7 Homemade Beauty Products to Take Your Skin Care Routine Back to Basics

Sometimes the simplest solutions are the best solutions, especially when it comes to skin care. These homemade products give new meaning to natural beauty

Drugstore shelves are filled with beauty products designed to solve every skin care problem imaginable – including issues you didn’t even realize you had. But sometimes they also create problems through chemical reactions with your skin.

When a simple solution is all that’s needed to clean, buff, scrub and soften your skin, start with these simple recipes.

Makeup Remover

If your evening beauty routine includes removing layers of makeup, skip the chemical-laden removers and try a natural solution you’ve already got in your cupboard: extra-virgin olive oil.

It moisturizes the most sensitive and wrinkle-prone spots on your face, while gently removing your makeup before bed. Dab a small bit onto a cotton ball to wipe off your eye makeup, then leave the remaining oil to do its job while you sleep.

Facial Scrub

Many facial scrubs claim to be natural, with added ingredients like apricots, but if you can’t pronounce most of the ingredients on the list, you’re essentially using a chemical stew to clean your face.

Opt for a completely natural deep cleanse with these two scrubs. You’ll find all the ingredients you need in your kitchen cupboard.

Oatmeal Scrub

This is a great option for oily skin because the oats absorb excess oil from the face, leaving it clean and shine-free.

Ingredients

• Plain oats

Instructions

1. Grind oats in a food processor to make them finer and store them in a container in your vanity.
2. When your skin needs a good cleanse, mix a small amount of oats in your hands with water and scrub onto your face.

Brown Sugar Scrub

This scrub is nice and gritty, but should only be used about once a week so that you don’t irritate your skin.

Ingredients

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup honey

Instructions

1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl.
2. Apply to face and scrub in a circular motion before rinsing.

Toner

Many drugstore toners have a high alcohol content, which only ends up drying out your skin.

Instead, combine a few drops of jasmine essential oil in a bottle of purified water to keep your skin looking clean and fresh. Jasmine has natural antibacterial, antiseptic and astringent properties and will cleanse your skin of impurities.

Dab a small amount on a cotton ball and apply to your face to help balance oily skin and nourish dry skin.

Facial Moisturizer

A beauty routine isn’t complete without a good facial moisturizer. This one requires a few ingredients, but the end result is worth the initial up-front cost.

This concoction usually lasts about eight months, but if it starts to smell funny before that, ditch it and make a new batch.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup almond oil
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 cup aloe vera gel
• 3/4 ounce beeswax
• 10 drops of your favorite essential oil (optional)

Instructions

1. Start by melting the beeswax, coconut oil and almond oil, using a double boiler.
2. Poor your melted oils into a blender and let sit (not blended) until the mixture cools.
3. Mix your choice of essential oils into the cup of aloe vera gel.
4. Begin blending the oils while slowly pouring the aloe vera mixture into the blender. Wait until the mixture becomes a light and fluffy lotion texture before you stop blending.
5. Store a small amount in a container in your vanity, and keep the rest in the fridge until needed.

Body Butter

Your skin is the biggest organ in your body, and it absorbs everything you apply to it. So why not let it soak up some natural goodness?

Alter the facial moisturizer recipe to create the perfect body butter.

Ingredients

• 1 cup aloe vera gel
• 1 tsp vitamin E oil
• 3/4 ounce of beesewax
• 1/2 cup almond oil
• 1 tbsp cocoa butter (creates a more luxurious lotion, but is optional)
• 10 drops of your favourite essential oil (optional)

Instructions

1. In a double boiler, melt the beeswax, almond oil and cocoa butter over low heat.
2. Pour the melted oils into a blender and leave them to cool to room temperature before mixing.
3. Combine the aloe vera gel, vitamin E oil and essential oils in a medium-sized bowl.
4. Once the mixture in the blender is cooled, blend on a low speed and slowly pour into the aloe vera mixture.
5. Blend until the mixture looks and feels like lotion, then scoop it into jars.

Keep a small amount in a jar in the bathroom and store the rest in the refrigerator. It should last in the fridge for up to six weeks.

Deodorant

Sweating is healthy. It cleanses the body of toxins and helps regulate your temperature. So when you apply an antiperspirant that contains aluminum, you’re messing with your body’s natural chemistry and contaminating it with chemicals that may be linked to breast cancer and neurological disorders, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

But going natural doesn’t mean you have to smell. Use essential oils to customize this deodorant to the scent you desire.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup coconut oil (solid state)
• 1/4 cup baking soda (aluminum-free)
• 1/4 cup arrowroot powder
• Essential oils (optional)

Instructions

1. Mix the baking soda and arrowroot powder in a glass bowl.
2. Add the coconut oil (do not warm or melt it) and use a fork or pastry blender to thoroughly blend it into the dry ingredients.
3. Add 5-10 drops of your favourite essential oils and blend completely.
4. Add more coconut oil or arrowroot powder/baking soda if needed until the texture is about the same consistency as commercial deodorant.
5. Scoop the mixture into a small jar or container and store at room temperature. Refrigeration may be required during summer months and warmer weather, as the coconut oil will melt at 25 degrees Celcius.

To apply, use your fingers to scoop out a small amount of the deodorant and massage it into your armpits daily. Allow a minute or two for the deodorant to set before you get dressed.

Hairspray

Ever finished spraying your hair with hairspray and felt the need to exit the room just to breathe? Not only is your hairspray filling the air with chemicals, but it’s doing the same to your lungs. Try this sweet alternative to those nasty aerosol sprays.

Mix a cup of boiling water with 1-4 teaspoons of sugar, depending on the strength of hold you’d like. Stir, letting the sugar dissolve completely before pouring into a mister bottle. This mixture will hold your hair and make it shine.

Don’t have time to make your own products? Check out these natural beauty products made in BC.