DIY Natural Beauty
The Nutritional Aesthetics™ Alliance, whose primary goal is to formally acknowledge the skin-health link + defining a field of practice that utilizes this integrative approach. kicked off their new membership program last year at this time with a bang. And it’s still going strong.
To celebrate a year strong for the NAA membership program, we’ve got some DIY Natural Beauty goodies for you direct from their President and Co-Founder, Rachael Pontillo.
Pontillo, who also sits on the HLS’s Safe Beauty & Body Panel, shows off a little of her DIY prowess with a video demonstration (see below for her demo) of the Autumn Antioxidant Oil Serum she created for the NAA’s Flawless Fall Skin Guide (make sure you download that HERE if you haven’t already–the recipe for the serum is in that guide!).
“This product is so easy to make and does a wonderful job of delivering nourishing vitamins A, C, and E as well as minerals to the skin, explains Pontillo. “It also helps fortify the skin’s lipid barrier and seal in moisture with essential fatty acids which is so important as the weather gets cooler and the air gets drier.”
See her video below plus 6 more DIY Natural Beauty & Body Recipes:
1. Learn to Make The NAA’s Autumn Antioxidant Oil Serum:
https://www.youtu.be/LebtzB1CB0I
Ingredients and Supplies:
- 40 ml aloe vera gel (click HERE to learn to safely make your own)
- 40 ml infusion of organic green tea (double strength)
- 40 ml organic cucumber hydrosol
- 24 ml 80 proof (or higher) alcohol (vodka, brandy, whisky, rum are all fine)
- One 4 oz/120 ml dark glass bottle with spray pump top
Add all ingredients into mixing container and whisk together until you achieve a uniform consistency. Pour into bottle, close top. Store in a cool, dry place, and use within 3 months.
You can use this toner daily after cleansing in your morning and evening skincare regimens, or anytime you feel you need to cool or hydrate.
Watch Rachael create this DIY facial toner:
3. A No-Mess DIY Deodorant Recipe That Actually Works
Ingredients and supplies:
- 1/4 cup (57 g) organic virgin coconut oil
- 1/4 cup (57 g) plant-based butter (I used mango butter here. Shea butter will produce a similar consistency but if you like a firmer deodorant, try cocoa butter or illipe butter)
- 1/3 cup unrefined beeswax pastilles or candelilla wax (50 g)
- 1/2 teaspoon (2.29 g) of neem oil (neem has a strong scent, just FYI, but you can mask it with your essential oils. If you don’t have neem, you can try Vitamin E oil–just make sure your source is non-GMO)
- 2 tablespoons (27.6 g) of aluminum-free baking soda (kinda defeats the purpose if your baking soda contains aluminum!)
- 1/4 cup (34 g) arrowroot powder or cornstarch (I prefer arrowroot powder)
- Essential oils: I only recommend a .05% concentration of essential oils in deodorants since underarm skin is so sensitive, which in this recipe is about 22 total drops. I used ylang ylang and rosemary. Be sure to check with an herbalist or aromatherapist if you’re pregnant (no rosemary if you’re pregnant) or have a chronic health condition to make sure there are no contraindications.
- 2 empty deodorant tubes. I know it’s tempting to reuse empty tubes but please don’t do this. Plastic containers are not reusable and cannot be safely or effectively sterilized. Look for PET plastic to make sure your container is safe for use with essential oils. Amazon.com has a good variety. You may, of course, opt to use a jam jar or other glass or metal container–just be aware you might have to adjust your consistency to have a softer deodorant. I personally prefer a tube.
- You’ll also need one double boiler setup with a pourable spout, a spatula, and a whisk

Instructions:
- Over a simmering (not boiling double boiler), melt down your beeswax, butter, and coconut oil until you have a clear, uniform liquid consistency.
- Turn off the heat but keep your pot on the double boiler as you stir in your arrowroot powder and baking soda. Gently whisk until you get a uniform consistency. You might see tiny little bubbles. This is normal.
- Remove from heat and let cool until your mixture is just warmer than room temperature. Then add your neem or vitamin E oil, and essential oils and stir. This won’t take long!
- Immediately pour into your deodorant tubes. The mixture might settle–this is OK–just top them off.
- Wait for them to cool and harden before closing the containers to prevent condensation from contaminating the product.
This recipe makes about 5 oz of finished product–about two 2.5 oz deodorant containers
4. Hydrating and Softening Floral DIY Facial Toner Recipe
Ingredients:
- 1 oz infusion of pansies and violets
- 1 oz aloe vera gel
- 1 oz witch hazel
- 1 oz rose hydrosol
- 3 ml pansy-violet tincture
- Preservative (I used 5% of my Leucidal/Phytocide Elderberry blend)
Instructions:
- Add all ingredients to a sterilized 4 oz dark glass bottle (I used a cobalt blue glass bottle)
- Shake well
- Close tightly with a spray pump top
- Store in a cool, dark, dry place
Please note: If you make the toner using the correct percentage of a broad spectrum preservative as I did above, you can expect up to a 1 year shelf life. However, if you’re using alcohol as a preservative, you can expect up to a 6 month shelf life. You might also need to adjust your proportions of the other ingredients to make sure they all fit in the bottle, or use a larger bottle. If you choose to not use a preservative, you must refrigerate your product and be prepared to use it within a week so you’d definitely want to make a smaller quantity if that’s the case.
5. DIY Holiday Body Butter
Ingredients:
- 4 oz (120 ml/g) shea butter
- 1 oz (30 ml/g) coconut oil
- 1 oz (30 ml/g) jojoba oil
- 12 drops cypress essential oil
- 8 drops cinnamon essential oil
- 9 drops wild orange essential oil
- 7 drops vanilla essential oil–OR–3 ml of pure vanilla extract
- 6 ml antioxidant: Vitamin E oil–or–rosemary antioxidant
Supplies needed:
- One 6 oz jam, mason, or apothecary jar with lid–the ones with the airtight clamp and rubber seals work great for this.
- Double boiler or double boiler insert and saucepan
- Whisk
- Measuring cup(s)
- Medium mixing bowl filled with ice water
- Spatula
- Optional: hand mixer
Instructions:
- Heat your shea butter over a simmering double boiler until melted completely.
- Remove from heat and add your coconut oil (it will melt immediately once it comes into contact with the melted shea butter) and jojoba oil. Gently whisk together until they are blended.
- Put your double boiler insert into the ice bath, being careful not to splash any water into your mixture. Gently whisk until the mixture begins to turn opaque. Add your essential oils/extract/and antioxidant while stirring.
- Optional: use your hand mixer to whip the mixture gently to give it a soufflé-like texture.
- Allow to cool to room temperature and transfer your body butter to your jar using the spatula to avoid wasting product. Close your jar immediately.
- Make a pretty label for your jar–this can be as elaborate or as simple as you want, but make sure you write the date on the label. You can also tie some ribbon, raffia, or other decoration around the lid to make it look festive.
Isn’t that lovely? My skin can’t live without this stuff. By the way, the essential oil blend above is one I chose for it’s festive aroma, but you can change it up any way you like. Just be sure not to exceed 36 drops total for this recipe.
6. DIY Apothecary Rash Remedy
Ingredients for a 2 oz jar or bottle:
- 3.5 tbs organic coconut oil (if you have tree nut allergies, try using jojoba, olive, or unrefined sesame oil instead)
- 7 drops of Lavender essential oil
- 7 drops of Melaleuca essential oil
- 6 drops of Geranium essential oil
Instructions:
7. Argan Oil-Based Serum:
Ingredients:
- A 1 or 2 oz amber or cobalt glass bottle with dropper (I prefer cobalt because it keeps light out better)
- Organic argan oil
- Your choice of essential oils (see above for suggestions)
Instructions:
- Fill your bottle about 3/4 way to the top with argan oil.
- Add a few drops of each essential oil to the bottle (no more than 50 drops total for a 2 oz bottle). Tip: make sure you write down how many drops you use of each oil and what order you add them so you have it for next time!
Hope you enjoy your DIY Natural Beauty + your Flawless Fall Skin Guide!
**The Nutritional Aesthetics™ Alliance just kicked off their new membership program as we mentioned, so be sure to check it out! Such an abundant and amazing resource that’s dedicated to bridging the narrowing gap between skin, health & nutrition.
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