Getting Started
New to this whole DIY thing? No worries!What ingredients will I need?
Here’s an ingredient overview and a couple great starter shopping lists to help you get started.
What equipment will I need?
From a scale to spatulas, you’ll need some equipment to get started (you probably have most of it already).
Where to buy ingredients
Simple Starter Formulations
These DIYs are a great place to get started—they don’t require too many ingredients, they come together easily, and they’re pretty much foolproof!
How to naturally scent lotions with essential oils and natural fragrance oils
Today I'll be teaching you how to safely and naturally scent your lotion formulations using essential oils and natural fragrance oils. The formulations I'm sharing today are extensions of the formulation shared in this post, but you can easily apply these fragrant...
How to gently scent lotions with natural ingredients (+2 free formulas!)
In this post I'm going to teach you two ways to gently—and naturally—scent your lotion formulations without using essential oils. These scenting strategies are good options for new makers, those who have sensitive skin, and those who prefer more softly scented...
Easy Natural Lotion for Beginners
If you've been wanting to dive into making your very own easy natural lotion, start here! This post is the first in a series on how to create your very own lotions. Today I'll teach you how to make a basic lotion, and in upcoming posts I'll teach you how to customize...
Easy DIY Cleansing Balm: 3 Ways
Cleansing balms are a fabulous way to cleanse the skin (they're especially great for removing long-wearing makeup!), and they're really easy to make. In this post I'll teach you how to make three different simple cleansing balm formulations. Each uses just three or...
Super Simple Creamy Hair Conditioner: 3 Ways
In this post I'll be teaching you how to make three different emulsified, rinse-out Super Simple Creamy Hair Conditioner formulations using BTMS-25. All three formulations are really easy to make, and they build on one another. The first one is the simplest with just...
Super Simple Natural Lotion
If you've been wanting to make an all-natural lotion but haven't been sure where to start—start here! You'll need just six ingredients to make this Super Simple Natural Lotion. It's a lightweight, pumpable, moisturizing lotion that makes a great hand and body lotion....
Super Simple Oil-to-Milk Cleanser
Today's Super Simple formulation is the most super-ly simple of the super simple formulations I've shared with just two ingredients! I've also shared two different variations and discussed how to customize it to make it as accessible as possible (and also to hopefully...
Super Simple Natural Foaming Hand Wash
Today I'm sharing a formulation for a Super Simple Natural Foaming Hand Wash. You'll need just five ingredients, and I've tried to be really conscientious of global ingredient availability so hopefully you can make this hand wash no matter where in the world you live....
Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion with Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate
Today we're re-visiting this summer's Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion to learn how to adapt formulations to use the emulsifier Glyceryl Stearate (and) PEG-100 Stearate instead of emulsifying waxes like Polawax, Emulsifying Wax NF, Olivem 1000, BTMS-50, or Ritamulse...
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Learn about carrier oils, essential oils, solubility, substitutions, and more. I’ve also got clean-up tips, shopping lists, and all kinds of other helpful information.
How to naturally scent lotions with essential oils and natural fragrance oils
Today I'll be teaching you how to safely and naturally scent your lotion formulations using essential oils and natural fragrance oils. The formulations I'm sharing today are extensions of the formulation shared in this post, but you can easily apply these fragrant...
How to gently scent lotions with natural ingredients (+2 free formulas!)
In this post I'm going to teach you two ways to gently—and naturally—scent your lotion formulations without using essential oils. These scenting strategies are good options for new makers, those who have sensitive skin, and those who prefer more softly scented...
6 body butter mistakes most newbies make
Body butters are a fabulous place to start your formulating journey. I started with lip balms and body butters and made a lot of mistakes along the way; I'm hoping this post can help save you from a few of them! Want to watch this project instead of reading it? Watch...
Why is my body butter not whipping?
Have you ever whipped up an utterly decadent body butter, only to find it transformed into a hard, crumbly brick when left overnight? Or perhaps you were whipping up a gorgeous blend of butters that suddenly collapsed into soft gloppy mess? Whipped body butters are...
Ten DIY Ingredients for Beginner Formulators: Part 2
Welcome to part 2 of Ten DIY Ingredients for Beginner Formulators! In part 1 we covered five anhydrous ingredients that will allow you to create all kinds of awesome anhydrous products—balms, whipped body butters, lip balm, and more. Today we're adding five more...
Ten DIY Ingredients for Beginner Formulators: Part 1
There are literally thousands of cosmetic ingredients for sale, so it's no wonder that shopping for ingredients can be an overwhelming experience for new formulators! Between the sheer number of ingredients and the often fantastical claims made about them, it can be...
How to Research Your Ingredients: Part 2
Welcome to part two of "How to Research Your Ingredients"! Part one was all about what you should be finding out about your ingredients, and the nuance involved in some of those categories (make sure you've read it!). Part two is going to be about how and where to...
How to Research Your Ingredients: Part 1
We're kicking off 2020 with a bit of a multi-part guide on how to research your ingredients—a super important skill! I often hear from people who have bought something but they don't remember what for, so they're left with an ingredient with no defined purpose or use....
Formulating and DIYing with Spreadsheets
Today I want to talk about something that really isn’t all that sexy or exciting, but it is super useful—using spreadsheets for your DIYing and formulating! Even if you don't formulate I'd recommend stepping away from online recipe calculators in favour of...