Best Face Forward
More reasons to make your own skin-care products than you can shake a honey-and-sugar-scrubbed fist at.
From Natural Beauty at Home: More Than 250 Easy to Use Recipes for Body,Bath, and Hair (Revised Edition) by Janice Cox:
Making your own beauty products is simple to do, cost-effective, and fun. Even though I occasionally purchase cosmetics, I find that my own recipes work just as well, if not better, than commercial brands because they are pure and undiluted. You control the ingredients used, and you know there is no cruel animal testing involved.
I have always focused on the enjoyment of making my own cosmetics, but I cannot ignore the cost savings. When you realize what you have been spending on commercial products and how much it costs to create you own homemade versions, you’ll be amazed and delighted. The cost of these ingredients is nothing compared to what companies spend on packaging and marketing their products, which is reflected in their retail prices. You can purchase a honey toner from a well-known natural cosmetics manufacturer for sixteen dollars, or you can make the Honey Toner recipe on page 51 for around eighty-five cents—quite a difference! I once met a lady in her seventies who had worked her whole life for a major cosmetics firm. She told me I could do just as well spreading vegetable shortening on my face as using their most expensive night cream. Many women spend sixty to seventy dollars for expensive night and eye creams when they could make their own products for a few dollars.
Today you can’t pass a cosmetics shop or display without seeing the world natural. All of a sudden, “back to basics” is a trend, and less is definitely better when it comes to beauty and beauty products. There are even natural beauty boutiques now where the products are so fresh you must rush home and pop them in the refrigerator and throw them out after a few days. Commercial companies cannot make cosmetics fresher than you can at home. Time works against them as they mass-produce their products and transport them to retail outlets. Commercial products are made to handle any possible problem that could arise before you purchase them. They are made to withstand a wide range of temperatures (from freezing to boiling) and have a very long shelf life.
Thanks to the yogurt-and-honey cleanser and apple cider vinegar toner I’ve mixed up for daily use, my sister and mother have both remarked that my erstwhile blotchy skin has noticeably improved. (Huzzah!) According to Care2.com, yogurt contains lactic acid, an alpha-hydroxy acid that exfoliates and nourishes while evening out skin tone. Honey heals skin and promote circulation; apple cider vinegar is a natural astringent that balances your skin’s pH at the same time.
Books I’ve placed on hold at my local library for further homemade skin-care machinations:
1. Natural Beauty at Home: More Than 250 Easy to Use Recipes for Body,Bath, and Hair (Revised Edition) by Janie Cox
2. Natural Beauty Basics: Create Your Own Cosmetics and Body Care Products by Dorie Byers
3. The Herbal Home Spa: Naturally Refreshing Wraps, Rubs, Lotions, Masks, Oils, and Scrubs by Greta Breedlove
kathy said,
June 13, 2006 at 11:10 am
At the risk of being a big square, what about the all-natural not-actually-wearing-makeup look? Then again, I’d be interested to see what I could manage with just some yogurt and beepuke.
The Worsted Witch » Kits for Crafts said,
June 29, 2006 at 9:49 pm
[...] I was brainstorming gift ideas, for the anti-consumerist Christmas I plan on making a tradition of … besides, y’know, 12 papier mâchè ash trays lovingly crafted from moldy copies of the New York Times … when I stumbled upon this online retailer that supplies kits for making your own natural skin- and home-care products. While ostensibly for children, Kits for Crafts has a certain all-ages whimsy and sophistication, as evidenced in its attention to detail and presentation. Already I can tell you, from my hours and hours of experience stalking the aisles of natural food stores and generally bugging out the staff, that the ingredients would cost significantly less if purchased on your own—you can find tons of recipes online or from books—and then packaged with materials gleaned through serendipity or ingenuity. (The hub, who knows me so well, stumbled upon a yard sale the owner of our local tea shop held last week, and secured, for a song, a few bail-handled canning jars that used to house tea leaves—too perfect!) [...]
The Worsted Witch » Mail Call: Shampoo Planet said,
October 11, 2006 at 4:09 pm
[...] Making your own shampoo is also easier than you might think. A basic shampoo formula, according to Greta Breedlove, author of The Herbal Home Spa, comprises liquid soap, water, herbs, a vegetable oil, and your favorite essential oils. Recipes abound online and a number of home-made skin- and hair-care manuals are also available from seasoned professionals. [...]