Homemade Cosmetics

[Tenuki]

I've searched a couple times for such a thread, but of course, Lady Mods, move or merge it if I've lost the ability to search properly.

I've seen comments about homemade cosmetics in a few of the beauty threads but thought it would be nice to have one place to share experiences of what you've made, how it worked, what you would do differently, any substitutions, etc.

I started making my own cosmetics for several reasons: I'm crafty and love to try new things, I find most scented products overpowering and irritating, I like recycling glass jars, and I like knowing exactly what I'm putting on my skin. I try to eat a healthy diet, get regular exercise, this seemed like the next logical step.

I have two of Janice Cox' beauty books http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Beauty-Home-Easy---Use/dp/0805070222/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302841085&sr=8-1 and http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Beauty-All-Seasons-Gift-Giving/dp/0805046550/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1302841085&sr=8-4 and have made quite a number of items. The instructions are clearly written and there are plenty of variations on ingredients to suit whatever may be on hand.

To get things started, I love the Basic Cold Cream recipe. This baby has only 4 ingredients: borax powder, water, oil and beeswax. I made an unscented version for me and a lavender version for my mom. It's quite rich for me, I have combination skin, so I use it only at night to remove the day's makeup. It is also terrific as a hand cream.

The most useful thing I learned from making this recipe was to let it cool to the touch before putting it in the blender. It begins to firm up while it's cooling, but blending thickens it up nicely. My current version was made with olive oil. It's in a recycled peanut butter jar (hand crafted creamy!) and looks pretty.

So, ladies what have you made?

 

[Christi.adell]

I've only ever make the cold cream that you listed. But it seemed to be too thick for my liking, much thicker than my Pond's, not as creamy. Do you get that too? Maybe I mixed too much or not enough water...not sure but I ended up only using it twice and tossed it.

 

[sheeplady]

So these are things I have posted elsewhere, but I'll repeat here for ease of searching.

Homemade Deodorant:
1 or 2 parts Baking Soda (Bicarobinate of Soda)
1 part Cornstarch
Mix and use a powder puff or makeup brush to apply to freshly washed underarms.

Homemade "Shampoo" and mild "Conditioner" (this is called the "no poo" method):
1 heaping Tablespoon Baking Soda in H2O (Apply to hair and scrub, rinse)
1 teaspoon vinegar and H2O (Apply to hair and rinse)

Homemade Hair Oil:
4 parts coconut oil
2 parts jojoba oil
2 parts almond oil
1 part cocoa butter
1 part olive oil
1-2 drops essential oils
Heat in microwave for 30 seconds (or until soilds are melted). Stir, cool, and pour into a bottle. Apply to ends of hair before shampooing. (Can also be used to remove makeup or as a moisturizer). You can also use any of these oils separately in a pinch- except for olive oil, because it smells kind of weird.

Lotion and Makeup Remover:
Jojoba and/or Almond Oil (find this in the cooking section).
As a moisturizer, apply after a shower (after you dry off) to lock in the moisture from your shower. Towel off excess. You can also use essential oils in this to make it smell better.
For makeup removal, use a piece of tissue or a cotton ball (you can remove your makeup without getting your face wet).

My next experiments are making my own bath salts (using essential oils, baking soda, and epsom salts). Once my soap runs out, I want to experiment making my own liquid soap.

 

[RainEdayWoman]

I make Handcrafted soaps, bath salts, lip balms, body powder. Everything using traditional hand stirred methods. I also have a website kissingmoons.com if anyone is interested in browsing. I know I am biased but my customers would agree that some of the best face cleanser is handcrafted castile soap using 100% olive oil. Most castile soaps on the market are not real castile soap. Check labels if it contains anything other than olive oil it is NOT true castile a lot of companies add coconut oil to their products to make it foam. Castile soap lather is more of a cream consistency than a foamy one and it is the most gentle. It is gentle enough to use on babies and is recommended to cancer patients due to skin sensitivity caused by treatment. I can not make any medical claims on my website but I can say that I have several customers that rave that their acne cleared up after using my soap. If anyone buys from me or not I highly recommend trying handcrafted soap over detergent bars like are sold in most stores. Most of the name brand bars ppl are familiar with are pure detergent "cleansing" bars or all the natural glycerine has been stripped from the bars to resale and replaced with detergents and chemicals. Real soap is not harsh, will not cause breakouts and will hydrate and leave skin feeling and looking better than ever. And, real soap is great for the face. I have been a cosmetologist for over 19 years and one of my specialties is skincare. There is not even a salon product I would recommend over handcrafted ones.

Need a great moisturizer? Turn to extra virgin olive oil is great for ALL skin types a couple drops will do, Hazlenut oil works well for oily skin because it is considered a dry oil it leaves a dry feel as it soaks in. Coconut oil is good for dry itchy skin.

Olive oil has similar properties to our natural skin oil. It soaks in completely. Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil is high in oleic acid and is therefore a good skin cell regenerator and as a treatment for inflamed skin. Olive Oil attracts external moisture to the skin and still permits the skin to properly release sweat, shed dead skin and release sebum.

Hazelnut Oil is a light, penetrating oil that is slightly astringent. It is a suitable addition to formulations intended to be used on acne prone skin. Hazelnut Oil is high in essential fatty acids and is soothing and healing to dry, irritated skin. It is commonly used in sun care products, and studies have shown that it can filter sun rays.

Organic Coconut Oil is an exceptional oil for dry, itchy or sensitive skin. It will not clog pores, and it absorbs readily into the skin. Coconut Oil is light and non-greasy.

You can add a few drops of Lavender or other essential oils to your oil to suit your needs. Tea Tree and Lavender blend is a good all purpose blend and is easy to come by. If anyone has any questions about what essential oils are good for a specific purpose or blends that work well together I am happy to answer any questions.

 

[Tenuki]

I've only ever make the cold cream that you listed. But it seemed to be too thick for my liking, much thicker than my Pond's, not as creamy. Do you get that too? Maybe I mixed too much or not enough water...not sure but I ended up only using it twice and tossed it.

Mine turns out, dense and not very fluffy, but it does melt as gets spread around. The only alteration I have made to the recipe is to add a few drops of essential oils for a light scent after the mixture is cooled but before going into the blender. Adding water might fluff it up a bit. As for the blending stage, I split the recipe in 2 batches and blend in short bursts until it begins to pull together. I don't blend the batches very long.

I started looking at the recipes I've made and it turns out to be quite a lot. Mostly face products.

The Basic Moisturizer was one of the first items I tried and it just didn't work for me - very dense and more like a cold cream - it didn't sink in very well and had a kind of sticky feel. I didn't care for it haven't tried it again.

I've tried several of the toner recipes - Green Tea, Lavender Freshener, Royal Rose Toner and Honey Toner - all, except the Honey Toner turned out nicely. The note in the Honey Toner was that it's sticky for the first 5 days but stickiness goes away. It didn't. My favorite is the Royal Rose Toner (rose happens to be a scent that doesn't bother me) Planning ahead is needed. The ingredient list is short: vinegar, rose petals and rose water. But you soak the rose petals in vinegar for 2 weeks then strain the petals. The vinegar turns a lovely dark pink.

I've tried a couple of the dry shampoo recipes and like the Rice Flour Dry Shampoo, substituting cornstarch for rice flour, which I don't have on hand. It works nicely, although it does seem to take a lot of brushing to get the stuff out.

I'm still testing recipes for my morning cleanser and am going to try Grapefruit Cleanser.

I saw your homemade deodorant on the hair gel thread, sheeplady, and am going to try that out when my current commerical brand runs out.

Thanks for the list of oils and their properties, RainEday! I love adding a couple drops of tea tree to my toner recipes. I'll have to try Hazelnut Oil.

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

I've experimented with tinted lip balms using beeswax, but I'm not doing something right...is there a right temperature to heat the beeswax to? I've made soaps before and wash balls for living history and I like the fact that I'm not using nasty chemicals. (but I do heat and use liz earle products...)

K

 

[Isis]

I have posted a couple of 1940's beauty recpies on my blog.

Three recipes for soft hands:

http://fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com/2011/02/1940s-nails.html

Five cold cream recipes:

http://fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com/2011/03/five-cold-cream-recipes.html

Cream for getting thicker lashes:

http://fortieswardrobe.blogspot.com/2011/02/make-up-in-1940s-eyes-and-lipstick.html

 

[RodeoRose]

I use freshly squeezed lemon juice as a toner every night; I literally have a lemon in my fridge just for my face! It works like a charm to keep oiliness and acne at bay. I also use raw honey as a moisturizing mask every once and a while; it's great and very yummy

 

[Tourbillion]

I have an old pamphlet of beauty recipes, some of which I have tried, and some of which contain ingredients like butter, which I object too, or petroleum jelly which is too rich for my skin. I did get the rosewater cold cream recipe that I posted in the cold cream thread from that book. I substitute jojoba oil for spermacetti and use almond oil or other non-mineral oils. I did make a few masks, toners, hair oil, a hand salve--which did just fine in cold weather but needs more wax for summer, it melted!

I didn't use a recipe for the hand salve, but it was made from aloe vera, almond oil and cocoa butter with essential oil of rose geranium and basil. Next up I am making a facial moisturizer for my boyfriend, it will be a lighter version of the hand salve most likely. I think I'll develop a lip balm too.

I have tried to do all kinds of things, some with more luck than others. My cake mascara experiment was a complete failure for example. I have made lip gloss from minerals and lip gloss base. I have some lipstick base too, so if I might make a lipstick too (most likely in a small tin or lip gloss pot).

 

[Land-O-LakesGal]

I have done cold cream I would like to try some soaps sometime.

 

[BoPeep]

RainEDayWoman - Great info! I've used olive oil before and found it worked well. I've been a DHC customer for 2-3 years now and have been happy with their products, but may start making my own. For me it all boils down to ingredient availability. Not much found locally, so I need to hunt it all down online. bleh. I'll definitely check out your site.

 

[Frenchy56]

I am about to try using Olive Oil to shave- I try and use natural or mostly natural products as my budget allows, and shaving products seem to be the hardest to get hold of! Lush's Ambrosia works well but at £9 a pop it's not cheap, especially in summer when I'm shaving every few days!

I have a related question- does anyone know of any safety issues associated with using Olive Oil as a facial and eye-makeup remover? I have heard lots of people laud it, but have also read some scary things about it clogging up the tear ducts in your eyes (!).

I am in a bit of a makeup-remover rut right now, Lush discontinued my beloved Babyface, their all-natual, super-effective, beautiful-smelling makeup remover bar. I am currently using Boots Botanics Skin Brightening Cleanser as a facial makeup remover, which is good but it stings my eyes so I'm using Vaseline on them it's also got a fair amount of chemicals in

 

[sheeplady]

I have a related question- does anyone know of any safety issues associated with using Olive Oil as a facial and eye-makeup remover? I have heard lots of people laud it, but have also read some scary things about it clogging up the tear ducts in your eyes (!).

I've used almond oil for 4 years now all over my body and face and no problems whatsoever. I can't imagine that olive oil is any different, in fact, some body oil I bought in Holland has olive oil (and almond, jojoba, etc.) in it. Almond oil is more expensive than olive oil (you can find it in the cooking section of healthfood stores and some grocvery stores). I use almond oil mainly because it helps with acne.

Basically a long post to say you are probably safe.

 

[Juliet]

I've started using coconut oil recently as makeup remover, and so far I'm very impressed with it - I don't have to rub at my my lashes in order to remove waterproof mascara anymore! and does not clog up my pores (which are quite the villainous bunch!).

Also, coconut oil and mayonnaise are great treatments for your hair, applied BEFORE washing your hair for 20 min or so. Not only do they condition wonderfully, but they also minimise the damage that occurs, when you wash your spray/wax/gel fixed hair.

Very effective treatment for hairgrowth
1 onion
1 egg yolk
1 tbs castor oil
little bit of any shampoo

Grate the onion finely, mix it up with all other ingredients, apply to your hair, wrap, do something for 30-40 minutes, the wash hair as usual.

- Don't discard your coffee grounds after making coffee - they make for a great body scrub, when mixed which olive oil or cream
- A finely grated raw potato is a wonderful mask for your face and for your eyes. Personally I prefer it to cucumbers - my mother likes the cucumber better
- If you are boiling potatoes, put a bit aside for a face mask - mash it with an egg yolk and a bit of honey
- Rinse your hair with chamomile infusion if your scalp is easily irritated and itches
- Rinse hair with rosemary infusion for general health

Freckle/tan/pigment spots bleaching mask - also works as a peeling
sour cream or buttermilk
lemon juice
chopped parsley

I can't give you exact measurements, but I'd say 3 tbs sour cream to 1 tbs lemon juice and 1 tbs parsley. Remember, it's effect is due to the acids, so test it out first! Personal experience - my skin is very pale and fairly sensitive, and although it stung a bit, no redness or irritation appeared. I also used this on my chest to bleach the tan line away.

I have tons of recipes and tricks stored away, I promise as time will allow, I'll post them here.

 

[beth]

I use freshly squeezed lemon juice as a toner every night; I literally have a lemon in my fridge just for my face! It works like a charm to keep oiliness and acne at bay. I also use raw honey as a moisturizing mask every once and a while; it's great and very yummy

fftopic:

I have a question! I've gotten bangs fairly recently, and I love them, but they aren't really helping with my acne/oiliness. I've tried to keep them pinned off my face at night, but in the morning the pins are always gone anyway. Have you have any problems with this? I've been very frustrated with my skin lately. :/

 

[Kitty_Sheridan]

@Juliet, when you say infusion-is that the flowers or the leaves?

K

 

[RodeoRose]

fftopic:

I have a question! I've gotten bangs fairly recently, and I love them, but they aren't really helping with my acne/oiliness. I've tried to keep them pinned off my face at night, but in the morning the pins are always gone anyway. Have you have any problems with this? I've been very frustrated with my skin lately. :/

Beth-- I have a similar situation with oily forehead vs. bangs! I apply the lemon juice at night all over my face, including forehead (my bangs are rolled up in a curler). In the morning, I just rinse the lemon juice from my eyes down, leaving it on my forehead all day. It's worked really well so far to curb oiliness under my bangs, though I've yet to see how it works in the muggy depths of summer!

 

[Frenchy56]

I have a question- based on my requirements, could anyone recommend a good, inexpensive all-purpose natural oil? I'd need it for:

shaving
a body moisturiser
a facial moisturiser for my oily, spot-prone skin
possibly an occasional hair treatment and lipbalm

I liked using olive oil for these purposes but I think it'd be way too heavy for my face. I've been looking at Jojoba and Almond oils. What would someone recommend, any of those? Thanks!

 

[Juliet]

@Juliet, when you say infusion-is that the flowers or the leaves?

K

Chamomile flowers, rosemary leaves

Frenchy56
Personally I find almond oil just a bit too heavy for me, coconut oil works wonderfully as a lipbalm. Not sure if it would be good as a facial moisturiser.

 

[sheeplady]

I have a question- based on my requirements, could anyone recommend a good, inexpensive all-purpose natural oil? I'd need it for:

shaving
a body moisturiser
a facial moisturiser for my oily, spot-prone skin
possibly an occasional hair treatment and lipbalm

I liked using olive oil for these purposes but I think it'd be way too heavy for my face. I've been looking at Jojoba and Almond oils. What would someone recommend, any of those? Thanks!

I have heard that Jojoba oil is more like your natural skin oil. For me, it makes me break out on my face (worse than normal), but I am prone to that. Almond is slightly less moisturizing, but it is anti-acne (I actually dab it on my acne spots, and it shrinks them, just as fast as a topical acne toner would, but without drying. I noticed this by chance.) I can't use olive oil on my face, it never sinks in.

So, if you have problems with acne, I'd recommend Almond. If you don't, then I think Jojoba would be better if your skin is very very dry. I haven't noticed a difference with using them on my hair, and I've never used them to shave with.