about ingredients…

when making my homemade body care products, i try to use the most natural and basic ingredients. most of the things i use are available either at a drug store, or a natural foods store.

here in calgary we have a store called community natural foods, which is where a lot of my raw ingredients come from…

i also buy ingredients online (many things are cheaper online, especially essential oils). this website www.agbangakarite.com is where i order my shea butter. it’s actually very competitively priced compared to other online dealers, and it’s also fair trade.

shea butter is great even just on it’s own as a moisturizer. it lasts for years if stored properly, and can also be used in cooking. it has a fairly strong smell (not bad, just strong) but the smell is easily covered. i have used it as a base for solid perfumes and lotions, and you can’t smell the shea butter at all.

i love cocoa butter as well, it can be purchased either natural or unscented. i quite enjoy the chocolatey smell of it, so i buy the natural.

here is a list of ingredients i have on hand for my homemade cosmetics recipes:

• shea butter
• cocoa butter
• vitamin e
• vegetable glycerin
• emulsifier*
• beeswax
• coconut oil
• carrier oils (olive, almond, etc)
• aloe vera

*about emulsifier. it’s purpose is to aid in mixing oil-based and water-based ingredients together. it helps them to mix properly and stay mixed. i am sure many recipes could be made without it, but you are taking the risk of having the product separate.

as well as a whole pile of essential oils - some are for scent only, some play key roles in the functionality of the finished product:

• lavender
• tea tree
• peppermint
• sweet basil
• ylang ylang
• oregano
• petitgrain
• naiouli
• geranium
• clary sage
• palmrosa
• rosemary
• eucalyptus
• citronella
• patchouli
• chamomile
• bitter orange
• geranium
• lemongrass
• juniper
• cedarwood
• tangerine
• grapefruit
• marjoram
• white camphor
• ravensara
• ho wood

i have also been able to find things like deodorant containers, chapstick tubes, roll-on tubes (for lip gloss or perfume) both at community natural foods and online. for the most part i just reuse what i already have at home, but they are cheap and nice for gifts, etc.

i use a wax melter with a big bowl to melt my oils and butters.

i just happened across it at a second hand store, and it’s perfect. you can heat ingredients on the stove, or in the microwave, but be very careful not to overcook them, and to stir them regularly. boiling or burning is not good!!