If you’re like me, summer brings mixed feelings. I adore those long, sunny relaxing days by the beach, but let's be honest, dealing with sunburns and mosquito bites is not exactly what we’re aiming for, right?
Luckily, nature provides a fantastic pantry to tackle these issues. I've handpicked some of my favorite DIY cosmetics recipes from the blog, so you can start preparing your holiday beauty case with me.
Also, I’ll talk about my top active ingredients for natural summer skincare that really work wonders.
Ready to learn? Keep reading…
My Top DIY Recipes for a Naturally Beautiful Summer
- DIY Centella Asiatica After-Sun Cream (Collagen Boosting & Repairing)
This creamy and fluffy cream is fast absorbing despite its lovely thick texture and has been formulated to soothe our skin and help repair UV damage.
Centella boosts collagen, calms inflammation, and speeds up skin repair. - DIY Mosquito Bite & Irritations Relief Balm
Because nothing ruins a summer evening more than pesky mosquitoes, right? This balm contains Blue Tansy essential oil, renowned for its potent anti-inflammatory and antihistaminic properties, and has been designed to soothe and regenerate the skin after bites. It’s also great in case of sunburns and aftershave irritations, so you really need to bring this powerful little jar on holidays with you! - Aloe Vera Gel for DIY Skincare
I can’t live without Aloe Vera gel in summer. Hydrating, cooling and healing. This fresh gel is the base for countless DIY skincare recipes and is super cheap and easy to make by using aloe vera powder.
In this article I’ll teach you how to make and customize it. I also suggest trying my enriched aloe vera gel recipe, with very powerful soothing actives. - Solid Aftersun Lotion with Pequi & Mango
I’ve been in love with Pequi oil lately: exotic, naturally fragrant and packed with antioxidants. Pairing it with mango butter in a handy solid lotion bar is just brilliant for quick and naturally scented after-sun care, boosting your tropical mood!
- Natural Mosquito Repellent Recipes
In this article, I teach you how to make and customize your own mosquito repellent by using essential oils.
I’ll show you tons of different recipes, where you can select the base you prefer (liquid, solid, oil-based, water-based…) and choose between many different and efficient essential oil blends that also smell beautiful. - DIY Solid Shampoo Bar for Greasy & Sensitive Scalp
A smart solid shampoo to avoid plane baggage restrictions! This bar leaves your scalp balanced, fresh, and wonderfully clean, without nasty chemicals. Also, it’s very easy to make! - Blue Tansy & Oat Oil Super Soothing Summer Salve
Similar in function to the mosquito bite balm, it contains blue tansy oil and very effective ingredients like physalis angulata extract. Combined with oat oil, it becomes a powerful salve for calming irritated skin, eczema, sunburns and rashes. - Solid Body Butter Base & How to Customize it
Summer means travel-friendly beauty, and solid body butter is your perfect companion. Learn how to make and customize it with your favorite summer scents and oils, totally personal and mess-free! - Summer Cream Recipe
With walnut and carrot oils, it prepares the skin for tanning during the night and contains repairing and soothing ingredients perfect for sun care. Nourishing and protective, with a nice creamy and thick sensorial feel. - Gentle Homemade Sugar Scrub Paste Recipe
Scrub away dead skin cells for silky-soft summer skin and better tanning! This gentle sugar scrub paste exfoliates beautifully without irritation, perfect before applying your favorite lotion at night! - Centella Asiatica Face Lotion
Aftersun, fresh and lightweight: the perfect face cream for Summer!
My Summer Skincare Superstars (Cosmetic Ingredients You Need!)
- Centella Asiatica Extract (Read how to make it at home)
My top pick for repairing the skin and boosting collagen after sun exposure. It’s soothing, regenerating and a real treasure for sensitive and sun-exposed skin. It helps to repair UV damage. - Candelilla Wax (Why it's your best wax choice)
Non-comedogenic, vegan and perfect for summer formulations that won’t clog pores. Ideal for all-over solid lotions to use on both face and body, perfect to save space in your baggage! - Q10
A powerful antioxidant that protects against free radicals and improves skin elasticity, protecting against sun damage.
- Aloe Vera & Panthenol
Ultimate summer hydrators! Aloe soothes burns and redness instantly, while panthenol locks in moisture and accelerates skin repair. - Calendula & Bisabolol
My go-to ingredients for calming inflamed, irritated skin. Amazing after a sunburn or insect bites. Learn how to make Calendula-infused oil here. - Physalis Angulata & Edelweiss Extract
Powerful soothing ingredients that I buy every summer. Physalis Angulata extract is not easy to find, but Aroma-Zone sells it under the name Phys'apaise, a powerful liposoluble active that should be heated in the heat phase of your creams or balms. It’s great for soothing and atopic skin.
Edelweiss extract, that can be found on Aroma-Zone as well, is used in suncare products of famous natural cosmetics brands for its efficacy. Soothing, anti-itching and with anti-aging properties as well. I love adding it to my summer toners and aloe gels for a soothing boost.
The Most Effective Summer Oils and Butters
- Tamanu Oil
Tamanu is more like an active than an oil. Deeply healing and anti-inflammatory, it prevents UVB-induced DNA damage in keratinocytes and repairs our skin. Combines anti-inflammatory + antioxidant + barrier repair for an intense suncare. A powerful ally and one of the most interesting oils you could use in your skincare. Find all you need to know about it here (including formulation tips). - Oat Oil
One of my favorite oils ever! Extremely interesting for its antihistamine action, it's also rich in ceramides, which are essential for skin barrier restoration. It brings both soothing and repairing power to the formula. Talking about ceramides, I suggest you Ceramides III active as well. - Sesame Oil
Rich in sesamin, which down-regulates pro-inflammatory cytokines and offers a calming effect. I like its light feeling. - Pequi Oil (Discover why I adore it)
A beautifully fragrant oil rich in antioxidants. It rejuvenates the skin after sun damage, restoring elasticity and adds a lovely glow. It has a natural tropical fruit scent you’ll love! - Macadamia Oil
A must-have in your summer skincare. Rich in palmitoleic acid, it regenerates your skin's natural barrier. Also, it has a soft silky feel that improves any cosmetic recipe that contains it. I always run out of it! - Avocado Oil
This deeply sensory and velvety oil is rich in phytosterols, which are known for their skin-restoring and anti-inflammatory properties. I love its feel! - Cupuacu Butter
The best summer butter! It can hold up to 240% of its weight in water for an incredible hydration boost. Also, it provides anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, ideal for counteracting the oxidative stress from sun exposure.
My Top Summer Essential Oils
- Blue Tansy
If you follow me, you already know my love-hate relationship with Blue Tansy. Its vibrant blue color is pure magic, and its exceptionally soothing and anti-inflammatory properties make it my go-to oil for immediate relief from sunburn, mosquito bites or redness.
However, it has a smell that I don’t like (even if many love it), so I learned how to blend it with other oils to mitigate and mask it, like lavender, wintergreen, patchouli and mint (however, be careful! Not all of them can be used if you expose your skin to the sun).
- Patchouli
Patchouli oil is rich, grounding and deeply regenerating, one of my favorites for both its smell and properties. It's ideal for dry, cracked, or sun-weary skin, speeding up healing and deeply moisturizing while calming redness. A very potent antioxidant. Also, it repels pesky insects naturally! - Rosewood
Rosewood is the elegant healer in my collection. It smells divine and is a fantastic cell regenerator, perfect for repairing sun-damaged skin. It helps restore elasticity and smooths fine lines. I usually blend it with Palmarosa to enhance the rosy note. - Geranium
Geranium aids skin regeneration, reduces redness and supports skin elasticity. Also, it repels mosquitos! - Amyris
Amyris is a calming summer love. This gentle, woody oil soothes redness and inflammation beautifully, making it ideal for after-sun formulations. It helps calm irritation and supports healing after too much fun in the sun. - Palmarosa
Palmarosa is know for balancing oily skin, but is also calming and regenerating. Its vibrant note is like the pepper when you make oil blends! - Eucaliptus
The most effective in keeping mosquitos away! Find more info here!
Wrapping It Up (Your Natural Summer Skincare Starts Here!)
Give these summer recipes and ingredients a try, and you'll never look back!
If you are looking for more, I suggest you these blog post:
- The Ultimate Travel Hack: Mini DIY Solid Cosmetics
- Crafting Summer-Ready DIY Cosmetics: Travel-Friendly and Effective
I hope this post inspired you to make your perfect summer cosmetics. Choosing the right ingredients is essential if you want to make natural cosmetics that are really effective.
Which recipe will you be trying first? Let me know on Instagram, I can’t wait to hear from you!