Whether creams, conditioners, face masks or lip balm : many beauty products can now be made at home. This not only saves money, but you also know exactly which ingredients end up on your skin and in your hair. Natural cosmetics care products in particular can be made at home using just a few plant-based ingredients that you usually have at home. See for yourself and try out our natural cosmetics DIYs yourself! Instructions are available here.
Why should you make natural cosmetics yourself?
There are many reasons why it is worth making your own natural cosmetics. Sensitized by the discussions about harmful parabens and sulfates, women are increasingly looking for alternatives. Natural cosmetics brands are a great place to find them, but even with many green products you have to struggle through the small print and not quite understand the ingredients. If you make your own beauty essentials, you are playing it completely safe. Homemade cosmetics are free of microplastics, chemical or synthetic ingredients, irritating fragrances or mineral oils, which are (unfortunately) still used in conventional cosmetics. And another side effect: Since you usually need the same DIY ingredients for different products and can reuse them over and over again, your wallet is spared.
Make your own natural cosmetics: Preparation
High-quality ingredients such as cold-pressed organic oils or plant butter are used as a basis, which are mixed with fresh ingredients such as yogurt, honey or vitamins depending on the desired effect. Sounds more complicated than it is. “Making your own cosmetics is pretty simple. You don’t need a laboratory, a degree in chemistry or any previous knowledge,” says Anita Bechloch, author of the guides “The Glow” and “The Glow Code”. The basic equipment includes bowls, measuring cups and digital scales, as well as glass bottles or jars that can be bought in pharmacies or online.
Hygiene is of course crucial in production. It is best to sterilize the equipment with boiling water and remove the finished cosmetics with small spatulas or spoons – then germs have no chance. Rule of thumb for the expiration date: use the ingredient that spoils the fastest. Anyone who follows these rules will benefit from fresh cosmetics: “A radiant complexion, soft skin, even optically smaller pores are also possible with DIY natural cosmetics,” claims dermatologist Karyn Grossman in the American beauty bible Allure. Homemade eye balm or a honey cleansing foam – everyone can afford these luxuries.
Make your own natural cosmetics: DIY ideas
Flower steam bath
A flower steam bath not only brings stressed skin into balance, but also the psyche.
Ingredients:
- 15 g dried lavender flowers
- 15 g dried marigold flowers
- 5 drops of geranium essential oil
Preparation & Application:
Pour hot water over lavender flowers and marigold flowers and leave to steep for about ten minutes. Then add five drops of geranium essential oil. Steam the cleansed skin under a towel for five minutes. This opens the pores, soothes the skin and makes the complexion radiant.
Milk bath
A milk bath makes rough and dry skin wonderfully soft.
Ingredients:
- 60 g mare’s milk powder
- 15 g cocoa butter powder
- 20 g baking soda
- 5 g citric acid
- essential oils according to preference (e.g. orange oil or bergamot)
Preparation & Application:
Mix all the ingredients together and add essential oils at the end. If you like it particularly rich, add a little milk bath powder to the bath water. If stored in an airtight container, the additive will last for about 3 months.
Honey mask
Cleanse and care in one step? It’s easy with the multitasking talent honey.
Ingredients:
- 25 g honey
- 80 ml liquid olive soap
- 3 tablespoons distilled water
- 1 tsp avocado oil
- essential oils
Preparation and application:
Mix honey, olive soap and distilled water until the honey has completely dissolved and a smooth emulsion has formed (no bubbles should form). For additional moisture, add avocado oil and 2 to 3 drops of essential oil. In a pump dispenser, the mixture will last for about three months. Exposure time: ten minutes.
Facial toner
A facial toner tones the skin and makes it glow. It’s that easy:
Ingredients:
- Handful of rose petals
- 60 ml witch hazel extract
- 30 ml apple cider vinegar
- 5 drops of lavender oil
Preparation and application:
Add rose petals to the water and simmer for about 20 minutes (until the petals change color). Allow to cool and pour 90 ml into a spray bottle using a funnel. Add witch hazel extract (astringent) and apple cider vinegar (regulates the pH). Finally, add lavender oil