Pure Aromatherapy for Body, Mind & Spirit
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils | Complete Guide
Learn how to make DIY Natural Body Care and Beauty Products with Essential Oils, Carrier Oils, Botanical Butters, Hydrosols, Salts and other naturally derived ingredients.
DIY Natural body care recipes with essential oils can be surprisingly simple to make. With just a few versatile ingredients, you can create facial oils, body scrubs, bath salts, hair treatments, lotion bars, foot soaks, body oils, natural deodorants, grooming products and much more.
Making your own body-care products also offers something commercial products cannot always provide: the ability to customize each formula for your skin, your hair, your aroma preferences and your personal self-care routine.
At BioSource Naturals, we have been sharing essential-oil education, natural beauty recipes and DIY aromatherapy resources since 2006. Over the years, our library has grown to include hundreds of recipes, ingredient guides, charts and educational articles.
This DIY Natural Body Care Guide brings those resources together in one convenient place.
Use it to learn the fundamentals, discover ingredients and then follow the links throughout the guide to make individual DIY skin-care, hair-care, bath, beauty and personal-care recipes.
What Is DIY Natural Body Care?
DIY natural body care means making some of the products you use on your skin, hair and body yourself.
Depending on what you’re creating, ingredients may include:
- Pure essential oils
- Carrier oils
- Botanical butters
- Hydrosols and floral waters
- Beeswax
- Sea salt or Epsom salt
- Sugar
- Oatmeal
- Clays
- Herbs and botanicals
- Other naturally derived ingredients
You don’t need all of these to get started. In fact, some of the best beginner recipes use only two or three ingredients.
A simple body oil, bath salt or cuticle oil is an excellent place to learn before moving into more complicated formulations.
Why Make Your Own Natural Body Care Products?
One of the greatest advantages of DIY natural body care is control over your ingredients.
You can select a carrier oil based on the texture you prefer, choose essential oils whose aromas appeal to you, leave out ingredients you don’t want and customize products for different times of year.
DIY body care can also become part of an intentional self-care ritual.
There is something very different about opening a product you created yourself—whether it’s a lavender body butter, aromatic bath soak or personalized facial oil, and knowing exactly what went into it.
And you don’t have to make everything yourself.
DIY natural body care using essential oils isn’t an all-or-nothing lifestyle. Start with the projects you enjoy.
Start Here: DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – Safety
Essential oils are highly concentrated botanical materials.
Natural does not mean that an ingredient is appropriate at every concentration.
Most essential oils should be appropriately diluted before topical application. The appropriate concentration depends on the particular essential oil, intended application, frequency of use, age and other individual factors.
Some essential oils also have specific dermal maximums or other precautions.
For example, certain expressed citrus essential oils can increase the skin’s sensitivity to ultraviolet light.
Before making topical essential oil products:
- Research the safety considerations for each essential oil.
- Follow appropriate dermal dilution guidelines.
- Avoid contact with eyes and other sensitive areas.
- Keep essential oils out of reach of children and pets.
- Patch test new topical preparations when appropriate.
- Use additional caution during pregnancy and with children.
- Don’t assume that using more essential oil creates a better product.
One of the most useful skills you can develop in DIY aromatherapy is understanding why an ingredient is in a formulation and how much is appropriate.
Best Essential Oils for DIY Natural Body Care & Beauty Products
Essential oils for DIY natural body care and beauty products allow you to customize both the aroma and experience of homemade body products.
If you’re wondering where to begin, see our complete guide:
Best Essential Oils for DIY Beauty Products
You can also use our:
to explore essential oils commonly incorporated into different types of skin-care formulations.
Some versatile essential oils to become familiar with include:
Lavender Essential Oil
Lavender’s familiar floral-herbal aroma makes it extremely versatile. It works beautifully in body oils, bath products, scrubs, lotion bars and evening self-care rituals.
Geranium Essential Oil
Geranium has a rich floral-green aroma that blends beautifully with Lavender, citrus and woody essential oils. It is particularly popular in facial and body preparations.
Frankincense Essential Oil
Frankincense contributes a warm, resinous aroma and works beautifully in facial oils, body oils and grounding aromatic blends.
Tea Tree Essential Oil
Tea Tree has a distinctive fresh, herbaceous aroma and is commonly incorporated into cleansing-oriented skin, scalp and personal-care formulations.
Peppermint Essential Oil
Peppermint provides a powerful minty aroma and cooling sensation. It is particularly popular in foot and refreshing body products.
Because Peppermint is potent, appropriate dilution is especially important.
Cedarwood Essential Oil
Cedarwood adds a warm, woody aroma to body, scalp and grooming formulations.
Learn more:
Cedarwood Essential Oil for Beauty, Skincare and DIY Products
Rose
Rose brings an intensely floral aroma to facial oils, body oils and natural fragrance formulations.
Choosing Carrier Oils for Natural Body Care
Carrier oils are the foundation of many DIY formulations. They dilute essential oils while contributing their own texture, glide and skin feel. There isn’t one carrier oil that is best for every project.
Jojoba
Technically a liquid wax, jojoba is popular for facial oils, scalp preparations, perfume oils and other leave-on products.
Sweet Almond Oil
Sweet almond oil provides comfortable glide and is extremely versatile for body oils, massage oils, roll-ons and other topical preparations.
Grapeseed Oil
Grapeseed has a relatively light texture and can be useful when you don’t want an especially heavy-feeling body oil.
Fractionated Coconut Oil
Fractionated coconut oil remains liquid at room temperature and is frequently used for roll-ons, body oils and massage preparations.
Apricot Kernel Oil
Apricot kernel is another versatile option for facial and body oils.
You can also combine carrier oils.
Once you begin experimenting, you’ll discover that changing the ratio of two carrier oils can noticeably change the feel of the finished product.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – Skin Care
Skin care is one of the largest areas of DIY natural body care, and it doesn’t have to be complicated.
Start with simple formulations and learn how your skin responds before creating products containing many ingredients.
DIY Facial Toner
A facial toner can become a refreshing part of a simple skin-care routine.
DIY Eye Care
The delicate eye area requires thoughtful ingredient selection and conservative formulation.
DIY Body Butter
Botanical butters can create rich body products that are particularly enjoyable when skin feels dry or during colder months.
DIY Lotion Bars
Lotion bars provide another way to create an anhydrous moisturizer without formulating a traditional lotion.
DIY Skin Care for Mature-Looking Skin – DIY Beauty
DIY natural beauty can also be customized for mature-looking skin and changing skin-care needs.
As skin changes over time, you may prefer richer carrier oils, botanical ingredients and facial or body oils that help condition and moisturize the skin while supporting the appearance of smooth, supple, healthy-looking skin.
One of our popular DIY skin-care articles is:
Essential Oil Blend to Firm Sagging Skin
This recipe explores essential-oil combinations for morning and evening body-care routines.
When creating DIY products for mature-looking skin, remember that essential oils should be properly diluted and that cosmetic preparations should not be expected to physically alter the underlying structure of the skin.
For more essential-oil ideas organized by skin type and cosmetic skin-care goals, explore:
- DIY Essential Oil Skin Chart
- Best Essential Oils for DIY Beauty Products
- Essential Oils for Anti-Aging Skin Care
- How to Get Rid of Dark Spots On Skin with Essential Oils
- 6 Anti Aging Essential Oils for Natural Skin Care
As we continue expanding the BioSource Naturals DIY library, additional mature-skin recipes can be added to this section.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils for Specific Skin Concerns
Some DIY body-care recipes are created for a particular area of the body or cosmetic skin-care concern.
It’s important to distinguish cosmetic skin care from medical treatment. Acne, persistent itching, rashes, infections and other ongoing skin problems may require evaluation by a dermatologist or another healthcare professional.
DIY preparations should not be used as substitutes for appropriate medical care.
DIY Skin Care for Scars and Stretch Marks
Essential oils and carrier oils can be incorporated into moisturizing body-care routines for fully healed skin where scars or stretch marks are present. While essential oils have not been proven to eliminate established scars or stretch marks, botanical body oils can help keep the skin moisturized, soft, and supple.
Visit our complete Essential Oils for Scars and Stretch Marks guide to explore Lavender, Helichrysum, Geranium, Frankincense, carrier oils, current research, and a simple DIY body-oil recipe for fully healed skin.
For another focused recipe, see Essential Oils for Scars: Lavender, Neroli & Mandarin.
DIY Back Acne “Bacne” Spray
Back and shoulder breakouts can make body care more challenging, especially in areas that are difficult to reach. Our updated DIY Bacne Spray provides a botanical body-care option designed for a cleansing-oriented skin-care routine.
For more ideas on choosing essential oils for cleansing and balancing skin-care routines, explore our Essential Oils for Acne guide, including essential oil options, skin-care considerations and practical ways to incorporate aromatherapy into a blemish-prone skin-care routine.
DIY Clove & Juniper Berry Skin Salve
Salves provide another way to create concentrated, water-free topical preparations. Oils and waxes form the base while carefully diluted essential oils add their distinctive botanical aromas.
If itching is severe, persistent, widespread, has an unknown cause, or is accompanied by other significant symptoms, seek appropriate medical care rather than relying solely on a DIY topical preparation.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – DIY Body Scrubs
Body scrubs are among the easiest natural body care products to make.
Salt or sugar provides physical exfoliation while carrier oils provide slip and conditioning.
Essential oils can then be incorporated at an appropriate concentration to create the aroma you want.
Try:
When using an oil-based scrub in a bathtub or shower, remember that the oils can make surfaces slippery.
DIY Natural Body Care & Beauty Recipes with Essential Oils |
DIY Hair & Scalp Care
Natural hair care is another area where simple formulations can be surprisingly versatile. Depending on the product, you may be looking for something to use before shampooing, between washes or as part of a regular grooming routine.
Our DIY library includes several different approaches.
DIY Dry Shampoo
DIY Hair Detangler
DIY Hair Rinse
Hair varies tremendously in texture, porosity, thickness and oiliness. Experiment with small amounts first rather than assuming that a formulation that works beautifully for one person’s hair will work identically for yours.
Hair Growth
- Beautiful Hair Recipes with Essential Oils
- Botanical Hair and Scalp Essential Oil Blend
- Circulation & Hair Growth
- Hair Growth
- Hair Loss & Alopecia – Essential Oils Hair Loss – Scalp & Hair Growth
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – Bath & Body
Bath products are one of the most enjoyable introductions to DIY aromatherapy.
They can also make beautiful handmade gifts.
DIY Bath Bombs
Start with our evergreen guide:
For a seasonal variation:
DIY Bath Salts
Or try:
Oatmeal provides another option when you want a comforting, simple bath ritual.
More Aromatherapy Bath Ideas
DIY Bath Blends with Essential Oils for Children
Children require additional consideration when essential oils are incorporated into bath products.
Our updated DIY Bath Blends with Essential Oils for Children guide provides lightly aromatic bath ideas along with age, dilution and safety considerations.
Adult supervision is essential, and essential oils should never simply be dropped undiluted into a child’s bath.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – Hand & Nail Care
You don’t need a complicated formula to care for your hands and nails.
A small bottle of carrier oil can become the foundation of a cuticle oil, for example.
Try:
Small projects like this are ideal for beginners because they’re inexpensive, quick to make and provide an opportunity to practice essential-oil dilution.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – Foot Care
Foot care is another easy place to begin experimenting with salts, carrier oils and aromatic ingredients.
Try:
- DIY Homemade Foot Soak with Essential Oils
- Cracked Heels And Essential Oils
- Best Essential Oils for Athlete’s Foot
Foot soaks can become a simple ritual after a long day without requiring a complicated formulation.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – DIY Lip Care
Lip products require more careful ingredient selection because ingredients applied to the lips may be inadvertently ingested.
Not every essential oil that is suitable for general topical use is appropriate for a lip product.
One simple project to explore is:
Always evaluate essential oils specifically for the intended application rather than assuming that all topical formulations follow the same rules.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – Oral Care
Oral-care formulations require their own safety considerations because the mouth and mucous membranes are different from ordinary external skin.
Our updated DIY Mouthwash Using Essential Oils guide provides three aromatic mouth-rinse ideas while explaining an important formulation principle: essential oils don’t dissolve simply because they’re added to water.
Essential-oil mouthwash should not be swallowed.
A DIY mouth rinse also doesn’t replace brushing, interdental cleaning, professional dental care or treatment recommended by your dentist.
Persistent, bad breath, tooth pain, bleeding gums, oral sores or other ongoing concerns should be evaluated by an appropriate dental or healthcare professional.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – Natural Deodorant
Homemade deodorant has been one of the most popular areas of natural personal care for many years.
BioSource Naturals has several resources to explore:
These recipes are also good examples of why DIY formulation is personal. Texture, climate, ingredient preferences and skin sensitivity can all affect which formulation you prefer.
Remember that deodorants and antiperspirants aren’t the same thing. A homemade deodorant can be used to help manage everyday body odor while allowing normal perspiration.
DIY Natural Body Care Recipes with Essential Oils – Beard Grooming Oil
Natural body care isn’t limited to facial oils and bath products.
Carrier oils and essential oils can also be used to create simple men’s grooming products.
Start with:
Beard oil is another particularly approachable beginner project because the formula can remain simple and water-free.
DIY Hydrosol Body Sprays
Hydrosols sometimes called floral waters are aromatic waters produced during botanical distillation.
They offer a much gentler aromatic experience than concentrated essential oils and can be incorporated into facial and body sprays.
Try:
But there’s an important formulation distinction to understand.
Hydrosols contain water.
That brings us to one of the most important lessons in DIY natural body care.
More DIY Personal-Care & Self-Care Recipes
Not every DIY essential-oil recipe fits neatly into skin care, hair care or bath products.
Some BioSource Naturals recipes are designed for outdoor routines, aromatic self-care or occasional personal-care use.
DIY Bug Repellent & Bug Bite Roll-Ons
Our DIY collection includes aromatic roll-on recipes designed for outdoor use as well as recipes intended for use as part of an after-bite skin-care routine.
Follow the current recipe’s safety and dilution instructions carefully.
Significant swelling, widespread hives, difficulty breathing, dizziness or other signs of a serious allergic reaction require immediate medical attention.
DIY Cool Scented Compress
A scented compress provides another simple way to incorporate aroma into a self-care ritual without creating a traditional cosmetic product.
Pay attention to the essential oils selected, appropriate dilution and the area of the body where the compress will be used.
6 DIY Self-Care Recipes with Essential Oils
Want to experiment with several types of DIY projects?
This resource brings several ideas together and is a useful next step for readers who want to move beyond one recipe and explore different ways to incorporate essential oils into everyday self-care.
Water-Based DIY Products Require Special Attention
An anhydrous or water-free product is generally much simpler to formulate than a product containing water.
Once you introduce water, hydrosol, aloe juice or another aqueous ingredient, microorganisms can potentially grow in the product.
Depending on the formulation, water-containing products may require:
- An appropriate broad-spectrum preservation system
- Attention to pH
- Good manufacturing and sanitation practices
- Appropriate packaging
- Stability considerations
And one common misconception is worth correcting:
Vitamin E is an antioxidant. It is not a broad-spectrum preservative.
Refrigeration may slow microbial growth in some DIY preparations, but refrigeration alone should not automatically be considered an adequate preservation system or proof that a homemade water-based product has a particular shelf life.
If you’re a beginner, starting with water-free formulations such as body oils, bath salts, cuticle oils and certain scrubs allows you to learn basic formulation principles before tackling preservation and emulsions.
Beginner DIY Natural Body Care Projects
If you’re completely new to natural formulation, don’t start with the most complicated recipe you can find.
Good first projects include:
- Bath salts
- Body oil
- Cuticle oil
- Foot soak
- Sugar or salt scrub
- Beard oil
- Simple facial oil
- Lotion bar
- Dry shampoo
- Simple perfume oil
These projects let you practice measuring, dilution and aroma blending without immediately moving into more complex water-containing emulsions.
How to Create Your Own Essential Oil Body Care Blend
Once you’re comfortable with safety and dilution, creating your own aromatic blends becomes one of the most enjoyable parts of DIY body care.
Start by deciding how you want the finished product to smell.
Floral
Explore Lavender, Geranium, Ylang Ylang and other floral aromatics.
Citrus
Sweet Orange, Mandarin, Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime create bright, fresh aromas.
Remember that some expressed citrus essential oils are phototoxic when used on skin exposed to UV light.
Herbal & Fresh
Rosemary, Basil, Peppermint and other herbaceous oils can create crisp aromatic profiles.
Woody & Grounding
Cedarwood, Sandalwood, Vetiver and Frankincense can provide warmth, depth and grounding aromas.
Start with only two or three essential oils.
Smell your combination before committing it to a large batch.
Most importantly:
Write down what you did.
Recording the ingredients, percentages, date and your observations turns casual experimentation into genuine formulation experience.
DIY Body Care & Beauty Throughout the Seasons
Your body-care routine doesn’t have to remain the same throughout the year.
Spring might inspire lighter floral aromas.
Summer is perfect for cooling mists and lighter body products.
Autumn lends itself to warm aromatic profiles.
Winter is an ideal time to explore body butters, lotion bars, bath soaks and richer carrier oils.
For more inspiration:
12 Seasonal Essential Oil Recipes for Every Season
You can also explore:
Essential Oils for Seasonal Self-Care
Free DIY Natural Beauty Guides & Resources
You don’t have to remember everything you learn here.
BioSource Naturals has created downloadable DIY recipe books, essential-oil charts, blending resources and other educational materials that you can save for future reference.
Explore the Free BioSource Naturals Transformation Library
You’ll find resources covering natural beauty, aromatherapy, essential oil blending, natural fragrance, home and garden, emotional wellness and more.
Why Learn DIY Natural Body Care with BioSource Naturals?
BioSource Naturals was founded in 2006 by Lezlie Cebulski, N.D., traditional naturopath, aromatherapist, EFT practitioner, Reiki Master Teacher and trained wet chemist. My goal is to help you understand what you’re using, why you’re using it and how to use it thoughtfully.
Over the years, Lezlie and the Biosource Team have created hundreds of articles, recipes, charts and educational resources covering essential oils, natural beauty, aromatherapy and DIY formulation.
Some of the articles linked throughout this guide were originally written many years ago. As our understanding of essential-oil safety, cosmetic formulation and appropriate wellness language continues to evolve, articles are periodically reviewed and updated while preserving the practical recipes and knowledge that continue to be useful.
Frequently Asked Questions About DIY Natural Body Care – Beauty
What is DIY natural body care?
DIY natural body care means creating some of your own skin, hair, bath, grooming or personal-care products using ingredients such as carrier oils, botanical butters, essential oils, salts, hydrosols, waxes and other naturally derived materials.
It can be as simple as blending a body oil or bath salt or as advanced as learning to formulate properly preserved water-based products.
What is the easiest DIY body care product to make?
Simple water-free products are often the easiest place to begin. Body oils, bath salts, cuticle oils and simple scrubs require relatively few ingredients and don’t require you to create an oil-and-water emulsion.
What essential oils are best for DIY body care?
There isn’t one essential oil that’s best for every DIY product.
Lavender is extremely versatile, Peppermint is popular in refreshing body and foot products, Cedarwood works well in woody grooming and scalp formulations, and Frankincense is frequently incorporated into facial and body oils.
Choose according to the formulation, desired aroma and safety considerations for the intended application.
Can I put essential oils directly on my skin?
Essential oils are highly concentrated and generally should be appropriately diluted for topical application. Individual essential oils also have their own safety considerations and dermal limits.
What is the best carrier oil for DIY body care?
There isn’t one best carrier oil. Jojoba, sweet almond, grapeseed, fractionated coconut, apricot kernel and other carriers have different textures and characteristics.
Choose according to the formulation and your preferences.
Can I add essential oils directly to bathwater?
Essential oils don’t dissolve in water. Follow a properly formulated bath recipe that appropriately disperses or dilutes the essential oils rather than simply dropping neat essential oil into bathwater.
Can children use essential oils in DIY body-care products?
Children require additional caution because age, essential-oil selection, concentration and method of use all matter.
Don’t simply reduce an adult recipe and assume it is appropriate for a child. Use recipes specifically formulated with children’s safety in mind, follow age-appropriate guidance and keep essential oils out of children’s reach.
Do homemade body products need preservatives?
It depends on the formulation. Products containing water or water-based ingredients require much greater attention to microbial preservation than water-free products.
Vitamin E is an antioxidant and does not replace an appropriate broad-spectrum preservative.
How long do homemade body care products last?
Shelf life depends on the ingredients, formulation, sanitation, packaging, preservation system and storage conditions.
Don’t assume that every DIY recipe has the same shelf life. Make appropriately sized batches, label and date your creations, and discard a product if its odor, color, appearance or texture changes unexpectedly.
Can I substitute one essential oil for another in a DIY recipe?
Sometimes, but substitutions should consider more than aroma.
Essential oils have different chemical compositions, dermal limits and safety considerations. Check the properties and precautions of the replacement oil before making a substitution.
Are natural DIY body-care products automatically safer than commercial products?
No. “Natural” doesn’t automatically mean non-irritating or appropriate at every concentration.
Both natural and synthetic ingredients have safety considerations. Good DIY formulation involves understanding ingredients, concentration, sanitation, intended use and appropriate storage.
Can DIY natural body care treat acne, eczema or other skin conditions?
This guide focuses on cosmetic body care, personal care and aromatherapy—not medical treatment.
Acne, eczema, infections, persistent rashes, unexplained itching and other skin conditions may require diagnosis or treatment from an appropriate healthcare professional. DIY recipes should not be used as substitutes for necessary medical care.
Can essential oils firm sagging skin?
Essential oils and carrier oils can be incorporated into moisturizing and body-care routines designed to support the appearance of smooth, supple and healthy-looking skin.
Cosmetic preparations should not be expected to physically tighten loose skin or alter its underlying structure. Skin appearance is influenced by many factors, including age, genetics, sun exposure, hydration and changes in body composition.
Where can I find more DIY natural body care recipes?
Explore the BioSource Naturals DIY archives, essential-oil guides and free Transformation Library for additional recipes, charts and downloadable resources.
Start Creating Your Own Natural Body Care
You don’t need to replace everything in your bathroom cabinet with something homemade.
Start with one recipe.
Make a jar of bath salts.
Blend a body oil.
Try a cuticle oil.
Create a body scrub.
As you become more comfortable, learn about carrier oils, botanical butters, hydrosols, preservation and essential-oil blending.
DIY natural body care is as much about learning as it is about the finished product.
Continue Your Essential Oil Blending Journey
Creating DIY natural body care products often involves more than following a recipe. Understanding how to choose essential oils, create balanced blends, select carrier oils, dilute essential oils appropriately and follow essential oil safety guidelines can help you make more informed choices as you develop your own body care creations. Explore these fundamentals in our Essential Oils Complete Guide.
→ Read the Essential Oils Complete Guide
Want a practical way to plan your own creations? Our free Essential Oil Blending & Dilution Workbook includes printable worksheets for choosing essential oils and carrier oils, planning blends and dilution, reviewing safety considerations, testing your creations and recording favorite formulas and recipes.
→ Download the Free Essential Oil Blending & Dilution Workbook
Continue Your DIY Natural Body Care Journey
Explore these DIY natural body care and essential oil resources for help choosing essential oils for beauty products, understanding skin-care applications, using essential oils safely and finding additional DIY recipes, charts and guides.
- Best Essential Oils for DIY Beauty Products
- DIY Essential Oil Skin Chart
- Essential Oil Safety & Dilution
- Free DIY Recipe Books & Guides
The information provided is for educational purposes only. Statements regarding essential oils and natural products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products and recipes are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medication, managing a medical condition or have questions about using essential oils, consult an appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
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