Does the idea of crafting your own skin care products bring up images of scientists in white lab coats surrounded by beakers? It did for me. I used to think that I needed an advanced degree in chemistry to be able to put together a smooth, emulsified lotion that would work for my skin. Plus, trying to read the complicated, unpronounceable list of ingredients on products at the store can perpetuate the idea that making your own skin care at home is too difficult. And yes, there is some chemistry involved in making skin care, however, there are so many amazing, hydrating, exfoliating, and nourishing creations you can make for your skin at home by simply blending natural, easily accessible, and familiar ingredients.

So, should you make your own skin care products?

Absolutely! And I’m sharing my main reasons (of many) for why you should make your own skin care products at home.

 

It’s fun.

Does your day typically look like this: Wake up, coffee, shower, commute, work, commute, make dinner, tv, netflix, facebook, go to bed – day after day after day?

Does the monotony of your routine leave you craving a way to express yourself creatively? Some people paint, some people dance, and then some of us like to get our hands dirty and create products in our kitchen!

Maybe it’s just me, but I find it incredibly fun and rewarding to bring together different ingredients, blend different essences, and then see them work their magic on my skin. Some of the things I particularly love making in my DIY kitchen include hydrating face lotions, cleansing balms, and deodorant.

 

It’s easy.

Making your own products is surprisingly easy. Once you have an understanding of certain principles, like water and oil don’t mix, so they need an emulsifying medium; or, water can breed bacteria, so hydrous products need a preservative, then you can easily start to craft recipes, or modify ones that you find online.

The amazing thing is that we now live in an age where anything you want to know, or anything you want to buy can be found online. There are so many amazing retailers online where you can easily order ingredients from and have them delivered right to your door.

These are three of my favourite ingredient suppliers online:

• New Directions Aromatics
• Voyageur Soap & Candle
• Lotioncrafter

Plus, finding beautiful, eco-friendly packaging is easy too. Before you know it, you can be putting together luscious lip balms with pretty labels, in gorgeous tubes that will have your friends and family asking you where you bought your lippy, and how much did you pay!

 

It’s customizable.

Does anyone else’s skin go to desert-town as soon as the weather turns cold? Or maybe yours turns into a red-inflamed, oily mess when summer arrives?

When you have a few tried-and-true skin care recipes under your belt, you can easily start to customize them with different oils and botanicals as your skin needs change.

Gone are the days of spending a $100 a super hydrating overnight cream for the winter months, only to get ⅓ of the way through the jar before your skin changes in the spring. Then when the next winter rolls around and you dig it out from under your bathroom sink, you find yourself disappointed to discover it smells rancid, and you sadly have to wash it down the drain.

 

It’s less expensive.

You might initially question me on this because at face value you might have to acquire ingredients, purchase a couple pieces of equipment (like a kitchen scale), and buy some packaging. But, you would be surprised by how far ingredients will go, and how much product you can make. Plus, any equipment you purchase is really a (small) one-time investment because you’ll have it forever. And you can always re-use, recycle, and upcycle packaging from other products.

Let’s look at one of the recipes from my Skinspired Beauty Basics program and break down the cost of making 12 x 5mL natural lip balms:

 

Skinspired Luscious Lip Balm:

 

Total = $6.63 for 12 lip balms or $0.55/lip balm

*Cost estimates are conservative estimates based on the base ingredient costs from this supplier, listed at the time this post was published, and are in Canadian currency.

 

Now, consider what you would pay on average for a natural lip balm at the market or shop. These can range anywhere from $5-$10 per lip balm.

Plus, if you’re anything like me, you probably have at least half a dozen lip balms in your purse, desk, makeup bag, etc. at any given time!

I am a huge fan of cheap and cheerful options when it comes to living my best, healthy, and natural life. If you want to learn exactly how to make your own DIY skin care recipes at home, then I invite you to check out the Skinspired Beauty Basics course here.