The Natural Beauty Workshop

The Best Natural and Organic Ingredients for DIY Hair Care

Vegetable Butters
These rich, creamy Butters can be used to moisturize and condition hair. They are especially effective when used in deep conditioning masks and treatments. Vegetable Butters are also great for soothing dry, itchy scalps. Vegetable Butters are great for use in cold processed shampoo bars too! Add one of these creamy butters to your shampoo formulations to provide extra conditioning properties.

• Cupuacu Butter
• Mururmuru Butter
• Organic Nilotica Shea Butter

Carrier Oils
There are a multitude of Carrier Oils that can be beneficial to hair care, but these are the cream of the crop. Carrier Oils can be used in their pure form as hair oil, or they can be worked into formulations such as pomades, conditioners, or even shampoos. Try blending several of your favorites together to create custom oil treatments, scalp massage blends, or hair serums.

• Acai Berry Oil
• Amla Oil
• Argan Oil
• Baobab Oil
• Black Cumin Seed Oil
• Brazil Nut Oil
• Broccoli Seed Oil
• Buriti Fruit Oil
• Camellia Seed Oil
• Chilean Hazelnut Oil
• Egg Oil
• Green Coffee Oil
• Jojoba, Natural
• Manketti Oil
• Marula Oil
• Meadowfoam Seed Oil
• Oat Oil
• Organic Prickly Pear Seed Oil
• Passionfruit Seed Oil
• Pequi Oil
• Vegetable Squalene

Herbs
Dried Herbs can be infused into a variety of formulations to benefit the hair and scalp. To infuse, steep two tablespoons of Herbs in one cup of heated Carrier Oil or boiled water. Strain the solid ingredients from the liquids once they have cooled. The infused oil can be used in serums, balms, shampoos, or conditioners. Infused water can be blended with vinegar to make a cleansing rinse, or added to conditioners, soaps, or other water based recipes. 

• Amla Powder
• Aritha Powder
• Bhringraj Powder
• Hibiscus Petal Powder
• Oatstraw
• Rosemary Leaf
• Shikakai Powder
• Stinging Nettles

Other Ingredients
The following additives are great additions to your hair care formulations. Check each ingredient out to learn more about how they can be used in hair care. 

• Aloe Vera Gel
• Burdock Root Extract
• Chia Seed CO2 Extract
• Helio Carrot Root Total CO2 Extract
• Neroli Hydrosol
• Oat Straw Extract
• Organic Apple Cider Vinegar
• Rosemary Essential Oil
• Rosemary Hydrosol
• Sage Essential Oil
• Silk Peptide Powder

Learn More
Want to learn more about making natural hair care products? Check out our previous blog post, Natural Hair Care, and take a look at our list of DIY recipes for natural hair care.

Purchase Ingredients
You can purchase all of the ingredients listed in this article online at www.FromNatureWithLove.com. Use discount code, NBWS4277 to save 7% off qualifying items in your online order!  

Working With Recipes: Converting Parts or Percentages to Different Units of Measure

Recipes come in a lot of different forms. Most of the time, recipes are listed with specific units of measure. For example, a lip balm recipe might call for the following ingredients:

• 3 ounce Shea Butter 
• 3 ounce Sweet Almond Oil
• 3 ounce Beeswax
• 3/4 ounce Flavor Oil

Other times, recipes are given in ratios, listing each component as a part or a percentage. In that case, the lip balm recipe might look like this:

• 1 part Shea Butter
• 1 part Sweet Almond Oil
• 1 part Beeswax
• .25 part Flavor Oil

Or, it could look like this:

• 31% Shea Butter
• 31% Sweet Almond Oil
• 31% Beeswax
• 7% Flavor Oil

The advantage of listing a recipe in parts or percentages is that it can be re-calculated to make any quantity you choose. The disadvantage is that you'll need to do a little math in order to convert the equation into a usable recipe. Here's how to do that.

Converting Parts to Percentages

1. Convert the recipe into equally sized whole parts. Determine the smallest increment in your recipe, then divide the other parts by that increment. For example, our recipe calls for 0.25 parts of Flavor Oil, so I need to divide each whole part in the recipe by 0.25. After that, my recipe would look like this: 4 parts Shea Butter, 4 parts Sweet Almond Butter, 4 parts Beeswax, 1 part Flavor Oil. 
2. Convert the parts into fractions. Add the total number of parts in your recipe together. That number will be your denominator, the bottom number of each fraction. In our recipe, that number would be 13. The number of parts is each ingredient's numerator. Assign each ingredient it's numerator and denominator. After that, our recipe would look like this: 4/13 Shea Butter, 4/13 Sweet Almond Oil, 4/13 Beeswax, 1/13 Flavor Oil. 
3. Convert the fractions into percentages. Next, you'll need to change those fractions into numbers that you can work with more easily. Here is a formula to help you do that. ( Divide the numerator of the fraction by the denominator (e.g. 4 ÷ 13=0.3076) Multiply by 100 (Move the decimal point two places to the right) (e.g. 0.3076*100 = 30.76) Round the answer to the desired precision. Follow the answer with the % sign (e.g. 31%) After that, our recipe will look like: 31% Shea Butter, 31% Sweet Almond Oil, 31% Beeswax, 7% Flavor Oil.

Converting Percentages to Different Units of Measure

1. Choose a unit of measure to work with. Metric units, such as grams or milliliters work best, as they are easier to do math with. You can always convert them back to English units at the end of the process. Visit our Conversions and Measurements Page for reference. 
2. Decide the desired size of your batch. For this example, let's choose a ten ounce batch. That is equal to 283 grams. 
3. Determine the percentage of each portion of the recipe. Here is a formula that will help you do that: Multiply the number by the percent (e.g. 283 * 31 = 8773) Divide the answer by 100 (Move decimal point two places to the left) (e.g. 8773/100 = 87.73) Round to the desired precision (e.g. 87.73 rounded to the nearest whole number = 88)
4. Finalize the recipe. In our example, we've determined that 88 grams equals 31%, and 21 grams equals 7% of a ten ounce batch of lip balm. Now our recipe will look like this: 88 grams Shea Butter, 88 grams Sweet Almond Oil, 88 grams Beeswax, 20 grams Flavor Oil.  

Converting Existing Recipes Using This Technique
You can also use these equations to change the quantities of recipes that are already set up for a particular quantity. To do this, you'll first need to break down the recipe into equal parts, like you would with a recipe listed in parts. For example, we could take the lip balm recipe above, and convert it into grams.  From there, we can break it down into a percentage and calculate a new quantity.

• 88 grams Shea Butter
• 88 grams Sweet Almond Oil
• 88 grams Beeswax
• 20 grams Flavor Oil

1. Convert the recipe into fractions. Just like before, we will add up the parts, and use that number as the denominator of each fraction. The number of parts specific to each ingredient will the the numerator on each fraction. In this recipe, that would be: 88/284 Shea Butter, 88/284 Sweet Almond Oil, 88/284 Beeswax, 20/284 Flavor Oil. 
2. Convert the fractions into percentages. Next, you'll need to change those fractions into numbers that you can work with more easily. Here is a formula to help you do that. (Divide the numerator of the fraction by the denominator (e.g. 88 ÷ 284=0.3098) Multiply by 100 (Move the decimal point two places to the right) (e.g. 0.3098*100 = 30.98) Round the answer to the desired precision. Follow the answer with the % sign (e.g. 31%) After that, our recipe will look like: 31% Shea Butter, 31% Sweet Almond Oil, 31% Beeswax, 7% Flavor Oil.
3. Decide the desired size of your batch. For this example, let's choose a 16 ounce batch. That is equal to 454 grams. 
4. Determine the percentage of each portion of the recipe. Here is a formula that will help you do that: Multiply the number by the percent (e.g. 454 * 31 = 14074) Divide the answer by 100 (Move decimal point two places to the left) (e.g. 14074/100 = 140.74) Round to the desired precision (e.g. 140.74 rounded to the nearest whole number = 141)
5. Finalize the recipe. In our example, we've determined that 141 grams equals 31%, and 32 grams equals 7% of a sixteen ounce batch of lip balm. Now our recipe will look like this: 141 grams Shea Butter, 141 grams Sweet Almond Oil, 141 grams Beeswax, 32 grams Flavor Oil.  

Keep in mind that when you change the quantity of a recipe by a large proportion that it may not behave exactly the same. Tiny increments can add up, so while a ratio works in a tiny batch, it might fail in a large one. Convert with caution! 

Spring Projects and Craft Kits for DIY Bath & Body

Forget Spring cleaning. It's Spring crafting that gets my attention this time of year. Though in some parts of the country Old Man Winter is still hanging on for dear life, it's just a matter of time before the sun will be shining, flowers will be blooming, and birds will be singing. The sight of tender green grass, tiny buds on the trees, and fresh new life sprouting up in every direction puts me in an extra creative mood. If it has the same affect on you, then maybe it's time to whip up some extra Springy projects.

Spring Recipes for Bath and Body

• Bath Tub Fairy Dust
• Blossom Body Cream
• Creamy Carrot Salt Scrub
• Ginger Fennel Body Mask
• Sweet Carrot Lip Balm
• Warming Ginger Carrot Body Balm

Spring Craft Kits for Bath and Body

• Black Raspberry Salt Scrub
• Cherry Blossom Butter Bars
• Jelly Bean Lip Balm
• Rainbow Sprinkle Bath Tub Cookies

Ingredients
You can purchase the ingredients for all of these recipes online at www.FromNatureWithLove.com. Use discount code, NBWS4277 to save 7% off qualifying items in your online order! 

Our Favorite Autumn Recipes

As the weather grows cooler in your corner of the world, warm things up with one of our favorite Natural Beauty Workshop recipes.  

I can sometimes get a little bummed out when it becomes too cold for hiking, swimming, and outdoor exploration.  To keep my spirits up I try to remember that staying indoors can become a great opportunity for flexing creative muscles.  I plan on keeping busy this Winter with plenty of craft and natural beauty projects.  Here are a few favorite posts to help inspire our cool-weather creativity. 

Vanilla Walnut Scrubby Soaps: A fun melt and pour project!

Apple Granola Face Mask: Soothe and brighten your skin with this simple fresh mask formula.

Warming Massage Bars: Keep someone you love warm and cozy with this all natural recipe.

Bayberry Heel Butter: Naturally aromatic Bayberry Wax gives this soothing pedicure treatment a spicy kick. 

Cranberry Pumpkin Salt Scrub: Antioxidant rich pumpkin seed oil stars in this sweet scented scrub recipe.

Rosemary Walnut Shampoo and Rinse: An all-natural alternative to commercial shampoo and conditioner.

The Weather Outside is Frightful

A hot bath can be so delightful.

When the wind howls, the rain blows, and cold weather blusters, your tub can become a sacred retreat.  Steel yourself against the chill by soaking in a bath of warm, scented water.  A plain, hot bath can be wonderful, but why not enhance the experience with some natural ingredients.

Bath Oil
Dilute a therapeutic Essential Oil, such as Ylang Ylang, Mandarin, Chamomile, or Lavender in your favorite Carrier Oil.  Add 5 - 8 drops of essential oil (total) to 1 - 2 tablespoons of Carrier Oil.  (Try Fractionated Coconut Oil, Macadamia Nut Oil, or Watermelon Seed Oil.) Mix, then add the oil to warm bath water.  If you'd like the bath oil to be water dispersible, you can blend it with an equal portion of a synthetic emulsifier, like Polysorbate 20.  To learn how to make a naturally water-dispersible bath oil, check out our post, Creating All Natural Bath Oils.

Bath Salt
Bath Salts can help relax sore muscles by increasing circulation and inflammation.  Epsom Salt is a great choice for circulation, but a mineral-rich salt, like Sea Salt, Dead Sea Salt, or Himalayan Pink Salt, is a great choice to.  Add up to one cup of salt per bath.  If you'd like, you can add 5 - 8 drops of essential oil, or 1 batch of the bath oil described above to your bath salts.  Check out our post, How to Make Bath Salts, to find our more. 

Milk Bath
Natural Milk Powders contain luscious nutrients, skin conditioning enzymes, and exfoliating lactic acid.  Try adding up to 1/2 cup of milk powder to your next bath to enjoy an extra luxurious soak.  To help make sure the powder dissolves without clumps, try mixing the powder with a small amount of hot water before adding it to your bath.  Check out our article on Making Powdered Milk Baths for more ideas. 

Bath Bombs
If you have time to plan your bath ahead of time, try making a batch of fizzy bath bombs. Our Guide to Making Bath Bombs can help you get started on this fun project. 

Essential Oil Safety
Before choosing an Essential Oil for your bath, make sure that it is skin-safe, appropriate for the bath, and for your specific health.  Check out our page on Essential Oil Safety for more information.