DIY skincare recipes and guides

More than 1,000 recipes and guides for making your own skincare with shea butter and other ingredients made by hand by women in Ghana.

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Three shea butter makers with a bowl of freshly made shea butter outside the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana
Shea butter makers at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, Wa, Ghana

Answers come only from Baraka's own recipes and guides. Skincare information, not medical advice.

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    How our ingredients are made

    Every butter and oil in these recipes starts with people in Ghana making it by hand. See how each one is made before it reaches your kitchen.

    Shea butterShea nuts are gathered, crushed, roasted and ground, then kneaded by hand until the butter separates. African black soapPlant ash and oils, cooked and stirred by hand into soft, dark soap. Kombo butterPressed from the seeds of wild kombo trees that shade Ghana's cocoa farms. Cocoa butterFrom the cocoa beans of Ghana's cocoa-growing regions. Virgin coconut oilPressed by coastal communities in Ghana's Western Region. Red palm oilRSPO-certified, from small-scale farmers in Ghana.

    How shea butter is made by hand

    Shea butter is still made the traditional way, by hand, in five stages:

    1. Women gather shea nuts that fall from wild shea trees in the savanna.
    2. The nuts are boiled and dried, then cracked to free the kernels.
    3. The kernels are roasted and ground into a thick paste.
    4. The paste is kneaded and whipped by hand with water until the butter separates and rises.
    5. The butter is gently heated, cleaned and left to set, ready to use.
    Women at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre shaping traditional African black soap
    Shaping black soap by hand at the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre.
    Women outside the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana with a bowl of freshly made shea butter

    The impact behind every recipe

    Baraka's shea butter, kombo butter and black soap are made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, in northern Ghana. Baraka is Community Certified Fair Trade. Here is what your purchases help build.

    Questions about making your own skincare

    What can I make with shea butter?

    Shea butter is the base for most homemade skincare: whipped body butter, lip balm, lotion bars, hand and foot balms, sugar scrubs, hair butter and soap. Start with a whipped body butter: melt, cool and whip, with no special equipment. Our guide to DIY with shea butter

    What are easy DIY skincare recipes for beginners?

    Begin with recipes that need no lye and no preservative: whipped body butter, lip balm, sugar scrub and lotion bars. Each uses a few butters and oils, takes under 30 minutes plus cooling, and keeps well in a clean jar. Classic whipped shea butter, a 3-ingredient first recipe

    How do you make body butter at home?

    Gently melt shea butter (and cocoa or kombo butter if you like) with a liquid oil, let it cool until the edges start to set, then whip for 3 to 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Spoon it into a clean jar. How to make body butter: whipped and classic recipes

    How do you make natural lip balm?

    Melt beeswax with shea butter and a liquid oil, pour into tubes or tins and let it set. More beeswax makes a firmer balm; more butter makes it softer. DIY lip balm with shea butter

    How do you make a natural face moisturizer?

    The simplest is a water-free face balm of shea butter and a light oil such as baobab or shea oil. Creams that contain water or aloe need a preservative. Match the oils to your skin type. DIY face moisturizer for every skin type

    Do homemade skincare products need a preservative?

    Water-free products (body butters, balms, oils and dry scrubs) do not, as long as you keep water out of the jar. Anything made with water, aloe, hydrosol or tea needs a broad-spectrum preservative. Homemade lotion: do you need a preservative?

    How long does homemade body butter last?

    A water-free body butter usually keeps about 6 to 12 months in a clean, airtight jar stored somewhere cool and out of direct sun. Use clean, dry hands or a spoon so no water gets in. How to store shea butter

    Is homemade skincare safe for babies?

    Keep baby recipes simple and unscented: plain butters and oils, no essential oils, and no kombo butter. Patch test first, and ask your doctor about any rash that does not settle. DIY baby balm for sensitive baby skin

    Do I need lye to make soap?

    Soap made from scratch (cold process) needs lye. To make soap without handling lye, start from a ready-made soap base such as Black Soap Base, then melt, add your extras and mould. Black Soap Base: no lye handling

    How is shea butter made?

    Shea nuts are gathered, boiled, dried and cracked; the kernels are roasted and ground to a paste; the paste is kneaded by hand with water until the butter separates; then the butter is gently heated, cleaned and set. How handmade shea butter is made

    Who makes Baraka's shea butter?

    Baraka's shea butter is made by hand by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Wa, Ghana, who also make Baraka's kombo butter and African black soap. Baraka is Community Certified Fair Trade. The Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre story