How to Make Your Own Beauty Products

Have you noticed that beauty products ads are the most seductive ads in on television or in magazines. Lots of bare skin and beautiful women hawking exquisitely packaged overpriced beauty products. And even if we don't buy the implied message which is "Buy me, I'll make you beautiful."; we still love the pretty packages and we especially love the pretty smells and feels of our lotions, potions and creams.

We can create similar beauty products on our own for pennies on the dollar for what the fancy cosmetic companies charge for their pretty wares. Making your own beauty products is neither difficult or expensive and some of them work just as well as their overpriced cousins.

There are even enterprising women who begin their own beauty product companies based on their unique blend of scents and creams and cosmetic recipes. Here are some tried and true beauty product recipes that a good soapmaker friend of mine developed. She doesn't sell them but she does encourage sharing, so pass them on!

To package your homemade lotions, you can buy a sleeve of 4 oz plastic cups with lids at food warehouses like or for a prettier look, I like to use quilted glass widemouth 6 oz jelly jars with screw on lids. You can buy them by the 12 pack for about 5 dollars and use them again and again.

These also make nice gifts by designing your own beauty product label on the computer and printing them off to attach. I do these for seasonal decorations and spray paint the lid and bands for the jars in matching colors, affixing a sticker with the name, instructions for use, etc to the lid. You could even design your own "personal" beauty product name and label. Who knows you could be the next Mary Kay!

Wrinkle Eye Cream

Ingredients: 2 T. elder flower water (available here), ¼ c. avocado oil, 2 T. almond oil, 4 tsps wheat germ oil, 3 T. lanolin, 2 T. glycerin, 2 drops geranium essential oil, 1 Vitamin E capsule

Method

Step one: Warm the elder flower water in a stainless steep sauce pan over very low heat.

Step two: In the top of a double boiler, set over gently boiling water, heat up the avocado, the almond and wheat germ oils. Stir in the lanolin until melted and remove from the heat.

Step three: With a hand beater, (I used the wand type) beat in the warmed elder flower water. Stire in the glycerin and the geranium scented oil. Open the vitamin E capsule with a sharp needle and squeeze the liquid into the eye cream.

Step four: Pour the cream in the container. Store in a cool, dark place.

Directions for using: Apply this around the eye with gentle circular strokes, being careful not to get it in the eye itself.

One of the things that homemade beauty products don't have in them, are artificial preservatives so while most of your creams and lotions will last for a couple of months, it's important that you keep an eye on how it smells, etc.

Neck Moisturizing Cream

Ingredients: 1 t. dried chamomile, 1 c. boiling water, 3 T. avocado oil, 3 T. almond oil, 2 tsp. jojoba oil, 1 oz. grated beeswax, 2 tsp. glycerin and 20 drops lemon, lavender or tea tree essential oil. (You can mix and match some essential oils in these recipes, but it is important to use the real thing)

Method

Step one: Place the chamomile in a large cup and add the boiling water. Cover and allow it to set for about 15 minutes. Strain the liquid into another cup. You've just made an infusion or herbs.

Step two: In the top of that trusty double boiler, warm the avocado, almond and jojoba oil. Add the grated beeswax. Stir until melted

Step thre: Remove from heat and beat in 2 T. of the warmed chamomile infusion; drop by drop!!, until the mixture thickens and cools. Let cool for about 5 minutes, then mix in the glycerin and essential oil fragrance.

Again, store in cool dark place.

Directions for use: This is a great cream for the neck, just massage in gently in circular motion under the jaw and around the entire neck area, especially the front and sides.

Peach Facial Cream

Ingredients: A fresh ripe peach, (that's right a real juicy one!) and ......heavy cream!

Method: Mash the peach or blend in food processor. Add just enough cream to the peach pulp to make a soft creamy mixture. It will look peachy and creamy!! You could eat at this point or spoon it into a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator. How much cream you need kind of depends on how juicy or ripe your peach was.

Directions for use: Smear it on your face and massage it in once a day until it's all gone. Then make some more. If some of it gets in your mouth...enjoy!

This really is a wonderful facial cream. When they talk about a peaches and cream complexion..I wonder if they meant this. It could have been an old wives recipe. My friend said her mother taught her to do this.

Galen's Cold Cream (This recipe has been around for centuries, apparently according to cosmetic lore) It is believed to have been created by the Greek philosopher and doctor, Galen. And this is the face cream I have used for 10 years. I absolutely love it! There are other recipes for this online, but they all vary slightly, so if you don't like mine, experiment and try one of those!

Ingredients: 1 oz beeswax, grated (I buy mine from local honey producer), 1/3 c. light olive oil, 2 T. distilled water or rose water, 3 drops geranium essential oil.

Method:

Step one: In top of the double boiler, melt the beeswax

Step two: In small stainless steel pan, heat the oil slightly and then pour it into the melted wax. Using a fork, beat until combined about 2-3 minutes.

Step three: Heat the water or rose water in the pan and stir it into the oil and wax mixture, one drop at a time. It's very important that you do it slowly, one drop at a time! Remove from heat and stir until the lotion is cool and thick. Add your essential oil fragrance and stir it in till blended well.

Store in jar or container in cool dark place. This cream will last for several months, but it will be gone before then!

Gift Giving

You could make each of the above products, and place them together in a pretty basket with ribbons, add a candle and soft washcloth to make a lovely gift basket.

While some of the oils may seem expensive, they last a long time if you keep them tightly sealed and in a cool dark place. I box up my essential oils and beauty product oils in cardboard box and store it in the garage between sessions. I usually make lotion and cream about 3 times a year, in November for gift giving at Christmas, in the spring for Easter gifts or Mother's Day gifts and then again in the summer for because I need more by then.

You can double recipe amounts but be careful. I wouldn't try to make huge batches as it's important t smoothly incorporate the oils at the right temperatures to get lotion and cream instead of oily messes!

Resources to buy ingredients

http://www.wellingtonfragrance.com/Essential_Oils_C35.cfm?gclid=CN6L6uj555wCFRPyDAodY3XSGg

http://www.wellspringtrading.com/Ecologics-Organic-Jojoba-Oil.aspx?gclid=CNzB

Elder Flower: You can make your own elderflower water by using about 4-5 drops of this essential oil in ¼ c. of distilled water. http://www.myvitanet.com/el1ozherphar.html?rfr=YAH&zmam=1000941&zmas=28&zmac=177&zmap=el1ozherpharsfr555wCFREhDQodM1kvGQ