Step-by-step method for making skin creams
Step-by-step method for making skin lotions
Step-by-step method for making balms and ointments (including lipbalms)
Step-by-step method for making gels
Step-by-step method for making shampoo and liquid soaps
Step-by-step method for making facial masks
Step-by-step method for making exfoliants, scrubs and peeling creams
Step-by-step method for making body butters
Step-by-step method for making massage and facial oils
Step-by-step method for making massage bars and bath melts
Skin creams and lotions are made by combining fats and waxes (vegetable oils and butters, also sometimes ingredients like beeswax) with floral or herbals waters, which requires emulsifying ingredients. The best naturally derived emulsifiers are made from Coconut and Palm kernel oil.
Varying the formula will vary the texture and end result of the cream, and different active ingredients can also be added, such as wrinkle-busting fruit acids, soothing botanical extracts, or essential oils. Exfoliating ingredients such as jojoba grains can also be used to make facial scrubs and peeling creams.
Omitting water-based ingredients results in a balm or ointment, which is firmer, greasier and heavier than a cream. Ointment recipes are great for cuts and bruises and general home remedies, while waxy balms are the basis for lipsticks, lip balms and intensive treatments for feet, hands or damaged skin. Some vegetable butters can also be whipped and combined to make richly nourishing moisturisers, or 'body butters', while massage and moisturising oils are made by combining carrier or base oils (such as jojoba, almond or apricot) with intensive oil ingredients and essential oils. These can be a good, preservative-free alternative to creams for many skin types.
Natural clays, minerals, herbal and botanical extracts can be ground to a powder and mixed with floral, herbal or mineral water to make facial masks. These can be used fresh or - like any recipe containing water-based ingredients - their shelf-life will have to be prolonged with preservatives. If you are making your own skincare products, it is your choice whether or not to use preservatives. Most products will have a reasonable shelf life of a week or so, especially if kept in the fridge, or special airtight dispensers can be used to help prevent mould growth. These are imperfect methods, though, so you may choose to use the closest available alternatives to fully natural preservatives; sodium benzoate and tea tree oil are two examples, but see the glossary for more details. Alternatively, try using facial oils instead of creams, as these usually don't need preserving and have longer natural shelf lives.
Combining fats and vegetable butters can also produce massage bars and bath melts, preservative free products that intensively moisturise skin.
A word about soapmaking
Soap can be made either using melt and pour bases, which are usually glycerine based and require nothing other than, well, melting and pouring into moulds, or it can be made from scratch. The two main methods are hot and cold process, and both require more time and equipment than most of the recipes on this site. I hope to have my notes available soon, but in the meantime, if you are interested in making your own soaps, a great place to start is Kathy Miller's informative and comprehensive site here.
NB - many melt-and-pour soap bases are available from suppliers, but before you purchase remember to check the ingredients. While some good ones are out there, many M&P soaps contain the same chemicals that you may be trying to avoid in commercial products!
Making shampoos and liquid soaps is not quite as complex as soapmaking itself, but it will require more preservatives and inorganic ingredients than a soap bar made from scratch. Some of the nicest products for hair and, in particular, dry or itchy scalps, are solid shampoo bars, which do necessitate a move into the world of soapmaking. If you don't feel you have the time or resources for this, there are some companies producing really lovely products - for example, check out these shampoo bars from Essentially Natural.
