What Are the Benefits of DIY Skincare?

If you have sensitive skin, you may have gravitated towards labels that say “natural” when you’re shopping around for skincare products. Maybe you’re just trying to limit your use of chemicals that have potentially negative environmental impacts.

The sad truth, though, is that many products that claim to be natural, often contain a high percentage of synthetic chemicals. While a smattering of ingredients may be organic, if you study the fine print on the label, you’re likely to find ingredients like parabens, sodium lauryl sulphate and formaldehyde.

The inclusion of synthetic ingredients in skincare products is just one of the reasons why more and more consumers are opting to formulate their own beauty products. Read on to find out more about the ways that DIY skincare can benefit you.

You Control the Ingredients in Your DIY Skincare Products

Whether it’s an oatmeal-based cleanser or sugar scrub, the biggest plus about making your own formulation is having total control over every ingredient. Many of the ingredients you need may already be on your kitchen shelves along with the equipment you’ll need to prepare the beauty treatment. 

As you become more comfortable with DIY formulations, you’ll discover dozens of recipes on the internet, and in magazines and books. You’ll also develop relationships with responsible vendors from whom you can source less common botanicals, floral waters, and other raw ingredients.

They Contain Fewer Allergens

Some of the most common skin allergens are preservatives like parabens, imidazolidinyl urea, quaternium-15, DMDM hydantoin, phenoxyethanol, methylchloroisothiazolinone and formaldehyde. Unbelievably, you’ll find a lot of these preservatives in commercial skin creams available at your local supermarket.

You’ll find plenty of natural ingredients are available if you’re looking for a way to extend the shelf life of your homemade beauty formulation. Scientific studies have shown that lavender and tea tree essential oils and tinctures of benzoin or myrrh have significant antimicrobial properties. 

Refrigerating your homemade cream or ointment will also protect it from bacterial or fungal contamination. Eager to try out something natural like a homemade avocado skin mask? It’s still wise to apply a patch test on your skin to make sure you’re not allergic to any of its ingredients.

To test out your formula, dab a little bit of it on the inside of your wrist, and rub it into your skin. Monitor the area for 24 hours or so. If no redness, rash or other signs of irritation occur, you’re good to go. Individuals with nut allergies should also avoid using almond, macadamia, palm and coconut oils as a carrier base.

It’s Less Expensive

Ever tried adding up the cost of the products you use in your daily beauty regime? According to the online retailer SkinStore, the average woman spends $8 a day: $5 on skincare products and $3 on makeup. That’s nearly $3,000 a year. Making your own beauty products can save you a significant amount of money.

For one thing, homemade beauty formulations typically use far fewer ingredients. Another SkinStore survey reveals that the average adult uses nine personal care products containing 126 unique chemicals every day. In contrast, a yogurt or banana mask can hydrate, improve facial circulation and even reduce the signs of aging. This natural mask contains five or fewer ingredients, which will set you back less than $5. 

If you source more expensive ingredients from specialty distributors, you’ll find yourself using those ingredients over and over again in a slew of different formulations. That helps keep your money in your wallet.

Have you ever pushed open your bathroom drawer and found it filled with half-used jars and desiccated tubes long past their expiration date? When you don’t use all of a DIY product, you’re not wasting the equivalent of a week’s groceries.

No Animal Testing Required

Many of the top cosmetic companies still test their products on animals before they bring them to market. The Australian parliament passed legislation in 2017 that restricted the use of data obtained from animals for regulatory testing. 

However, companies can still use animal testing so long as they can demonstrate that they get some of their data from other sources. When you make a product yourself, you can make absolutely certain that none of the ingredients you’re using involve animal cruelty.

DIY Skincare Can Be Fun!

Creating your own homemade skincare products can be a rewarding pastime. As with other crafts, there are entire communities dedicated to blending ingredients and testing new recipes. Through DIY classes and shopping trips, you may find plenty of opportunities to meet like-minded people that share your passion for all things natural.

Mix and match botanicals, pigments, cosmetic butters, carrier oils, emulsifiers and other raw ingredients and see where your imagination takes you. Give away some of your favourite creations as gifts. Why not plan a fabulous fete as a DIY skincare adventure with a dozen or so of your BFFs?

Discover the full range of raw ingredients you can use to create your own skincare products.