Save Money, Look Swell: Nontoxic DIY Beauty Products
Posted January 15th, 2013 by Claire MoshenbergI’ve been on the couch for a week battling bronchitis (Shout out to paid sick days!). Requisites for voice-less, groggy couch life? Equal parts ginger tea and beauty blogs. Wicked winter sickness demands guilty pleasures, and beauty blogs are mine.
Beauty writers and editors exist in a magical nether world full of flawless complexions and free versions of the priciest products. Do you have an unlimited beauty budget? Good for you! I don’t, by a landslide—reading product lists for perfect skin is pure window shopping for me. Luckily, I have a hilariously cheap secret: DIY beauty products. They’re easy, they’re inexpensive, and…drumroll please…they’re nontoxic. No more lengthy ingredient lists and complicated multisyllabic chemical combos!
So balance that budget, and look fantastic while you do. Here are easy, nontoxic DIY versions of a few alleged beauty must haves:
Beach Waves Spray: Eyeing those bottles of beach wave spray and thinking of summer? Save your spending money for a tropical get away.
World’s Easiest Sugar Scrub
Make your own sea salt spray instead with this recipe from Organic Authority.
Scrubs: Beauty bloggers swear by scrubs, and so do I—that is, if you’re into that whole baby-soft-skin thing. But I can’t get behind spending more than a few dollars on scrubs when they’re so easy to make at home. Just combine 2 parts sugar or salt to one part olive oil, and voila! Play with the scent by trying different oils (extra virgin coconut oil is my favorite) or adding a few drops of an essential oil, like peppermint or lavender.
Face masks: You can clear up or soften your skin with ingredients from your fridge and pantry. Check out the recipes on Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. Acne prone? Their baking soda mask is amazing and couldn’t be simpler—it’s just a baking soda and water paste.
Deep moisturizers: I really can’t say enough good things about coconut oil, which dominates my DIY beauty supplies and shows up in a lot of my cooking. Extra virgin coconut oil is a great moisturizer and can even help with stretch marks. I use it as a night cream and an eye makeup remover for under my eyes.
Dry Shampoo: All about volume? Or all about being lazy on the hairwashing front (gotta raise my hand for that one)? I’ve got a recipe for that. Try this three ingredient recipe for making your own dry shampoo.
What are your favorite DIY beauty recipes? Do you have any great green beauty blogs that you follow? Let me know in the comments!
3 Comments
March 24, 2013 at 10:16 pm by HotspringAfter much experimentation, I’ve finally come up with a totally simple, effective, affordable, and nontoxic DIY shampoo and conditioner recipe that leaves my hair shiny and luscious. First step is shampoo, followed by the conditioner, followed by the vinegar rinse.
Shampoo: Use a wooden spoon or whisk to combine about seven tablespoons of Rhassoul or Green clay and 1 cup of water until you have a thin liquid consistency. Add four tablespoons of baking soda to the mix right before shampooing. Stir into a clay bowl (don’t use any metal, this will deionize the clay). Pour this mixture onto your scalp in portions in the shower and work it well into your hair. Rinse it out thoroughly so it is not chalky.
Conditioner: Heat 400 ml of water on the stove. Stir in two full droppers full (about 2 teaspoons) of oil (I use argan oil, you can also use grapeseed or maybe even olive oil). Emulsify the water and oil with one teaspoon of vegetable emulsifying wax (you can find this at Mountain Rose Herbs). Add 1.5 teaspoons of guar gum to the mixture – whisk it well with a fork so it doesn’t glob up. This conditioner is perishable. Store it in the fridge. The guar gum will help it to distribute nicely throughout your hair in the shower. Leave it on for a minute or two.
Vinegar rinse: Follow conditioner with a vinegar rinse for shine – Use 3 tablespoons mixed with 300 ml of water and pour evenly over your head. Rinse off with water.
My blog, the Mothership Clearinghouse, is in formation at the moment but I will be posting this there as well when I go live.
Getting rid of toxic makeup and hair products, drinking raw milk, and eliminating corn from my diet has ended a seven year montly migraine cycle. I think finding a good shampoo conditioner was a key part of that. I remember always feeling very sensitive to shampoos, even more natural ones, when I was having a migraine.
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March 21, 2013 at 5:50 pm by ZaubererI’m curious to find out what blog system you’re utilizing? I’m experiencing some minor security issues with my latest blog and I’d like to find something more safe. Do you have any suggestions?
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February 7, 2013 at 2:38 pm by TempeI love DIY and using natural products! I am a big fan of the honey face wash. I also use lemon as an acne treatment. My face has never looked better. Over the counter products contain harsh ingredients and can cause the skin to overreact.
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