All articles
Everything on The Plain Elixir, organised by topic.
Ingredient Guides
- Best Carrier Oil for Your Face: One-Bottle Guide — There is no universal best carrier oil for every face. Start with squalane for the lightest, lowest-odor feel, jojoba for more silky cushion, or…
- Best Carrier Oils for DIY Beauty: 6 Honest Picks — For a beginner water-free body oil, high-oleic sunflower is the best-value majority base, jojoba is a silky co-oil, and squalane gives the lightest…
- Is Sunflower Oil a Carrier Oil? Read the Bottle First — Yes. Sunflower seed oil can serve as a carrier oil: a base oil used in cosmetic products, rather than a concentrated essential oil.
Packaging Guides
- Best Containers for Homemade Skincare: 6 Picks — The best container depends on the formula: a treatment pump or reducer bottle suits water-free facial oil, a locking lotion pump suits body oil, an…
Safe Formulating
- Homemade Cosmetic Preservatives: The Honest Limits — A homemade cosmetic containing water, aloe, hydrosol, tea, milk, juice, or another water-rich ingredient needs more than refrigeration or a clean jar: it…
- Simple Body Oil Recipe: A Water-Free 100-Gram Batch — For a simple 100-gram water-free body oil, combine 45 grams high-oleic sunflower oil, 30 grams jojoba, and 25 grams squalane in a clean, completely dry…