Natural Beauty Products

Making your own homemade beauty products is much easier than you'd think. You can make your own beauty products to keep harmful chemicals from coming in contact with your skin. Give yourself the spa treatment in the comfort of your own home. You can pamper yourself every so often. Homemade creams, soaps and other products can be just as luxurious and fragrant as their commercial counterparts but you can avoid artificial chemicals – and the headache of dealing with all that packaging waste. If nothing else, consider this as an exciting science project. Making your own beauty products can be comforting. It saves you money and you don’t have to worry about harmful substances that are likely to damage your skin and hair.

All-natural homemade cosmetics -- from moisturizing masks to soothing foot soaks -- are fun to make, cost effective and kind to skin. Simply raid the kitchen for ingredients let your creativity run wild as you concoct your pampering treats, and then reap the beautifying benefits of your DIY facials, manicures and pedicures. Make DIY (do it yourself) pampering a group activity by inviting your friends over for a spa-themed birthday party or sleepover. Homemade beauty preparations do not contain the chemical preservatives often found in store-bought products, making them ideal for young, delicate complexions. To make an anti-blemish facial mask, all you need is a cucumber,1 drop of rosemary oil, and an egg white. Puree the cucumber in a blender until it becomes a smooth liquid. Stir a drop of rosemary oil into the cucumber mixture. Beat egg white till stiff peaks form. Fold in cucumber mixture with egg white. Smooth the mask over the face, avoiding the eye and mouth area. Remove after 15 minutes with a damp muslin cloth or washcloth.

Oily skin requires a skin-care regimen that helps combat excess oil and shine without removing too much natural oil from the skin. While it's tempting to wash oily skin frequently, doing so can dry out your skin, causing redness and irritation. Many commercial products are available to combat oily skin issues, but they contain chemicals that can irritate the skin. You can make skin-care products for oily skin at home, which provides the opportunity to know what ingredients are going into your skin-care products. Apply honey to oily skin once per week for a deep moisturizer. Leave on the honey for 10 minutes before rinsing off. You can also make your own facial cleaner using lemon juice, egg white, oats, plain yogurt and olive oil. Combine and process those ingredients in a food processor or blender. Massage the oily skin cleanser into your face and rinse off with warm water. Use daily to wash oily skin.

Cosmetic or food grade beeswax, petroleum jelly, vegetable shortening, coconut oil, almond oil, honey, aloe vera gel, vitamin E oil, sesame oil, flavored essential oils, fruit juice or Kool-aid mix are ingredients you can use in your homemade lip gloss. It is important to adhere to certain percentages for success. Forty percent of the recipe should be cosmetic grade oil that is in liquid form at room temperature, such as almond oil or sesame oil. Twenty-five percent should be cosmetic grade oil that is solid at room temperature such as coconut, palm or shea butter. Twenty percent should be cosmetic grade beeswax, petroleum jelly or vegetable shortening. Fifteen percent of the recipe should be cosmetic grade oil that is brittle at room temperature such as cocoa butter or palm kernel oil.

Hair conditioner is an important part of a hair care regimen as it replaces moisture that's removed when hair is washed. Conditioner smoothes the hair shaft making it easier to brush and style hair. In dry environments, conditioner prevents flyaway hair. While many commercial hair conditioners are available for purchase at the salon or store, you can make a natural conditioner using chemical-free products that will moisturize the hair, giving it a healthy, shiny appearance. The ingredients consist of an egg yolk, 1 tsp wheat germ oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 cup water, 1 tbsp glycerin and 1 tbsp whole milk. Beat egg yolk in a mixing bowl till frothy. Add the other ingredients and beat well till mixed together. Mayonnaise also makes a great hair moisturizer as well. Shampoo your hair as you normally do. Then apply a liberal amount of conditioner on your hair. You can store unused portions of the natural hair conditioner in the refrigerator for a day or two.

Hair is grown by the body using a mix of mostly protein, B-vitamins and various amino acids. Everyone's hair is different and varies in thickness, color and texture. Sometimes thin hair is the result of poor nutrition or alopecia. In any case, certain shampoos and treatments used at home can help increase the volume of hair by replacing missing nutrients, acids and proteins or adding bulk to the strand. A basic natural shampoo recipe works to replenish proteins and fats. Blend together 1 oz. olive oil, 1 egg, 1 tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar. Store this mixture in the refrigerator for up to three days. Use it as you would any other shampoo in the shower. Wet your hair first and massage the shampoo into your hair. Leave the product on for a minute or two and rinse clean. The olive oil and the egg will add vital proteins and fatty acids to your hair.