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Lip Gloss Recipe with a Pop of Color for Fresh Summer Looks

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April 18, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon Leave a Comment

Learn how to make this natural lip gloss recipe for a fresh fun way to add a pop of color to your summer look. Tinted with shimmering mica pigment powder, this homemade lip gloss recipe looks stunning solo or over your favorite lipstick. Scent yours with natural essential oils or add some fun with a jelly donut or watermelon flavor oil.

A few months back I fell in love with some scrapbooking embellishment stickers. They were shaped like donuts and covered with glitter. I bought them at the time thinking they’d be super cute for handmade soap gifts. I was planning to wrap ribbon around the soap and then accent the ribbons with donuts. While I still think that’s a great idea, I love the way the stickers looked on little lip balm jars and tins. So I decided to make a donut inspired lip gloss recipe to add to my list of donut skin care recipes.

Ingredients Used In Natural Lip Gloss

Unlike my homemade lip balm recipes, my natural lip gloss recipe combines two waxes to give lips shine. While castor oil is commonly used for this purpose, I found that the combination of candelilla wax and cera bellina wax worked even better. I love that this lip gloss isn’t sticky like some store brand lip glosses. And the punch of color makes this tinted lip gloss look great whether it’s layered over lipstick or worn solo.

Properties of Candelilla Wax

Candelilla wax is a unique odorless plant wax with a high melt point. It’s harvested from the leaves of candelilla shrubs that are native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States. As this wax is extremely hard and brittle, it’s commonly sold as flakes or micro-beads. When mixed with other waxes, it hardens the formulation it’s incorporated into without raising the melting point. Often used in the cosmetics industry for skin care products and lip balms, candelilla wax is also used as a binder in chewing gum. When refined, candelilla wax can reach high levels of brilliance which add to shine when used in lip gloss formulations.

Properties of Cera Bellina Wax

Cera Bellina wax is a hydrophilic derivative of beeswax. It differs from regular beeswax in that it has excellent oil gelling properties. Adding cera bellina wax to lip balms, lotion bars or and emulsion will give the product a smooth, luxurious texture. It’s also a great wax to gel oils or butters with a low wax concentration as a small percentage of the recipe. Because cera bellina’s ability to prevent the crystallization of oils, it also works great as a second emulsifier or thickener in lotion formulations as well as natural beauty serums.

Benefits of Cupuacu Butter

Cupuacu butter is wonderful at hydrating skin and hair, making it a wonderful choice for a moisturizing lip gloss recipe. This natural Brazilian butter can be used solo, or incorporated with other ingredients, for a richly moisturizing lip balm. But don’t stop there. Because cupuacu butter is a humectant, similarly to honey, it is able to attract up to 240% more water. This makes this natural beauty butter especially beneficial to dry skin or chapped lips.

Benefits of Acai Berry Oil

Another natural skin care product from the Brazilian Amazon forest, acai berry oil is a luxe carrier oil that is rich in essential fatty acids. A powerful antioxidant with natural emollient properties, acai berry oil offers a number of benefits when used in skin care formulations. Not only is this carrier oil highly moisturizing, it can also help restore skin elasticity and promote healing of dry, chapped and cracked skin. It’s suitable for all skin types and has been found to help alleviate symptoms of skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. In addition, this oil possesses anti-aging skin care properties. Plus it won’t clog pores!

Ready to get started on my tinted lip gloss recipe? You’ll find the recipe and directions to make it below.

Natural Lip Gloss Recipe

Ingredients:

.5 oz. roasted cocoa butter (Learn more.)
.5 oz. cupuacu butter
.3 oz. candelilla wax
.3 oz. acai berry oil
1.2 oz. sweet almond oil, or other carrier oil of choice
.5 oz. lip safe coral mica powder
.1 oz. cera bellina wax
flavor oil or essential oil blend, of choice

Essential oil blend:

20 drops blood orange essential oil
12 drops amyris essential oil (Learn more.)
8 drops tea tree oil

Lip gloss flavor oil:

.03 – .1 oz. jelly donut flavor oil

Lip Gloss Recipe Instructions:

I recommend using the double boiler method when making my tinted lip gloss recipe. However, you can also use a microwave if desired at 20%-30% power.

Start by weighing out the roasted cocoa butter, cupuacu butter, cera bellina wax and candelilla wax. Combine in a heat safe container and gently heat until all the ingredients have melted.

Once the butters and waxes have melted, remove from heat. Then weigh out the the acai berry oil and stir into the lip gloss mixture.

Now add the essential oils or your choice of flavor oil to suit. Mix well to combine. (It’s important to note that some flavor oils recommend different usage rates so be sure to check with the manufacturer. They can tell you the recommended percentage of flavor oil to use. I’ve provided a range of 1-3% in the above lip gloss recipe.)

Next, weigh out the lip safe mica pigment powder. Stir the mica into the mixture until it is evenly distributed throughout the lip gloss. It should be uniform in color and completely smooth with no clumps.

Now pour your tinted lip gloss into containers of your choice. I used a combination of 1/2 oz. white polypropylene double wall radius jars and 1 oz. metal tins with rolled edge covers. (My natural lip gloss recipe makes approximately five 1 oz. lip glosses.)

If desired, you can then decorate your homemade lip gloss containers for personal use or to give as handmade gifts.

Prefer to use tube lip gloss containers? You can use squeeze tube lip gloss containers as well as clear lip gloss tubes with applicators. Simply use half the amount of candelilla wax called for in my homemade lip gloss recipe.

Experiment with lip gloss recipe flavors & colors.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with my tinted lip gloss recipe! Not only can you mix up the flavor or scent by changing out flavor or essential oils, you can also adjust the shade of your lip gloss as well as the color. For a sheer tint try cutting the amount of mica powder in half. For a richer, more intense lip color, double the amount of mica. And, of course, don’t be afraid to try other lip safe mica powders with this lip gloss recipe.

Learn more about essential oils.

Want to explore essential oils in correlation with beauty and skin care recipes in an easy all-in-kit? Check out the essential oil recipe box from Simply Earth. Each box makes it easy to get started with essential oils and includes simple essential oil recipes and ingredients for home, health and beauty. Order your first essential oil recipe box and get a free bonus supply box with code: SOAPDELIFREE You’ll also receive a $40 discount on your second box.

More Donut Skin Care Recipes

If you like my tinted lip gloss recipe, then be sure to try these other fun donut beauty and skin care recipes. Learn how to make homemade donut soap for DIY gifts as well as exfoliating solid salt scrub bars.

Natural Lip Gloss Recipe with a Pop of Color for Fresh Summer Looks. Learn how to make this natural lip gloss recipe for a fresh fun way to add a pop of color to your summer look. Tinted with shimmering mica pigment powder, this homemade lip gloss recipe looks stunning solo or over your favorite lipstick. Scent yours with natural essential oils or add some fun with a jelly donut or watermelon flavor oil.

Repin it here.

If you like my tinted lip gloss recipe, be sure to save it to your Pinterest boards. In the meantime, you can also keep up with all my newest bath and beauty recipes by following me on Pinterest, Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter to stay updated on new recipes.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: bath and beauty, beauty diy, beauty recipe, cosmetics, gift idea, green beauty, lip balm recipe, lip gloss, lip gloss recipe, lipstick, lipstick recipe, makeup, mineral makeup, natural beauty, stocking stuffers, summer, summer skin care, tinted lip balm

Exfoliating Scalp Scrub Recipe with Bentonite Clay

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April 2, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon Leave a Comment

Build up giving you the hair care blues? Itchy scalp? Drab hair? Give this natural exfoliating scalp scrub recipe with bentonite clay a try! Not only does it remove product buildup on your scalp, it also promotes scalp health and can ease itching and hair fall out.

Formulating a scalp scrub recipe.

I recently mentioned on instagram last week that I was working on a scalp scrub recipe. Having heard others rave, I ventured into developing my own recipe. After first trying a commercial scalp scrub, I came away with doubts. I kept finding grit from the exfoliants in my hair afterwards throughout the course of the day. It wasn’t fun. And I really did (cross my heart) shampoo my hair after using the scrub. Twice in fact.

For my next attempt I tried a homemade scalp scrub recipe from the internet. It consisted primarily of oil and salt. That scalp scrub recipe was a bigger fail than the first. As my hair is normal to oily, I ended up with greasy hair that just looked dirty. Not even dry shampoo could resurrect that disaster. I literally washed my hair three times and still couldn’t get all the oil out. So I worked on creating my own version of a deep cleansing scalp scrub recipe.

My first attempt left my hair greasy feeling. Much like the simple scalp scrub recipe I’d previously tried. The second version was better. It worked fine on Greg’s dry hair without any issue. However, it was still a bit much for my hair type. It did make a really sweet body scrub though. The kind that feels like you just put on lotion.

My initial thought was to use cera bellina wax for sort of a suspension base. As cera bellina forms a gel when combined with carrier oils, my thinking was it would support the addition and equal distribution of both the salt and bentonite clay in my recipe. I was also hoping it would give my scalp scrub recipe more slip. Unfortunately, the wax made the end product feel heavy. It also made it harder to rinse out. Which in end defeated the purpose of removing product build up.

Therefore, on my second attempt, I added witch hazel and an emulsifying wax to try to counteract this. I kept the cera bellina wax. I also used a bit of foaming bath butter to give it a bit of cleansing power. Unfortunately, it still did not favor normal to oily hair. So I scrapped the cera bellina wax completely on my third attempt as it really was too heavy for healthy hair.

My final scalp scrub recipe consisted of more witch hazel as well as foaming bath butter. My thought being that these ingredients would work together to remove build up while also clarifying the scalp. And while the third time’s a charm, that was not so in this case. My emulsion failed (which is 90% of why I don’t make homemade lotion.) I considered a fourth attempt, but to be honest, I was feeling completely burnt out. (I’m sure many of my fellow formulators have felt the same way.)

They say when you get knocked down to get back up and do it again. At some point however, you’re kind of just like F this and stop torturing yourself. I may come back around to an emulsified scalp scrub recipe later down the road. Just not anytime soon. (This is also why you’ll find most bath and beauty artisans aren’t willing to share their recipe formulations. It’s time consuming and can get expensive fast.)

Regardless of my lack of success, I will leave you with more than simply my admission of failure.

Instead I’m sharing two recipes with you. The first is my second attempt at an exfoliating scalp scrub recipe. It’s a great starting point for a salt scrub. And who knows? If you have dry hair you may just dig it for its original intended purpose. I’m also sharing a simple, single use (wax free) scalp scrub recipe. It does basically the same thing I was trying to achieve, but without complicated ingredients or emulsions to contend with.

Keep in mind that as these recipes call for bentonite clay. Therefore you should refrain from using metal utensils and equipment as these deactivate the wonderful detox properties of the clay.

Skin Soothing Salt Scrub/Scalp Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

.2 oz. castor oil
.25 oz. cera bellina wax
.25 oz. jojoba oil
.5 oz. emulsifying wax
1.5 oz. fractionated coconut oil
1 oz. Stephenson’s foaming bath butter
1.5 oz. witch hazel
1 oz. bentonite clay
1.5 oz. fine sea salt
12 drops lemon essential oil
6 drops tea tree essential oil
3 drops peppermint essential oil
3 drops rosemary essential oil
preservative, of choice

Instructions:

I have a full on grocery list of ingredients for this recipe. So I won’t feel bad if you don’t try it. However some of the habitual makers out there probably have everything on hand. In which case you may find you enjoy the thrill of the experiment.

You will need to weigh out all the ingredients for this salt body/scalp scrub recipe.

Weigh out the sea salt and bentonite clay first. Combine in a medium to large glass bowl. Mix to combine then set aside.

Next, weigh out the carrier oils. Then combine the carrier oils with both the cera bellina wax and emulsifying wax in double boiler. Heat until all the ingredients have melted. Then stir in the foaming bath butter until melted.

. . . . .

Tip: Choose carrier oils based on your hair type! Learn more about the unique properties of over 40 different carrier oils in Cari Dunn’s book, Carrier Oils: A beginner’s guide to using over 40 carrier oils in bath and beauty recipes. Buy it here. Or read it free with your kindle unlimited subscription. (If you don’t have a kindle unlimited subscription, you can sign up for a free trial here.)

. . . . .

In the meantime, slowly heat the witch hazel to bring it to the same temperature as the carrier oil and wax mixture. (You will need a digital thermometer for this. This laser thermometer is the absolute bomb for soapmaking and skin care recipes.)

Remove both from heat then pour the witch hazel into the carrier oil and wax mixture. Add the essential oils then mix with an immersion blender or hand mixture for two minutes.

Allow the salt scrub to cool then add your preservative of choice per manufacturer’s recommendations at or below the recommended temperature. (Keep in mind that most preservatives are heat sensitive.) Mix again.

Once the salt scrub starts to thicken, mix in the sea salt and clay mixture. Mix well to ensure all the ingredients are thorough incorporated, then pour into a 4 oz. jar.

To use as a scalp scrub for dry hair, massage onto wet scalp and massage in with your fingertips. Follow with a clarifying shampoo and conditioner.

Alternately, you can use this formulation as a body scrub. Simply massage onto wet skin in the shower in a circular motion. Then rinse off. Your skin will feel like you’ve just put on lotion!

Exfoliating Scalp Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons fine sea salt
1 Tablespoon bentonite clay
1/4 teaspoon citric acid
1 drop each lavender, tea tree & rosemary essential oils
aloe vera gel or witch hazel

Instructions:

Measure out the sea salt, clay and citric acid. Then combine in a small glass bowl.

Add the essential oils, then enough aloe vera gel or witch hazel to form a thin paste.

Massage onto your wet scalp using your fingertips for 1 to 2 minutes. Then wash and condition your hair with a clarifying shampoo.

Explore more hair care recipes.

Not quite sure about the whole scalp scrub thing? You can also make an apple cider vinegar rinse to remove build up on your hair and scalp. My yerba mate hair rinse recipe with apple cider vinegar not only removes product build up, it also helps to strengthen hair and improve luster. You can learn how to make it here.

Alternately, if you have coarse, curly or dry hair, then you’ll love my coffee shine spray recipe. You can find two versions of this recipe – one with and one without silicone – here. Or try my favorite essential oil hair mask recipe with aloe here.

For a healthy alternative to sulfate based shampoos try my sea salt shampoo bar recipe with milk and egg. I also recommend the book, Homemade Natural Hair Care with Essential Oils, for beginner hair care gurus. (It’s also a free read with a kindle unlimited subscription.)

To discover more homemade hair care recipes, be sure to follow my DIY Bath & Body board on Pinterest here.

You can also find and follow me across your favorite social media platforms including Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram so you never miss a post. Or simply sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, beauty hacks, beauty tips, body scrub, body scrub recipe, essential oils, hair care, health and wellness, natural alternative, salt scrub, salt scrub recipe, scalp scrub

Essential Oil Roll On Perfume Recipes (Plus How to Make Your Favorite Scents Last Longer!)

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

March 23, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 7 Comments

Making your own essential oil roll on perfume recipes is a fun way to explore new scents. And while making custom perfume blends can seem daunting, it doesn’t have to be. Keep reading for some of my favorite perfume blends to use throughout the year. Plus learn how to use essential oil fixatives with your favorite fragrances to make your go to scents last even longer.

Natural Essential Oil Perfumes

To be honest, whenever I’ve tried to blend my own combinations of essential oils to create perfume it’s mostly failed. The whole base, middle, top note thing always throws me for a loop. So normally, I’ll buy natural fragrances online either through Etsy or a small artisan perfumery. I tend to fall for earthier fragrances when making a purchase, however I also love bright, fruity scents. The one scent blend I can’t tolerate, unfortunately, is anything with florals. So many florals give me a throbbing headache. (So I’m really not sorry that I never have to make tuberose scented soap again.) The same can be said for fake vanilla.

One of my favorite natural fragrances is Audition by Theater Potion. It contains a sensuous blend of chocolate and patchouli that I love. (And this from the girl who used to think patchouli smelled terrible.) It’s a wonderful mysterious scent with notes not just of chocolate and patchouli, but also coffee (another win!) tobacco, clary sage and cedar. Artfully crafted with a number of natural perfume fixatives (patchouli, cedar and clary sage) this natural fragrance lasts all day, much to my delight.

What are essential oil perfume fixatives?

While blending scents is not my strong suit, using a fixative in perfumery is much easier to understand. So what exactly is a perfume fixative?

Basically, perfume fixatives are materials incorporated into a perfume formulation to slow down the degradation of more volatile oils used in your perfumes. This results in fewer changes to the scent as you wear it. Used in trace amounts, natural essential oil fixatives not only help retain the scent of the perfume by slowing down evaporation rates, they also add their own unique scent note.

You’re likely familiar with perfumes that boast a strong scent straight out of the bottle. However, you’ve found that you’re soon disappointed when that scent fades away faster than expected. A natural perfume fixative can slow down the evaporation rate of more volatile essential oils and fragrances. So they linger longer for your enjoyment.

Which essential oils are fixatives?

If you’re wanting to avoid synthetic fragrances and perfumes, a fixative is essential in making your favorite scents last longer. But which essential oils are used as fixatives in natural perfumery? Following is a list of common plant extract and essential oil fixatives. (Don’t worry if it seems overwhelming! I actually have a simple trick for using a fixative with ANY essential oil roll on perfume – old or new!)

Ambrette Seed oil: Used for its lifting effect, this essential oil is best known for is sweet floral fragrance and musky wine like scent. Often used as a musk substitute, this natural essential oil fixative blends well with rose, neroli, sandalwood, clary sage, cypress, patchouli, oriental and other sophisticated scents. It is best used sparingly.

Amyris essential oil: A common fixative in perfumery, this essential oil is often used as an affordable alternative to sandalwood essential oil. It boasts a rich, warm woody aroma that blends well with a number of other essential oils. Amyris essential oil works best as a natural fixative in milder perfume formulations and blends well with cedarwood, citronella, conifer oils (like balsam fir or pine), cypress, frankincense, geranium, jasmine absolute, lavender, lemon, oakmoss, patchouli, sweet orange, tangerine, ho wood, rose absolute, vetiver, ylang ylang and sandalwood. (Learn more about amyris essential oil and discover recipes to try here.)

Angelica Root essential oil: Used sparingly, this essential oil is best used as a base note fixative. Its scent is sharp, green and herbaceous with peppery overtones and has robust staying power and diffusive qualities. You’ll find it blends well with patchouli, oakmoss, clary sage, vetiver and citrus blends.

Peru Balsam essential oil: A more commonly known essential oil, peru balsam is a wonderful fixative for floral essential oil based perfumes such as rose, heliotrope, magnolia, and lilac. It has a rich, balsamic, sweet vanilla-like undertone and adds a resinous note to a blend in perfumery. You’ll find that the soft aroma of peru balsam essential oil blends well with black pepper, ginger, jasmine, lavender, patchouli, petitgrain, rose, sandalwood and ylang ylang.

Atlas Cedarwood essential oil: Another common (and affordable!) essential oil, atlas cedarwood has a long history of use as incense and perfume. The wood was burned by the Greeks and Romans for its sweet tenacious, woody-balsamic scent with a warm camphor-like top note. This essential oil blends well with a number of essential oils bergamot, chamomile, clary sage, cypress, eucalyptus, jasmine, juniper, lavender, neroli, palmarosa, petitgrain, rosemary, sandalwood, vetiver, ylang ylang and other floral essential oils or bases.

Cistus essential oil: Also known as Labdanum, cistus essential oil is used in natural perfumery for its rich aroma. A naturally strong fixative, its warm, sweet, dry and rich herbaceous fragrance blends well with bergamot, chamomile, clary sage, cypress, frankincense, lavender, juniper, oakmoss, opopanax, patchouli, pine, sandalwood and vetiver.

Clary Sage essential oil: Clary sage has an extensive history in perfumery and works well as a fixative for perfumes of a more delicate bouquet. Its somewhat heavy scent is reminiscent of balsamic,tobacco, sweet hay and tea leaves. Used as a fixative for natural perfumes, clary sage adds a warm note to perfume oil blends. Additionally, you’ll find that clary sage blends well with bay, bergamot, black pepper, cardamom, cedarwood, chamomile, coriander, cypress, frankincense, geranium, grapefruit, jasmine, juniper, lavender, lemon balm, lime, mandarin, patchouli, petitgrain, pine, rose and sandalwood essential oils.

Green Cognac essential oil: A specialty oil for perfumers, cognac essential oil is produced from the wine precipitate known as ‘lees’ – the yeasty residue left at the bottom of oak barrels after the fermentation and aging of Cognac. It’s commonly used to add lift and fresh, fruity natural notes to men’s colognes and aftershave fragrances. However, it’s also a tenacious fixative. Used as a middle note in natural perfume formulations, cognac has a strong fruity yet green herbaceous odor and blends well with ambrette seed, bergamot, clary sage, coriander, neroli, galbanum, jasmine sambac, lavender, lotus pink absolute, rose maroc absolute, rose otto and ylang-ylang.

Frankincense essential oil: Frankincense, like cedarwood essential oil, has a long history of use in incense and other perfumery applications. This oil boasts a fresh, woody, spicy, balsamic fragrance with a citrus top note. When used with citrus blends, frankincense modifies the sweetness of the scent in a unique way. Commonly used in conjunction with heavier fragrances, this natural essential oil and fixative blends well with basil, black pepper, bergamot, galbanum, geranium, grapefruit, lavender, orange, melissa, neroli, patchouli, vetiver, sandalwood and other spice oils.

Galbanum essential oil: Galbanum essential oil also has a long history of use as incense. While the resin may be burned, the oil is often used as a natural essential oil fixative in perfumes. A wonderful modifier with a fresh, woody, spicy and balsamic damp woods scent, this essential oil blends beautifully with lavender, oakmoss, fir, elemi, jasmine, liquidambar, frankincense, palmarosa, geranium, ginger, rose, verbena and ylang-ylang.

Myrrh essential oil: A common fixative in the fragrance industry, myrrh essential oil has a dry, creamy and resinous aroma. Think smoky woody or warm sweet balsamic with a slightly spicy medicinal odor. You’ll find that myrrh is an excellent fixative for heavy floral essential oil perfume blends. It’s especially nice when blende with violet, white rose, and lavender. However this essential oil also works well with frankincense, sandalwood, oakmoss, cypress, juniper, mandarin, geranium, patchouli, thyme, mints and spice oils.

Oakmoss absolute: Extracted from the lichen that grows on oak trees, oak moss has a heavy earthy, bark like aroma. Its tenacious fragrance has a high fixative value and blends well with most other oils to add body and rich natural undertones. However, this oil is particularly nice when mixed with anise, bay, bergamot, clary sage, eucalyptus, ginger, lavender, lime, orange, palmarosa, tea tree, vetiver or ylang ylang.

Orris Root essential oil: Orris root essential oil has an extensive history of use in perfumery dating back to the 1700s. Prior to that, however, the root was used by ancient Egyptians as a body spice, incense and perfume. Its delicate aroma boasts a sweet floral woody scent that blends well with carnation, cassie, cedarwood, bergamot, vetiver, cypress, geranium, mimosa, labdanum, clary sage, rose, violet and other floral based oils.

Patchouli essential oil: Best known as an incense and base note in perfumery, patchouli essential oil possesses a strong, rich earthy odor that is considered to improve with age. It can be used in oriental bouquets as well as natural blends that contain bergamot, black pepper, cassie, cedarwood, cinnamon, clary sage, clove, elemi, frankincense, galbanum, geranium, ginger, jasmine, labdanum, lavender, lemongrass, myrrh, neroli, oakmoss, orris, rose, rosewood, sandalwood or vetiver.

Sandalwood essential oil: Sandalwood also has a long history of usage in natural perfumery. However, as traditional Indian Sandalwood has been considered a vulnerable species since 1998 due to disease, fire and exploitation through illegal activity. Australian Sandalwood represents an ecologically responsible alternative to traditional Indian Sandalwood. Sandalwood essential oil is a base note with a soft, woody balsamic and extremely tenacious aroma. It blends well with violet note perfumes in addition to bergamot, black pepper, cassie, clove, geranium, jasmine, labdanum, lavender, myrrh, oakmoss, patchouli, rose, rosewood, tuberose, and vetiver.

Vanilla absolute: A staple in natural essential oil perfumery, vanilla absolute, this base note boasts a rich, sweet, balsamic and vanilla-like aroma. A staple in the fragrance industry, this natural fixative lends an unrivaled richness and depth to a variety of sweet-floral or heavy amber bases. Additionally, this absolute blends beautifully with sandalwood, vetiver, balsams and spice oils as well as cassie, lavandin and lavender for a unique addition to your essential oil roll on perfume recipes. (Tip: Benzoin resin oil is a cost effective replacement for vanilla in essential oil roll on perfume recipes.)

Vetiver essential oil: Vetiver has had a multitude of uses over the years. In addition to natural perfumery, this essential oil has also been used to scent fabric. While vetiver root is often woven into baskets, mats and window coverings. Its scent is best described as woody, earthy and heavy with sweet undertones. You’ll find that vetiver blends well with frankincense, patchouli, oakmoss, sandalwood, violet, ylang-ylang, galbanum, geranium, jasmine, lavender, clary sage, cassie and rose.

Violet Leaf absolute: This pleasant green absolute is widely used in the perfumery industry for its grassy cucumber-like scent. Its dry, strong, fresh green leaf odor has a subtle floral undertone. Even in when used in low concentrations it offers tremendous diffusion and adds elegance to certain floral blends such as hyacinth, muguet and high-class chypres. This natural plant extract blends beautifully with sandalwood, frankincense, lavender, rose, jasmine, tuberose, clary sage, cumin, basil and most citrus oils.

An easy way to start using fixatives with your natural essential oil roll on perfumes.

If you’re still gun shy about incorporating fixatives into your natural essential oil roll on perfume blends, don’t worry. You don’t have to come with your own recipes. Nor do you need to invest in expensive essential oils you may use only once or twice. There’s actually an easier, more affordable way to add a fixative to your existing stash of fragrances! How? By purchasing a pre-made natural perfume fixative.

Wild Veil Perfume sells an entire line of ready made perfume fixatives. They come in little tins like lip balms or salves, with a similar consistency. Formulated ahead of time so there’s no guesswork, you simply apply a perfume fixative to pulse points before adding your favorite essential oil roll on perfume or fragrance.

What is basically a primer for natural essential oil based perfume and colognes, Wild Veil Perfume’s creamy fixative compounds contain their own fragrance composed exclusively of base notes, in an organic emulsion of raw beeswax, cold pressed natural oils, and unrefined, raw butters. Available in an extensive variety of base notes, these fixatives not only slow down the evaporation rate of your favorite perfumes, they double as a moisturizer. Simply apply and wear them alone or in layers with your favorite essential oil roll on perfumes.

Essential Oil Roll On Perfume Recipes

Now that you know the secret to making your natural fragrances last longer, why not try a few essential oil roll on perfume recipes? Following are a few of my favorite essential oil roll on perfume recipes. To make your custom fragrances, simply add the essential oils directly to a 10 mL roller ball bottle. Then fill the remainder of the bottle with fractionated coconut oil or jojoba oil. (Be sure to leave room at the top for the roller ball.) Shake and enjoy! (This essential oil mixing kit makes it easy to get started.)

Grapefruit Citrus Crush Essential Oil Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

10 drops grapefruit essential oil
5 drops lemongrass essential oil
2 drops peppermint essential oil
1 drop frankincense essential oil

Pumpkin Spice Essential Oil Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

4 drops cinnamon essential oil
4 drops fresh ginger essential oil
4 drops nutmeg essential oil
3 drops clove bud essential oil
1 drop cardamom essential oil

Rose Blossom Essential Oil Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

6 drops rose absolute
4 drops Peru balsam essential oil
2 drop frankincense essential oil
2 drop sandalwood essential oil

Tropical Fruit Essential Oil Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

4 drops mandarin essential oil
4 drops ylang ylang essential oil
2 drop fresh ginger essential oil
2 drop pink pepper essential oil

Lovely Lavender Essential Oil Roll on Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

4 drops amyris essential oil
4 drops lavender essential oil
2 drop peppermint essential oil
2 drop juniper essential oil

Where to buy essential oil perfumes.

As with even commercial synthetic fragrance blends, perfumes comes with a cost. And investing in the essential oils to make your own can get expensive fast unless you’re slowing growing your collection over time. If you’re not ready to dive into a huge investment, you can buy a wide array of essential oil artisan perfumes to fit your unique tastes. Following are some of my favorite essential oil perfumes from artisan perfumers.

The collection of essential oil perfumes from Two Bird Perch are perfect for anyone moving toward living a natural green lifestyle. I’m currently crushing on their “Quirky” essential oil roll on perfume. A natural blend of patchouli, bergamot and sweet orange, this blend can enhance mood, alleviate stress and promote happiness. You can discover this light, uplifting and unique scent for yourself by visiting their Etsy shop here.

Or try one of fifteen unique, natural fragrance blends from LVNEA. Their best selling natural perfume sampler is an affordable way to explore a wide array of natural scents. You may also be interested in the perfume sampler set from Barefoot Apothecary. For even more essential oil perfume options, visit my collection of favorite, natural artisan perfumeries and fragrances here.

For more natural bath and beauty recipes, follow Soap Deli News on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, diy, essential oil blend, essential oil recipes, essential oils, fragrance, natural alternative, perfume, perfume fixatives, perfume making, perfume oil, perfume recipe, perfumery, scent

Natural Skin Care Recipes for Bath & Beauty

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

March 21, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 28 Comments

Learn how to make your own non-toxic natural skin care recipes for everyday beauty! Three simple recipes for crafting a homemade coffee scrub, lip balm and foot soak. All with natural ingredients that you can find in your kitchen. Plus discover more homemade beauty recipes in the book, Spa Apothecary: Natural Bath & Beauty Recipes, by Stasie McArthur.

Making Natural Skin Care Recipes

I started making my own bath and body products not long after graduating from college. It started with a simple brown sugar scrub, much like the original they sold at Bath & Body Works at the mall. Melt and pour soaps soon followed. I made a lot of mistakes when starting out. Even on simple projects like melt and pour soap.

I once added too much cocoa butter to a soap base resulting in zero lather. I added dried lavender buds to another. They quickly turned brown and looked a lot like mouse poop. And while the internet is filled with a plethora of natural skin care recipes, access to reliable recipes and projects wasn’t quite the same as it is today.

I’ve found that doing your research for skin care or soap making projects beforehand can really make a difference. It saves you not just time, but money as well. After all, no one wants to make something just to have to chuck it in the waste bin.

Spa Apothecary: Natural Bath & Beauty Recipes

I’ve never really been one of those people that can afford a regular trip to the spa. So making my own spa worthy skin care products is the perfect substitute. Not only do I enjoy a quality spa experience at home, but I’m always learning something new.

If you’re ready to start your own beauty adventure, then be sure to check out Spa Apothecary: Natural Bath & Beauty Recipes. A natural skin care recipes book by Stasie McArthur, this book is the perfect introduction to making natural skin care products at home.

You can find most, if not all, of the ingredients you need for Stasie’s natural skin care recipes at your local grocery store or co-op. So you don’t have to fool with investing a lot of money in specialty ingredients you can only find online. Her recipes also make it easy to avoid costly beginner mistakes. You’ll discover not only how simple and affordable it is to unwind at home, but you’ll also learn a new craft. All without an expensive trip to the spa.

Ready to make your own natural skin care products but aren’t sure where to start? Then this book is perfect for you! Inside you’ll find a variety of natural skin care recipes to make at home in addition to helpful tips and information about the ingredients used. Plus, you’ll also discover little quips about the author’s life and friends along the way.

Natural Skin Care Recipes for Bath & Beauty

Keep reading to discover three natural skin care recipes from the book, Spa Apothecary. Then be sure to purchase a copy of Spa Apothecary to learn how you can make the switch to a healthy natural skin care routine!

Energizing Coffee Body Scrub Recipe

Yields 4 to 6 uses.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup fresh ground coffee
1/2 cup sugar (raw, brown or white)
3/4 cup carrier oil (almond, coconut, jojoba or olive oil)
3 to 4 vitamin E softgels

Directions:

Combine the coffee, sugar and carrier oil in a large glass mixing bowl. Mix until all ingredients are thoroughly combined.

Next, puncture the vitamin E softgels (just like the supplements you take to support healthy hair and skin!) and mix into the coffee scrub.

Spoon the coffee scrub into a mason jar or similar container for storage.

To use simply massage onto damp skin, then rinse off.

Natural Lip Balm Recipe

Yields approximately 30 uses.

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. organic shea butter
1 Tbsp. sweet almond oil
1/2 Tbsp. natural beeswax pellets
1/2 tsp. raw or manuka honey
1 tsp. organic pineapple extract for flavoring (optional)

Directions:

You’ll use the double boiler method to make this natural lip balm recipe. To do this, fill a pan with about two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium.

Now mix together the shea butter, sweet almond oil, beeswax pellets and honey in a small glass jar. Gently place the jar into the pan of water, gently stirring the ingredients as they melt.

Once melted, mix again to ensure all ingredients are evenly combined. Then remove from heat and stir in the flavoring.

Finally, pour the lip balm into large lip balm pots such as metal tins or low profile jars. Once your lip balm has cooled and is fully solidify, it’s ready to be used.

Homemade Foot Soak Recipe

Yields a single use.

Ingredients:

1 cup Epsom salt
1/4 cup baking soda
3 cups warm water
1/4 cup raw honey
Juice from 1 lime
Lime pieces

Directions:

Add the Epsom salt, baking soda and water to a foot basin.

Then stir in the honey, lime juice and lime pieces.

Soak your feet in the bath soak for 20-30 minutes, then remove and pat dry.

Discover More Natural Skin Care Recipes

Ready to get your feet wet and start making your own natural skin care recipes? Then check out Stasie McArthur’s book, Spa Apothecary: Natural Bath & Beauty Recipes, to get started today!

For more natural skin care recipes and project ideas, you can follow Soap Deli News on Blog Lovin‘, facebook, twitter and instagram. Or sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Health & Wellness, Lifestyle Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, bath tutorial, beauty book, body scrub recipe, book review, coffee body scrub, diy, easy, foot soak, health and wellness, how to make lip balm, lip balm recipe, natural beauty, natural skin care

DIY Candy Bark Homemade Bath Melts with Real Honey & Cocoa Butter

I may receive compensation from links on this site. See my disclosure policy.

February 3, 2019 By Rebecca D. Dillon 8 Comments

Designed to look like candy bark, these homemade bath melts are made with real honey and cocoa butter for a lush bath experience! These are perfect for when you need to take some time out for much needed self care. Or make and give these cocoa butter & honey homemade bath melts as unique homemade gifts throughout the year.

Inspired by Glitter & Candy Bark

I love glitter. I mean I REALLY love glitter. It’s not everyday, however, that I’m able to use glitter in one of my projects. So, I may have slightly overcompensated for that with this recipe. When I was formulating these homemade bath melts, I figured at some point I’d end up with glitter in my coffee. That didn’t happen. It actually ended up in Greg’s coffee instead – two days after the fact. (Reminding us once again that yes, glitter is the herpes of the craft world.)

Should glitter vex you, don’t worry. It’s easy to avoid. You can use real candy sprinkles for the “sparkle” on these homemade bath melts in its place. Alternately, if you have concerns about the environment, be sure to use eco-friendly biodegradable glitter. It’s what I used for this project. After all, there’s more than enough plastic floating around in the ocean.

Continuous remnants of glitter aside, I did run into a few snags when creating my DIY candy bark homemade bath melts. Initially I ran into issues due to the mold design. I chose this silicone bee mold for this DIY because I thought it would make my homemade bath melts look like candy bark. However, I had to use more ingredients in particular this mold than I’d originally anticipated. The reason? I just couldn’t get my homemade bath melts out of the mold in one piece.

I wasn’t ready to give up on my idea of making my homemade bath melts look like candy bark however. I’ve been so inspired by all the DIY candy bark I’ve run across lately, the idea had firmly attached itself to the inner cortex of my brain. I’ve seen such creative designs and ideas. So I tweaked my homemade bath melts recipe. And then I tweaked it again. On my fourth try, I finally got it right. And while my cocoa butter & honey homemade bath melts may not look completely like candy bar, they do still resemble candy. More importantly, however, they make it out of the mold in one piece.

The other challenge for this project was incorporating the honey into my homemade bath melts recipe. I REALLY wanted to use actual raw honey for this recipe. The problem however, is that honey is aqueous. While cocoa butter, on the other hand, is basically an oil in solid form. Since oil and water don’t mix, I realized I needed to use an emulsifier for this project. It took some doing to figure out the best way to get the two to mix, but I found the perfect solution in the end.

In the end, I was able to pull my candy bark inspired bath melts together. The glitter being the icing on the cake. Keep reading to learn how to make my candy bark homemade bath melts for your own bath time ritual. Plus discover the perfect substitution for honey if you find you’re all together fed up with using honey as a crafting medium. (I promise it’s not ear wax.)

Cocoa Butter & Honey Homemade Bath Melts Recipe

Tips & Tricks for Making Homemade Bath Melts:

You’ll want to use a double boiler to melt the ingredients in this recipe. This will prevent your cocoa butter from becoming grainy. If you don’t have a double boiler, you can use a glass measuring cup in a pan of water. Alternately, you may also melt your ingredients in a microwave at 30% power.

It’s important to emulsify the honey with the other ingredients in this recipe. Otherwise, you’ll end up with honey in the “design” part of the mold. It won’t look pretty and it’s a mess to clean up. If you’ve struggled with honey before, I understand. You can substitute the honey in this homemade bath melts recipe with lanolin for easy sailing.

The honey fragrance oil I used for this recipe is crazy strong. Thus I used less than I would with other fragrance oils. If you are easily bothered by strong fragrances, skip this scent and pick a favorite instead. I also recommend cocoa absolute for this recipe with a bit of coffee essential oil blended in.

Refined shea butter does make a difference in recipes. As does high melt point shea butter. The melting point of shea butter ranges dramatically. Refined high melt point shea butter has a melting point between 104°F-113°F. While the melting point of unrefined shea butter ranges from 89°F-100°F. Which is why when you make substitutions for refined butter with unrefined butters in your natural skin care recipes, they don’t always perform as expected. Therefore, if you choose to use unrefined shea butter, you’ll want to experiment with bumping up the emulsifying wax to get the perfect fit.

Because this homemade bath melts recipe is designed to melt in warm bath water, it has a low melting point. Therefore I recommend making this recipe during the winter months. Outside of this, I do not recommend trying this project unless you are able to store them in a climate controlled location of 75°F or less.

You don’t have to use a clear melt and pour soap base for the honey drizzle on your cocoa butter & honey homemade bath melts. Try using a white melt and pour soap base instead for higher contrast and to make it look more like icing.

Instructions:

I highly recommend reading through the instructions for my homemade bath melts before you begin. Once you have all your materials, begin by weighing out the cocoa butter and high melt point shea butter. Place the cocoa butter and shea butter in a double boiler and heat until melted over medium-low heat.

In the meantime, also weigh out the emulsifying wax and honey. Heat separately, using the double boiler method, over medium-low heat until melted. Stir to combine.

Once the cocoa/shea butter and the separate honey and emulsifying wax mixture have both melted, remove from heat. Briefly mix the honey and emulsifying wax for about a minute using an immersion blender.

Now combine the melted cocoa/shea butter with the honey and emulsifying wax mixture. Mix together with an immersion blender for 1-2 minutes.

Lightly dust the inside of your bee mold with fine cosmetic glitter, if desired. (You can also dust glitter onto your homemade bath melts once they’re unmolded.)

Place the mold onto a cutting board or similar. Then pour the homemade bath melts mixture into the mold. Carefully transport the mold to your freezer, using the cutting board to support the mold.

Allow the homemade bath to harden for several hours. (I recommend resisting the urge to remove your bath melts from the mold sooner. I was impatient and did this only to find that the bath melts in the center had not completely hardened.)

Once your cocoa butter & honey homemade bath melts have solidified, remove them from the freezer. Then carefully remove them from the mold. (These are somewhat tricky to get out of the mold. I recommend pulling the mold away from your bath melts very gently working your way around the outside toward the center. If you go slow, it should all stay in one piece.)

If desired, you can brush additional glitter onto your bath melts. Glitter can also be used to cover any imperfections where small pieces may not have come out of the mold cleanly.

Once you’ve removed the homemade bath melts from the freezer, you can make the honey drizzle for the decoration. You’ll want to pour this onto your homemade bath melts while they are still cold. This way, the warm melt and pour soap base won’t melt your bath melts prematurely.

To make the honey drizzle, weigh out the shea butter and melt and pour soap base. Combine in a glass measuring cup. Then heat in the microwave (or in a double boiler) at 30% power until melted. Add a small chunk for a sparkle color bar (alternately you can use mica) to the melted soap base. (I used a brown sparkle color bar for this step.) If desired, you may also stir in some additional glitter. I added a bit of biodegradable gold glitter to mine. Mix well to combine.

Once the soap base cools slightly, pour the base across the DIY candy bark homemade bath melts as desired. Then dust chunky biodegradable glitter into the melted soap. I used chunky bubblegum and chunky turquoise glitters for this step.

You can then repeat the process in the opposite direction using a different color.

My second pass across my bath melts, I mixed a small chunk from a crimson sparkle color bar into my container with the melted soap base. I reheated the soap base slightly first, then mixed in the color. Once the new color was completely combined into the soap base, I then poured the soap across the first pass at a different angle. I followed with more chunky glitter.

Once the soap base I’d poured on my homemade bath melts had solidified, I then used a Chef’s knife to remove the bath melts from the cutting board.

You’re DIY candy bark homemade bath melts are now ready to be packaged as desired for personal use or gifting.

To use your homemade bath melts, simply break off the desired amount and add to warm running bath water.

What To Do With the Leftover Soap Base

You can use the remaining soap base leftover from the honey drizzle to create solid sugar scrub bars. Simply remelt the soap base, then stir in sugar.

I recommend using just enough to thicken the melt soap base, but not so much that it doesn’t still pour smoothly.

Then simply pour the remaining base into individual cavities of the mold. Allow to harden, then remove.

To use your solid sugar scrub bars, simply massage onto damp skin the bath or shower, then rinse off.

More Homemade Bath Recipes to Try

If you enjoyed my DIY candy bark homemade bath melts recipe, then you may also enjoy some of my other homemade bath recipes. Following are my other homemade bath melts recipes as well as a few DIY’s for making DIY solid sugar scrubs.

Homemade Bath Melts Recipes

Solid Sugar Scrub Recipes

Now that you’ve made your own homemade bath melts, learn how to make more great giftable bath, beauty and soap recipes! Sign up for my semi-weekly newsletter to receive updates when new recipes are available. You can also follow me on Pinterest, facebook and instagram.

Filed Under: Bath & Beauty Recipes, Homemade Gift Ideas Tagged With: bath and beauty, bath and body, bath melt recipe, bath melts, bath tutorial, cocoa butter, crafts, diy, eco-friendly, gift idea, glitter, homemade gift, honey, solid sugar scrub cubes

Lip Gloss Recipe with a Pop of Color for Fresh Summer Looks

Ingredients Used In Natural Lip Gloss

Properties of Candelilla Wax

Properties of Cera Bellina Wax

Benefits of Cupuacu Butter

Benefits of Acai Berry Oil

Natural Lip Gloss Recipe

Ingredients:

Essential oil blend:

Lip gloss flavor oil:

Lip Gloss Recipe Instructions:

Experiment with lip gloss recipe flavors & colors.

Learn more about essential oils.

More Donut Skin Care Recipes

Exfoliating Scalp Scrub Recipe with Bentonite Clay

Formulating a scalp scrub recipe.

Skin Soothing Salt Scrub/Scalp Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

Instructions:

. . . . .

. . . . .

Exfoliating Scalp Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

Instructions:

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Essential Oil Roll On Perfume Recipes (Plus How to Make Your Favorite Scents Last Longer!)

Natural Essential Oil Perfumes

What are essential oil perfume fixatives?

Which essential oils are fixatives?

An easy way to start using fixatives with your natural essential oil roll on perfumes.

Essential Oil Roll On Perfume Recipes

Grapefruit Citrus Crush Essential Oil Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Spice Essential Oil Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

Rose Blossom Essential Oil Perfume Recipe

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Tropical Fruit Essential Oil Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

Lovely Lavender Essential Oil Roll on Perfume Recipe

Ingredients:

Where to buy essential oil perfumes.

Natural Skin Care Recipes for Bath & Beauty

Making Natural Skin Care Recipes

Spa Apothecary: Natural Bath & Beauty Recipes

Natural Skin Care Recipes for Bath & Beauty

Energizing Coffee Body Scrub Recipe

Ingredients:

Directions:

Natural Lip Balm Recipe

Ingredients:

Directions:

Homemade Foot Soak Recipe

Ingredients:

Directions:

Discover More Natural Skin Care Recipes

DIY Candy Bark Homemade Bath Melts with Real Honey & Cocoa Butter

Inspired by Glitter & Candy Bark

Cocoa Butter & Honey Homemade Bath Melts Recipe

Ingredients for Homemade Bath Melts:

Ingredients for Honey Drizzle:

Supplies & Tools:

Tips & Tricks for Making Homemade Bath Melts:

Instructions:

What To Do With the Leftover Soap Base

More Homemade Bath Recipes to Try

Homemade Bath Melts Recipes

Solid Sugar Scrub Recipes