Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Sugar And Spice

Sugar Scrub Recipe! 

So, as promised, here is the first of several blog posts with recipes and ideas for your own homemade skin care!
For this one, as you might have guessed from the title, it's all about sugar scrubs!  Sugar scrubs have become quite popular, partly because of exposure from some big name retail stores, but also because they contain as few as two ingredients which most people already have in their kitchen.  Also, because sugar easily dissolves in water, this makes it ideal for sensitive skin that may need exfoliation, but might find other scrubs too harsh.  The sugar crystals have the wonderful ability to exfoliate while dissolving too fast to over exfoliate and become harsh.  Sharing a recipe for sugar scrub is a bit less than exciting, since you can go online and find many recipes that will deliver wonderful results and leave your skin smooth and moisturized.  So for this post what I would like to do is share a basic recipe, and then share several tips for different types of scrubs from all my trial and error batches over the years.

Basic Sugar Scrub

2 to 4 parts sugar
1 part oil
essential oil or fragrance oil as needed for scent
Mix the ingredients in a bowl, and place them into jars or containers to use or give away!


Now for the tweaking!
The first thing you need to decide is how much "scrubbiness" do you want from your sugar scrub?  Is this for tough skin, like the bottom of your feet, or calloused hands that are used to working in the garden every day or is it for sensitive hand, your face, or your legs?  If you want a courser grit, go with white sugar.  If you want a smoother more gentle scrub, go with brown.  The crystals in brown sugar are finer, and much more gentle on sensitive skin.  (also the molasses in brown sugar is great for your skin too!)

Second, how much oil to scrub ratio do you like?  If you love the scrubs where the oil rises to the top and the scrub falls to the bottom, start with 2 parts sugar to 1 part oil.  If you don't like the hassle of mixing, and want your scrub to stay more on the mixed side of things, start with 4 parts sugar to 1 part oil.  The great thing about sugar scrubs is you can always add more oil or more sugar to your batch as you go.

Now for the type of oil you use.  If you have really dry skin, and want a thicker oil that won't rinse of easily, try using one or a mixture of several oils such as sweet almond oil, olive oil, avocado oil, oil castor oil.  If you REALLY want your oils thick and creamy you can throw in some butters too.  You can melt the butters in whatever oils you decide to use for your scrub.  Butters like shea butter, cocoa butter, and almond butter are great choices.  But if you are looking for a lighter scrub that will leave your skin soft and moisturized but not oily or sticky (like for a facial scrub or any scrub for oily skin) try using oils like grape seed, apricot seed, or jojoba.
Also, here is another trick if you are trying to make a "lighter" scrub.  Mix some fine sea salt in with your sugar.  The salt helps cut through the oil when you are rinsing.  Also, if you are making the scrub for your face or other acne prone areas, the sea salt helps kill bacteria and prevent or clear up existing acne.  Usually the main complaint that comes with sugar scrub is that it is too oily to use on your face, or just in general for oily skin.  Sea salt can help solve this problem.  Also you can get the "real salt" or other sea salt brands that contain lots of minerals which are great for your skin too!  Start with 1/8 a part of salt to each 1 part of sugar.  For example: if you are using 2 cups of sugar use 1/4 cup fine sea salt.   If you are using a light oil, and still think the scrub is too oily you can add a bit more sea salt to the mixture.   Don't use regular table salt, the grains are too large and can scratch sensitive skin.  Another great benefit of salt is it helps preserve your scrub.  Sugar scrubs can mold if left for too long, and adding some sea salt to the mix will help ward off any unwanted bacteria that you might have on your hands and accidentally add to the jar when using your scrub.  Also you can add some baking soda in to help cut the oil, and kill unwanted bacteria on the skin.  And it's fine texture can add some depth to a sugar scrub as well.

Now for the fragrance.   This depends on your taste, and where the scrub is going to be used.  There is no exact science here, just add essential oils till it has reached the fragrance you like.  But do remember, always make your scrub smell stronger than you think it should.  It is nice to have a little fragrance left on your skin after you use a scrub, and most of it will be rinsed off, so it needs to be stronger than you think it should be so that some of that yummy goodness will be left on your skin once you are done using it.  As far as which oils to use, that depends on what the scrub is for.  If it is for your feet, peppermint is always a great choice, but if you are using it on your face, peppermint can really wreak some havoc on the eyes, so sticking with a lighter oil like lavender or ylang ylang is a better choice.  Or you can use your favorite fragrance oil if you don't want to go with essential oils, but always use a little less if the scrub is designed for the face, those fragrance oils can be a bit unforgiving if you get them in your eyes.  Or, if you prefer to not use fragrance oils, you can add spices, like cinnamon or ginger to give it a light pleasant fragrance.  You can also add some honey for a nice fragrance and also great healing properties that are wonderful for every skin type.

And here is one final little twist.  If you like a thicker scrub that does not separate, try adding some clay to it.  Kaolin clay, Rhassoul clay, or any other cosmetic clays make a great thickener and help keep the oil from separating.  It stabilizes the oil, and adds minerals to the scrub that are great for all skin types.  Also, if you are making a facial scrub you can have an added mud mask in the same product.  Simply use the scrub on your face as you usually would, but then instead of rinsing it off when the sugar has dissolved, let it sit on your face until it dries and let your skin soak up all the great minerals from the clay.  I would recommend only using this as a mud mask too if you have put some sea salt in your mask.  Otherwise letting the sugar sit on your face might cause an acne breakout if you are prone to breakouts.

And that's about all there is to it!  It is so simple, super easy, and best of all very inexpensive!




Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Are You In Or Out?

There are lots of questions surrounding the use of essential oils.  There have been many books written, seminars given, and classes taught on all the ins and outs, the benefits and the dangers of oils.  I don't want to go into depth right now about what all the oils are for, which are better for what etc.  But I do want to give a couple rules of thumbs that will make it easier when navigating the world of essential oils.  Now we all know rules are meant to be broken, and what I am going to say today is no exception.  There are always going to be oils that bend the rules, people that bend the rules, and situations that bend the rules.  But none the less I hope these will help you as you start out using oils.

The first rule of thumb I have is in answer to the question "In or out" regarding which essential oils can be used internally and which ones should be used only externally.  First, of course make sure you have a high quality oil, one that is not diluted in other oils, has  not been distilled with solvents, or has perfumes or chemicals added to enhance it.  Once you determine your oil is indeed safe, follow this rule of thumb: If I would eat it in real life, I can probably eat the oil.  So, if the oil is from a plant or fruit you would consume the oil is most likely safe to ingest.  A few examples of such oils would be: lemon, lime, tangerine, cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, oregano, spearmint, peppermint etc.  Now, like I said there are exceptions, some oils that you wouldn't usually go chomping down on can be very effective when used internally.  But I usually suggest you wait until you have a broader knowledge of oils before you begin branching into those oils.  And a word of caution here, don't just ingest a essential oil because someone else says you can.  Weather it is in a class, a book, or suggested to you face to face, if it is not a plant you would usually think of ingesting, take a step back and do a little research.  With the internet and the availability of multiple opinions that it brings to our finger tips, there is rarely a situation where you can't at least get several points of views on any oil and it's uses.  And of course the internet is not the most reliable source, but if the common opinion is that an oil should not be consumed, probably better to be on the safe side.

The second rule of thumb I have is in answer to the question "straight or diluted?"  Which oils are safe to apply directly to your skin or take straight internally, and which oils must be diluted.  And my rule of thumb is always dilute, unless you are sure.  Better safe than sorry on this one.  Essential oils are extremely concentrated, and even what is absolutely fine on one person could burn another person's skin.  Be very careful about recommending another person use an oil straight just because you did and had no issues with it.
When taking oils internally, diluting is a good rule too, even if it is just a little water or milk.  Oils can burn the sensitive skin inside your mouth, so diluting them, or putting them in a capsule and swallowing them is always the safest.  There are some oils that typically don't have to be diluted, but depending on where you are applying them, could cause an issue.  For example, you might not put tea tree oil straight on your face around your eyes, but you could apply it straight to a cut or scrape on your knee.  In the same way a lot of  oils that usually should be diluted, can be applied straight to the bottom of your feet.  But if in doubt, always dilute.  A few drops of a carrier oil like sweet almond, or olive oil won't hurt a thing and will help insure any sensitive skin has a protective barrier.  As you get more comfortable using oils, and more aware of how your skin and the skin of those in your family responds to oils you may be able to start using many more oils straight on your skin, but take it slow.   Being a red head, you'd think that my skin would be very sensitive, but actually my skin is like a rock most of the time!  I apply oil straight that a lot of people wouldn't dream of using without a carrier oil, but even oils that I use all the time burn my husbands skin, so just be careful.   And some oils may surprise you.  You might think lemon and orange are every day fruits and think you can apply them straight to your skin as much as desired, but they create photosensitivity in your skin, and can cause sunburns if applied before going outside.  And there are many other oils with hidden "side effects" (if you want to call them that)  so, read up on individual oils and study their properties.  Try to read books published by authors writing about the actual properties of the plants and oils, not just what the essential oil companies put out.  Books written by those who have studied and used essential oils for years, and are devoted to ancient cultures and learning the properties of each individual herb and it's corresponding essential oils usually tend to offer a more balanced perspective on the actual properties of the herbs and oils than the information put out by essential oil companies.  Not that the information essential oil companies put out is not helpful, it can be very educational, but sometimes can lean only towards all of the wonderful benefits of the oils, and not also the accompanying dangers and potential hazards of each plant and oil.  Again, essential oils are extremely concentrated, so you need to know the pros and cons of each oils not just all the pros.
Knowing the potential dangers or "side effects" will not make you more afraid of using the oils, but will free you up to use them with confidence!

And YES, in case you are wondering, I will be writing soon about individual oils that I love and use all the time, why I think they are so fabulous, and I'll be giving you recipes for things I've created over the years that I can't imagine living without, such as ear drops that will stop an infant screams from the pain of an ear infection in it's tracks and a butt salve that had mom's swearing by it long before I had my little one.  But I feel like I would be remiss if I didn't lay a bit of foundation work for essential oils first.  Educated users are always the safest and the best!  But the fun stuff is coming soon and all my blog posts won't just bee about the mundane details!
If you've found my blog posts interesting or helpful and are looking forward to what is coming next I always appreciate your comments, or likes and shares on Facebook!

Visit me on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/realessentialoilseducation


Saturday, May 18, 2013

Essential Oils: What To Look For

I've had a lot of questions recently about essential oils, prices, which oils I use, what oils I have tried, why I use what I do, and what oils I will be selling and or recommend.
I've been using and studying essential oils for over 15 Years now, and have tried many MANY different brands.  If you look in my cupboard you will see probably close to 100 different oils, different, brands, and strengths that I use, or have tried.  Some I love, and some I would NEVER reccomend to anyone!  Some I use and recommend for skin care, others I use and recommend for internal use, and sometimes those two overlap.  If you are using them for fragrance, aromatherapy etc. one grade or company might be perfect, but if you are ingesting them or using them for their medicinal qualities you might want a different strength, and/or go with organic oils.

In my previous blog, I mentioned that the US has practically NO standards for essential oils.  While companies have made up titles that sound grand, and they may brag their oils are superior because of the titles they have given themselves, these titles can sadly mean little to nothing.
As I mentioned before, looking for honesty in a company is really important to me, and a good place to start.  If a company leaves out information such as how they distill their oils, when they mix them with carrier oils, what region their oils are grown in etc. that can be a real red flag.

Many companies use solvents during the distillation process to speed the extraction time.  After the oils are distilled there are still traces of the solvent left that can be harmful when put on your skin or ingested.  It can also inhibit the good properties you were hoping to achieve by using the oils in the first place.  If a company is unwilling or unable to share with you their EXACT distillation process, or they mask their process by using words like "proprietary" or "patented" be wary.  They should be proud of the process they use and be willing to share it with customers.  Also, sometimes people smell the oils, and because they smell so wonderful they think that means the oil is good.  However, the best smelling oils come from the 3rd distillation.  First distillation oils most often have a bit of a dirty or earth smell along with the wonderful aroma.  This is from the good medicinal qualities that are more present in the first distillation.  Some oils just smell really nice, like peppermint.  But if your peppermint oil smells just like peppermint candy, it is most likely a lower quality oil.  I could go on and on about ways to determine the quality of the oils you have.  Many if not most essential oil companies are contaminating, diluting, and or cutting their oils with chemicals.  Because of the lack of regulation in the US they can get away with murder while still bragging their oils are pure.  That is why it is so important you buy from a company that can be honest about their plants, their method, their claims, etc.

So if you are just starting out with essential oils, I would recommend looking for a company that is upfront and honest.  Even if the oils they sell are on the lower price range, you can be confident you are at least getting a pure oil with no chemical additives or solvents.  What these oils may not have is the highest medicinal value possible.  To really be confident about the exact medicinal value of oils, they need to be grown in ideal conditions, they need to be certain varieties of the mother species, not just any variety, and they need to be tested for key components, every year in EVERY location.  So for the most potent, best oils, you will need to look further.  However, as long as you are getting a pure oil with no additives, you can notice many many benefits to your skin and your overall health.  I have had great success with "NOW" brand essential oils.  They are pure, honest about their distillation process, and when their oils are diluted, give you exact information on every bottle as to what the exact species of Lavender, or any other plant you are getting, and I have used their oils both internally and externally with great success.  They are also offering quite a few organic oils, so you can be assured that those standards in the us are being met.  Are they the BEST oils you can buy?  No.  Do they use the best plants in the best regions?  Probably Not.  But they do offer truly pure oils that have not been distilled with solvents, have not been cut with chemicals, at great prices, their openness and honesty is very reassuring, and they are great starter oils.

However, if you have been using essential oils for a while, or are really interested in the health benefits of essential oils and would like some more assurance of the medicinal values of the oils you are using let me make a suggestion.  Buy your oils from Europe.  I know that sounds crazy, but the lack of standards in the US is really a problem.  Even companies that brag about how superior their oils are have no one looking over their shoulder making sure their oils are actually what they say, or that the standards don't slip over time.  And lets face it, we know most large companies will claim anything to make more money if they know there is no accountability required.  I don't want to be cynical, but the truth is money talks.  If you don't want to mess with ordering oils from the UK, you can order from a company that follows the E.O.B.B.D standards.  (this is the standard used in Europe, and is quite strict) Europe is one of the countries that actually uses essential oils for medicinal purposes rather than the US which only recognizes them for perfume purposes.  So, because they actually use them widely for medicinal use, they actually have standards and testing that is regulated and enforced.   Like I said, I have had great success with other brands from here in the US, but if you are going for purity and medicinal properties I suggest you look for E.O.B.B.D standard.  The only company I am aware of in the US (there may be others this is just the only one I know about) that follows these standards is Be Young Essential Oils.  (not the same company as Young Living)  Their oils are much more expensive but the assurance and quality they offer is wonderful.  And it's not just a claim that they are "better" or "the best".  They give you information.  They tell you about the plant, where it is grown, if it is harvested wild or cultivated what it's active components are, etc.  And not just what the properties of the oil should be, but what actual testing shows.

I am not planning on carrying E.O.B.B.D oils in the store right now because I cater more towards skin care, and the benefits oils can bring to that, and in my experience the oil brands I use still do a fantastic job for skin care and the small health issues most consumers are dealing with, such as toothaches, upset stomach, back pain, digestion problems, and others.  That's not to say that if the demand is there I wouldn't consider carrying some higher end oils.  But for now, I am happy to just refer people to individual companies like Be Young and have you look there if you would like a few top quality oils to have in your medical kits.

But the wonderful world of essential oils is not limited to those with deep pockets that can afford the highest quality oils available.  I think you will find that even the reasonably priced truly pure oils can have huge impacts on your health!  I am very passionate about essential oils, and am so excited that they are growing in their use and popularity here in the US.  They are truly amazing.  I don't know how I would have survived raising a little sister, and now Hudsen without them.  Colic, Ear infections, and so many other things would have been so much more stressful without them.  Stopping a screaming infant with an ear infection would only take a few minutes when I would drop in a few drops of olive oils mixed with clove and lavender.  It numbs it so fast which has saved me from a lot of misery when dealing with ear infections myself.  Even using oils for teething, diaper rashes, boo boos etc. has been a life saver.  I frankly can't imagine life without them.

As I continue writing, I will be posting more information on individual oils, uses, recipes etc.  Using essential oils can seem a bit intimidating when you are first starting out, but you will be so pleasantly surprised how easy it can be and how many uses there are for them.  The lovely smell is the least wonderful thing about these oils, although it is a great added bonus!  If you have more questions about oils, or different brands please feel free to ask.  I don't want to take up time writing about each specific brand of oils I have tried and what was good or bad about them, but I am happy to answer specific questions if anyone has more.

Below is a link to another article that goes into more depth about the US standards for oils, you might find it very interesting.  And if you are looking into essential oils I would recommend you read it.  She goes a bit farther than I would about how awful essential oils in the US are, but keep in mind she is writing from a preparedness point of view, and talking about using these oils for your sole medical care in the event where there is no ability to receive outside medical care.  So you can understand how in that type of situation you would want the absolute best oils that contain the highest amounts of the medicinal compounds.  So while her view is a little more extreme than I think is necessary, it is good to have information as you get started on this road.  Or, if you have been using essential oils for a long time and aren't getting the effects you hoped from them, this might explain why.  Happy Reading!  And I hope you will lean to love oils like I do!

http://www.preparednesspro.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-essential-oils-part-2/

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Where Do I Start?

So in this blog post I am going to offer my two cents on where to start if you want to begin making your own skin care products, or even if you just want to make something handmade for gifts for Christmas.

The absolute easiest possible is bath salts.  Simply combine one or more of these ingredients: Epsom Salts, Sea Salt, and or Baking Soda.  And then add some essential oils and fragrance oils, and bam you are done!  Get a cut jar, some neat tags, and you have a great relaxing soak for yourself, or a cute gift for the holidays.  If you want to start getting a little more fancy, you can add some vitamin E oil, or mix the essential oils you add for certain effects.  Here are a few ideas of essential oil combinations:

Relaxing Blend: Lavender, Rose, Ylang Ylang

Sore Muscles:  Peppermint, Lavender, Ginger, Juniper

Energizing:  Orange, Tangerine, Lemon, and Coriander


Finding mixtures of oils is easy enough to find on the internet too.  Just google what effect you want (i.e.. relaxing, soothing, etc.) and type in essential oil recipe and tons of sites will come up.


If you are not a huge bath salt fan, (which I am not, primarily because I don't have a bathtub in my house!) one of the second easiest things to start with is lip balm.  Making your own lip balm is easy, and best of all does not require precise ingredients.  What I mean by this is you can use a basic ratio, and tweak it to your personal likings.
There are four basic components to pretty much any lip balm recipe you will find:
Oil
Wax
Butter
Fragrance (essential oils)
Deciding what oils, what butters, what essential oils and what waxes to use is entirely up to you.  Different oils, butters and waxes will give your lip balm different textures, but a good rule of thumb is: put more oil if you like it to go on more like a gloss, more wax if you like a heavier coat on your lips or more butter if you want a creamier texture.
There are lots of recipes online that you can try, just remember what each ingredient does, and adjust the recipe to suit your exact taste.
As you get more experienced with your skin care ingredients, you can then adjust the type of oil, butter and wax you used based on the individual properties, thickness, and moisturizing qualities each type of ingredient possesses.  For example, for a light lip balm you might start with grape seed or apricot seed oil, both of which are very light.  For a thick heavier lip balm for very dry or cracked lips, you might use olive, wheat germ, and castor oil.

It's no secret that making your own bath salts and lip balms as well as other skin care products can save a lot of money, but with both lip balm and bath salts you can also not waste a lot of time.  Both of these projects go very fast, and it's so fun to be able to customize what you like, instead of just settling for what is on the shelf of your local health food store.

So... where to you find ingredients?  Well I can tell you where NOT to go, and that is your local health food store... at least usually.  I would be lying if I told you I NEVER bought ingredients from health food stores.  There have been several occasions where right in the middle of a batch of something I realized I was out of ONE ingredient, and went flying down to the health food store to get it, but usually I try to avoid this.  The ingredients like oils, butters, and waxes are usually in very small containers, and are meant to be used themselves, not intended for you to mix up into something else.  What I mean is the sweet almond oil that you will find at the health food store is usually meant to be used as massage oil, or just a moisturizing oil used alone.  And when used as massage oil, at $8 for 4 oz, that's not a bad price!  But when you are making a big batch of lip balm or salve and looking for 48 oz, that gets really expensive, really fast!  The oils are the same, there is no difference (other than brand) on many of the oils you can buy at a local health food store, or those you order wholesale, or purchase from a distributor that is catering to those making their own skin care products.  But the prices are usually much more reasonable.
As far as other places to find ingredients, there are so many good places online that I won't even try listing them here, and I am selling a wide selection of containers and ingredients down at Harebrained And Happy too!  Since I order in large quantities anyway and can offer better deals that many places offering small quantities it's been a section I've been wanting to have since I opened the store, but now It's a reality!  If you haven't stopped by and checked out this new section that is in progress I hope you will soon!
One thing I will say is this:  when first starting out, don't buy a gallon of oil, or pounds of butter.  Start small.  While buying in bulk will save you some money, you also don't know if you are going to like doing your own skin care, or if you are going to like the products that you create!  Buy what you need, make a batch, see how it goes.  Trust me, this is the voice of experience speaking here!  There will be plenty of time later for ordering cases of containers, or gallons of coconut oil.  Test the waters.  You may find it exhilarating, and in that case it was money well spent to order smaller quantities and find out you loved it!  Or you may find it exhausting and frustrating, and leaving you more on the harebrained side of things than the happy one, and if that is the case you will be happy that you don't have 5 gallons of coconut oil staring at you from the pantry laughing at your failure and reminding you of your over zealous illusions of changing the world with your skin care products!  So stick your toe in, don't try too many things at once.  Master one thing before you move on to the next.

So that's all for now.  Go forth and be bathed and balmed!

Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Don't be deceived, things aren't always as they seem!

There are so many tips, pointers, and tricks of the trade that can be extremely helpful when starting to delve into the world of making your own skin care products.  While I'm very excited about writing about many of the tips and tricks I've discovered over the past many years, I'm going to focus on one simple aspect today.  And that is this, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.  This goes for many things.  If a headline reads "make your own soap in 15 min!" it's a very good assumption that you are not actually going to be "making" anything, but most likely morphing something someone else made into another form.  Like the ever popular "liquid soap" where you simply grate up bar soap and dissolve it in water.  I hope I don't need to tell you that this results in a very stringy, goopy, downright nasty form of liquid soap, that leaves most people wishing they just had their bar of soap (and their hour of life) back.  So don't be fooled.  If you really want quality, natural homemade skin care products, you are going to have to put in the elbow grease to make it happen.  It takes research, work, experimentation, and most of all MISTAKES!  Don't be afraid to make a few (or quite a few) because it may take a few batches for you to get the hang of that "easy" recipe.  If a recipe clams to be "easy lotion" and then only has coconut oil as the ingredient in it, (while you may like coconut oil rubbed on your skin) it will probably feel like just that... oil rubbed on your skin.  Don't expect great things with no elbow grease.
It's also the same with container shopping.  You may go online and find the perfect lotion jar to fill with your latest batch of body butter, and they are in gorgeous colors and at half the price you can find them anywhere else!  Then once you get all the way through the checkout, you realize you have to buy 20,000 of them and the shipping from China is double what your actual order would be anyway!  Now I am all for getting super deals, and while sometimes you can find a once in a lifetime deal on containers or ingredients, more likely that not, if the going rate for something is $2.00, there is a good reason no one else is selling it for .25 cents.  Used is where the deals usually come in, but sadly "used" is not something that fits into natural skin care very well.

The other side of my "too good to be true" coin has to do less with how to, and more with ingredients.  Be wary of companies who claim greatness from their ingredients.  Or mark their products up two, three, or four times what other companies do claiming that their products are so superior that the mark up is worth it.  No I'm not discounting all expensive ingredients, and some natural ingredients are just expensive, and there is no way to get around it.  For example, pure rose oil is about $1,000.00 (yes thats a THOUSAND) an oz.  But that is an exception, not the rule.  The thing you have to always keep in mind, is there are few, if any regulations put on most natural ingredients, and supplements.  Organic, is one of the few "absolute" standards in the natural world.  The FDA has approved (and thus regulated) very few truly "natural" substances.  Thus many of the claims and "standards" claimed by natural companies are self titles given.  Again, I'm a HUGE proponent of natural products, and like to purchase and use high quality ingredients in my skin care lines, but I feel I would be doing a mis service not to offer a word of warning on this.  Titles such as "100% pure", "All Natural", "Therapeutic Grade", "Better than Organic", and other such labels should be a warning.  Not a warning that the product is inferior, just that it is very likely claims are being made and prices are being jacked up based on those claims, which would be fine if there were some sort of regulations, inspections, and accountability  to verify the claims being made.  While grand sounding, these titles have little to no meaning except to raise expectations and prices.  Yes, there are definitions that go along with these titles, but no organization that monitors companies claiming these titles.  According to the FDA, any natural products, such as oils and butters can claim to be "100% pure" if there is 5% of the ingredient in the product.  Not very comforting huh?  So how DO you go about deciding what ingredients to use and from what companies?  Here are a few pointers I like to recommend to people who ask me.
First, look for "labels" that DO mean something and ARE regulated.  Here are a few titles to look for:  Certified Organic, Cold Pressed, Un-refined, First Distill (on essential oils), and Extra Virgin (for olive oil).  The second thing is to look for companies that are honest about the corners they cut.  Let's face it, all companies cut corners in one way or another.  Whether it's about packaging, or dilution, or whatever it is, any major company is always looking to save money for themselves and the customers.  What is important to look for is honesty.  If an essential oil company will tell you which oils are first, second, third or "whole" distilled, and when working with the crazy expensive oils will tell you when they are diluted and in what, that is a good sign.  If a company can be honest, and say that their rose oil is diluted with jojoba oil, then you can have the peace of mind that they are being honest with you and this oil is still all natural (not diluted with chemicals like many companies do to cut costs), and something you would want to put on your skin.  It is very reasonable for companies to dilute oils that are hundreds or thousands of dollars per oz. to make them accessible to common folks like us.  If a company can tell you that the reason their oil is cheaper is because it is diluted in a plant oil, is the second distill, or the third press, then you can decide if you are ok with a little less quality for a lower price.  If a company does not differentiate between un-refined, refined, and ultra refined shea butter, but just tells you that theirs is the greatest and the best, it makes you wonder what they are trying to hide and which grade you are actually getting.  It would seem that going with the company that claims everything is the greatest and the best and the most pure would be the best choice right?  But the problem is everything can't be the best and the greatest and the purest.  And when a company admits to no flaws, no diluting, but only gives out information on why their products are so much better than all the others on the market, that is a red flag.  Proceed with caution.  I'm not saying their products will be bad (although they very well could be) but that there might be a much higher price tag attached without any real added benefits to you.
And if a company is being honest about little things when they don't have to (because the FDA says 5% can be claimed as "pure") then it is a good sign of faith that they will be honest about other stuff too.
And there are times to cut corners and not use the super high quality products in skin care.  For example, when making soap, using the top of the line ingredients and oils is not nearly as important as when making lotions or balms.  The reason being of course that you are rinsing the soap right off your skin.  You of course don't want harmful ingredients, but using a second distill peppermint oil for a soap, just for the scent and the warm tingly affect is perfectly reasonable, whereas for a balm where you are using the peppermint for muscle relief, you might want to use a low pressure first distilled oil so that more of the healing properties will be present.

So to sum it all up, don't be enamored with a company just because they claim to be the greatest and the best, but at the same time don't throw them out just because their prices are higher, there could be reasons for that.
And just because a company tells you they dilute an oil in another oil, or press something twice don't think they are cutting corners and offering you inferior products across the line.  They may just be honest where other companies hide these details because they can.

So back to my original statement, both in the making, and in the ingredients themselves, if it sounds too good to be true... it probably is.  Very few (if any) skin care products will take you 5 minutes to make, and very few oils or butters will take away all your wrinkles or age spots, or erase all scars.
But with that being said, the wonderful world of natural products is fantastic and wonderful!  I hope you are excited and ready to jump into making your own natural skin care products!  (even if it does take you more than 5 min.  :-)