Cosmetics Recipes

See also: Creams & Lotions and Perfume

Many of the ingredients used in natural soapmaking are also the "building blocks" for wholesome, skin friendly and environmentally friendly skin care applications.

Why limit yourself to soap? As you acquire experience with the properties of your soapmaking oils, and learn how to combine different oils and fats to obtain optimal results, you'll find that it is not difficult to develop a whole line of skin care products that address the needs of all your family.

Balms, pomades and salves, massage and facial oil blends, creams, lotions and hair conditioners can be easily prepared in the kitchen. These pages are meant as an introduction to the basics of handmade skin care applications, and to wet your appetite for more and more natural cosmetics.

You won't ever have to pay those high prices for creams and lip balms again. The only difference will be products with natural ingredients and no chemicals. This means that they will be gentler to your skin. (Of course, it also means that the cosmetics won't last for years-so use them!)

You might want to avoid adding any ingredients that are not available "as is" in nature. These comprise all synthetic and chemically manufactured additives, which include, among others:

* fragrance oils,
* colouring agents,
* so-called commercial grade essential oils,
* emulsifiers (including petrochemical-based e-waxes and vegetable-based emulsifying compounds),
* anti-bacterial, preservative and anti-oxidant agents.

As long as they are prepared, stored and used correctly, natural skin care products for personal and family use do not require any of these additives.

Handling procedures and tools

Skin care applications, no matter whether they are for personal use or for sale, always require more careful handling, mixing and storage precautions than soap.

All tools and containers must be perfectly clean and either sterile, or sanitised. Wearing a face mask and surgical gloves is good practice, and might be compulsory in some cases (for instance, when required by local regulations for cosmetics that are to be sold to the public).

Even more so than with soap, always organise your work area first, and avoid working on skin care applications while you are cooking or making soap. To avoid possible cross-contamination, avoid using tools that are not, or cannot be sterilised or sanitised (e.g., wooden spoons, common kitchen tea towels and cutting boards, etc.).

Storage and handling precautions for natural, unpreserved skin care applications

When no specific anti-oxidants and/or preservatives are added, natural cosmetics must be used up within a short period. The maximum shelf life of anhydrous (waterless) applications, such as balms, salves, pomades, ointments and oil blends, is 6 months, and can be even shorter when oils that are particularly prone to oxidisation are used. Creams and lotions, as well as any other applications containing water, must be stored in the fridge and used up within 3 weeks at the longest.

To avoid accidental introduction of bacteria, fungi, or any other impurity that might contaminate your lovingly created skin treats, it is also fundamental that products stored in wide-mouthed jars are taken out using a sterile teaspoon, or some other implement that can be sterilised before use. A common practice to avoid contamination, or at least reduce the chances of spoiling the whole batch, is to keep a "bulk" container in the fridge, and transfer small amounts from this into a "daily use", smaller container. Cream and lotions are best stored in containers with some sort of dispenser, which always keeps the contents isolated from (possibly) dirty hands.

A final note before the recipes start. It has been the experience of many that changing what you use periodically can be of benefit. Just like shampoo, you need different qualities for different environments (seasons) and conditions. This is a great opportunity to throw a homemade brew into your cosmetics mix. So, the next time you finish a jar of cream or bottle of toner, sterilize it and fill it with your own creation!

The variety of toners you can make is up to your imagination and resources (for availability of materials). Using vinegar as a base, just dilute with an herbal infusion to get the particular qualities you desire.

Basic Herb Vinegar Face Toner
Ingredients
* 1 part vinegar
* 6 parts herbal infusion (try sage, lemon balm, lavender or elderflower)

InstructionsMake infusion like tea and when cooled mix with vinegar. Saturate a cotton ball and use to clean off traces of a face mask or makeup after regular cleaning.

Never use undiluted vinegar as it will burn your skin. Diluted it effectively and gently restores the skins protective acid mantle. It also has antiseptic properties.

Sunburn Relief Gel
Ingredients
* 2 Tbsp. Aloe Vera gel (or amount from one "leaf")
* 5 drops lavender essential oil

Instructions Mix essential oil with aloe and put directly on sunburned or mildly irritated skin.

Make in small amounts as above and use immediately.

Fruit Facial
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup chopped pineapple
* 1 apple-cored, chopped, with peel on
* 1/4 cup finely ground almonds
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 tablespoon lime juice
* 1/2 banana
* 1/2 packet unflavoured gelatin

Instructions Mix all ingredients in a blender, except gelatin. Add gelatin and blend for an additional 20 seconds. Let sit for 10 minutes. Apply to face and neck. Leave on for 20 minutes and rinse with warm water.

This should last for three days in the fridge. Use on first and third day and discard remainder.

Facial Scrub
Ingredients
* 1 tablespoon ground oatmeal
* 1 tablespoon ground dried lavender blossoms
* 1 tablespoon ground thyme leaves
* 1 tablespoon ground almonds
* 4 drops lemon essential oil

Instructions Grind all dry ingredients finely and mix until uniform. Add essential oil and mix well. Store in a glass container. Use 1 1/2 teaspoons with enough water to make a paste. Gently massage into skin and rinse thoroughly.

Do not use if your skin is very sensitive. It's a great exfoliant.

Skin Cleanser
Ingredients
* 1 teaspoon olive oil
* 1 teaspoon honey
* 2 teaspoons cider vinegar

Instructions Mix ingredients. Apply to face gently and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water.

Excellent for dry skin.

Night Cream
Ingredients
* 3 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 tablespoon aloe vera gel
* 1 tablespoon shea butter
* 2 teaspoons grated beeswax
* 1 tablespoon rosewater
* 1/4 teaspoon lecithin
* oil from two capsules of vitamin E
* 3 drops chamomile or lavender essential oil

Instructions Melt oil, butter, and beeswax in heatproof glass measuring cup, over boiling water or in microwave. (low heat) Remove from heat just before beeswax is completely melted. Finish melting by stirring in warm oil. Add the vitamin E oil and lecithin and stir in between additions. Mix rosewater and aloe together and slowly add to main mixture. Continue stirring with a small metal whisk. Once mixture is cooled, add the essential oil and stir. Store inside drawer or cabinet. Try to keep away from sun and heat.

Use nightly-especially in cold or dry weather.

Scented Toner
Ingredients
* 1/4 cup fresh or dried lavender buds
* 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
* 1 1/2 cups vinegar

Instructions Put herbs in a jar with tight cover. Cover herbs with vinegar and set in sunny window for two weeks. Strain out plant material and dilute with 1/2 cup distilled water. Pour into sterilized bottle.

Apply with cotton ball morning and evening after cleansing and before moisturizing.

Lemon Mint Toner
Ingredients
* 1 peppermint tea bag
* 1 cup boiling water
* 1/4 cup witch hazel
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions Place tea bag in boiling water and steep for 15 minutes. Discard tea bag and allow liquid to cool. Add witch hazel and lemon juice and store in glass container in the refridgerator. Apply daily after cleansing face.

This toner is best on normal or slightly oily skin. It will remove any residue of dirt or make-up and close pores.

Peppermint Skin Toner

1 pint vinegar
1 pint purified water
1 cup mint leaves
Place all ingredients in a glass or enamel saucepan and bring to a boil. Remove from heat. Pour into a glass jar and allow to steep for four days. Strain and bottle.

Basic Cold Cream
Ingredients
* 1/2 cup mineral oil
* 1 ounce beeswax
* 1/4 teaspoon borax
* 1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon distilled water
* essential oil scent, if desired

Instructions Heat oil and wax in double boiler. Dissolve borax in water and boil. Add to wax in a thin stream, stirring vigorously in one direction. When mixed remove from heat and check temperature. At 140º, add scent. At 120º, pour into jars.

Makes one cup of cream.

Apple Cucumber Facial Mask

* 1/2 cucumber, peeled
* 1 egg white
* 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon lime juice
* 1/2 teaspoon apple mint leaves
* 1 drop lime essential oil

Combine all 5 ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the essential oil last and mix well. Refrigerate the mixture for 10 minutes.
Apply a layer to your clean face and neck area and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse well with warm water.

Apple Cucumber Facial Mask is best when used immediately; the ingredients are perishable. The leftovers can be refrigerated in the coldest section of the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days but should be discarded after that.

Basic Lip Gloss
1/4 cup beeswax
1/4 cup castor oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
Beet juice
Melt beeswax in top of double boiler. Remove from heat and add oils. Add as much beet juice as desired for colour. Store in jar. Transfer a small portion to a purse sized container for use when away from home. Any favourite essential oil may be added from fragrance.

Apricot-Orange Lip Gloss
1 tsp beeswax
1 tsp apricot kernel oil
1 tsp calendula oil
3-4 drops of essential oil of orange
Beet juice
Melt beeswax in top of double boiler. Add apricot kernel and calendula oils, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add beet juice if desired, for colour. When partially cooled, add oil of orange. Store in jar. Transfer a small portion to a purse sized container for use when away from home.

Lip Repair
Ingredients
* 3 teaspoons grated beeswax
* 3 teaspoons avocado oil
* 1 teaspoon glycerin
* 1/8 teaspoon lecithin
* 1/2 teaspoon honey
* contents of two vitamin E capsules
* 4 drops tea tree essential oil
* 5 drops grapefruit essential oil

Instructions Melt beeswax in avocado oil-use a double boiler. Remove from heat and add vitamin E and lecithin. Combine honey and glycerine and then add to mixture. Finally, add essential oils. This will start setting right away so have a glass jar ready.

As you use up any commercial cosmetics, make sure to save the containers. A nice wide mouthed cosmetic cream jar would be great for this recipe. Use it each night before bed to prevent chapped lips.

Lip Balm
Ingredients
* 1 1/2 parts cocoa butter
* 1 1/2 parts grated beeswax
* 3 parts olive oil

Instructions Melt the cocoa butter and beeswax slowly in the microwave, or over a double boiler. Add oil and stir well. Cool slightly before pouring into containers.

After all the ingredients are melted, you can add a few drops of peppermint flavouring oil. If you want a softer balm, add more oil. If you want a harder balm, add more beeswax. Simple!

More Lip Balms

Lips can be sensitive to the actions of the sun, wind, dry air, bacteria and salty foods. They often require little extra protection. Through the use of natural fats and waxes lips can be cared for without lip balms having to be applied over and over again. The need for continual applications can be the result of using lip balms containing Vaseline or Paraffin Oil from the petroleum industry.

There are many different fats, waxes and Vegetable Oils which can be used to make a lip balm base and different active ingredients which can be added to create particular kinds of lip balm. The waxes protect the lips while the Vegetable Oils soften them.

The lip balm base needs to contain more wax than the base ointment so that it will remain hard even on a warm summer's day and so it doesn't deposit too much fat on the lips.

Base Lip Balm
Recipe 1 (for Jars) Recipe 2 (Jars and Lip Balm Cylinders)

* 33gr Beeswax
* 65ml Vegetable Oil
* 2 ml Essential Oils* 28gr Beeswax
* 20gr Cocoa butter
* 50ml/gr Vegetable Oils *
* 2 ml Essential oils (40 – 50 drops)

*Orange Lemon, Mandarin, Lime, Grapefruit, Anise, Fennel or a small amount of Peppermint. We use large amounts of Essential Oils to compensate for heat evaporation.

Method:
* Heat all the ingredients except any Essential Oils in the beaker or stainless steel cup immersed in a pan of hot water (double boiler).
* Stir and melt fully.
* When everything has melted, add 30 drops of each Essential Oil (or 60 of a blend of them).
*You can pour this product into a glass jar or professional lip balm cylinder.
*When pouring into cylinders, pour up to 3/4 full, allow to cool and then, after 10 minutes, top up (the contents will have contracted slightly).
*Leave for a few minutes before putting on the lids.

Different kinds of lip balm can be made through the addition of other fat-soluble ingredients (see below). For every e.g. 5ml of anything else which is liquid you will need to remove 5ml of the Vegetable Oil. Most of the additional ingredients, apart from Essential Oils, will need to be heated with the main ingredients.

Here are some examples of what you can add to the base lip balm to make the type of lip balm you want:

Lip balm for sun protection - add Tiosol (10ml for sun factor 12, or 5ml for sun factor 5-6)

Lip balm with Zinc - add 5ml Zinc Oxide (do not reduce the amount of Vegetable Oil)

Tea Tree lip balm (for sore lips) - add 1-8ml Tea Tree Oil and 1-2ml Lavender Oil as your Essential Oils

Vitamin lip balm - add 2ml Vitamin E and 5 drops of Carotene.