Should You Make Your Own Beauty Products?

With the huge range of beauty products on the shelves, why do some people still make their own beauty products?

I started making my own skin care products years ago. I got a book about natural skin care. You can actually make masks out of mashed fruit. They are really messy though, but back then, I was really broke. Could not afford to spend on good skin care so I made do with what I could get.

I mashed watermelon and put in on my face. My face felt really clean, but there was a bit of a rash after that. I also read that papaya was used in spas for back exfoliating masks. In fact, the enzymes in papayas and pineapples are often used to exfoliate the skin. These can be rather harsh though, so I never tried that on my face.

One thing led to another. I moved on to make my own creams. I went through a period of time where every body lotion I tried from the stores, from the cheap ones to the $20 ones, made my skin itch. That prompted me to make my own body cream.

The cream recipes I found were mainly for cold cream. These were really heavy, oil based stuff. I wanted something lighter. A water based lotion.

A cream is basically droplets of water suspended in oil, kept in that state by an emulsifier. For my creams, I used beeswax as an emulsifier.

I experimented in the kitchen. After plenty of failed experiments. I finally came up with lotion in a texture I simply loved.

A lotion is made of droplets of oil suspended in water, kept together by an emulsifier. I used lecithin for my lotion. Here are some of the lotions I made.

By varying the water based part, using rosewater or tea instead of plain water, you can make all sorts of lotions. Likewise, you can play around with the oil part of the formula, with various infused oils, or a few drops of different essential oils, to change the lotion or cream. You can make tailor your beauty products to your personal tastes, and needs.

I had lots of fun with that. My skin loved these home made creams when they were fresh.

I even made a batch tailored specially for a cousin, using ingredients that she loves.

Yet, I have since stopped making them.

Why?

Laziness is the main reason. Lack of time is another reason.

So much care must go into making the lotions which don't keep. For me, even if I keep the lotions refrigerated, 2 days after making the lotion, if I use it on my face, my skin breaks out. 3 days later, if I use it on my body, my skin itches.

Preservatives are put in commercial skin care products to prevent these from spoiling. Without preservatives, bacteria, mould and all these nasty things multiply rapidly, spoiling the entire batch, causing nasty reactions on the skin. These home made beauty products don't have preservatives. That meant that I had to make new batches of skincare almost everyday.

Also, care must be taken to ensure all the equipment is sterile so the final product is safe to use. Carelessness could introduce lots of nasty germs into the beauty products you make. The water and oil component must be heated to the same temperature and drops of one are added to the other while mixing thoroughly or the batch might separate.

It is so much more convenient to buy beauty products from brands that agree with my skin condition, than to make them from scratch. That is what I have been doing lately. Plus the reknown skincare lines are way better than what I can make. I mean, with their R & D budgets, they can afford to do plenty of research on creating the most effective beauty products for virtually any beauty need.

At the end of the day, whether you make your beauty products or buy them off the shelf, it is a matter of your personal preference.

The writer is the writer of the articles in Beauty from A Woman's Heart.

---

New York Laser Hair Removal Clinics Are All The Rage

Laser hair removal: New Yorkers are in love with it. With no time to spare, New Yorkers find that laser hair removal is a quick and efficient way to clear their faces, backs,... Read More

Going Beyond Benzoyl Peroxide

Millions of people suffer from acne in the United States alone, and many of these acne suffers use Benzoyl Peroxide as the acne treatment medication of choice.It is generally safe, has very few... Read More

The Right Beauty Supplies Will Make You Look Great!

Use beauty supplies the right way and yours could well be the face that launched a thousand ships! Growing old may be mandatory, but looking it certainly isn't. It's just that one has... Read More

Skin Type - Do You Know Yours?

In order to care for your skin properly you must first determine the type of skin you have. There are 5 types of skin: Normal, Dry, Oily, Combination and Problem Skin.Normal:The skin is... Read More

5 Steps to Clear Skin

Step One: Reduce excess oil secretionAccutane is a derivative of vitamin A and reduces the secretion of oil by the oil glands.Foods that supply the body with Vitamin A and beta-carotene (which is... Read More

Create a Home Spa Experience ? Homemade Facials, Scrubs, and More

The same stress in our daily lives that makes us yearn for a spa experience often keeps us from taking the time out from a busy schedule to book a day of relaxation.... Read More

Collagen Injection

Collagen injection is a type of cosmetic procedure that augments skin and soft tissue to make them firmer and younger looking. The benefits of collagen injections are that collagen is a natural substance... Read More

Help Prevent Wrinkles Through Diet

How many times has your mother told you, you are what you eat? As you probably know, Mom knows best. So it's no surprise that what we feed our bodies does affect what... Read More

Buying Wholesale Salon Equipment

Buying salon equipment from a wholesaler is one option to consider when opening a new hair, nail or tanning salon. Wholesalers of salon equipment typically offer many different styles and brands of equipment... Read More

Soft Hair And Skin Au Naturelle

Just picture this, your walking down the beach front, its a warm sunny day, a light breeze in from the sea is gently blowing through your hair gives it more waves than the... Read More

Anti-Aging Skin Care Treatment, Products and Tips

Why to let people know your age when you can keep them guessing? But shedding off years from your appreance isnt always a piece of cake. At times, it can present a picture... Read More

The Search for Youth: A Boomer Phenomenon?

Looking younger has become an increasing obsession. Many Baby Boomers, in particular, seek to continue and extend their active lifestyles and preserve their youthful looks. As always, the quest for the fountain of... Read More

Detox - Does it Improve Your Skin?

The answer is yes, especially if you have problem skin. The skin is one of the body's main organs and can eliminate around 10% of all waste from the body. It does this... Read More

Turning Back the Hands of Time

When you shop for an anti-aging cream at your department store's cosmetic counter or at a drug store, are you confused about the number of choices? Well, you are not alone. In a... Read More

Top Ten Tips for Beautiful Skin

Is Beauty Skin Deep?The answer is yes and no. It's a paradox, isn't it? True beauty begins from the inside out. Don't you wish there was some way to "wriggle your nose" and... Read More

Beauty Secrets

How many times have you looked at yourself in the mirror and wished you could change a minor problem? To look even more beautiful. Here are five helpful & easy ways to achieve... Read More

Manicure at Home

Required items to perform manicure:Bowl with warm soapy waterscrub lotionpetroleum jelly or any other moisturizing lotioncuticle pusherFavorite nail polish and clear polishNail polish remover (if your nails have color)clean white towelSteps to a... Read More

What Causes Aging?

Although we experience the aging process as a progressive physical deterioration of our bodies, the aging process, according to some preliminary case studies appears to be more easily understood at another level of... Read More

Beauty Today: All Smoke and Mirrors?

Did you ever notice that the bar is continually being raised on exactly what physical characteristics define beauty? As I sit in front of the TV, I am bombarded by beauties with pouty... Read More

Skin Calling: Pure-Plant and Vitamin Topical Solutions for Youthful Skin

In today's busy, stressful and at times rat race world, women and men are aging before their years. The next time you reach for that cigar or ette, try reaching for your skin... Read More

Eyelid Plastic Surgery

Blepharoplasty, commonly known as eyelid surgery, is a cosmetic procedure that removes excess fat, skin and muscle from the area around the eyes. As people age, their skin loses elasticity, they accumulate more... Read More

Facial Exercises - A New Trend in Non-Surgical Facial Toning

There is a moment in everyone's life, when you notice for the first time, (it may be for some around your 35th birthday), wrinkles and sagginess on your face. These may appear as... Read More

Ways to Create a Healthy White Smile

If you do not have the money to go to the dentist and have them perform several (sometimes only one, depending on how severe the case is) Tooth Whitening sessions, do not worry... Read More

Hair Styles - How To Get The Most Flattering Hair Style

Do you ever wake up in the morning, look in the mirror and just want to crawl back in bed because of the way your hair looks? We all have bad hair days,... Read More

Do You Need Help With Dry Skin?

As we get older our skin produces less of the natural oil that helps it retain its moisture. There are many contributing factors that can dry our skin. For example, excessive bathing in... Read More

Healthier Skin Naturally in 7 Days or Less

Many people think that drastic measures are required in order to have flawless, youthful skin. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's possible to have better looking skin starting with things you... Read More

How to Improve Your Skin?s Elasticity

If you are a woman in your late 30's or higher, you have probably noticed your skin's elasticity is not what it used to be. For most of us this is inevitable. Other... Read More

Things You Ought To Know First Before Undergoing Liposuction Surgery

According to the medical dictionary of Medline Plus, liposuction is the removal of excess body fat by suction with specialized surgical equipments, typically performed by a plastic surgeon.With the removal of excess body... Read More

Beauty Tips for Luscious Lips

The last step in your makeup regime is lipstick application. Some women say if they could have only one beauty item it would be lipstick. Lip color brings the whole look together to... Read More