When I first started making cosmetics, my little lab fit inside a wooden box. It measured just 25 × 40 cm, but there was room for a few ingredients, some tools and almost everything I needed for the recipes I wanted to try. I still remember the pleasure of opening it and deciding what to make.
Before you make your first cosmetics, it’s important to understand a few basics. How do you know how many grams to weigh when a recipe gives you percentages? What is a phase and how do you know which ingredients go into the same beaker and which to add as the mixture cools? Why does a cream need a preservative and when should you check its pH?
I created Getting Started with Natural DIY Cosmetics to answer some of the questions that come up between finding a recipe you love and making it for the first time.
Inside, I explain how to read a formula, which tools to start with and what to look for when buying a new ingredient. I’ve also included a recipe for preparing a 70% alcohol solution for disinfecting your tools and containers, along with printable formula sheets and ingredient cards to keep beside your scale.
This free guide is my new welcome gift to you when you subscribe to the Lily in WonderLab newsletter.
What’s inside the downloadable guide?
Your first tools and workspace. I’ll help you choose your first tools, find a place for your ingredients and prepare your workspace. You’ll also find my recipe for a 70% alcohol solution for disinfecting tools and containers, with the quantities already calculated in grams.
A little help with reading recipes. If a recipe asks for 4% glycerin, how much should you weigh? I explain percentages, grams and phases with simple examples. I’ve also included the basics of preservation and pH, so you can understand why a rose hydrosol toner needs a preservative and why you check its pH before pouring it into the bottle.
Getting to know your ingredients. I love discovering unusual botanical ingredients, but even an oil you’ve used many times can teach you something when you pay attention to how it feels. In the guide, I explain what to look for in a supplier’s notes and share how to store your ingredients and keep track of what you have, so that lovely oil you’ve been saving gets used before it expires.
A few pages to keep beside your scale
At the end of the guide, you’ll find a printable formula sheet for your recipes and batch notes, along with ingredient cards you can fill in as your collection grows.
One thing I always recommend is leaving room for your own observations. A supplier can tell you the melting point of a wax, but your notes can tell you that the balm you made with it felt just right once it had cooled. That’s the kind of detail you’ll be happy to find when you open your notebook to make it again.
Download your free guide
To receive your copy of Getting Started with Natural DIY Cosmetics, subscribe to the Lily in WonderLab newsletter using the form below. In my newsletters I share recipes, ingredients I’m exploring and little discoveries from my worktable.
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