also just peruse my “The Basics” section, there’s lots of good articles in there on things like solubility and stuff not to buy that you might find useful!
For other things, use the search bar, or the menu at the top, or the list of all my categories on the right side of the page under my Instagram photos. There’s well over 550 recipes up here, with at least 3 deodorant recipes and 17 lotion recipes.
I followed the recipe for the homemade read diffuser refills. My mixture turned milky white. Are used light sesame oil, 70% isopropyl alcohol. I did not add fragrance essential Oils because the mixture turned white And I don’t think I want that in my clear diffuser containers. What did I do wrong?
Can I substitute walnut oil for almond oil when making a mosquito repellent with cloves and alcohol ?
Thank you.
Yup, that should be a suitable swap.
I love this!! I read through the comments and read about someone who doesn’t like the coconut oil– but my skin actually can’t handle it. I have incredibly sensitive skin- I actually stopped using shampoo and conditioner and found out that it was the reason my acne was so bad. But the coconut oil makes me break out like CRAZY! For soap/shampoo bar making, can I substitute with shea butter since it seems to be non comodegenic? Or do you have any suggestions? I appreciate it!!!
Hi Brittney! Coconut oil is a tricky one to replace in soaps since it contributes wonderful, beautiful, fluffy lather. From what I’ve read, babassu oil would be the best substitute 🙂
Marie, You just saved my life! I am highly allergic to tree nuts and have been asking about substituting coconut oil and not a one person gave me a good answer….your break down of liquid, soft, and brittle oils was PERFECT! I thank you and I will read the rest of your blog. I had an unfortunate experience with almond oil……within two minutes of touching my daughter’s hair I had to be rushed to the hospital after two shots of my epi-pen. Thank you.
Hi KD! You might be the first person who has said I’ve saved their life and actually meant it 😉 I’m so glad to be of help—thanks for reading!
Hi marie, I love your blog… this is helpful in students of pharmacy. could i substitute coconut oil with shea butter in making body cream… thank you
Hi Nonette! Coconut oil and shea butter are really very different, as I discuss in this entry. If you are making an emulsified cream with emulsifying wax you can probably get away with the substitution, but the final product will not perform the same way.
OH Great! Thank you for sharing. It is very useful information for one who is just starting to make her own DIY recipes.
Thanks for reading!
Hi there! First off, LOVE this article. What a great idea and so very helpful! So I have a question for you that you may not be able to answer, but I’ll try anyways! I’m making my first DIY lip balm. Most trxipies use beeswax or a vegan version of wax. I’m hoping not to use wax. I have cocoa butter (which actually is soft and creamy in a tub) coconut oil, vitamin e oil, honey, and essential oils. I’m hoping to have a balm with a nice consistency utilizing the items I have. In your opinion, would you say that the times stated will allow a consistency that most store bought balms would have? Thanks for reading and I look forward to your response!
Hi Reya! In my experience you are really going to want some wax in your lip balm—waxes are what give the balm staying power in such a “high traffic” area as the lips. I’ve tried developing wax-less lip butter recipes and they have always been a disappointment. No matter how thick or creamy they are in the tub, they melt into an oil quickly on the skin, and vanish from the lips in moments without contributing any meaningful moisture. The ingredients you mention in particular are some of my favourites for body butters—because they melt into thin liquids and absorb quickly. Sadly, that makes them quite poor stand-alone lip balm ingredients.
I was wondering if you can say what oils are drying to the skin. I have very dry skin and I thought oils could help, but the ones I have tried dry my skin, such as olive oil, coconut oil, apricot oil. If I put castor oil on my face, it seems to do better.
Blessings to you,
Harmony
Hi Harmony—castor oil is the only oil I know of that is outright drying to the skin—oils like rosehip are called “drying” because they absorb so quickly, not because they actually dry the skin. Have you tried argan oil? It’s my dry face saviour (plus clay masks for weekly exfoliation).
Hi, so I made a lotion with mango butter and grapeseed oil and even though it’s considered fast absorbing, it’s still to greasy for my liking. Should I use a different oil? Or should I just use less grapeseed oil perhaps half the amount? Thanks!
Hi Selene! What was the oil to water ratio in your lotion?
This is one of the most beneficial posts I have read about the different oils. It was explained so clearly. I am new to all this and still learning.
Thanks, Janet! Happy to help 🙂
Hi Marie,
I’ve been on a mission to make a moisturizing lip balm. I would like your input on the carrier oils you think would make a great moisturizing lip balm. In my attempts I made them with Camellia Seed, Jojoba oil. It was ok but not what I was really looking for. On my second attempt I used Olive oil, Sweet Almond oil and a little Castor oil. I used Shea butter and Avocado butter as well. What do you think about this combination. Any advice, suggestions you offer will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Hi Dana! From my experience with lip balm, most of the moisturizing bunch comes from the concentration of beeswax. Most carrier oils are very thing and liquid at body temperature, which means they’re prone to absorb or rub off really quickly without some beeswax to help them stick around. You can definitely use slower to absorb, thicker oils and butters (avocado, shea), but I would also recommend toying with your beeswax percentage 🙂
Hi Marie.
I’m looking for a good substitute for jojoba oil. I’m highly allergic to it (apparently very rare lol) and meadowfoam oil appears to be quite difficult to acquire in Australia unfortunately.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Good morning Amie!
Before you go much further, be sure to read this guide very carefully. It all depends on what you plan to use it for. My skin is not always happy with jojoba oil so I rarely if ever use it and prefer oils like apricot, rice bran, moringa, sea buckthorn, argan, wheat germ… the list goes on!
It’s more so for the recipes that call for that ingredient specifically. Like some of the conditioners on this blog. I love the recipes just not that specific ingredient lol
You can also look it up in the encyclopedia for other ideas 🙂
Your site is a great source. I’d like to try making lotion but don’t want to use cocoa butter — just don’t like the chocolate smell on my skin. What substitute would you recommend?
Thanks a bunch!
Hi Julie! If you don’t like cocoa butter I’d just recommend using a lotion recipe that doesn’t call for it—I have lots 🙂
Thank you, Marie. I’ll try one of these. 🙂
🙂
Hey there HumbleBee! Thanks so much for all your helpful, well-written posts. I am still an amateur at DIY but I am slowly learning more about these things.
I make lip balms and face creams using a blend of sweet almond, extra virgin olive, and coconut oil, along with beeswax and cocoa butter. Upon doing more research I have found this combination looks more reasonable, but I have not tried it yet and wanted your opinion before purchasing. It’s as follows:
Face creams: beeswax, shea butter, grapeseed oil, apricot kernal oil, coconut oil *some essential oils*
Lip Balms: beeswax, cocoa butter, castor oil, avocado oil, coconut oil *some essential oils*
I don’t know if I am making a good decision removing olive and sweet almond oil, or whether I should keep them in the mix along with all the others. Or should I stick to my original blend ? Please help!!!!
Additionally, I was wondering what your opinion is on soybean and safflower oil. What category do they come under in terms of absorption, and can I use them as substitutes for say, almond oil, if you think it’s still a good idea to keep it in the mix?
Thanks SO much!
Oh and also i was wondering your opinion on flax seed, sunflower and walnut oils. I’m sorry for all the questions!
Flax seed oil spoils quite quickly due to its high omega content, I tend to save sunflower for lotions as it’s pretty plain and inexpensive, and I’ve bought walnut oil a couple times, but often leave it out of formulations due to nut allergies 🙂
Hi Serina! Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me 🙂
Your face cream sounds much more complex than anything I use on a daily basis—I tend to use just pure argan oil. I’ve done a bunch of experimenting with different oils, and I’ve found that’s what really works best for my face, and that is what I would encourage you to do as well. I’d probably recommend dropping the wax as it’s quite heavy for all-over facial application (this coming from somebody with quite dry skin as well). All in all, I would recommend working with these oils individually and getting to know them personally—there’s really no substitute for that, especially when we’re talking about your skin and your body. I’ve found there’s not a ton of benefit to using just a tiny bit of a dozen different oils for my skin (all it seems to do is make for more complicated and expensive recipes).
NDA’s product pages are a great place to start for basic research on absorption speeds 🙂
THANK-YOU!!!!! I really appreciate your insight!
🙂
I’m really enjoying reading your informative information and looking foward to making many of your recipes. Do you think palm kernel oil is a good replacement for coconut oil in soapmaking?
Hi Kaye—I never recommend using palm or palm kernel oil, but from what I’ve read palm kernel oil can be used instead of coconut oil with relatively similar results.Babassu oil is another non-palm alternative (though significantly more expensive).
Hi! I love the info about the oils, thank you! I feel like my skin is getting old and saggy lately
Hi May! Be sure to try out argan oil and tallow, they’re both wonderful for mature skin 🙂
I have been trying to perfect my shea butter body balm. I’ve been using Shea butter, coconut oil (also tried olive oil), arrowroot flour, Vitamin E oil and an essential oil for scent. I’m finding it too greasy. I continued adding arrowroot but that ended up making it feel flour-y plus still greasy. What do I need more or less of?
Hi Marie
What a fantastic article and recommendation
Thank you
🙂
Thank you for this information it is very helpful. I know that I am coming into the conversation late, but I am very allergic to tree nuts so I don’t use their oils. Since Shea Butter is a nut, can you please let me know if mango butter may be a good alternative? Or any others? Thank you in advance for your guidance.
Hi Ana! Mango and cupuacu butters would be my top recommendations as a replacement for shea butter 🙂
Thank you!
🙂
Hello,
Thank you for this very hepful article.
Do you think it depends also on the nature and the quantity of the fatty acids?
Do you know if cocoa butter would be great as a replacement for illipe butter?
Thanks :-).
Hi Mary! Yes, fatty acid composition is almost the entirety of the differences between the different butters. I’ve never worked with illipe butter, but from what I’ve read it is one of very few acceptable swaps with cocoa butter 🙂
Marie,
This article was fantastic! Very informative and thorough.
I’m 6 months new into using essential oils and now making my own body butters, lip butters, cellulite creams etc..
I was especially interested in know how Shea butter absorbed compared to other carrier oils. I recently made a cellulite cream with Shea butter to give it a softer/ richer feel. It worked a dream, but still was wondering if this is the best carrier oil to use.
(one of the recommendations is to use Grapefruit oil right before exercise.. This cellulite cream is loaded with grapefruit, but honestly I couldn’t imagine putting it on before exercising. (aka goopy/ slidy messy on my mat or clothes..)
If you have any further thoughts on absorption of shea butter, I would love them. Thanks again for this well done article!
Best,
Lisa
Hi Lisa! My observations on shea butter are similar to yours—it’s thick and greasy, and definitely in the “slow” to “very slow” category when it comes to absorption. I wrote up some observations on different shea butters, but I haven’t found any that actually absorb quickly. Most oils will absorb faster—try grapeseed for a reasonably inexpensive, fast-absorbing alternative 🙂
I have developed an allergy to beeswax. Any suggestions for a substitute for beeswax in lipbalm? Thanks for all this great information!
Check out my different wax quick guides to learn how different waxes perform in comparison to beeswax 🙂
Sorry if I overlooked the info, but am hoping you can point me to a resource (chart, website, etc.) that helps convert the carrier oils in recipes, i.e. “x” amount of a soft oil (shea butter) to a “x” amount of a liquid oil (grapeseed). I am wanting to make a psoriasis cream from a rollerball recipe, 6 tbsp grapeseed oil equivalent to “?” in shea butter. Hope this makes sense. Very informative article, thank you!
Hi Dawn! The closest you’d be able to get to this would be a gram to gram swap, but that’s still not going to be very accurate. Think about baking, and swapping olive oil for butter in a cookie recipe—there would be ramifications ;P
I usually use coconut oil and kokum butter in my skin cream and when being in the sun. We are going to Florida with my son & his family. My son is highly allergic to tree nuts. So now I need a suggestion for a substitute so that I do not inadvertantly send him to the ER. I am very fair and acne prone.
Any suggestions?
Thank you.
Carol
Hi Carol! Have you thought about just using pure argan oil? That’s my all-time favourite facial oil 🙂 Here are my others.
This is Perfect!! Exactly what I was looking for. I want to make your Hair Balm, but out of Jojoba Oil. I just found the perfect substitute. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love your blog!!
Woohoo! I love this guide 🙂 Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me 🙂
Thank you very much for ALL of the information your site and you helps us out with. I recently needed a substitute for a oil and your site popped up, then I was stuck here for hours. Thanks again!!!
Awesome! I’m so glad to have hooked you 😉
hi
I’m so enjoying this blog of yours!
I am just wondering if it is possible to swap the sweet almond oil in your lip balm recipes with hempseed oil or a mix of maybe hempseed and jojoba?
thank you!!
Hi Bella! Check out this article for a basic guide 🙂 I would caution you to be careful with unrefined hemp oil, though, as it can scorch at fairly low temperatures, and that’ll ruin the entire batch.
I do not see Neem oil here… where would it fall? What could I replace it with? Thanks for your post! It is VERY useful!!
I’d toss it in the “special characteristics/healing” category, along with special consideration for the scent 😉 It’s also really slow to absorb.
You can get most of this info from NDA 🙂
Thanks for reading!
can I use olive oil or coconut oil instead of jojoba oil to make a lip scrub? thank you 🙂
Olive oil would be the better alternative as it is liquid and has a similar consistency to jojoba 🙂
Hi there – Can I substitute cocoa butter for sweet almond oil? I’m making a hot rub, and it calls for sweet almond oil, but I prefer cocoa butter. They are very different in there room temperature form, but their melting points are similar, and both are smooth?
Thanks!
Hey Jamie! As a general rule, if one oil is solid at room temperature and another is liquid, then their melting points are definitely not similar 🙂 The melting point of the liquid oil is going to be well below room temperature, whereas the one for the solid oil is obvious above it. Sweet almond oil melts at -18°C, cocoa butter melts at 34°C. That’s a really big difference. Weather wise, it’s the difference between a parka and a bikini, haha.
I wouldn’t recommend making the swap, but if you’re determined try using half cocoa butter, half sweet almond. It’ll make for a thicker final product, but won’t effect it as drastically. It could still totally wreck the recipe, though, so consider yourself warned 😉
Hi,
I am trying to made a body butter. I was wondering if I could replace coconut oil with sweet almond oil / jojoba oil / avocado oil / macadamia nut oil? Which oil would be better and why?
Is there a substitute for vitamin E oil as I can’t find it here.
The average temperature in my country is 33 degree Celsius. Will I be able to store it at room temperature (about 27 degree Celsius )for 6 months?
Thank you.
Hi Jessica! I can’t tell you have envious I am of your warm average temperature! I just woke up and it’s -8°C here, and it’s only going to get worse over the coming months 🙁
Coconut oil is usually solid for me, but it melts at 24°C, so I’m assuming it’s liquid for you. It’s also a very thin oil that absorbs quite quickly, so I think sweet almond or jojoba would be the best alternatives from what you’ve listed, but still not that great. Neither feel quite the same, but then again, nothing really does.
There is no alternative for vitamin E. Have you checked your local pharmacy? You can often buy gel capsules of it, and then you can puncture the capsule to get the oil.
Read this on shelf life/spoilage for oils. You’ll probably want a wax in your body butter to keep it comfortably solid at your higher temperatures 🙂
Hello,
What kind of wax do you recommend? How do I know how much wax should I add?
I am thinking to made a body Butter with 240ml shea butter, 100ml coconut oil and 40ml almond oil.
Thank you.
Check this out for more information on different waxes—choose the one you think sounds best. Also, I would recommend starting with a significantly smaller batch than the one you have listed ingredients for. That way, if you don’t like it, you don’t have three years worth of it sitting around 🙂
Hi I really enjoyed your article, very well informed and shows me how much I don’t know! I’m a massage therapist and read an article which vaguely said you can blend sweet almond oil and cocoa butter for a chocolate-aroma massage oil. I thought it might be nice to offer clients over xmas. But I’m thinking there’s likely to be more to it than that – I want to keep ingreds simple & natural & I’m not an aromatherapist so can’t add other tasty bits. Can I blend just the 2 things and come up with a nice massage oil or would it all be wrong?! Thanks!
Hi Janet! I have just the article for you here 🙂 It is worth noting, though, that cocoa butter does have a fairly high comedogenic (pore clogging) rating, so you might prefer to purchase a bit of cocoa absolute and add that to you liquid oil instead!
Hi Marie,
Great blog you have! I am learning loads just from reading your blog! Thanks for writing this article. It definitely helped me understand my oils and butters better.
I have a couple of questions that I hope you could answer. What type of oil or butter is suitable for application around the eye area? I understand that you just use argan oil as a face moisturizer. I would really love to try that as soon as I get my hands on some. Do you think it’s suitable for around the eye too?
Another question that’s unrelated to this post (I figured I would just ask anyway since I am already asking something. Hope that’s ok with you) is whether I could use hot process for your soap recipes? I understand that you use cold process. If I could, do I have to make any modifications?
Hope to hear from you soon! Thanks!
Hi Jeannie! There really aren’t any carrier oils I wouldn’t use around my eyes, though some will be better suited than others. Argan is wonderful, as is evening primrose oil and borage oil 🙂
I’m afraid I’ve never been a hot soaper, so I can’t speak from experience there. Most recipes should be ok as they are, but having never tried it, I’d recommend doing some more research.
Hello!
Thank you for the very informative post with all the proper substitutions!
I do have a question that I can’t seem to figure out the answer to! 🙁
I am making salves and am wondering if substituting out some coconut oil for some cocoa butter would either make the salve softer or more solid?
The recipe I’m starting with is:
1c coconut oil, 1c olive oil, 1/4c beeswax
What im trying to do is:
3/4c coconut oil, 1c olive oil, 1/4c cocoa butter, 1/8c candelilla wax
Will switching some of the coconut oil out be a good swap?
I would like the end result of the salve to be solid enough that it won’t melt for being in a pocket, but soft enough that you wont have to gouge through it and that it absorbs quickly.
With cocoa butter being a brittle oil, i’m worried that it may have some of the same properties as the wax and cause the salve to be too hard…but since its a butter, the melting point is closer to the coconut oil! So…I don’t know how it will alter the salve!
…and I’m switching out the beeswax for candelilla for it to be vegan friendly – and i know that using half the amount of candelilla when replacing the beeswax.
Please! Thanks!
Hey Caramelle! A few quick tips to start off with; if you’re developing a recipe that you’d like to be able to make over and over again with identical results, you should switch to weight, rather than volume. You should also DRASTICALLY reduce your batch size! Holy cow, you’re making COLOSSAL amounts of body butter for something you might not even like o_O. Try going down to ~20g of coconut oil instead of a cup. It’ll save you a lot of money and ingredients as you play.
Since you’re working with ingredients I’ve already done quite a few experiments with, I’d recommend checking out all these guides. They should help with ratios and understandings of how the different ingredients work 🙂
Hello Marie!
Thank you for replying.
The salves will be for Christmas presents – that’s why i’m basing it on such a large batch. The recipe for the naked salve I took from pinterest – and currently trying to find an alternative recipe thats easy enough to do with such a large amount.
I will definitely need to try some smaller tester batches before splurging on large quantities. But am doing research before I make anymore rookie mistakes – such as making a drastic ratio change on ingredients!
Thanks for the advice on going with weight vs volume! I’ll definitely need to try a smaller batch in the same ratios and hope for the best that it works out!
Until then I will need to do more reading!
Another brilliant thing about working in weight is the accuracy of scaling—you can easily test a 30g batch and then multiply it up to a 300g batch and it’ll work! I’ve found there are far too many variables when working with volume to do the same 🙂
Thanks again! I managed to make a scaled down batch of naked salve and found out that the amount of cocoa butter that I substituted in does make it softer. So soft that it doesn’t fully set. I had to increase the beeswax to solidify the salve.
Good news is that I didn’t put any EOs in so that I can just reheat it. Bad news is that I could not find a store that would sell me a small enough amount of candelilla to experiment with. So, there’s still a chance of the end consistency to be different than my test run.
However, after that’s been said, I realized that the salve takes an incredibly long time to absorb. I love how it feels after it dries up. But the time from applying to drying is annoying.
But, based on the other posts you’ve recommended that I read, candelilla has a smoother and not as sticky feeling as beeswax and that its possible to help the salve absorb faster if I were to change some of the olive oil to something like grape seed oil (camellia is a little pricey!)
Overall, once again thank you for your very informative website!
It sounds like you’re having great fun experimenting 🙂 Something to keep in mind with body butter is that you just need to use way less of it than lotion—my mother has also remarked that salves/body butters are quite greasy, but when I see how much she applies, it’s no wonder she thinks they take ages to absorb! Making a salve harder does help with preventing over-application, so more wax may help 🙂
Keep experimenting and taking notes!
Phew. I see coconut oil used in many recipes that help in having a creamy texture since it’s a soft oil, but it’s frustrating for me since coconut oil is always liquid in our country. That was a relief to know that I can use shea butter in place of coconut oil.
It’s hard for me to say how shea will work in warmer temperatures, but I imagine it will be softer for you than it is here, making it closer to the way I experience coconut oil (with 6″ of fresh snow outside!). As long as the recipe doesn’t call for coconut oil for its scent, it should be a good swap 🙂
I have been reading quite a few articles about how Vitamin-C is the must-have ingredient in your skin products.
I began researching all kinds of vitamin-c infused serums, trying to find one that was a decent price but all the while meeting its expectations. It then occurred to me that I bought Orange EO as part of my “EOs Starter Kit” to myself. (I am very new at the Essential Oils business)
I have been reading all about COs and what CO is good for which skin type. However, I was wondering if adding a few drops of my Orange EO to my face lotion, I use twice a day, is considered a CO. If not, do I have to mix the Orange EO with a CO, apply that like a serum, and THEN use my face lotion as normal?
I apologize in advance if this question seems redundant, seeing as how you did reference leaving out COs is like leaving out flour in a recipe. However, I still find myself a little confused on how to properly incorporate some EOs into my daily “beauty” routine.
Thanks so much for your time,
Alyssa
Hi Alyssa! Yes, you can dilute essential oils in a lotion. However, essential oils don’t contain any vitamins, so you will not be getting an easy vitamin C serum (but you might get a sunburn). On the whole, I wouldn’t recommend this 🙂
At home vitamin C serums are really tricky to make because vitamin C is super prone to oxidization, and once it oxidizes, it doesn’t work anymore. Swifty Crafty Monkey has a great post on all the ins and outs 🙂
Hopefully you can help me with this! Ive been trying to make lip balm and the recipe I was using calls for equal parts beeswax, coconut oil, and Shea butter. But it came out super oily. I tried it again but with less Shea butter and a little more wax and it was still very oily. Can you give any ideas on how to make it a firm Chapstick consistancy?
Hey Ace! Honestly, I’d recommend following one of my lip balm recipes. They are tried and tested, with lots of fans 🙂
Hi Marie,
I have a recipe for face cream, which calls for almond oil. Is there something else that can be substituted for this?? Reason I’m asking is that if my husband wants to use it as well, with the almond oil, he wouldn’t be able to use it as he’s allergic to all nuts.
Thanks!
Alesha
Almond oil is a liquid oil with an average absorption speed, so anything in the table above under “average absorption” (like jojoba) will work 🙂
Hi Marie,
It has been a busy winter without much DIY’n due to other commitments. First, let me say congrats on your Blog engine updates. The new layout seems cleaner and yet more magnified on the topics…well done.
So, after some medical issues that have made me look near dead according to my friends and wife…I decided that I needed to give my face some treatment to bring back some tone and color. So before I found that post I found this one which is helpful on a different issues re: CO replacement. My project is for feeding the bees Pollen Patties at the end of the month. A recipe for PP that I want to follow calls for the use of Canola Oil. I don’t want to use this oil due to the possible GMO contaminants which I work very hard to keep away from the bees. So I need something to replace the Canola Oil. Your list is very useful in this regard, but I have one remaining qualification for the replacement: how fast will be it become rancid? These patties sit on top of the bee frames and if it gets sunny with a warm spell it can get pretty warm in the hives.
Thanks so much….love all your posts and help.
I’m guessing that safflower or grape seed will work as both are common and should have a simular feel or texture with canola/rapeseed if I remember correctly. However grape seed isn’t the longest lasting oil. Corn is probably another valid sub however you wouldn’t want to use it as you stated that you wish to keep your bees gmo free. I’m not a beekeeper or chef so my info might not be accurate however these seems like the most valid subs.
Thank you Lily for taking the time to respond o my query. Your comments and ideas will be helpful to my researching further which alternative proves best for the recipe and the bees.
Thanks!
Hey Jess! Welcome back 🙂 So sorry to hear you’ve been ill, that’s awful.
Coconut oil would be a good choice, and you could look at extending the shelf life even more by adding some extra vitamin E 🙂
Hi! What a great article!!
I was wondering about one thing: can I mix ingredients so as to have the properties of both ingredients? Example: I love to use coconut oil on my skin, but it doesn’t seem to absorb well. Can I add hazelnut oil to it, so it would be absorbed better?
Hi Shadee! You definitely can 🙂 This is how I formulate many of my recipes 😉
HI
Do i need to use oly cold pressed coconut oil.Actualy i am a indian and we ground our own coconut oil which is in liquid form,can i use that for making body butter?.
And one more u said we can use olive oil,which type of olive oil i should use ?virgin cooking olive oil is ok ?
Hey Dhivya! I’m guessing the reason your coconut oil is liquid is because your ambient temperature is usually about 24°C, so it’s likely the same stuff I use, just warmer—that’ll work great 🙂
You can use virgin cooking oil, but I’d probably look for something cheaper—no need for the lovely stuff that tastes great if you’re putting it on your skin.
Your website is a great source for information, thank you!
Do you know where information can be found regarding which oils are “nut” oils? Some are obvious, but some are not. I need to avoid these for a relative with a tree nut allergy. You would think with everything else needing allergy labeling this information would be included with the carrier oils, but it isn’t. I’ve specifically been trying to find out about jojoba & argan oils. Even oils that I know are nuts (hazelnut, macadamia for example) NDA has listed cautions as “none known”.
Sorry, I think you’ll probably have to wikipedia this/ask a doctor—I certainly don’t want to provide any speculative information and have somebody die of an allergic reaction!
Hi Marie. I am planning to make a body lotion but the recipe is asking for almond oil. I would prefer to substitute it with different oil as our oldest daughter is allergic to all tree nuts; she wants to help me with making lotions and scrubs and use them as well. Any recommendations for the almond oil substitute would be appreciated! Thanks in advance!
Hi Edita! As almond oil is an “average to absorb” liquid oil, anything in that category in the table above would be a good choice 🙂
Can i use water as a carrier instead of oil. I want to use my essential oils as a spritz on my body. I do not like heaviness in oils.
In some cases, yes—I wouldn’t use water in recipes with high essential oil concentrations, especially if those EOs are irritating (something like tiger balm would be an example of that). If you want to use water solubility is a consideration—check out this recipe for an idea of how to get the essential oils to emulsify with the water so they’ll actually disperse. And, don’t forget to include a preservative, which you’ll need to do with anything that contains water.
Any recommendations for a substitute for shea butter?
Mango butter and cupuacu butter are both good choices in most situations, though much more expensive 🙂
really helpful post. what would you say are the differences between shea butter & mango butter besides shea butter’s smell? do you find they are they interchangeable for the most part? i considered buying mango butter for making lotion bars, because i heard mango butter doesn’t have much of an odor, but it was pricier so i decided for the shea butter instead. thanks.
Hey Linda! I’d say shea butter is a bit stickier as well, but other than that I’ve successfully used one for the other quite a lot recently. If you purchase refined shea butter and refined mango butter they are fairly indistinguishable; I doubt I could tell them apart if they were set out in unlabelled dishes!
thanks marie. i’ll probably get some mango butter eventually for making fragrance-free products for pregnant/nursing friends or their kids. but, i think your other recipes i’ve looked at have convinced me to try out some cocoa butter next. i love that coconut oil & cocoa butter have such great scents on their own for those who may not be able to use essential oils.
this is such an addicting hobby. 😉
Yes, doooooo it! Cocoa butter is so amazing if you’re a cocoa addict like me 😀 Smell like chocolate all the time, try not to lick yourself… life is hard ;P
Hey Marie,
What can I use instead of Almond oil for lip balm?
Thanks!
Hi Daniel! Sweet almond oil is a liquid oil with an average absorption speed, so any other liquid oil with an average absorption speed will work. There’s a chart in the post 🙂
I made a small lotion sample with equal amounts (roughly 1 tsp.) mango butter and grapeseed oil, and with small squirts of aloe vera jelly and vegetable glycerin. I plan to use 80% vodka for a preservative. Even though the grapeseed oil is considered fast absorbing, it felt too greasy-feeling for my liking. Should I use a different oil? I also have jojoba oil. Should I just use less grapeseed oil, adjust the ratio of mango butter and grapeseed oil, or do something else? Thanks!
Hey Norma! Unfortunately I really can’t help you here… I have basically no idea what you did. “Squirts” and what not are not reliable measurements, so I haven’t a clue how much of any one thing you’ve used in relation to anything else. If it’s too greasy that’s likely because you’re using more oil than water based ingredients, but that’s just a guess.
I’m afraid vodka is not a preservative in any way when added to this many different ingredients—you’ll need a proper broad spectrum preservative. You also don’t have an emulsifier in there since you’re combing both oil and water. If you want to make a lotion, an emulsifying wax would be a good choice 🙂 Since it sounds like you’re relatively new to this I’d really recommend following a simple recipe first to see what you’re aiming for before venturing off on your own 🙂
Good luck and happy making!
What can I substitute coconut oil with in a shaving cream recipe that’s non-comedogenic?
Since this recipe isn’t one of mine I can’t make great recommendations, but I’d start by looking at the soft oils and researching which ones aren’t comedogenic. After that, try the recipe in small batches with the swap and see what you think!
Is Coconut Butter a carrier oil?
No. Coconut oil is, but from what I can tell coconut butter contains coconut solids… though it doesn’t really seem to be a product with a hard definition. I found some recipes for it online and they were just shredded, dried coconut run through a blender, like peanut butter. So… think peanut butter vs. peanut oil, I guess? Hope that helps!
Thank you very much,I have not seen anyone talk about RSO oil and do not know if it a loud to talk about. But still wondering what oil is best to use to thin the tacky RSO out but also have the best absortion rate.
I didn’t even know what RSO was without googling it—cannabis oil, right? I’ve never worked with it, I have no intentions of doing so (though it will be legal here in Canada fairly soon), and I really can’t tell you anything about working with it—sorry. Since you’ve described it as tacky you would probably want to look at a fast-absorbing oil like grapeseed, but that’s just a guess.
What is a good replacement as a carrier for Emu Oil?
You can use andiroba oil instead of emu oil for a plant-based substitute—they’re similar-ish, but definitely not the same thing. Do some googling and see what you think 🙂
{In A lip gloss recipe}
If i will be melting the coconut oil, is it okay to substitute with olive oil?
Hey! No—unless you plan on keeping the coconut oil melted for the entire lifetime of the lip gloss. That’s like using chocolate syrup instead of chocolate chips in a chocolate chip cookie recipe because the chocolate chips will melt during the baking process… but we still need them to be solid later in the life of the cookie 🙂
All that said, because lip gloss is usually primarily thickened with wax and the acceptable range of consistencies of lip gloss is relatively broad, you could probably make this swap without it being too detrimental to the recipe—but that has nothing to do with the melting of the coconut oil and everything to do with the broader context of the recipe.
Hi! Just want to say I LOVE your website, I was wondering if when buying seabuckethorn oil, neem oil, and hemp seed oil if it is better to get the refined or natural. Just noticed that the natural is very dark in colour, what is the difference really? Thanks!
Thanks, Sarah! I’m honestly not sure if I’ve ever seen refined versions of seabuckthorn or neem. If you’re concerned about the colour of seabuckthorn (which can be very aggressively orange!) look for the oil pressed from the seed instead of the fruit, which is less orange. For neem, if you can find a refined version you’d likely get more use out of it as the unrefined stuff… stinks. Like BBQ sauce or something. It’s… yeah. Refined would be a good find 😛
For hemp, I got unrefined, but you do have to be gentle with it. The green colour won’t dye your skin like seabuckthorn can, but it will turn products a pale green (like this). I’ve also found unrefined hemp oil is pretty heat sensitive, so that’s where the warnings on being gentle come from. I’ve never worked with the refined stuff, so I’m not sure how the heat thing pans out there, but I assume the scent and colour would be gone/greatly lessened.
Hope that helps!
Hi Marie,
I received a 4 fluid oz sample of refined Shea oil and am trying to think of some good way to put it to use. Can it be used in a lotion? Note: it’s the oil, not the butter.
Hey Janie! I’ve never worked with shea oil before, but it sounds like you could use it in recipes that call for heavier oils, like avocado oil, in a 1:1 swap. You can definitely use it in lotions; here’s a good one!
Sounds wonderful, and I have almost everything to make it. I have dry “winter” skin year round, so I can’t wait to give it a try!
Thanks, Marie!
😀 Happy making!
What carrier oils can be substituted for “nut oils”? People who are allergic to nuts can’t use the coconut oil, for instance.
Hey Cindy! The nut oils are just as widely varied as any other kind of oil, so you will have to make a one-by-one call on each based on their texture, melting point, absorbency speed, etc.—as outlined above 🙂
FYI, most people who have nut allergies are not allergic to coconuts as they are not botanically nuts 😉 “Coconut is not a botanical nut; it is classified as a fruit, even though the Food and Drug Administration recognizes coconut as a tree nut. While allergic reactions to coconut have been documented, most people who are allergic to tree nuts can safely eat coconut. If you are allergic to tree nuts, talk to your allergist before adding coconut to your diet.” (source).
Hi Marie,
I am making a salve for eczema and it calls for neem oil. Is there a substitute that can be used in stead? I’ve been hearing that it really has a terrible smell.
Thank you and I love your article.
Hey Dawn! Chances are the neem oil is the magic ingredient in that eczema salve; if you want to ditch it I would choose a different recipe entirely 🙂
Hi Marie,
I have been making tinted lip balm in a pushup tube with virgin coconut oil (22%), unrefined shea butter (23%), grapeseed oil (32%), candelilla wax (15%) and natural mineral (9%). The combination works really well during our hot summer which is between 30 to 39 degree. Now the weather is cooling down and it has harden and the minerals is rough on the lips on first application, and softer on second or third application, and the balm feels dry on application. It seems I need to rework on the percentage or perhaps add other ingredients? Love to hear your thoughts. thanks
My first change would be to use less wax—that’s your hardest ingredient by a wide margin 🙂
I appreciate the clarification here. I look for MSDS with the oils I buy to find information about their melting get point, scent etc.
Thanks, Erica! MSDS sheets are fantastic resources 🙂
Hi,
I’d really like to avoid using olive oil pomace and replace it with extra virgin olive oil in all the recipes I try. How can I make sure it’s a reliable substitute? Is that even possible? Should I be using sodium lactate or something?
Thanks! I love this site so much 🙂
Just swap them out 1:1, they are basically indistinguishable from one another in DIY recipes (other than price, of course).
Hi, I am searching for substitute for jojoba oil in terms of thickness. Jojoba oil gives very nice thickness to my cream but I want to substitute it by oil which gives similar thickness ( having reduced cost). Pls help mein this.
Thank you
Yatin
Check out the encyclopedia entry on jojoba for information on substitutions 🙂
If a recipe calls for vitamin E oil as an antioxidant, can it be substituted with evening primrose oil or anything else?
Nope, definitely not. Vitamin E oil is highly concentrated, using something significantly less concentrated is not going to work—sort of like using a carrot instead of white sugar in a cake recipe because carrots do contain some sugar. Sorry!
This is so helpful!!! I just found your site today, and have been devouring one article after another. I’ve been making lip balms and body butters for about a year, and want to learn more about the differences between the lovely oils and butters I’m using! Thank you for providing great information, beautiful photos, and (what look like) awesome recipes! I can’t wait to try one. Or five. 🙂
Thanks, Marisa! Happy making ;D
Hello, i am making bath bombs and the recipe calls for sweet almond oil and I was wondering if I could use coconut oil instead. Thanks
In bath bombs that should work as the state of the oil really doesn’t matter much, just be sure to melt it gently first 🙂
Hai Marie!
Love your articles!
I’m from Malaysia and a newbie to having my own home-made lip-balm (my skin is sensitive to most of in-store products). Average temperature here is 28 degree celcius. Can you please help me with the ingredient measurement? I have dry lip (not parch, just dry). I have shea butter, coconut oil and beeswax here at home.
Appreciate you could help! 🙁
Hey! Check out my section of lip balm recipes—I’ve taken many of them to Costa Rica, where it was regularly 36°C, and they worked great 🙂
This is great thank you! I got your book and I’m wondering a sub for the coconut oil in the vegan lipstick, any suggestions? Thanks. 🙂
Babassu! No promises on performance, though—I haven’t tested that.
Thank you! I will give that a try. 🙂
I’d love to hear how it goes 🙂
I already left a comment like this to your video comparing shea butter, coconut oil and cocoa butter, but I’m leaving it here too as the YouTube commenting system sucks sometimes, so:
Have you done this kind of post about different waxes? I think that would be a great thing to do as veganism is a growing thing and beeswax is a common ingredient in your recipes. Perhaps you could make something simple, like a lip balm, using different plant based-waxes waxes to see how they compare to beeswax. Hemp, candelilla and carnauba waxes for example.
I have—have you done a search? I have done about 5!
Hi:
Great post … I’m wondering how mango butter (or something else) might stack up against shea butter. Smelling shea literally makes me ill. I think I must be allergic to it. I am allergic to cocoa butter, so I can’t use that. I’ve been using a recipe with both solid and liquid oils along with beeswax. Coconut melts too quickly so I want something with a higher melting point in there with it.
Thanks in advance.
Mango butter is similar to shea in terms of consistency and melting point, but it sinks into the skin much faster. It’s a pretty good alternative to shea unless you want the heavy, sticky feel 🙂
Hi – I love this post & your descriptions of varying consistencies, melting points, etc have proved helpful as I modify basic recipes to accommodate pregnancy, excema & even my coconut allergy. I am curious, do you have any experience with Shea Nut Oil & how it can be used to reduce the bumpy feeling from shea butter?
I was thinking of replacing 50% shea butter with shea nut oil & boosting the cocoa butter with an equal part – or maybe adding wax. Thoughts?
I’m afraid I’ve never worked with shea nut oil—I’ve never even seen it for sale in Canada. Sorry!
Someone gave me a recipe for spider veins but it called for 1/2 cup carrier oil (2 part shea butter 1 part coconut oil) Because I was thinking carrier oil I got shea oil instead. Can this be used instead of shea butter?
Hmm. Honestly, that recipe sounds… bad. Is that the whole recipe? There’s nothing in there whatsoever that would help with spider veins, it’s just a bunch of lipids. The blend would be very rich and oily, but that’s about it
As for shea oil, I’ve never worked with it, but if you use a liquid instead of a solid, you will get a liquid product instead of a solid one.
Sorry no it also called for lemongrass cypress and lavender
Honestly, I don’t see any of those EOs doing anything meaningful for spider veins, either. Your skin will be softer and will smell nice, but there is absolutely nothing about that combination that is going to be a miracle worker for spider veins :/
“so heavy and slow-absorbing you won’t be able to touch paper for 20 minutes without leaving greasy fingerprints everywhere”
Hahaha :D! I LOVE the way you explain everything so clearly that even us who haven’t yet started will understand :)!
And also the way you steer us clear from the marketing loopholes… Thanks!
Thanks, Julie! Happy making 😀
Hi,
what can meadowfoam oil be substituted for in a gentle face scrub recipe? Thank you!
It’s very similar to jojoba oil, but there are also a lot of other options here if you go through the questions at the end 🙂
Thank you for posting this Marie, I was reading online about substitutions (before I found your website) and so many people who have been blogging and DIYing for ages who don’t know the difference between carrier oil.nThey said that your can use olive oil of sunflower oil for sweet almond oil and it would turn out the same, but it won’t, or that butters that are used for different things can be swapped for one another,
Thanks, Ki Li! It’s always important to get to know your ingredients—in some cases those swaps would be appropriate, and in others I wouldn’t make those choices, but as with so many things DIY, your mileage may vary 🙂 Make sure you always man-handle your oils so you know what they’re like 😉
Can I mix several carrier oils for my hair?
I mix castor, sweet almond, jojoba, rosehip seed and grapeseed oils with essential oils.
Definitely!
Thankyou for such a great article. I am living in Indonesia, where average temperature is 27-35 C, which making coconut oil base body butter melt right after my body butter is ready. Beeswax, coconut oil and palm oil is produced here, while other carrier is imported. Any suggestion how to make body butter suit for my country temperature and using local ingredient only?
Hmmm. Working in really hot temperatures isn’t something I get to do very much. I’d recommend doing your own experiments like this one to see how your results vary (I suspect they will), and using the information from your experiments to develop a recipe 🙂
Thankyou Marie. I’ve made the experiment. 1 beeswax : 2 coconut oil is perfect for 32-34 celcius.
Good to know, thank you! Sometimes I think I should take a nice long vacation to somewhere properly hot and re-do a bunch of these experiments for reference/to escape the Canadian winter lol.
So, I’ve made my body butter using 1:2 beeswax:coconut oil. The butter is perfect. But the absobstion speed is sooooo slow. It takes 15-30 minutes for the coconut oil to absorb. My hands looks oily. What did I miss here? What should I do to make it absorb faster?
That’s just your ingredients—you aren’t missing anything. Coconut oil is very greasy and oily and stays on the skin for ages, and beeswax is very slow to absorb and makes everything you combine it with equally so. Try something like mango butter for a faster absorbing butter 🙂
Mango butter vs shea butter?
Could I use shea butter instead of mango butter?
Texture and melting point-wise, yes, but keep in mind that mango butter absorbs into the skin very quickly whilst shea butter is heavy and greasy, so if a recipe relies on mango butter for its fast absorption speed, using shea butter will ruin that aspect of the recipe 🙂
Hello. I have a quick question. I want to make a concoction for excema on my cousins feet. The recipe calls for coconut oil and shea butter. However, my cousin is allergic to shea butter. What would be a good substitute? I was reading through your post and kind of thought that maybe cocoa butter would be better but I just wanted to double-check. What are your thoughts on this?
Mango butter! Cocoa butter is MUCH harder than shea butter as you can see in the liquid/soft/brittle chart 🙂
Hi there,
I am in the process of making my own face serum and body oil. Is it okay to mix different carrier oils together? I want to mix Apricot seed oil, Jojoba oil, Rosehip oil, grapeseed oil, calendula oil and hemp seed oil as a face serum. Not sure if they would blend well.
Yes, you can definitely blend carrier oils 🙂
Hi Marie,
I have a question. I want to make a bar soap using navratna oil. I tried looking througn your encyclopedia of oils to see if you had worked with it or if it can be substituted with another carrier, but I have had not luck. Could you give me your opinion, please?
From my research, navratna oil is a finished product, not the specific oil of a plant or animal. I don’t recommend DIYing with finished products, but I especially do not recommend it for soap as you could not be sure of the SAP value and may make an unsafe bar of soap.
Hello, hope you are enjoying Australia.. my parents just returned!!! Thank you for making this new venture of mine very easy. I am very new at this.
I have made your naked lip balm and would like it not so soft, as I’m going south. If I cut back on the amount of coconut oil, would that work? Would I leave all other Ingredients the same amounts?
Can I easily add honey to this without any difficulty? My beeswax are pellets, cosmetic grade but without any honey smell.. actually no smell. I am realizing not all cosmetic beeswax is the same.
Hello! If you want to make the balm harder I’d reduce the liquid oil and increase the wax by an equal amount to keep the recipe in balance.
You cannot incorporate honey as it is water soluble; you’ll have great difficulty as it’ll refuse to blend in. I’d recommend looking for some nice golden beeswax—try your local farmer’s market and chat up a bee keeper 🙂
I noticed that you do not mention jojoba oil or Castor oil in your charts. Is there a specific reason for that ?
Both oils are in at least one of these charts…? In any event, this post provides you with ways to think about all oils so you can understand them and don’t need every oil to exist in a chart.
I noticed you haven’t mentioned Rosewater& glycerin and also pure lanolin. I have the driest of skin and was wondering if I could add this to one of your body cream recipes ?
Well, given this is a guide to carrier oils and rosewater and glycerin aren’t carrier oils, it’s not really surprising they aren’t mentioned here 😛 They are mentioned many times throughout the website, though! I just published a lotion recipe that contains lanolin and glycerin, with instructions on how to include a hydrosol (like rose) if you desire.
What’s a great substitute for Aloe vera butter?
Aloe butter isn’t a real butter; it’s aloe extract added to a hydrogenated fat, typically soy oil. So, I’d recommend making an emulsified product that includes a more interesting butter than hydrogenated soy oil (perhaps mango butter), and including some aloe vera juice in the water phase 🙂
hey, your blog was really helpful. I was wondering though can I make a moisturizer by mixing aloe vera gel + lavender oil +tea tree oil only without adding any carrier oil??
Hey! Please don’t. If you wish to include essential oils you’ll need an emulsifier, and you should not DIY with finished store bought products like aloe vera gel (or fresh aloe vera gel from the plant). You can definitely make a product containing aloe vera and essential oils, but the concoction you have described is not the way to do it—it is unlikely to be safe to use.
Hallo Marie! I’m making some your recipes & still learning till now.
My question is carrier oil also categorized according to skin type?
Bothering me always “Is apricot kernel oil/sunflower oil/jojoba good for all skin type or only for mature skin/oily/dry skin?”
I’d say no, simply because carrier oil preferences can be so personal. Off the top of my head I can’t think of oils where I’d say “XX skin type should NEVER use that”. Some oils, like coconut, have a reputation for clogging pores, so if somebody’s skin clogs easily I would probably avoid it, but loads of people love coconut oil on their skin and have no issues with it, so it really just comes down to what YOU like, and what your skin does well with 🙂
Marie, you have an absolutely great site – repeating what scores of others have said. This thanksgiving I am having my daughters and three of their come home. They grew up together, so they are all my ‘babies’. I am planning on making a bunch of things that i have read and I go back to your site you finalize ingredients and proportions:)
I had great luck with your Naked Lip Balm – heavenly. Your site is divine!
Also i had sent in a recipe request – How long does it usually take to get to that list?
Many thanks, Anu
Yay, that sounds like such a fun time! Thanks so much for reading & DIYing with me 🙂
Recipe requests are welcomed suggestions and inspiration, but that’s it. There is zero guarantee I’ll ever make anything suggested to me. If I do, it could be a couple months or a couple years. If you’d like to hire me to ensure you get your formula, get in touch 🙂
Is honey ok to mix with my dry ingredients and store without adding a preservative?
Possibly. Honey itself is self preserving due to the very high sugar content—the sugar “locks up” any water so it’s too busy to do anything else. Honey is also a humectant, though, so if it can attract enough water to itself there can eventually be enough water that some of it has some free time to go cause trouble. If you want to experiment with this sort of thing go ahead, just make sure everything is sealed off from additional moisture, label everything, and keep an eye on it to ensure nothing funky is going on 😛
I’ve noticed in your recipes you use different additives, such as benzoin. Could you tell me what it is & what it does? I thought the idea behind diy products was to get away from harsh chemicals used by manufacturers.
Sincerely,
Tammy K.
Bezoin is a natural, plant derived resinoid. It’s used like an essential oil for a vanilla-y scent as vanilla essential oil is water soluble (and more expensive), so it doesn’t work in oil-based products.
I’ve been working on the Humblebee & Me Encyclopedia; check there to see if the thing you’re curious about is listed 🙂
Also, I’d recommend giving this, this, and this a read 🙂
Hi Marie,
Thanks for an excellent website, videos etc. I’m a recent subscriber and finding you to be a wonderful resource for DIY’ers.
I made your basic body lotion twice and then immediately substituted the almond oil for avocado oil. Oopsie! No lotion, just runny milky failure.
From my reading it seems each oil has a different droplet size in the emulsion and avo oil must have huge droplets because the Polawax did nothing to it.
I’ve added more Polawax (quite a bit more) … the lotion is now a custard. I’m about to whip it until it cries for its mother.
Do you have some sort of guideline for ratio polawax to different oils?
I’m assuming there’s some sort of emulsification profile for various oils somewhere out there in internet land. What do I look for?
Many thanks,
Angelique
Honestly, that swap should not have caused a massive consistency change—it is much more likely to be something else. The general guideline is polawax at 25% of your oil phase, regardless of what oils or butters you use. My first guess is that you didn’t use high-shear blending on the second one?
I’m curious about macadamia nut oil. I LOVE the smell of it and want to know more about the speed of absorption. What company did you test that makes this a fast absorbing oil? I’m only asking because everywhere else I read stating that it’s a very slow absorbing oil. New Directions, Carrier Oils For Aromatherapy, Venusian Glow and a few others list it as a slow oil. I was reading that any oils that have less than 20% of polyunsaturated acids give them very slow absorption rates.
I’ve tried it from both NDA and Windy Point and it’s super lightweight. I read that it was heavy/slow, too, but then I tried it and… nope. I even just pulled my bottle of NDA macadamia nut oil out of the fridge to double check and it sinks into the skin so quickly I could barely spread it over my entire forearm. I wouldn’t call it a dry touch finish (more of a satin finish), but it’s no oat oil!
Hi! First of all, I’m in love with your site, tips and recipes. I’ve learned soooo much. Thank you!
I was shopping the other day and found some colza oil… do you know this ingredient? Is it a “soap oil”?
Thank you 🙂
Thanks, Ana! From my quick googling it sounds like colza oil is more or less canola oil 🙂 I have used canola oil in soap with good results, but I know some people have reported quick DOS-ing with it.
Hi Marie,
I love your site and videos. You really do have a gift:)
I’ve made many of your recipes with much success. They make lovely gifts! I’ve also been experimenting on my own a bit based on what I’ve learned. New Directions sells a new tumeric butter. I’ve been looking at making a salve for arthritis. SInce tumeric is supposed to be so good for arthritis, it makes sense to make a balm with this new butter as the star. Do you think a balm with tumeric butter, St. John’s wort oil and beeswax would work?
Thanks, Carol! You could certainly give the turmeric butter a try, but a head’s up from the SDS. The INCI is Curcuma longa (Turmeric) root oil (and) Hydrogenated soy oil with medium chain triglycerides—you might be better off purchasing the turmeric oil (or an extract) if you can find it. That would give you more freedom to formulate with 🙂
I found this article because I am looking for an alternative to argan oil. I love it but it is being overharvested and even thought they are trying to do everything ethically in Moracco and Ecuador, the tree is still endangered.
What would you say is the best substitute for argan oil. This will be used in a moisturizer with Shea, Carrot Seed and Rose Hip…
Thanks!
Abyssinian oil is a pretty good place to start. You might find this document comparing the two interesting!
This was helpful! Thank you!
Thank you for all the information. It’s the best article I have read about these things..But I have some questions:
What can I add to Shea Butter to make an anti acne face cream?
Can I add Shea Butter on my sugar, coconut oil, almond oil to make a more creamy scrub?
Thank you!
Hey! Shea butter is not a thing I’d put in an anti-acne cream—that’s a bit like asking what you could add to spinach to make a cake. Technically possible, probably, but it wouldn’t be my choice of a starting point!
You can use shea butter in a scrub, and it will make it creamier, but I would recommend including an emulsifier to improve rinse-off and reduce the mess left in the tub 🙂
Hi Marie,
I couldnt find Carrot seed oil in your list,Where does it sit when it comes to absorption? can i use it instead of z camellia seed oil?
I want to make an under eye cream using carrot seed oil, green tea extract and as much of good ingredients i’ve learned from your recipe as possible (allantoin,hydrolyzed silk,Panthenol, Vit E oil, evening primrose oil and even maybe sodium lactate!)want to make something firming, hydrating and anti aging!!
if you could make something and share the recipe would save me from some potential disaster, otherwise if you could help me regarding the carrot seed oil would be great, also, i noticed that in your Encyclopedia under allantoin you say “Blend it thoroughly it in the cool-down phase” but in some recipes you have added it to water phase, which one is correct? Many many many thanks in advance XOXO
Hello Ati!
Before using any new oil, make sure to do your research first! And then give it a whirl in a simple formula to test out how your skin will react to it. You’ve got carrot oil and carrot seed oil (essential oils) which don’t actually contain any Vitamin A. Then you have a carrot oil (from the plant) that contains oodles of Vitamin A! Some types of carrot oil should never be applied directly to the skin and should be diluted first.
As for Allantoin, it is water soluble. Marie has been finding that adding it to the cool down phase reduces the recrystallisation. So go with adding it to the cool down!
Hello Marie,
Thank you so much for being an absolute great resource of information and inspiration! I am trying to create for my friend a simple body oil that she can use in her face and hair as well. I am keen to use castor oil for the amazing properties for the hair but she just told me she is pregnant so I need to avoid castor oil. I am trying to look for a substitute oil to replace it – specially for the cleanser and hair properties- As other oils I was planning to use grape seed, jojoba and sweet almond. Do you have any advice on what oil would be suitable to replace castor? Perhaps hazelnut for the cleanser properties?
Thank you!
There really is nothing like castor oil, unfortunately, but it’s also quite thick and sticky, so I usually wouldn’t choose it in higher concentrations for a leave-on oil. Have you checked out some of my body oil and cleansing oil formulations for ideas? I’ve shared many over the years 🙂
I found lots of information about castor oil being a traditional thing to eat to try to induce labour (this is interesting), but couldn’t find anything about it being problematic for topical use. Has your friend confirmed with her doctor that it is unsafe for diluted topical use?
I am working on making some substitutions in a hand repair balm and landed on your page! You are rad! I love this. So very helpful!!
I’m so glad you’re finding this helpful 🙂 Happy making!
Thank you for the work you put into this. I am VERY allergic to coconut and it’s derivatives which makes it impossible to buy most skincare products in the stores, and also very tricky to make my own. I do make my own soap/shampoo bars, etc. But I’m also trying to make my own skin and hair products beyond simply cleansing. Recipes that I find online usually call for coconut oil. If I’m reading your charts properly, you’re saying it would be worth a try using babassu oil instead? Also, do you have any suggestions for things like cetearyl alcohol, glycerin, sodium coco sulfate, etc? It seems like everything is derived from coconut.
Yes, babassu oil would be a good alternative—though I do worry that they’re so similar that you may also be allergic to it, so tread lightly there.
As I’m sure you know, a coconut allergy is an incredibly difficult thing to navigate, and researching coconut-free substitutions for things made from coconuts could be a full-time job :/ Here’s a copy/paste reply I wrote up for another reader with the same allergy (plus a sulphate allergy):
“I’ve been thinking about this a lot, and I think a coconut allergy in cosmetics is comparable to a gluten allergy/celiac in food. It’s a very prevalent ingredient—so much so that simple substitutions really aren’t going to cut it. If you were baking bread, for instance, and trying to make it gluten free, you’d have pretty limited success simply using gluten-free flour in place of all-purpose. To create gluten-free versions of foods that usually contain gluten is typically a pretty involved process requiring a complete re-formulation from the ground up, taking into account the lack of gluten from the get-go. I think you’ll find that looking to remove all forms of sulphates and coconut from your skin care products is much the same, unfortunately. I am not confident I’ve ever found a completely coconut and sulphate free surfactant, especially if the derivatives of coconut oil (lauric acid, etc.) are also problematic for you. Even our oldest surfactant, Turkey Red Oil, is made by reacting sulfuric acid and castor oil.
So, here’s where I’m at. Perhaps it would be best if you looked at technology from a time when coconuts were not ubiquitous? That is to say, old-fashioned soap and beeswax/borax emulsions. It is completely possible to create both those products without any coconut anything and without any sulphates.
That said, both product types are based around old technology and there are limitations associated with both. Soap is always going to be basic, and studies have shown repeated and ongoing exposure to high pH cleansers is not good for our acid mantle (https://simpleskincarescience.com/ph-acid-mantle/). That said, many people positively love using handmade soap and swear by it, so if it works for you that may be a good option. You could also look at non-soap cleansers like soap nuts & yucca (both contain natural saponins) and clays.
When it comes to beeswax/borax emulsions (aka old fashioned cold creams) they are always going to be much heavier than lotions made with more modern emulsifiers. They do also tend to be basic, but I’ve got one that I adjusted down to an acidic pH about a year ago that still seems to be stable, so I think you can lower the pH of an old fashioned cold cream and still have a stable product 🙂
I hope that helps, and best of luck!”
Hopefully something in there is helpful. Happy making!
Thank you for the response. I completely understand, and agree with, the gluten free analogy as I also happen to have Celiacs.
I am making a paste for acne-prone oily skin.
1 tablespoon – Activated Charcol
1 tablespoon – Fuller’s Earth
2-3 Drops – Tea Tree Oil
1 Tablespoon – Aloe vera Gel
1 Tablespoon – Jojoba Oil
Few Drops of Rose Water
Can I use something in the place of Tea Tree Oil and Jojoba Oil?
Hello, I love your blog, I’m from Mexico. I would like to know what alternative you recommend to replace palm oil and be able to use a similar oil?
I love your body shimmer oil recipe but was wondering how to tweak the recipe to be used in a spray bottle
Please read this 🙂
Here is a very informative post. I believe carrier oils should be used in line with the purpose or what one is trying to achieve. Carrier oils as you rightly said made of different types of oils and come with different properties and characteristics. It is important to check the nutrients and this may help to decide which carrier oil can work best and if you may want to use an alternative. Speed of absorption is also very important. Thanks for sharing
Im loking for a carrier oil specifically for carrying my supplemets into the skin instead of tablets
Namely 7-keto
I can get hold of this as bulk powder measure the milligrams then add to a carrier and apply 1ml per day on shoulders chest
My issue is, do i need a carrier that absorbs quickly or a bit of botha s it needs to absorb over 24 hours (but i dont want to be greasy all day.
I have linsk to a carrier called Salvo but it is not cheap at all, £1 per ml!!
Its is mainly made up of sopropanol,
propylene glycol,
benzyl alcohol
glycerin
nerolidol (an essential oil in plants)
a natural horse remedy i see uses the below and they are medium absorbtion, horses however down wear clothes!
cold pressed Brassica napus (Rape Seed),
cold pressed Camelina sativa (Camelina),
cold pressed Cucurbita pepo L.(Pumpkin Seed)
cold pressed Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis Oil (Sweet Almond).
Any advice appreciated.
Hi Marie,
First off, I absolutely LOVE you and your videos. My question is, is there an oil I can substitute in place of Kokum butter? I make a line of products and they use Kokum butter, however, I’d like to expand my line and make other products, possibly a face wash, cleansing oil and I’d also like to add a line of products for men, including a beard oil, so I’m wondering what you’d consider to be a good oil substitute that would give similar benefits as Kokum, but in an oil. Thanks so much.
Hi Deborah! The challenge with that swap is that the major components that make kokum butter itself are saturated fats, which are solid. Kokum butter is more than 50% stearic acid, which is very hard/solid.
Is there a substitution for Olus Oil? And if not, do you where I can purchase it in the us?
Hi! From what I can see, “Olus Oil” isn’t really an oil like the oils in this post, it’s a manufactured/blended product. “Olus oil is an oil of 100% vegetable origin made from a blend of natural triglycerides. It is a white, odorless semi-solid. It functions as a skin-smoothening active ingredient, making skin soft and smooth. It finds applications in skin care, hair treatments, sun care and decorative cosmetics.”. It sounds like vegetable shortening to me, so perhaps try that?
Thanks for sharing this information
I enjoyed this article so much! I am a newbie to diy skincare and want to learn as much as I can and you explained this so perfectly that I could understand, I greatly appreciate it. I look forward to your other material!
Hello, I have been trying all your DIY projects and I love them! Thank you for sharing your knowledge:) Videos and PDF’s are very helpful. I notice that you use the water bath to melt, instead of the microwave. is there any scientific explanation? Or results can vary if I use the microwave instead?
If I don’t have pomegranate oil, what can I use in its place
I recommend looking it up the free Humblebee & Me DIY Encyclopedia (https://www.humblebeeandme.com/diy-encyclopedia/) for some suggestions 🙂
Thanks for the info! I am trying to make a lip balm that has a high melting point so it is less likely to melt in a hot car. For this, do I want to use a coconut oil that has a melting point of 92 degrees instead of 75 degrees fahrenheit? Is there anything “bad” about using this type of coconut oil? Would love to know what you recommend.
Thank you!
Hey humble bee I want to make a massage oil and my ingredients are almond oil, Apricot Oil, and castor oil, Vitamin e oil and some essential oils as well. Should I switch the castor oil with the Avocado Oil because I feel like castor oil is heavy then the Avocado oil?