Natural beauty: what you need to know before making your own cosmetics

You consume aromatic herbs as teas, you add them to meals to enhance their flavour and use medicinal herbs to prevent colds and other common ailments. So why not also use them as cosmetics? Here are some tips to bear in mind before making your own products.

• You will find most of the ingredients for the cosmetic and personal hygiene product recipes in pharmacies, supermarkets and health food stores.
• Some can even be sourced from your food cupboard right at home.
• Ingredients such as cosmetic clays and soap molds are available at specialist suppliers, in shops and on the Internet.
• Opt for organic products for recipes using fruits, vegetables, fresh plants or eggs.
• Make sure you always use unrefined, first cold-pressed vegetable oils (olive, almond or avocado, for example), which have not undergone any chemical extraction, and keep them in the refrigerator.
• Water should always be filtered, distilled or boiled.

• By creating your own cosmetics using plants, you avoid exposure to solvents, surfactants, silicone, artificial fragrances and other unwanted and potentially harmful synthetic additives that are found in everyday products.
• At the same time, you're also contributing to a healthier environment while saving money.
• In fact, the plants contain thousands of active biochemical substances, which, through synergy, are biocompatible with the skin and hair, and for that reason they are absorbed more easily than mineral oils or petrochemical compounds.
• Many skin and hair problems can be cured this way.
• Thanks to their soothing minerals and softening fatty acids, plants are among the most effective cosmetic and personal hygiene products.
• Their effect is enhanced when combined together with care.
• Mixing the pine and sage, for example, combines the antiseptic properties of one with the softening properties of the other.

While designing your own beauty supplies can seem like an attractive option at first, be sure to weigh these facts and sure you're using wholesome ingredients to put your best face forward.