Here’s a list of recipes personal products I’ve made and really love. Tried and true! The titles are linked to the recipe sources.
DIY Body Butter
I LOVE this stuff! The recipe calls for it to be whipped, which I did the first time I made it. But the second time around I decided to use it just the way it is, no whipping involved. It just melts into my skin. My skin says “Yummm, ahhhhhhh….”
DIY Deodorant
It works just as well, or better, than store-bought “organic” deodorants. It’s healthy and natural. No aluminum or preservatives. What could be better?
DIY Daily Facial Moisturizer – I’m still looking for a good recipe for this. Anything I’ve come across so far has been pretty heavy and greasy.
DIY Gardener’s Hand Balm
This is super moisturizing, nourishing, healing… and has a great woodsy fragrance. A big favorite of mine.
DIY Lotion Bars / Lip Balm
I love these bars. They smell very much like chocolate, are easy to store on a soap dish and you only rub on as much as you need. I bought a silicone candy mold on clearance at Ace Hardware and it’s perfect for making 4 oz. bars. I usually save a little of the pre-hardened lotion to put into lip balm tubs or tins. A friend swears this recipe instantly removed crows’ feet from her eyes. 🙂
DIY Magnesium Oil
Called an “oil,” I think, only because it has an oily feel to it when sprayed on skin. It is simply magnesium chloride flakes and distilled water. Make sure you use magnesium chloride, as it absorbs the best through skin. I’ve had no luck buying MgCl2 locally, so buy it on Amazon. My favorite essential oils to use for this is either patchouli or lavender, but the oils can be skipped. Mag oil is supposed to be calming and a natural sleep aid.
DIY Remineralizing Toothpaste
This remineralizing toothpaste works really well to keep my gums and teeth feeling freshly brushed for a long time–even after sleeping all night! I like to add a lot of peppermint oil, more than the recipe recommends. 
The first time I made it I didn’t add the xylitol because I avoid all sweeteners, but have found some research suggesting it’s actually good for teeth. And this toothpaste has no fluoride or carrageenan, which even the most expensive “natural” toothpastes seem to contain. Here’s a comprehensive article on how damaged teeth can be repaired naturally, which also looks into the possibility of some day regrowing teeth.
DIY Shampoo/Body Soap There are a few recipes on this page, but my favorite is the first recipe “Shampoo Bar, 2 lbs (With Beeswax and Coconut Milk)” I’ve made this recipe twice, the second time doubling it. This soap is luxurious, non-drying, with very fine bubbles. You can also get the full recipe, with detailed instructions, on my How to Make (Real) Soap page.
Regarding the soap-making, I am wondering if you have tried using individual soap molds rather than
having to carve bars out of 1 block of soap.
Also, if you used individual, flexible molds, I am thinking you might not need waxed paper? What do you think?
I’ve not used soap molds, I usually make a double batch of soap and that would mean a lot of molds. The soap bar is easy enough to cut and I like the hand-hewn look about the bars.
I suppose if the molds were silicone, even plastic, the soap would come out of them easily without the need for wax paper or anything else. I have a silicone flower-shaped muffin mold that I use when making my lotion bars and the bars pop out with no problem, so my guess is that should work.
I made a mould out of used pallet boards and came up with a shallow box about 110cm long, 5.5cm wide and 2.5cm deep internal measurements. I line this with grease proof paper and pour in my soap mixture of 1.5 litres/Kgs. I then pop in cut up pieces of plastic milk bottle about 9cm and this makes 12 cakes of soap. After 24 hours or more, I unscrew one side off and the cakes are easily removed.
What a great idea—thanks for sharing Jim!