Best of 2016: Favorite Beauty and Skin Care Recipes

2016 has ended and we’ve started a bright and shiny New Year. That means lots of new beauty and skin care recipes to look forward to! In the meantime, however, be sure to check out my favorite beauty and skin care recipes I developed in 2016. Then give them a try to treat yourself or to give as homemade gifts throughout the New Year! Here’s to 2017!

Favorite Beauty and Skin Care Recipes

My Orange Coconut Coffee Scrub Recipe is probably my most favorite indulgence of 2016. inspired by the Frank Body Original Coffee Scrub, this homemade coffee scrub recipe is scented with a fresh blend of orange, coconut and cardamom. Additionally it contains naturally emollient sweet almond oil, mineral rich pink Himalayan salt, anti-inflammatory blood orange essential oil, brown sugar, and ground coffee to exfoliate, smooth and brighten dull, aging or acne prone skin.

For more beauty and skin care recipes like this one be sure to visit and follow my DIY Bath and Body board on Pinterest.

2016 was the year I finally made the switch to an all natural aluminum free deodorant for good! And in doing so I gained health benefits as well. My natural lavender cream deodorant recipe is my favorite baking soda free deodorant recipe out of all the ones I’ve ever made. It contains natural ingredients like arrowroot powder, magnesium hydroxide and bacteria fighting neem oil as well as detoxifying bentonite clay.

Not only does this natural deodorant recipe fight odor but it can be used for other skin care issues. Use it on feet to keep them from sweating and stinking in your shoes through the summer months in hot shoes or use it on your face solo or underneath makeup to keep your face shine free and fight acne. It also makes a great acne fighting face mask!

For more beauty and skin care recipes like this one check out my Natural Home Remedies and Herbal Health Care board on Pinterest.

My DIY unicorn balm was my most widely loved, shared and pinned post of 2016! This tri-color DIY unicorn balm leaves just a hint of shimmer on your skin and can be scented with your favorite fragrance! Plus it makes a great homemade gift idea for anyone who loves unicorns – or simply wants sparkle like one for the day!

If you have unicorn fever, be sure to give my Unicorn Lust Pinterest board a peek!

Lush fans will love my sea salt face and body scrub recipe! Loosely inspired by Lush’s Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub, this luxurious emulsified scrub is made with mango butter, fractionated coconut oil and lanolin help to condition and protect skin and fine dead sea salt for its natural healing properties. It has a creamy texture and is gentle enough for even sensitive skin. Ingredients like Want to make it vegan? Try substituting the lanolin – which is found in Lush’s Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub – with cupuacu butter.

If you like this recipe, then you may also like my recent recipe for making strawberry & chocolate fudge solid sugar scrub bars! Or discover more of my body scrub recipes here.

As far as soaps go, my pine tar soap recipe is fairly basic but is big on benefits making it more than deserving of this favorites list. Traditionally, pine tar soap is used to treat problematic skin conditions that include psoriasis, eczema, dandruff and skin inflammation. It can also be used to soothe and treat symptoms of poison ivy, oak, and sumac and it helps to relieve itching caused by bug bites. I loved the way this soap felt on my skin and I also found it helped my dog’s flea dermatitis.

For more of my homemade soap recipes be sure to follow my Simply Soapmaking Pinterest board.

If you’re prone to dry or cracked skin then this cracked heel repair balm recipe is sure to make your own favorites list! My cracked heel repair balm contains all natural ingredients that help to heal and protect cracked heels and feet. Plus, it’s also great for hands, elbows, knees and lips – pretty much anywhere your skin needs some extra love!

For similar skin care recipes check out this blog post with 16 homemade lanolin skin care recipes that can help to protect your skin all winter long.

Created as a dupe to the clariSEA Deep Pore Detox Activated Charcoal Exfoliating Mask, my activated charcoal detox mask recipe draws out impurities, clears up blackheads and removes excess oil for reduced breakouts and faster healing times.

You can find more face mask recipes on Soap Deli News blog here.

My foaming salt scrub recipe makes showering all the more fun! Not only is this skin care recipe super easy to make but it can also be customized with your favorite scent! Just melt, pour and mix ingredients for a foaming salt scrub that gently exfoliates as it lathers and cleanses like soap!

My homemade lavender and orange scented magnesium and arnica body butter recipe is great for everyday aches, pains and bruises. I created this recipe for my grandmother who has been in out of the hospital a lot this past year and has endured quite a few nasty bruises from IV’s. Arnica has been traditionally used to treat bruises while magnesium is key to offering some relief from aches and pains.

If you like this recipe you may also like my non-greasy lavender body butter recipe, my simple 3-ingredient pain relief massage oil recipe, my chocolate lavender pain relief salve recipe and my homemade ginger salve recipe for sore muscles.

My ultimate detox salt bar recipe is another one of my favorite skin care recipes. This homemade soap recipe combines pink Himalayan salt with coconut derived activated charcoal for the ultimate detox salt bath! Superfatted at 20%, this detox salt bar recipe also contains coconut oil, castor oil, safflower oil and mango butter for lather and conditioning.

If you’ve never made cold process soap before, you can find a tutorial on how to make cold process soap from scratch here.

If you love customizing your own eyeshadow colors then this easy cream eyeshadow recipe is right up your alley! It requires just three ingredients to make your own beautiful and highly pigmented cream eyeshadows that offer both a smooth application and lasting results.

If you’re interested in eyeshadows and beauty products you can buy rather than DIY, be sure to check out my Bath & Beauty board on Pinterest.

And last, but certainly not least, is my luxury double butter soap recipe. This low cleansing homemade soap contains high percentages of both cocoa butter and shea butter that’s perfect for dry winter skin. There are both palm and palm free versions of this soap recipe.

You can find more of my palm free soap recipes here.

I hope you have as much fun recreating my beauty and skin care recipes as I had making them! Thank you all for your encouragement and readership throughout the past year. I hope to share even more with you in 2017!

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