Super Simple Recipes

If you're looking for recipes that use simpler ingredients, you've come to the right place. These recipes don't use emulsifiers or require preservatives, and are made mostly from plant based ingredients like shea butter and almond oil. There are obviously some limitations that come with these ingredient restrictions (no lotions, for example), but there's still plenty of things to make—as of early 2021 there are nearly 300 projects to choose from. Enjoy!

Making Substitutions

Don’t have the oil or butter called for in the recipe? Here’s a guide on how to choose a good alternative from what you do have.

What's with the waxes?

Beeswax, carnauba wax, candelila wax, bayberry wax—how are they different? Can you use one instead of another?

Help, I made a mess!

My best tips for cleaning up your DIY messes 🙂
Watermelon Mint Lip Scrub

Watermelon Mint Lip Scrub

I had so much fun designing and creating this adorable pink Watermelon Mint Lip Scrub! I'm loving (and needing) lip scrubs pretty regularly these days thanks to Calgary's dry winter weather (I know it's technically spring but I don't think the weather here has...

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Chocolate Cherry Face Mask

Chocolate Cherry Face Mask

We're keeping it ultra-simple and accessible today with this cocoa-scented Chocolate Cherry Face Mask. Four beautiful, all-natural ingredients come together to create a silky, rich face mask for some at-home pampering ❤️ Want to watch this project...

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Argan Rose Soap

Argan Rose Soap

Today we're swirling up some luxurious bars of Argan Rose Soap, made with vitamin-rich argan oil and dusty pink Australian clay. Crimson rose buds and rustic Himilayan pink salt stud the top of the bar, and a rich pink swirl dances through the middle of the bars....

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Chocolate Cherry Lip Balm

Chocolate Cherry Lip Balm

Today we're kicking off a decadent new theme—Chocolate Cherry—with an equally decadent lip balm! Mouth-wateringly delicious cocoa butter co-stars with oh-so-lovely cherry kernel oil. I thought a lip balm would be a great place to start as the idea of chocolate-cherry...

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Argan Rose Valentine Bath Bombs

Argan Rose Valentine Bath Bombs

Happy almost-Valentine's-Day! We're celebrating this year with some seasonal bath bombs, featuring some shimmery mica painting and lovely pink fizzing. They smell beautifully of rose and lemon, in keeping with the shampoo bars I shared last week, but you could...

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Watermelon Mint Cuticle & Lip Butter

Watermelon Mint Cuticle & Lip Butter

Today we're whipping up a rich and creamy Watermelon Mint Lip & Cuticle Butter, designed to help pamper and protect the delicate skin around our nails and mouths. The base is just three simple, all-natural ingredients that come together to create a rich butter...

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Lavender Aloe Soap

Lavender Aloe Soap

We're continuing our Lavender Aloe theme today with a batch of beautifully swoopy and swirled Lavender Aloe Soap. The top is decorated with a dusting of violet biodegradable glitter, and I had a lot of fun bevelling the edges of each bar with a vegetable peeler for a...

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Winter Solstice Bath Bombs

Winter Solstice Bath Bombs

Today we're creating some striking bath bombs to celebrate the winter solstice (technically the solstice was the night of the 21st, but here in Calgary the 23rd is only 8 seconds longer than the 21st, so I think we can still call it solstice season!). A cool, purpley...

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White Chocolate Peppermint Lip Scrub

White Chocolate Peppermint Lip Scrub

I've had quite a few requests for a new lip scrub formulation recently, and I thought our White Chocolate Peppermint theme was perfectly suited to a lip scrub—so here we are! This DIY is quite crunchy, with just five simple ingredients. It's pretty easy to whip up...

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Cranberry Orange Whipped Body Butter

Cranberry Orange Whipped Body Butter

Today's DIY is a whippy, lightweight, fast-absorbing Cranberry Orange Whipped Body Butter—and it's also our last cranberry orange DIY of the 2019 holiday making season! You'll only need four simple ingredients and some electric beaters to whip up this body butter....

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Creamy Autumn Grounding Salve

Creamy Autumn Grounding Salve

Today we're creating something simple—an aromatic, creamy salve with an intoxicating essential oil blend designed to ground and calm. It's a great DIY for beginners, with a relatively short ingredient list of simple, plant-based ingredients. I'm loving both applying...

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Strawberry Rose Clay Face Mask

Strawberry Rose Clay Face Mask

Today we're putting on our super-crunchy DIY boots and whipping up a summery Strawberry Rose Clay Face Mask. This pink mask pairs fresh, in-season strawberries with golden honey, fragrant rose hydrosol, and creamy clays for a sumptuous and simple summer-time skin...

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Sweetgrass & Honey Face Mask

Sweetgrass & Honey Face Mask

Today we're embracing the crunchy side of DIY skin care with a beautiful four ingredient clay face mask. It's smooth and creamy, smells of honey and summer days, and leaves your skin feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. It's perfect for a bit of solo pampering, or you...

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Lavender Vanilla Vegan Lip Balm

Lavender Vanilla Vegan Lip Balm

Today we're making a lovely Lavender Vanilla Vegan Lip Balm that's brilliant for spring. With a light-but-creamy consistency and a bright, sweet essential oil blend it's just the thing to shake up your lip balm routine as we move towards warmer days. Want to watch...

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Soothing Hand Butter

Soothing Hand Butter

This rich, creamy Soothing Hand Butter is an absolute delight to massage into hands that could use a bit of pampering. It stars some ultra-creamy emollients and beautiful botanical-infused oils to create a stunning, sumptuous skin treat. I've used a slightly...

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Rose Bentonite Clay Facial Mask

Rose Bentonite Clay Facial Mask

Today's recipe is a super-crunchy, super simple clay mask starring four lovely, natural ingredients. Fragrant rose hydrosol and moisturizing vegetable glycerin team up with creamy French green clay and powerfully absorbent bentonite to create a rich face mask that...

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Calendula Sunshine Salve

Calendula Sunshine Salve

Today we're making a simple salve starring calendula, with a supporting cast of sea buckthorn and lavender. It's easy to make, and the end result is a lovely warm yellow salve with a gentle, calming scent. If your nose is sore from too much blowing, or perhaps your...

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Mango Mango Body Butter

Mango Mango Body Butter

If you love mangoes, brace yourself—this new series will have your mouth watering and your skin feeling all kinds of mango-themed love. This creamy, dry-touch-finish body butter smells so much like mangoes (naturally!) that your mouth will start to water. The oil and...

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Puppy Paw Paste

Puppy Paw Paste

This super simple Puppy Paw Paste has become my go-to thing for schmearing on Lottie's paws before we head out for snowy walks. Lottie has hilariously fluffy wookie feet and legs. Her feet appear to be roughly three times bigger than they actually are thanks to her...

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Indigo Lagoon Balm

Indigo Lagoon Balm

This rich blue balm is a DIY version of a very popular and very expensive shop-bought balm. This particular balm is known for its striking dark blue hue that comes from a hefty dose of expensive blue tansy essential oil. I've created a more budget friendly version you...

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Sugar Plum Body Butter Bars

Sugar Plum Body Butter Bars

These silky, lightweight body butter bars are a wonderful accompaniment to our Sugar Plum series—and they’re quite versatile, too! You can present them in a tube or choose a mould you find suitable; you can make a few big ones or a bunch of wee ones. I’ve got a couple...

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Citrus Poppy Seed Swirl Soap

Citrus Poppy Seed Swirl Soap

I had so much fun creating these sunny, speckled bars. The idea was to create a swirl using texture—as opposed to colour—to differentiate the swirl from the rest of the soap. When I set out to make these bars it had been positively ages since I’d made soap. Who else...

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Herbs & Honey Pink Clay Mask

Herbs & Honey Pink Clay Mask

Today's project is inspired by a face mask I spotted on Instagram that rings it at about $100/100mL. It definitely had some good ingredients in it, but nothing that should make it that sort of wince-worthy expensive. My version blends two different clays with some...

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Lavender Patchouli Body Butter

Lavender Patchouli Body Butter

I've been playing with lots of more complex DIYs lately, and I was itching to get back to something a bit simpler. Something made with wonderful plant-sourced oils and butters that are accented with essential oils. The sort of thing that isn't intimidating, and really...

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