Why you should make your own beauty products

Making Your Own Beauty Products.

Beauty products are essential products we can’t do without, from body lotions, to bathing soaps, face masks, body scrubs, shampoos, hair conditioners, hair cremes, hair dyes, perfumes, body washes, shaving cremes, and make up products (lipstick, concealer, eyeshadow, eyeliners, foundation, mascaras, bronzers and powders). These items are unavoidably integral parts of our lives, as they help to keep our skin and hair looking beautiful, radiant and in good shape. Beauty products become even more important as we age because the need to reduce aging of the skin becomes even more important. Most people will like to ensure a more youthful appearance.

Although these products are meant to add beauty, glow and color to skin and hair, the reverse may sometimes be the case because some of them contain ingredients that are toxic to the body. Ingredients that cannot be broken down by the liver in its detoxification process can eventually accumulate in the body causing diseases including but not limited to Cancer. In addition, there are lots of counterfeit beauty products out there. Even in the United States, despite the rigor involved with screening imported products, dangerous counterfeits still make their way into the country. They are not even cheap and sadly have the potential to create irreversible harm to the body. Some of their adverse effects include severe allergic reactions, skin burns and rashes, not to mention long term diseases which include cancer, liver and kidney failure.

Common beauty ingredients that are questionable. 

As more people are becoming more involved in the selection of their beauty products by carefully looking through the ingredient list, there are some common ingredients that are frequently used in products but have been found to be controversial. This is because although these products have not been clearly linked with health problems, they have become suspicious and as such, many informed individuals do not like to find them in their products.  Here are some common ingredients used in products that can be said to be controversial.

• Parabens:  This is a common inexpensive preservative that is used in products to increase their shelf life.
• Oxybenzone: Most sunscreens in the market have this as a key active ingredient. While it is highly effective in filtering the suns rays and keeping harmful rays off of the skin, toxicology experts and other environmental agencies believe that it is linked to hormone disruption and potentially to cell damage that may lead to skin cancer. A good alternative is making your own sunscreen using zinc oxide. Including natural sunscreens like Shea butter in your home made sunscreen will help fortify its sunblock properties.

While some products are still just tagged as controversial and suspicious, some have been clearly linked to health problems and discontinued. Some of them include:

• Triclosan: This is an ingredient used to prevent bacterial contamination. It can be found in hand sanitizers, antibacterial soaps and deodorants. The FDA has determined this product hazardous and as such ruled that it can no longer be sold to consumers. It is a known skin irritant that is found to disrupt the endocrine system.
• Formaldehyde: is another unhealthy beauty ingredient that is widely used in beauty products like cleansers, conditioners and shampoo. It has been deemed by several health bodies as carcinogenic and one that causes several skin reactions. 

Even with the existence of damaging skin and hair beauty products, coupled with the increase in the side effects of using substandard beauty products, we can’t completely avoid using beauty products. This would mean lifeless dry skin and hair. However, in order to avoid purchasing products with unhealthy ingredients or fake beauty products, it might be worth the effort to make your own.

While there are many products that we can’t necessarily manufacture ourselves, due to the technological intricacies involved, there are several beauty products that we can make simply ourselves. These include body lotions, body washes, body butters, hair cremes, hair shampoo, deep conditioners, face mask and more. Making your own beauty products is very advantageous and beneficial.

Advantages of making your own beauty products

The best part about making your own product is the fact that you get to use what you want. You can freely incorporate your favorite pure and natural ingredients in as much quantity as you like. With the emergence of organic skincare products, you can be sure you are taking good care of your body and doing your hair and skin a world of good. The process of experimenting with various recipes is also relatively easy and one you will find incredibly insightful and exciting. 

Examples of super ingredients you can incorporate into your DIY beauty products include:

• Shea butter: Shea butter is known as the grand patron of skincare products. Because of its anti-inflammatory and healing properties, it is amazing for any skin type and hair type. Shea Butter has been extensively used for thousands of years to effectively treat dry and aging skin. Its high content of unique fatty acids give it the ability to moisturize and retain the elasticity of the skin
• Cocoa butter:Unrefined Organic Cocoa Butter is known for its high oxidative stability as a result of it being naturally rich in antioxidants and vitamin E. With a typical melting point ranging from 88˚F-95˚F, it is a stiff solid at room temperature. The cosmetic and food industries utilize Natural Cocoa Butter as an important ingredient. Its a great ingredient for skin and hair butters due to its amazing emollient properties.
• Extra virgin organic olive oil: This oil does not only work wonders internally, it is an excellent oil for the skin and hair. It has the ability to penetrate the skin deeply, providing unparalled moisturizing and conditioning benefits.
• Coconut oil: This oil brings organic skincare to a whole new level. It has a very high amount of saturated fatty acids that leaves your skin and hair looking supple and healthy. It helps treat skin blemishes while offering extra protection from harmful bacteria. 

Making your own beauty products give you the unique opportunity to learn a new craft and also become a manufacturer and employer of labor. Taking the bold step to make your own beauty products, is one of the best decisions you can make to take full control of your skin and hair care. All it will take is spending quality time researching ingredients and recipes that you’ll completely love. For the products you can’t manufacture yourself (some will require thorough research and in-depth professional knowledge), it is best to ensure you only buy genuine and certified products from renowned companies regardless of price.