1. Jojoba Oil

Latin name: (Simmondsia chinensis)

Being a liquid wax, jojoba has an impressive shelf life of over 20 years! Its chemistry is similar to that of skin’s natural oil, called “sebum,” which means your skin “recognizes” jojoba and easily absorbs it. Jojoba is moisturizing, protective, and doesn’t clog pores. It blends easily with other oils and waxes, and its subtle aroma lets the scents of your essential oils take the spotlight.

Jojoba can be infused with other aromatic plants to create a more fragrant oil that still offers all the benefits of pure jojoba. Try vanilla-infused or neroli blossom-infused jojoba!

2. Trauma Oil

Trauma Oil is a blend of three herbally infused oils.

The herbs arnica, St. John’s wort, and calendula have been used for centuries to comfort and care for the body. We craft herbal infusions of these plants right here at Aromatics!

To make Trauma Oil, we combine these three herbal infusions into one for an ultra-soothing carrier that can comfort tender issues all by itself, or can be blended with other oils and carriers to make customized oils, butters, and salves.

See how we make Trauma Oil!

3. Shea Butter

Latin name: (Vitellaria paradoxa)

Full of antioxidants, vitamins (A and E), and fatty acids, shea butter is one of the most moisturizing, nourishing carriers in our collection!

Traditionally made by women in Africa, shea butter is ideal for daily moisturizing blends that nourish dry, cracked skin.

Its rich, luxurious texture is firm in cool environments or at room temperature, but it softens when exposed to warmth. Shea butter is simplest to use when it’s blended with other carriers to create a butter or salve. It melts over the stove and combines well with oils, butters, and waxes.

If you’re melting it with other ingredients, we suggest adding shea butter last, as it’s sensitive to too much heat. (Heat doesn’t change the properties of shea butter, but can sometimes result in a grainy texture to body butters.)

4. Cocoa Butter

Latin name: (Theobroma cacao)

Cocoa butter smells like chocolate! Abundant in vitamin E, cocoa butter is intensely moisturizing. It can help skin retain elasticity, protect it from daily environmental damage, and even reduce fine lines and wrinkles.

Cocoa butter is cold-pressed from roasted cacao seeds, and has a thick, powdery texture at room temperature.

Its hard, powdery texture is too firm to work with all by itself, but it melts easily over the stove and combines with other oils, butters, and waxes.

5. Beeswax Pellets

Latin name: (Cera flava)

Beeswax adds firmness and texture to your blends. You can use it for lip balms, salves, body butters, deodorants, and more.

It’s a “humectant,” which means that it attracts moisture. This has huge benefits for your skin!

Beeswax not only attracts moisture to your skin, it provides a layer of protection to prevent loss of hydration.

Melting beeswax over the stove fills the room with the sweet scent of warm honey! It melts and blends with other oils, butters, and waxes easily. Beeswax is also very shelf-stable. It can last 20 years!

6. Pink Himalayan Salt

Making a body scrub? Bath salt? Exfoliating face scrub? Foot scrub? Or maybe you just want a natural abrasive substance to clean your bathtub and sink.

You’re going to need some salt!

Himalayan salt has a soft warm pink hue that adds beautiful color to your blends. It’s mined in the Himalayas, contains 84 trace minerals, and is food grade. We carry Himalayan salt in fine grain (which is excellent for exfoliating your skin) and small grain, (which offers a more abrasive touch).

7. Argan Oil

Latin name: (Argania spinosa)

One of the most sought-after oils for natural beauty products and face care, argan oil is light and silky. It’s rich in vitamin E, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants (which fight cell-damaging free radicals in your skin). Argan oil doesn’t clog pores, which makes it ideal for acne care, too.

Argan oil moisturizes the skin. It rejuvenates aging skin by reducing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, and it protects skin against damage from the sun and other environmental factors (such as pollution and cold, harsh temperatures).

Argan oil is gorgeous when used all by itself, and it also works well as a carrier for essential oils, or blended with other oils and butters.

8. Arnica Infused Olive Oil

Latin name: (Arnica cordifolia)

Arnica is a traditional plant used to care for bruised skin, and sore muscles and joints.

Arnica grows wild in the Montana mountains near our headquarters. Once a year, we hike out to handpick the brilliant yellow arnica blossoms, put them into glass jars, and cover the blossoms with organic, extra-virgin olive oil.

After a few weeks in the sun, the olive oil is infused with the soothing properties of the arnica!

Look behind the scenes at our process!

Use arnica-infused olive oil all by itself, as a carrier for essential oils, or as part of a recipe with other oils and butters.

9. Coconut Oil

Latin name: (Cocos nucifera)

Coconut oil is high in saturated fats and lauric acid, making it one of the most effective natural moisturizers—and a must-have skin care staple for many people! Coconut oil is deeply moisturizing, can calm itchiness and irritation, and doesn’t clog pores.

Coconut oil carries the fresh scent of tropical coconuts. It’s solid in cool temperatures, but easily melts into a liquid in warmer temperatures.

Use it alone, as a carrier for essential oils, or as a decadent ingredient in your recipes.

10. Natural, Unscented Lotion

There are a wide variety of lotion recipes to choose from, but it’s not always easy to find one that’s completely natural. (That’s due to lotion’s water-based nature, which you’ll learn more about in Chapter 5.)

Our lotion is 100% natural, with no synthetic preservatives or chemicals!

Our lotion is highly absorbent, making it a popular choice for daily moisturizing and for skin care routines.

While our lotion is water-based, the presence of other natural ingredients (like grapeseed oil and emulsifiers) means that essential oils will still blend into it. You can customize this lotion to scent it with your favorite oils, or to create a specific therapeutic effect. Make a relaxing lotion for bedtime, a stress-relieving lotion to help you stay calm through the day, or boost the lotion’s skin-soothing effects with a few drops of lavender oil.