2. You need to ensure that natural is truly natural
You have made the choice to go natural with your skincare products. Therefore, you need to ensure that these products are truly natural. I am paranoid when I shop for beauty products because these so-called natural products could contain unhealthy amounts of preservatives (how else will companies make their money if products possess short shelf lives?).
Therefore, I stick to what I know which are indeed the basics. These are the butters. Cocoa butter or shea butter which are common in Ghana. With the shea butter, it is advisable to get it from the North (a friend could do that for you and cheaper too).
The ones I find on the market (in Accra especially) tend to have been mixed and so I cannot vouch for the 100% effect that you seek. However, you could excessively heat it to get rid of the additives. Real shea butter really smells, never solidifies to rock hard state (like what you find in Makola) or to even look like soap.
It is very soft to touch and oily and feels like a thousand minute eggs when you rub it between your fingers.  As well, be wary of ‘natural’ products that are fragrant. These artificial fragrances contain more harm in their composition than their smell can expose. You can add few drops of lavender oil or even lemon oil to your mixtures.