diy ingredients

The making pantry. Every clay, botanical powder, wax, and functional mineral here sells by the ounce, so a recipe that needs two tablespoons costs two tablespoons, and trying a new formula never means committing to a jar.

• buying a whole packaged jar of ingredient for one recipeexactly the ounce you need, weighed into your own container
• 1. Stock the pantryClays, by skin type. Kaolin is the gentlest, rhassoul is mild enough to double as shampoo, French green suits oily skin, bentonite swells and absorbs, fullers earth is the strongest.Botanical powders. Aloe, amla, echinacea, comfrey, witch hazel leaf + bark: traditional ingredients for masks, pastes, and rinses.Waxes + humectants. Candelilla wax subs for beeswax plant-based; organic vegetable glycerin draws and holds moisture.Functional minerals. Non-nano zinc oxide for salves and diaper creams; magnesium hydroxide for baking-soda-free deodorant makers.Color + scent notes. Alkanet red and annatto orange for natural color; menthol crystals for shower steamers. Small amounts, big effect.
• Know before you mixRead the tag. Some ingredients are external-use only, and each tag says so.Small batches win. Preservative-free creations belong in small batches, made often, kept cool.Patch test. Botanical is not a synonym for gentle. Test your finished recipe on a small spot first.

Traditional uses noted on tags come from herbal references, not medical advice. We are happy to point you to a recipe; your provider handles the rest.