From Our Hands to Yours: Wild for Nature

Last updated: August 2026

This week's from our hands... feature is the wonderful and talented DIYer, Katja Orel from Slovenia. You can find her over at wildfornature.com. For the full library of mother and baby recipes and guides, visit The Mother & Baby DIY Skincare Hub: Recipes, Guides & Ingredients from Ghana, or see The Complete Guide to Natural Baby Skincare: Safe Ingredients, DIY Recipes & Expert Tips for a broader overview.

Katja loves to make many creations using Shea Butter. She finds shea butter to be incredibly versatile and never fails to disappoint. She adds it to body butters, lip balms, hand creams, and hair masks. She also uses it plain, as well as whenever her skin needs extra conditioning after sun or wind exposure. If you're curious about where ingredients like this actually come from, Tracing Your Ingredients: Why Source Matters in DIY Baby Skincare covers that in more depth.

Her fav thing about making skincare products is BEING CREATIVE. She loves experimenting with different ingredients, testing them, and seeing the results, some of which are impressive! She has never had so much customized skincare in her life! Oh, and it's so important to her, knowing what's in her products. She can make high-quality skin care without nasty chemicals and unnecessary fillers. Amazing!

Katja started DIYing because she hated paying for expensive products that were loaded with fillers. She wanted a more customized experience and it looked interesting. She has always been passionate about using vegan/cruelty-free skincare and while it's available, it's not always affordable or of the best quality. She also had always wanted to make her own soap and bath bombs. She still haven't made these products though, and they don't seem that interesting now that her knowledge has grown a lot. She have been learning a lot and it's a rewarding and funny hobby to have. Most of her friends still think she takes baths in coconut oil and obsess over lavender essential oil, when in reality, she's miles past that point. If traditional, ingredient-led skincare interests you, Heritage Recipes: Traditional African Infant Care Using Baraka Ingredients is a related read.

Katja's #1 tip:

WRITE IT ALL DOWN. You won't remember the recipes, the ingredients, and nothing of the sort. Write it down and watch how the product works for you. It's a fun and creative process full of learning every step of the way.

You can also see some of Katja's recipe for Nourishing Shea and Hand Balm on our recipe blog.

Where This Shea Butter Comes From

The shea butter Katja works with is hand-processed by the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region, using traditional water-based methods with zero chemical extraction. You can read more about the impact of this sourcing model in Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report, including stories like Benefits from Selling Shea Nuts.

If Katja's story has you wanting to try your own DIY skincare, the Mother Baby DIY Bundle or the ready-made Mother Baby Skincare Kit are good places to start, and the Mother & Baby DIY Skincare Bundles: African Botanical Treasures range covers the full lineup. For the tools and techniques behind recipes like Katja's, DIY From Kitchen to Nursery: Essential Tools for DIY Mother & Baby Skincare is a good next stop.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you make with shea butter at home?

Shea butter is one of the most versatile bases for DIY skincare — it works in body butters, lip balms, hand creams, hair masks, and can be used plain straight from the jar. Its texture and moisture-holding qualities make it a natural starting point for beginners and experienced DIYers alike.

Is shea butter or a store-bought moisturizer better for DIY skincare?

Commercial moisturizers are mostly water, held together with emulsifiers and preserved with synthetic chemicals. Shea butter contains no water and needs no preservatives, delivering genuine occlusive moisture that doesn't evaporate the way a water-based lotion does.

Why does handmade shea butter cost more than commercial shea butter?

Hand-processing yields roughly 30% compared to factory processing's roughly 45%, because no chemical shortcuts are used. That lower yield, combined with a direct fair-trade premium paid to the cooperative women and complete chain-of-custody documentation, is reflected in the price.

Where does Baraka source its shea butter?

From the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region, where Wayne Dunn has maintained a direct cooperative relationship for over 15 years. The shea butter is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods with zero chemical extraction.

How do you keep track of your own DIY skincare recipes?

Writing everything down as you go — ingredients, ratios, and how the finished product performs — is the single most useful habit for anyone starting out. Without notes, it's easy to lose track of what worked and what didn't between batches.

Is shea butter suitable for vegan or cruelty-free skincare?

Yes — shea butter is a plant-derived ingredient and naturally fits a vegan, cruelty-free skincare routine, provided it hasn't been blended with animal-derived additives.

How long does homemade shea butter skincare last?

Anhydrous shea butter products (no water added) typically last 12–24 months if kept in a cool, dry place away from heat and direct sunlight.

Do you need a preservative when working with shea butter alone?

No — pure shea butter is anhydrous and doesn't require a preservative on its own. A preservative only becomes necessary if you blend it with a water-based ingredient like a hydrosol or aloe vera.

About the Author

Wayne Dunn is the founder of Baraka Impact and a former Professor of Practice in Sustainability at McGill University. He holds an M.Sc. in Management from Stanford and has spent over 15 years working directly with the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region to source traditionally made shea butter and natural oils. He shares DIY skincare recipes and ingredient guides designed to be made at home with real ingredients — and sourced with full transparency about where they come from.