Doing a ‘Cosmetic Product Making Course’ at Naturally Thinking in London, UK – Exciting!

I write so you share. Thank you.

This course is for learning how to make gels, creams, lotions and foaming products from scratch. It is a 3 day course and you definitely come out knowing the basics very well.

While in London I desperately wanted to at least cover the basics by asking the different natural skincare cosmetics stores what was it that I needed to get going at home.

Neal’s Yard, for example, sells ready made base creams and lotions. All you do is ‘top up’ with your favourite blend of essential oils.

I then found out that Naturally Thinking (South London) does the same. While doing my research I also saw both places do cosmetic courses, and I really, really, really wanted to get into at least one of them.

Unfortunately both were fully booked. I got over it very quickly and went back to my original plan: learn by reading, asking, doing.

Until someone cancelled at Naturally Thinking and I got offered the spot.

YASSSS!!! :):)​

Some pics of Naturally Thinking below. It is simply BEAUTIFUL.

I arrived early, I wanted to have a look around at the place.

It is beautiful (check the first post). The design is stunning (it works for me) and I felt AT HOME straight away.

Upstairs the room had that ‘classroom’ feel but in an exciting way. Totally uncluttered, perfect to get those mixes going!

I loved the way the room was laid out; I can’t stress enough how at home I felt straight away.

Look at how those inviting bowls have been waiting for all of us (we were 10 people at the course).

Each bowl with a scale, 2 smaller bowls, and a couple of mixing utensils.

Yep, colour branded chairs (have you seen how colourful is the brand?) and colour-matching folders 🙂

We get offer lunch and beverages. Not bad!

We can snack any time we want.

The folder is PACKED with amazing information. Tom, our teacher, was incredibly helpful. I mean, incredibly.

No make up and no glamorous clothes. Just me and the course 🙂

Every day we made cosmetics from scratch. Tom covered the theory part of the course in one morning and the rest of the time we spent preparing products.

During the morning of day 1 Tom, our instructor, explained the theory behind cosmetic products. We covered A LOT.

Product making fundamentals covered: definitions (emollients, humectants, occlusive agents, surfactants, emulsifier, etc), basics of formulating, preservation, PH, HLB, antioxidants and rancidity, packaging, essential oils/carrier oils, regulations, EU legislation, manufacturing practices, ingredients (the good, the bad and the ugly), production process of shower gel and shampoo, cream emulsions, formulating our own moisture cream and lotion, stability procedures, etc.

As you can see, REALLY good and packed with great info.

In the afternoon I created my first ever product: the base for a cream. It was a VERY satisfying experience to say the least. I knew I could ‘handle it’ and create a lot of products in the future.

Here’s the list of the products we made throughout the duration of the course.

Products we made throughout the 3 days:

  • Moisture cream base
  • arrow-rightBase butter
  • arrow-rightSLS free shower gel
  • arrow-rightConditioner
  • arrow-rightCleanser
  • arrow-rightCream base (with gel)
  • arrow-rightExfoliate base
  • arrow-rightGel base
  • arrow-rightBalm

As you can see, we covered all the basic cosmetic bases. It was an incredible experience, I loved every stage of the cosmetic product making and I recommend this course to anyone who is interested.

I’ll leave you with a few photos of the products we made as well as the production process. Enjoy!

Related posts:

  1. [DAY 1] ‘Cosmetic Product Making Course’ (Naturally Thinking)

Patri Hernandez, CHC, Certified Health Coach & Certified Organic Skincare Alchemist
One day, during my menopausal rollercoaster, I had a spiritual awakening that connected me so deeply with nature, I thought I might sprout leaves. Suddenly, natural ingredients became my obsession—like an addiction, really. My body was magnetically drawn to them, and it wasn’t long before I found myself knee-deep in essential oils, herbs, and all things organic.

From there, it was a slippery slope (a delightfully scented one) into organic skincare formulation. The intoxicating aroma of essential oils, the thrill of crafting something pure with my own hands—I was hooked. It wasn’t enough to just use these natural wonders; I had to create them, surround myself with them. Now, I live on a piece of land where I grow my own organic fruits and vegetables (when the weather isn’t playing tricks on me), and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

When people ask what I do, I like to think about the view from my window—the endless sea—and say, “I live the life dreamers dream of.” It's All about the richness of living in harmony with nature. Watching others turn to natural ingredients because of something I shared with them—that’s my proudest achievement.

Oh, and just to keep things interesting, I’m also a bit of a nerd. I love computers, software, and all the techy stuff that seems like it wouldn’t fit with my earth-loving, oil-sniffing lifestyle. But hey, who says you can’t have the best of both worlds?

My ultimate goal? To help people kick the commercial product habit and embrace the natural, the organic, the truly nourishing. Life’s too short to settle for anything less.

12 Comments

  1. Hi

    I am very interested in doing this course.
    Kindly let me know the requirements. The soonest available dates to do thes course as well as the price

    Kind Regards
    Serina

    Reply

  2. Hi

    I am also very interested in doing this course.
    Kindly let me know the requirements. The soonest available dates to do the course as well as the price

    Kind Regards
    Letisha

    Reply

  3. Hi Patri

    Loved your article, as I’m looking into making natural beauty products. So, in terms of quality of teaching, training materials, etc. how do the 3 courses compare with one another overall (even though, I appreciate that they’re completely different subjects and formats)?

    Thanks

    Jackie

    Reply

    1. Hi Jackie, glad you enjoyed the article! I’m totally addicted to DIY skincare, I actually formulate my own skincare as I’ve taken my knowledge to the next level (doing 3 courses with Formula Botanica, almost finished with my Diploma in Organic Skincare Formulation). To answer your question, Tom is fantastic and I learned the basics extremely well. I knew nothing prior to doing the course (I hadn’t even followed any online DIY’ers, nor did I watch Youtube videos on making your own skincare, etc) so I was an absolute newbie. It can be a little technical but that won’t really stop you from learning the basics well. You can then take it from there and expand, as I have done. Naturally Thinking’s course is perfect for a newbie who needs to do things hands on in a class with other students (rather than online, which can be a little isolating and confusing at times). Formula Botanica was a perfect and logical progression for me, but I would have needed this course first because it is important to formulate together, as a group (you make your own products but you all see each other making the products and Tom supervises the whole thing). There’s also Aromantic (I might do some courses with them in the near future, good for specialising in things like sensitive skin, anti-age, haircare, etc, I believe they’re one day courses), but Naturally Thinking is a good overall course to learn the basics. You end up with many different products and I personally believe that for a newbie 3 days is a very good start.

      Reply

  4. Thanks for your feedback on the courses and workshop. I’m planning to attend an introductory soapmaking any natural skincare course, just to get an idea of whether it’s something I could do, because the experts make it look so easy!

    Reply

    1. It all depends on how far you want to take your skills + technique. The basics are simple, I’m not very knowledgeable when it comes to soapmaking (I know a lot more on the cosmetics end) but with the 3 day course I could definitely expand no problem. Like everything in life, it takes time and practice… But you can definitely keep it simple and come up with gorgeous, natural, skin-loving products. But remember… it’s addictive! Pxx

      Reply

  5. Hi! I would like to be a part of the class ( student), I am available between 23 December 2019 to January 6th 2020. How much will it cost and what date can you fix for me as I will be going back to my country, I am here on vacation but would like to be a part of the class. Thank you . My website is not active for now, I can be looked up on Instagram @flawlessradianc

    Reply

    1. Hi – You have to contact Naturally Thinking in order to find out about the course info. Sorry I didn’t see this message before!

      Reply

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