FAQ » The Natural Beauty Workshop

I love your blog! Can I share your recipes?

Thank you so much! We would love for you to share our work, but we ask that you do so using the following rules. You may share links to our blog or any blog posts on social media. If you are sharing one of our recipes or articles on your own blog or web site, we ask that you please use just one photo and a few sentences – linking to the full recipe and content on our site. Please do not copy and paste whole recipes or articles elsewhere.

I Have a Question. How Can I Contact You?

We love to hear from our readers. You can contact us here.

Do you accept guest posts?

We are not accepting guest posts at this time.

Where Can I Learn About Formulating My Own Soap and Skin Care Products?

We offer an extensive library of articles and recipes that can help you learn about making natural cosmetics, both on our blog and on our retail site. Here are some links to help you browse our collection:

Another resource that can be very helpful is our Instructor Directory. This directory lists teachers for everything from soap making and aromatherapy to skin care and massage. This can be a great starting point on your search for live classes and workshops.

We also carry a number of books that can be helpful. Here are some of our most popular books regarding formulation. You can check out our complete collection of books in our Bookstore.

How long will my handmade product last? Does it need a preservative?

The shelf stability (or expiration date) of a homemade product depends on a lot of factors. If something contains water or a water-based ingredient like milk, tea, hydrosol, or aloe gel, it will go bad very quickly. Such items need to be handled with care and often require refrigeration or the addition of preservatives. You can learn more about using preservatives here.

Your blog post shares a recipe that includes a preservative. Why do you still recommend storing it in the fridge?

The recipes on our blog are meant to serve as inspiration and a starting point for professional formulators and artisans, so any recipe would need to be challenge-tested and most likely altered in order to achieve true shelf stability. Since we have not tested these formulations for stability we can’t recommend storing them at room temperature. While the preservative included in the recipe will certainly aid in it, it may not be enough on its own. For true stability it may require additional ingredients and/or a slightly different ratio.