When you see “dried lavender” in a diy skincare recipe, are you wondering where to find it? Let’s talk about how I get my hands on some of the special ingredients that I use to make my own natural skincare recipes.

Where do I find my natural skincare ingredients? | Little Green Dot

Something you should know: I shop for ingredients the way some people shop for shoes!

cannot walk past a little spice shop, or pantry shop and not say “ah… one sec… I’m just going to pop in quickly

Especially when I’m travelling or visiting somewhere new, I’ll even check out the local supermarket. Do you do that too? It’s like a tourist attraction for me, my poor kids… but it’s an amazing way to find new and different ingredients!

The pomegranate molasses of 2015 is still one of my favorite memories.

Last month, we were in Malaysia for my father-in-law’s birthday and we spent an entire day visiting the famous Twin Towers.

It’s one of the tallest buildings in the world… but I headed straight for the basement where the supermarkets usually are.

And let me tell you, I about cried when I saw the tea section! Where I live in Bali, it’s been all about lemongrass tea, rosella tea… ginger…

So when I saw lavender tea and jasmine tea – I wanted to hug a stranger, I was so happy!

And it really inspired my new skincare recipe collection for Spring (which is available now!)

I love having a pantry full of ingredients that I can use in my food and to make skincare with – it gets so much use!! And I love that it always inspires me to create something good for myself and my family.


Building your skincare pantry


I often get emails asking me where to buy certain ingredients – and so I thought I’d share three tips with you!

TIP 1: Become a skincare pantry explorer

Where do I find my natural skincare ingredients? | Little Green Dot
In honesty, I don’t love shopping malls… but I adore going to bodegas, farmer’s markets, kitchen supply stores, butcher shops, little bakeries, cute little hipster food shops, delis… this is where the gold lives.

I’ve found cacao butter in baking supply stores, freshly dried herbs in tea shops, cold-pressed oils from a deli, beeswax direct from a bee-keeper in a farmer’s market….

It’s hard to know where they are – you really have to ask around, stumble upon it. It’s like going to flea markets on the weekends – sometimes you find a gem.

My tip here is this: make a habit of going out of your way – to find new things that inspire you!


TIP 2: Buy in bulk online

Where do I find my natural skincare ingredients? | Little Green Dot

For my workshops, I order online and buy dried herbs in bulk, one pound at a time. And in every class people ask me how to do the same. Here’s what I tell them:

Buying in bulk saves money, period.

But we don’t want to hoard ingredients. We really want to enjoy and finish the things that we have, while they’re fresh and at their peak.

That said, if you know that you basically want to drink, bathe, and wear lavender-infused coconut oil everyday – then yes, it’s a good deal to buy your herbs in bulk.

My big tip here is: only buy in bulk things that you’ve already used and that you know you’ll continue wanting to use.

Where I buy bulk herbs:


Tip 3: Know your ingredients

Where do I find my natural skincare ingredients? | Little Green Dot
Even if you can’t find a specific ingredients, like a herb to make a specific recipe – remember that you can use what’s available to you – and make swaps.

For example, I often use herbal tea blends in my recipes which are sometimes easier to find – so if I can’t find Jasmine, I’ll maybe use Jasmine Green Tea instead.

If another ingredient is more available and you understand how to work with it the world is your oyster. You can easily tweak skincare recipes and create your own blends.

Case in point: I can’t find dried rose petals in Bali, but recently my friend gifted me a bag of this tea and it was delicious. It also contained bits of rose and smelled amazing!

So I used most of it for drinking, but I also used a good scoop of it to make a batch of Sweet & Spicy Bath Salts!

Where do I find my natural skincare ingredients? | Little Green Dot

My tip here is: get to know how different ingredients work and what they’re good for – it’ll really open your eyes to the possibilities! You can find all the information you need in your local library, on the internet, or in one of my online workshops.

You can really get creative with what you have!


I hope this inspires you to explore grocery stores and specialty food shops with a fresh perspective. Surround yourself with good things that make you feel inspired to get creative and make more.

Also, let me know in the comments where you’ve picked up the best skincare pantry ingredients –  I’m always looking for ideas to pass along 🙂

xo, Militza


I’m over the moon excited to tell you about my new skincare recipe book for Spring! It’s bursting with 14 new recipes that are not on the blog. Plus, I filmed two workshop videos specially to show you how to make oil infusions and hydrosols!!

If you’ve always wanted to make your own natural skincare, but don’t know where to start, this guidebook is for you. I’ve taken everything I know about seasonal skincare ingredients like flowers, herbs and oils that you can use today to make exquisite, effective natural products that are as good as any you’ll find in stores.

If you already use natural products but are looking for fresh new ideas and useful skills, SIMPLIFY Skin Seasons: Spring will be practical, easy to read, and ultimately help you make skincare that is beautiful, effective and tailored to your exact skin type.

Check out the brand new collection and get ready to blossom this Spring!

Check out SIMPLIFY Skin SEASONS: Spring | littlegreendot.com

4 responses to “Where do I find my natural skincare ingredients?”

  1. I have been just reading this this blog, & I really impressed by the content. you blog structure is wonderful. I would like to thnks to you for the sharing this useful information with us!!

    Regards,

  2. I normally buy skin care products over the counter, but you made an interesting point about buying in bulk online and how it would save you more money. Perhaps, I’m going to try this out myself and check out the difference. Thanks for sharing.

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