Mother & Baby DIY Skincare Bundles: African Botanical Treasures

Last updated: July 2026

Baraka's Mother & Baby DIY Skincare Bundles pair traceable African ingredients with recipe books for natural skincare you make at home. Seven bundles, from newborn-gentle to postpartum recovery — find yours below.

Pure Ingredients with Purpose

When you choose our DIY Skincare Bundles, you're getting ingredients with a traceable, documented supply chain — hand-processed by women's cooperatives in Ghana's Upper West Region.

Each ingredient is harvested and processed by the women of the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre, who receive a fair-trade premium directly for their work. For the complete cooperative sourcing story, see Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report.

Our DIY Mother-Baby Skincare Bundle Collection

Choose the bundle that best fits your needs:

Complete Collection — Our most comprehensive bundle, featuring all six ingredients for maximum versatility and complete DIY formulation options.

Rich Restoration — Four ingredients focused on deep conditioning and skin recovery, well suited to stretch marks, scars, and intensive moisturising needs.

Nourishing Essentials — A balanced quartet of our most versatile ingredients for those new to DIY skincare or seeking simplified options.

Gentle Beginnings — Our gentlest combination of three mild ingredients, selected for sensitive skin and newborn care.

Gentle Harmony — A balanced duo of shea butter and coconut oil, for those who prefer simplicity and everyday versatility.

Renewal Remedy — A shea butter and red palm oil duo for intensive postpartum recovery and stretch mark skin conditioning.

Silken Touch — A lightweight, fast-absorbing combination of baobab oil and shea oil, ideal for daily use and warm-weather application.

Included Recipe Books

Each bundle includes all four of our DIY recipe books:

• DIY Formulations for the Motherhood Journey — 25 formulations supporting pregnancy through postpartum
• African Treasures: DIY Recipes for Pregnancy & Beyond — 25 recipes rooted in African wellness practices
• Traditional DIY Shea Remedies — 25 formulations centred on shea butter
• Nurture & Nourish: DIY Remedies for Mother & Baby — 25 gentle recipes spanning pregnancy through toddlerhood

What Sizes Are Available?

Each bundle is available in a range of sizes from 50 grams to 2 kilograms per ingredient, so you can choose the amount that fits your DIY plans — whether you're starting with small batches or formulating for extended family and friends.

How These Ingredients Compare

Shea butter and cocoa butter are both solid African fats used in DIY skincare, but they behave differently on skin and in formulations. Shea butter is softer and melts at a lower temperature, making it easier to apply directly as a body moisturiser. Cocoa butter is harder and slower-melting, which makes it better suited for balms, solid bars, and products that need to hold their shape in warm conditions. For a general body moisturiser, shea butter is the more versatile choice. For a firm lip balm or body bar, cocoa butter gives better structure. Baraka sources both directly through women's cooperatives in Ghana's Upper West Region.

Shea butter and shea oil come from the same source but behave very differently. Shea butter is solid at room temperature and is best for intensive body moisturising and products that need a rich, slow-absorbing texture. Shea oil is liquid and absorbs much more quickly, making it better suited for facial serums, light body oils, and formulations where a heavy feel is not wanted. Many of these bundles pair shea butter with shea oil for exactly this reason — a moisture foundation plus a lighter finishing layer.

Commercial moisturisers are mostly water held together with emulsifiers and preserved with synthetic chemicals. They feel good immediately but the moisture evaporates, and the preservatives can irritate sensitive skin. The ingredients in these bundles contain no water and require no preservatives, delivering genuine occlusive moisture that does not evaporate. Their fatty acid profiles closely match human skin, which is why they absorb genuinely rather than sitting as a surface film.

The butters and oils in these bundles have been applied to skin for generations in West Africa — including through the Harmattan season, when dry, dust-laden winds from the Sahara create exactly the kind of harsh, drying conditions that mature and sensitive skin faces year-round. Commercial skincare was not designed for this. African butters and oils were. They contain no water, require no preservatives, and have fatty acid profiles that match human skin — which is why they absorb genuinely rather than coating the surface and evaporating.

Choosing the Right Oils for Your Bundle

Baobab oil and argan oil are both lightweight oils used for skin conditioning, but baobab oil has a significantly richer omega fatty acid profile, including omega-3, which argan oil lacks. Baobab oil is sourced from across sub-Saharan Africa, where it has been used in traditional skincare for generations. Baraka's baobab oil is cold-pressed and sourced through direct cooperative relationships in Ghana — the same oil included in the Complete Collection, Rich Restoration, Nourishing Essentials, and Silken Touch bundles.

Traditional coconut oil is village-processed using methods that preserve the full lauric acid content and naturally occurring beneficial compounds. Refined coconut oil has been processed to remove scent and extend shelf life, but this process also removes a portion of the naturally occurring compounds. Baraka's Traditional Coconut Oil, included in the Complete Collection, Nourishing Essentials, and Gentle Beginnings bundles, is processed by village women under rigorous quality control.

Red palm oil gets its deep orange colour from high carotenoid content — the same compounds that give carrots and sweet potatoes their colour, and that act as antioxidants in skincare. Included in the Complete Collection, Rich Restoration, and Renewal Remedy bundles.

Part of Baraka's Mother & Baby DIY Skincare Wellness Ecosystem

These DIY Skincare Bundles are a cornerstone of Baraka's Mother & Baby Wellness Ecosystem, which also includes:

• In-depth DIY skincare guides covering every aspect of natural mother and baby care — see the full Mother & Baby DIY Skincare Hub and the Pregnancy DIY Skincare Hub
• Detailed guidance on Birth & Postpartum DIY Care
• A complete guide to natural baby skincare — see The Complete Guide to Natural Baby Skincare: Safe Ingredients, DIY Recipes & Expert Tips
• Guidance for breastfeeding mothers — see The Best Natural Nipple Balm Ingredients for Breastfeeding Moms
• Ingredient-specific guidance — see Shea Butter for Babies
• Practical tools and setup — see DIY From Kitchen to Nursery: Essential Tools for DIY Mother & Baby Skincare
• Four detailed e-recipe books, included with every bundle
• The full DIY Mother-Baby Skincare Bundle Collection and specialised DIY Skincare Kits addressing specific needs

Where Baraka's Ingredients Come From

All ingredients in these bundles are sourced through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region. Wayne Dunn has maintained direct cooperative relationships with the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre for over 15 years. Every batch is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods — no solvents, no chemical extraction at any stage. The women at the cooperative receive a fair-trade premium directly, without intermediaries. For Imoro Rahinatu's story on how a water system improved daily life at the cooperative, see Imoro Rahinatu on How a Water System Improves Daily Life. For the full cooperative sourcing story, see Baraka's Social and Environmental Impact Report.

Browse the full DIY Ingredients Collection and Recipe Kits Collection.

Your Journey to Empowered Motherhood

Start with one of our curated DIY Skincare Bundles, explore the included recipe books, and browse our in-depth skincare guides to create natural formulations at home — using traditionally processed ingredients while supporting the women who harvest and prepare them.

Whether you choose the Complete Collection with all six ingredients or the simplicity of a two-ingredient bundle like Gentle Harmony, Renewal Remedy, or Silken Touch, every ingredient is traceable back to the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre.

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between the Baraka bundles?

Each bundle contains a different combination of shea butter, cocoa butter, coconut oil, baobab oil, shea oil, and red palm oil, chosen for different needs. The Complete Collection includes all six for maximum versatility. Smaller bundles like Gentle Harmony (shea butter and coconut oil) or Gentle Beginnings (three mild ingredients) suit those wanting simplicity or gentler options for sensitive or newborn skin.

Which bundle is best for stretch marks and postpartum recovery?

Rich Restoration (shea butter, cocoa butter, red palm oil, baobab oil) and Renewal Remedy (shea butter and red palm oil) are both built around ingredients traditionally used for deep conditioning and stretch mark skin care. Neither bundle's ingredients have been shown to prevent stretch marks — genetics and the rate of skin stretching are the primary determinants — but consistent moisturising supports skin condition during pregnancy and postpartum.

Are these bundles safe for newborn skin?

Gentle Beginnings (shea butter, coconut oil, shea oil) was specifically put together with sensitive and newborn skin in mind — mild, traditionally used ingredients with no synthetic additives. As with any new ingredient on infant skin, patch test first and consult your paediatrician if your baby has sensitive or reactive skin.

What do the recipe books included with each bundle cover?

Each bundle includes all four e-recipe books: DIY Formulations for the Motherhood Journey, African Treasures, Traditional DIY Shea Remedies, and Nurture & Nourish — together offering 100+ formulations spanning pregnancy through toddlerhood.

How do you choose the right bundle size?

Each ingredient is available from 50 grams up to 2 kilograms, so you can start small to try a few formulations or order larger amounts if you're formulating regularly or sharing with family and friends. Starting with a smaller size is a reasonable way to test a bundle before committing to a larger quantity.

Where does Baraka source the ingredients in these bundles?

All ingredients are sourced through the Konjeihi Women's Enterprise Centre in Ghana's Upper West Region. Wayne Dunn has maintained direct cooperative relationships for over 15 years. Every batch is hand-processed using traditional water-based methods, with zero chemical extraction. The women at the cooperative receive a fair-trade premium directly.

Do I need special equipment to use these bundles?

No specialised equipment is required to start — a digital kitchen scale, a heat-proof glass measuring cup, a small saucepan for double-boiler melting, and clean jars or tins cover most of the recipes included in the bundle's recipe books.

Can I buy just one ingredient instead of a full bundle?

Yes — each ingredient is also available individually if you'd prefer to build your own combination rather than choosing a pre-set bundle. Browse the full DIY Ingredients Collection.

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.