Edinburgh
So many of us like to make our own homemade face/body/skin care, cosmetics, house-hold cleaning items, etc. And we go to the local health food store or grocery & gather up all of our ingredients. But . . . do you know WHAT those ingredients do?
One of the reason I make my own products is because I can control what goes into them & use ingredients that actually WORK for my skin-type or type of cleaning I want to do.
Here's a good place to start (you can probably even add your own) . . .
Witch Hazel ~ is used in so many products. It is a light astringent that also firms the skin, great for acne & cleaning skin scrapes.
Almond Oil ~ very light-weight, great for most skin-types (even oily). Smells yummy.
Castor Oil ~ great for VERY dry skins, VERY emollient.
Coconut Oil ~ very emollient, mostly used to moisturize skin & even hair.
Cocoa Butter ~ very rich, use sparingly, especially in recipes for oily skin. Great for mature skin. Great for body care products.
Grapeseed Oil ~ the "non-oily" oil. :-) Even oily & acne-prone skin-types can use this. Very light & highly absorbable. My favorite oil.
Lanolin ~ from sheep's wool. One of the best moisturizers for human skin b/c it's close to our own oils.
Rose Water ~ lightly astringent. Used for face & hair.
Borax ~ "20 Mule Team Borax" is actually the Sodium Borate you see listed on many skin care items. This naturally occurring mineral cleanses, softens water & suspends soap particles (that's why it's so popular in homemade laundry detergent), won't clog pores, softens skin.
Green Clay ~ great for medical & cosmetics. Mild & all skin-types can use it. Tightens pores, smooths skin.
White Clay ~ most versatile clay. Less drying; great for masks, body packs, powders & bath salts.
Aloe Vera ~ "the kitchen plant" ~ you can break a plant open & apply the juice/gel directly to a burn, skin irritation or other minor wound. Great moisturizer & firms skin as it dries.
Tea Tree Essential Oil ~ what did we EVER do before we found out about tea tree oil?! One of the most important & versatile products in your medicine or kitchen cabinets. Tea tree is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal, anti-viral & anti-septic. It treats, acne, eczema, athlete's foot, cuts/scrapes/minor wounds, sinus infections, asthma, add to your shampoo to kill lice, dandruff, makes the best anti-bacterial house-hold cleaners . . . & on & on.
Blessings from Ohio . . . Kim<><
I use coconut oil on my hair once a week, working it through my freshly washed hair. I also use it to moistures my face! I love it and it lasts a very long time because it only takes a little dab.
ReplyDeleteSuch good information. I did not know most of this. Thank you for posting. I will pass this on.
ReplyDeleteSusie
Thanks Kim;) love your blog. I make my own products due to child w/ allergies. Appreciate this extra help. *-*Virginia
ReplyDeleteI learned to combine natural ingredients in one of my massage therapy school classes. This one is my favorite: I am in my 30s but still get breakouts, so I mix alittle grapeseed oil and teatree oil.
ReplyDeleteIt wont overdry the skin like over the counter acne meds or just the teatree by itself ( it can be irritating, so should b mixed with a carrier oil)
Thanks for sharing the info on all these great products!
Have a blessed day,
Allison
I love almond oil and coconut oil! I am thinking of using castor oil for my very dry feet. I have just started making some of my own skin care products for my personal use. Thank you for sharing this info with us.
ReplyDeleteGood information, I make my own skin care too, it is so much fun! My favorite is body butter, equal parts shea butter, cocoa butter, bee's wax and olive oil and of course essential oils.
ReplyDeleteNaomi