2020 has undoubtedly been a strange year for everyone, turning what we know on its head has forced us to return to a simpler way of living with more time to focus on ourselves, how we’re spending our time and what we’re consuming. For many people, it has been a time of uncertainty, which is why getting creative through cooking, baking, exercising or arts & crafts have been great ways to ground ourselves and focus on the here and now. One of the things we noticed that was not receiving the same amount of attention as the much-loved banana bread, was home-made skin care products. Buying beauty and skin care products can be a long-winded and often a disheartening process when we fall down the rabbit-hole of trying to choose from the hundreds of options out there. On top, it can become stressful when trying to balance quality, quantity, ethical issues and how much money we can afford to spend.
Simplify your beauty regime with some home-made beauty products, saving your skin from nasty chemicals and reducing unnecessary packaging. Most of our suggestions can be made with ingredients you’ll likely be buying for cooking or that you’ll easily find in the supermarket. To store your new products, buy some glass containers, or even better, wash and reuse old containers to save money and give them a new life! When using natural products, you’ll find that certain items have more than one benefit and therefore can be a great investment. Take coconut oil for example, not only is it used for cooking, but also as a makeup remover and moisturiser.
Find below our tried and tested suggestions for some easy homemade beauty products to get you started:
FACE MASK
There are plenty of DIY face mask ideas on the internet, but our recommendation would be to combine 3 ingredients you can easily get from the supermarket: honey, cocoa powder and yoghurt, to brighten, cleanse and gently unclog pores. Combine one teaspoon of each before applying for 15 minutes and then rinse off well.
EXFOLIATOR
Household staples like sugar, salt and coffee (used or fresh) are all natural exfoliants that can be used to scrub away dead skin cells in the shower. Sugar and coffee are not as harsh as salt and therefore are excellent for the face, whereas salt can be great for the body and feet. Mix one of these ingredients with olive or coconut oil to create a moisturising face or body scrub. Add in peppermint essential oil for an invigorating refreshing scrub, lavender for a calming scent or citrus for a sweet-smelling wakeup call.
MAKEUP REMOVER
For a gentle, easy and chemical-free way to remove make-up, use pure natural rosewater. Combine this with olive or coconut oil to make it more effective at removing stubborn makeup like mascara.
PRE-SHAVE OIL
Combine a nut oil, such as almond oil, with an equal amount of olive oil and then add in a few drops of lavender essential oil. Apply on your face, legs or body a minute or two before shaving for smooth skin with less irritation!
MOISTURISER
This homemade moisturiser feels super soothing on the skin, and is a much cheaper alternative that will last a long time. For extra brownie points, put some into mini glass jars and gift them to friends and family! You’ll need: 1 cup of shea butter, 4 tablespoons of almond oil and 10 drops of lavender oil or your favourite smelling essential oil. Fill ¼ of a pot with water over a medium-low heat and place a bowl on top. Melt the shea butter in the bowl and the add in the almond oil, before placing the mixture in the fridge until it’s solid (about 20 minutes). Next, use an electric whisk or mixer to whip up the mixture for a couple of minutes, adding in the essential oils as you go. Once done, place in a glass jar and enjoy.
Words: Bella Charlton
