Simple Recipes

If you're planning to branch out to some slightly more complex recipes, but don't want to fuss with things like surfactants, these recipes are for you. There are some emulsifiers and preservatives, but I've tried not to list anything that needs a bunch of fancy ingredients to work. Happy making!

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 🙂
Jojoba Mint Natural Foot Cream

Jojoba Mint Natural Foot Cream

With summer sandal season right around the corner, now feels like the perfect time to whip up a batch of rich & velvety Jojoba Mint Natural Foot Cream! This beginner-friendly DIY stars some of my favourite oils and butters, and I’ve taken care of all the fussy...

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Sugar Plum Fairy Natural Hand & Body Lotion

Sugar Plum Fairy Natural Hand & Body Lotion

If you’ve been disappointed or frustrated by DIY lotions that are heavy and greasy, this DIY is for you! This all-natural, lightweight hand and body lotion is packed with my favourite skin-soothing, moisturizing goodies, making it perfect for winter skincare. I’ve...

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Easy DIY Hyaluronic Acid Lotion

Easy DIY Hyaluronic Acid Lotion

I'm loving this lightweight, 7-ingredient hyaluronic acid lotion—it leaves my hands soft and moisturized with a super touchable, powdery finish. I kept this formulation super simple so its very beginner friendly, but that doesn't mean it isn't lovely! If you're newer...

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Rose & Jojoba Natural Face Lotion

Rose & Jojoba Natural Face Lotion

This beginner-friendly, 100% natural face lotion is lightweight, soothing, and perfect for new lotion makers. It’s packed with hydrating humectants and skin-soothing ingredients—and I’ve taken care of all the fussy stuff so you can start emulsifying with confidence!...

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Light Tallow Hand Lotion

Light Tallow Hand Lotion

Dehydrated skin needs water as well as oils. In this formulation, moisturizing tallow teams up with hydrating water and glycerin plus some other skincare favourites to create a non-greasy, pumpable hand lotion that leaves your skin soft and moisturized without feeling...

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Calendula & Chamomile Powdered Body Wash

Calendula & Chamomile Powdered Body Wash

One of my favourite formulation magic tricks is when a rather boring looking dry powder magically transforms into rich, luxurious lather when it’s mixed with water. It's pretty darn cool, and while this powder-to-foam sorcery is really impressive, it's really easy...

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DIY Aloe Vera Gel

DIY Aloe Vera Gel

Aloe vera gel is a gorgeous summer skincare staple, and with the right formulation, it's also really easy (and inexpensive) to DIY! So, that's what we're going to do today. Want to watch this project instead of read it? Watch Now What is aloe vera gel? Aloe vera is a...

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Simple Sulfate-Free Shampoo Bar

Simple Sulfate-Free Shampoo Bar

Today we're kneading up a really simple shampoo bar that kicks out oodles of silky, luscious lather. You'll only need seven ingredients, there's no heat required, and you can whip up a batch in less than twenty minutes! Want to watch this project instead of read it?...

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Easy Natural Lotion for Beginners

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...

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Black Currant & Roses Natural Body Wash

Black Currant & Roses Natural Body Wash

This wine-coloured Black Currant & Roses Natural Body Wash has a gorgeous runny honey-like consistency thanks to a gentle self-thickening surfactant blend—no gums or Crothix required! I'm in love with the fresh, juicy scent and plentiful bubbles of this body wash,...

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Creamy Clay Balm-to-Milk Cleanser

Creamy Clay Balm-to-Milk Cleanser

Today's Creamy Clay Balm-to-Milk Cleanser is a Bee Better update to 2016's Creamy Clay Cleansing Balm. It's a rich, slippy, gentle facial cleanser that rinses off the skin beautifully. True to the name, it's creamy and contains a hefty dose of soft white kaolin clay...

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Super Simple Natural Lotion

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....

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Sweet Magnolia Natural Cleansing Oil

Sweet Magnolia Natural Cleansing Oil

This exotically-scented Sweet Magnolia Natural Cleansing Oil gently cleanses the skin, leaving your face feeling soft and nourished. It uses a new-to-me natural emulsifier and has quickly become a favourite facial cleanser for removing layers of summer sunscreen (and...

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Almond Oat Powder to Foam Facial Cleanser

Almond Oat Powder to Foam Facial Cleanser

This soft, silky powder transforms into a creamy, sudsy cleanser when you work it up with a bit of warm water between your palms. It stars soft and velvety kaolin clay and skin-soothing oats, and you can blend up a batch in just a few moments from just six...

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Cocoa Coconut Simple Conditioner Bars

Cocoa Coconut Simple Conditioner Bars

If you've been interested in making a solid conditioner bar, but have been intimidated by the long ingredient lists on the formulations I've shared in the past, this post is for you! These beautiful Cocoa Coconut Simple Conditioner Bars are made from just six...

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Ice Palace Fizzing Shimmering Bath Dust

Ice Palace Fizzing Shimmering Bath Dust

This Ice Palace Fizzing Shimmering Bath Dust has all the fizzy fun of a bath bomb, combined with the ease and indulgence of bath salts. There's no moulding or pressing—just massage everything together, leave the mixture out to dry for a day or two, and you've got...

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Popping Cocoa Coconut Bath Salts

Popping Cocoa Coconut Bath Salts

These beautiful and fun Popping Cocoa Coconut Bath Salts are the latest addition to this year's Cocoa Coconut Holiday 2020 theme! And yes—they do pop! They pop and fizz and crackle like an indulgent magic trick when added to your bathwater. In addition to the popping...

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Rose and Clay Cleansing Balm

Rose and Clay Cleansing Balm

When I first dreamt up this cleansing balm, the dream was of a seaweed and clay cleansing balm. How romantic and exotic-sounding, no? A hefty dose of vitamin-rich green seaweed powder would star, and how lovely it would be. There was just one problem with that....

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Creamy Oat & Shea Face Mask

Creamy Oat & Shea Face Mask

If you're looking for an indulgent facial, I think this Creamy Oat & Shea Face Mask is just the thing. A rich base of shea butter and safflower oil suspends a blend of soothing, moisturizing ingredients to create a really decadent masking experience. Try using...

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Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser

Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser

This Rose & Honey Rich Cream Cleanser is quite the treat—it's rich and gentle, smells softly of roses, and leaves your skin feeling clean but not tight or dry. Made with sweet almond oil, fragrant rose hydrosol, and local raw honey, it has a positively decadent...

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Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion

Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion

Today we're going back to the basics with a Super Simple Moisturizing Lotion. I pared down the ingredients as much as I could, so this lotion just features five (5!) inexpensive ingredients that can be easily modified to suit what you have, or what you prefer. If...

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Creamy French Green Clay Face Mask

Creamy French Green Clay Face Mask

Today we're whipping up a simple, creamy, oil-based face mask. A soft balm base is loaded with silky French green clay (my favourite clay for face masks!) to create an ultra velvety skin treat. This format is far less messy than blending clay and water, both for...

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Lavender Aloe Hydrating Facial Toner

Lavender Aloe Hydrating Facial Toner

'Tis the season for heaps of hydration! This DIY was initially inspired by a popular lavender witch hazel toner product, but I decided to really amp up the hydrating/humectant-y goodness in the spirit of Asian-style hydrating toners (rather than Western astringent-y...

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Rose Witch Hazel Facial Toner

Rose Witch Hazel Facial Toner

This sweetly fragrant, refreshing facial toner has become a fast favourite of mine. It smells deliciously of roses, features several soothing and lightly hydrating ingredients, and leaves my skin feeling revived and gently cleansed. It's also crazy easy to make (no...

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