Everyone uses beauty products, men and women alike. Whether it’s just a simple moisturizer or an entire set of cosmetics, we can pretty much all agree that we’re paying too much for beauty products. It doesn’t take an expert to know that these products are more expensive than they need to be.
Not only that, but there are harmful chemicals often included in our cosmetics and beauty products. If you look at the list of ingredients, you are likely to see numerous words you haven’t even heard of or can’t pronounce at all. Natural products should be simple, and even ones that are labeled “natural” aren’t exclusively natural.
For these reasons and more, there’s a simple solution everyone should be trying: making your own beauty products at home. You might be surprised by the amount of different natural products you can make all by yourself. All you need to do is gather a little bit of information, buy or grow a few natural ingredients, and start brewing up some natural, reliable beauty products. If you’re still not convinced, keep reading for some important reasons why you should be making your own beauty products.
Reason 1: You know what all the ingredients are.
The simple fact that you truly know everything that has gone into making your product is practically enough in and of itself to convince many people that they should be making their own beauty products. There is something to be said for knowing 100% of the sourcing of the product you are putting on your skin. Of course, this knowledge alone isn’t enough for everyone to start making their own beauty products
Many people seem to have trouble finding the perfect kind of product for their skin, especially since everyone’s skin is so different and store brand products have been made to suit a general average skin type, not each individual skin type. Making your own beauty products helps fix this issue, since you have the ability to customize the product to what is best for your skin. You can tweak the ratios bit by bit and test the product on your skin until you have created the perfect product.
All of the above aside, the sheer fact that you are safer with the ingredients is an excellent reason to make your own beauty products. There are tons of harmful ingredients in beauty products, even some that are allowed in certain countries and not in others. People often complain of skin irritation and redness, even if the product is marketed as helping alleviate such symptoms rather than making them worse[1]. In a worst case scenario, some of these ingredients are actually associated with cancer[2]. Beauty products are simply safer and healthier if you know exactly what is in them and where all of the ingredients came from.
Reason 2: It’s way cheaper.
As mentioned earlier, beauty products are incredibly expensive. It seems like they are priced too highly for what you get — and it seems that way because it is absolutely true. People who are really serious about their beauty products might be paying extremely high prices for their favorites – you could easily find an ounce of something for more than a hundred dollars. This is not so with beauty products that are made at home. You can buy an entire batch of brand new ingredients to get your DIY beauty product situation up and running for a fraction of the price. Not only that, but you could make much more than what the same price would get you on a store shelf or via online shopping.
Like it or not, your beauty products are probably going to need to be replaced many times throughout your life. Making these products yourself makes it so that you can make much larger batches of those homemade cosmetics that you so love. This is particularly useful once you have honed down a perfect recipe for your skin or aesthetic needs. When you’re still testing the waters, of course, you should keep the batches small, so you don’t waste too much if it isn’t right.
Another reason making your own beauty products saves lots of money is the fact that you can use ingredients (or even the products that you make) for multiple uses. In the commercial beauty product world, everything is made to be ultra-specialized. This is because it will sell more products, and the more products a company sells, the more money it will make.
When you’re making your own ingredients, however, you are going to be able to use a product for however many different things you want, without feeling like you’re going against the product’s “real” purpose. What works as deodorant may also function well as an aftershave, and perhaps a moisturizer to top it off. Try out the products and see how many uses you can get out of each of them!
Do you know where else you can save money on cosmetic products? Gifts! People love getting certain beauty products as gifts, and they will love it even more if it is a homemade gift. As if that isn’t enough, making a homemade gift instead of buying a commercial beauty product or something else is going to save you a ton of money. And, as people start recognizing your newfound skill in beauty product making, they may even request your products as a gift anyway!
Reason 3: You can learn a new skill.
There is something incredibly special about creating something your own. People learning to cook will say the same thing and making beauty products is no exception. If nothing else, the pleasant feeling of having created something is a great reason for people to keep coming back to it.
These days hard skills are simply hard to come by. It seems that hobbies have more to do with technology and entertainment rather than really making something. But why not invest a little bit of time into making something that will be healthier for you? That way, it’s a win-win situation. You’ll learn to enjoy a brand-new skill, and you’ll get to reap the benefits of it on your own skin.
Reason 4: You’ll have more natural products.
Chemicals from who knows where are added to your store-bought beauty products, and once you switch to natural ingredients it’s hard to go back. This is simply because making your own products gives you the full confidence of knowing exactly what’s in your cosmetics, and you will actually know that the ingredients were all-natural. This is because, of course, you will have put the ingredients in yourself. Not only that, but you will have acquired the ingredients yourself in the first place.
Lots of people like to grow all or some of their own ingredients for products, as this provides an even deeper level of understanding of where your ingredients came from. One such example would be an aloe plant, which doesn’t require much care and is very simple to keep alive. Aloe plants also produce a fair amount of product (aloe vera) and are thus pretty handy plants.
Of course, for some ingredients, it won’t be possible to grow them yourself. This might be because you are located in a climate or space that doesn’t suit whatever the plant is (a coconut tree for coconut oil, for example). This could also be because you don’t have the means of getting concentrations or essential oils from plant matter yourself, or perhaps you just don’t have to the time do it yourself.
In these cases, it’s more important to purchase your ingredients from a brand or company you know you can trust. Do some research on the internet about how certain producers obtain their products, and find out which methods are the most natural. Generally speaking, organic products are likely to be trustworthy in terms of being natural and not too environmentally harmful. Plenty of other farms are out there that didn’t go through the hassle of being organic certified and are still responsible, however, so be sure to do that research.
In any case, having natural products in your cosmetics is an excellent idea altogether. Store-bought products that call themselves natural are rarely so, or perhaps they contain extremely low amounts of the natural ingredients they are advertising. It’s important to keep things simple and just ensure yourself that your product is natural.
Reason 5: It’s better for the environment
There are a number of things that make conventional beauty products harmful to the environment. The sheer amount of packaging and number of bottles (which are meant to be simply thrown away or recycled after the product inside has been completely used up) is shocking in and of itself, but there are also far more sinister and less obvious parts of the beauty product industry that harm the environment.
Microbeads are one example of a harmful ingredient that has persisted in western beauty products for far too long. Although they have been banned in many countries (including the US, the UK, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, India, and other countries[3]), how long were we unwittingly purchasing products that had microbeads in them before those bans took place? How many tiny pieces of plastic polluted our oceans before people became wise of their harmful effects? What other ingredients in store-bought products are just as harmful, but just not as well-known yet?
This entire problem can be completely avoided by making homemade beauty products instead. Instead of microbeads, salts or other natural products can be used for exfoliating purposes. Keeping it natural is going to be better for the environment overall, and it’s going to help avoid all the pollution that comes as a result of production. Indeed, making your own beauty products is a great way to “go green” with your beauty routine.
Summary: What Should You Do Now?
Have you been convinced that you should be making your own beauty products at home? In case you’ve forgotten already, making your cosmetics at home can save you a ton of money, and it can be a lot of fun. It ensures that you know where your ingredients are coming from, and that they are natural ingredients that don’t contain any unhealthy chemicals.
In summary, DIY beauty products are simply better for you and your wallet. But how do you get started? What products should you buy to get going on the basics? Let’s take a look at some of the best products to buy for getting started.
Action Steps: Tips for Building Your Homemade Beauty Product Starter Kit
To get started, it’s a good idea to begin with the basics. The following 12 ingredients should be added to your stores for getting going on making shampoos, moisturizers, cleansers, makeup, conditioners, and lots more. Remember to buy organic whenever you can.
- carrier oils (such as coconut oil, almond oil, or jojoba oil)
- butters (shea butter or cocoa butter)
- essential oils (lavender, orange, tea tree, peppermint, and more)
- other necessary ingredients (witch hazel, bentonite clay, aloe vera gel, beeswax, vitamin E oil)
Once you have these key ingredients, you can start putting together some amazing beauty products. Keep in mind those main reasons for making your own beauty products in the first place and keep all your ingredients as natural and simple as possible. You’re going to love it!
References
- [1] “5 Reasons to Make Your Own Beauty Products.” Yoga Digest. <http://yogadigest.com/5-reasons-to-make-your-own-beauty-products/>
- [2] “Reasons to Make Natural Beauty Products.” DIY Natural. <https://www.diynatural.com/reasons-to-make-natural-beauty-products/>
- [3] “Results so far.” Beat the Micro Bead. <http://www.beatthemicrobead.org/results-so-far/>
