In this article, you’ll learn how to make 3 DIY skin care products you didn’t know you could make including the best homemade deodorant stick (that really works!) healthy hair gel, and DIY makeup remover wipes. Each of these natural beauty products includes unique essential oil recipes that you won’t find anywhere else.
I don’t know about you, but healthy skin a big priority when it comes to my overall self-care routine, how I perceive myself, and how I want to present myself to the world. After all, your skin is the largest organ in your body. Let’s take care of it, shall we?
Besides using my ultra-moisturizing body butter recipe and caffeine-infused eye serum, I’ve been experimenting with a few DIY skin care products that are finally perfected and tweaked enough to share. Each one is packed with nutrient-dense ingredients, absolutely zero fillers, and can be made with minimal ingredients.
Today’s DIY skin care products each contain specific essential oils to further enhance their healing effects. Contrary to popular opinion, not all essential oils are the same. Sometimes, they can even contain the same pesticides and toxins we are trying to avoid by making our own beauty products. That’s why I love saving money by getting mine from Young Living.
The only problem is, quality oils can also be expensive. That’s why I recommend saving money by getting a starter kit. You get tons and tons of essential oils (including Lavender, Lemon, Peppermint, & Frankincense which I use in these recipes) for far less than retail prices and save even more money on future orders down the road. There’s no long term commitment, surprise membership fees, and you don’t have to sell them to your friends… unless you want to.
3 DIY Skin Care Products Video Tutorial
How To Make A Homemade Deodorant Stick
Truth be told, deodorant in particular kind of freaks me out. The way we pack it full of toxins and chemicals that have been linked to cancer and Alzheimer’s is insane to me. But when healthy options are messy or just ineffective, it’s hard to feel like you have many options to begin with.
Since my sister passed away from breast cancer, I am so much more aware of the cancer-causing toxins we put in our body every day. This article on Cancer.gov explains exactly how antiperspirants link to cancers and is a pretty eye-opening read.
But, when I began using natural deodorants in the store, I was frustrated by how expensive and ineffective they were.
So, I did a little research…
I tweaked and played with several ingredients and recipes and am proud to say that this non-toxic deodorant recipe is the easiest, most effective homemade deodorant stick I’ve found so far. At the time of this writing, I’ve been using this deodorant recipe for well over a year with great results. It glides on the same as a traditional deodorant stick, is detoxifying for your skin, and doesn’t require any special application. Now I get to share it with you!
The thing I love most about this non-toxic deodorant recipe is that every ingredient is there on purpose. There are no fillers, crazy stuff, or useless additives. Even the essential oils we’ll use as fragrance have antibacterial properties to combat odor-causing bacteria. Here’s a breakdown of each ingredient and why it’s important:
Why Each Ingredient Matters
Coconut Oil:
Did you know that coconut oil is antibacterial? We’ve loved it’s moisturizing and cleansing abilities for years but had no idea is actually protects against odor-causing bacteria!
Beeswax:
If you’ve ever had razor burn on your armpits, beeswax is your secret best friend. It’s anti-inflammatory properties help wounds heal faster. It also contains Vitamin A, (which is great for skin) creates a healing barrier for your skin without clogging pores, and gives your deodorant stick more stability so it forms a more uniform stick.
Baking Soda:
Chances are, if you looked in your grandma’s fridge as a kid, you would find an open box of baking soda. It was there simply because it helped keep odors away. Baking Soda really is a great antibacterial that is also a mild exfoliant for your skin. It can also shrink pores to reduce sweat naturally without clogging pores.
Corn Starch:
After all the shaving and damaging deodorants of the past, our underarms sure could use a little extra love. That’s why corn starch is included in this recipe. Corn Starch is an excellent natural remedy for skin irritations. It calms and soothes irritated, sensitive skin while simultaneously giving your deodorant stick a more solid texture.
Bentonite Clay:
While every ingredient in this deodorant recipe is valuable, Bentonite clay just may be the biggest player. Bentonite Clay absorbs odors (similar to Baking Soda) but also absorbs toxins from your skin by creating a leaching effect around your underarm lymph nodes. This is where so many toxins are stored. It also effectively eliminates chaffing by soothing your skin. All of these qualities make Bentonite Clay a must for this natural deodorant recipe but the most impressive of them all is this: It actually extracts existing aluminum from the skin.
Yup. Adding Bentonite Clay to your deodorant actually reverses the damage left behind from past deodorants. Magic right?
Lavender Essential Oil:
Last but not least, we’re going to make the entire thing smell incredible with some Lavender essential oil. Lavender calms the mind and reduces stress, but also plays a powerful role in your underarm health. Lavender Essential Oil also kills odor-causing bacteria, reduces inflammation, and unclogs pores. These qualities make it the perfect ingredient to make a well rounded, impactful natural deodorant recipe. I get my best essential oils here.
Homemade Deodorant Stick Ingredients:
*Makes 4 full-size deodorant sticks
- 1 cup Organic Coconut Oil
- 1/2 cup Beeswax Pellets
- 6 tsp Baking Soda
- 6 tsp Corn Starch
- 2 tbsp Bentonite Clay
- 30 drops Lavender Essential Oil
You will also need several empty deodorant cases. I save and recycle mine but if you don’t have any on hand, I recommend these Empty Cardboard Deodorant Containers
How To Make A Homemade Deodorant Stick In 5 Steps
- Mix all the ingredients into a ceramic/glass bowl
- Microwave for 10 seconds at a time, stirring with a wooden spoon until all the ingredients are completely melted together
- Let cool for roughly ten minutes, or until the mixture is still pourable yet thicker in consistency.
- Pour into an empty deodorant mold.
- Let cool and harden completely before using it.
DIY Makeup Remover Wipes
After a long day, there is nothing better than having a one-step makeup remover that actually moisturizes your skin. These easy-to-make DIY makeup remover wipes contain multifunctional Frankincense oil that helps moisturize, clean, and even repair damage. I store mine in a recycled candle tin with a lid and use standard cotton rounds.
Why Each Ingredient Matters
Rosehip Oil
Rosehip Oil has been used for centuries to heal wounds, reduce scarring, and soften the appearance of wrinkles. It’s loaded with essential fatty acids and antioxidants, which are mandatory for cell and tissue regeneration. It’s also intensely moisturizing for even the driest or most sensitive skin.
Castile Soap
Castile soap is made completely from sensitive-skin-friendly plant oils. These natural oils can effectively deep clean your pores with their antibacterial agents, helping clean your skin without drying it out. It’s the perfect base for even the most sensitive skin.
Frankincense Essential Oil
Frankincense Essential oil softens wrinkles and lifts and tightens your skin to stop/reverse the signs of aging. Because it’s also a powerful astringent, it helps reduce acne blemishes and the appearance of large pores. It also may help fight cancers. According to Healthline, “test-tube research shows that frankincense oil may be able to distinguish cancer cells from normal ones, killing only the cancerous ones….. The boswellic acids it contains might prevent cancer cells from spreading”
DIY Makeup Remover Wipes Ingredients
- 1/3 cup water
- 2 Tbsp Rosehip Oil
- 1 Tsp Castile Liquid Soap
- 10 drops Frankincense Essential Oil
- Tin or glass container with lid
- Cotton Rounds
How To Make DIY Makeup Remover Wipes In 3 Steps
- Combine the water, Rosehip Oil, Castile Soap, and Essential Oils together in a glass bowl by stirring.
- Place cotton rounds inside your container.
- Pour the mixture from your glass bowl over your cotton rounds and into the container. Close with a lid and store at room temperature.
How To Make Healthy Hair Gel
Before I began making my own DIY skin care products, I had no idea how many creepy additives were in the stuff I use every day. For example, did you know that most hair gels actually contain alcohol? Alcohol is super effective at drying out your hair and causing breakage but is added to common hair care products to expand their shelf-life.
But this natural beauty recipe will walk you through how to make a simple healthy hair gel without a single hair-damaging ingredient. Like the other natural body products we’ve covered in this article, everything has effective, hair-loving properties that your hair and scalp will thank you for.
Why Each Ingredient Is Important
Gelatin
Gelatin is a protein product created by cooking collagen. It is made of 98-99% protein according to Healthline. Do you know what else is made primarily of proteins? Yup. You guessed it. Hair is made mostly of proteins called keratin, which can become damaged and brittle when it becomes deficient. By using plain gelatin as a base for our hair gel, we create structure and hold while simultaneously strengthening our hair with each style.
Aloe Vera Gel
Just like aloe vera gel heals your skin, rubbing it into your hair and scalp and letting it set will penetrate the follicles and actually heal dry, damaged hair. It’s intensely moisturizing and healing with a small-enough cell structure to penetrate and heal each strand.
Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is a century-old, natural way to help your hair grow longer, thicker, and faster. The vitamins and essential fatty acids naturally found in coconut oil nourish the scalp and help to remove sebum (oil) build-up from hair follicles.
Lemon Essential Oil
Not only dies lemon essential oil smell great, but it has some powerful hair care properties we don’t want to miss out on. Lemon essential oil is clarifying, antimicrobial, and reduces dandruff, dead skin, and dirt from the scalp. As for your hair strands, lemon essential oils reduce frizz and enhance the natural shine of your hair.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint essential oil is powerful at stimulating more hair growth and even combatting female (or male) pattern baldness. Often, we lose our hair as a result of starved blood flow to hair follicles. Increasing circulation with a vasodilator like a peppermint essential oil can improve hair growth and prevent some kinds of hair loss. It also leaves a cool, tingly sensation that I absolutely love.
Healthy Hair Gel Ingredients
- 1 packet of Gelatin Powder
- 1 cup water
- 4 Tbsp Aloe Vera Gel
- 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
- 6 drops Peppermint Essential Oil
- 8 drops Lemon Essential Oil
How To Make Healthy Hair Gel
- Start out by pouring 1 cup of water in a bowl and microwaving until just below boiling.
- Pour the gelatin packet into your water and stir.
- Let cool to room temperature so the consistency is opaque without being jelly-like.
- Add Aloe Vera Gel, Coconut Oil, and essential oils to the gelatin and mix.
- Pour into a container with a lid while the mixture is still lukewarm.
- Store in the refrigerator for one hour to form a jelly.
- Once the hair gel has formed into jelly, it can be stored at room temperature in your bathroom.
I really, really have loved creating and using this simple deodorant recipe and hope you love it too. By using quality ingredients and making my beauty products, we can all elevate our beauty experiences and bring more creativity to our self-care routines.
