Project 2: Skin-Care Products

Why would you want to do this? It’s fun to try, homemade products are better for your body than those loaded with laboratory-derived ingredients, and they make great gifts.

Why wouldn’t you want to do this? You don’t want to purchase the few custom ingredients, you are not concerned about what’s in your skin-care products, or you don’t use skin-care products.

How does this differ from store-bought versions? Much of what you pay for with cosmetics is labeling and packaging; this is not a factor with your homemade versions. They are satisfying to use, partly because of their wholesome ingredients and partly because you made them yourself.

Cost comparison: Homemade versions end up costing about a quarter to half as much as the store-bought versions.

Skills needed: Simple cooking/mixing skills, but use caution melting wax on the stove—both the boiling water and the wax can spatter.

Learn more about it: The Herbal Body Book (Storey, 1994) by Stephanie Tourles; Earth Mother Herbal (Fair Winds Press, 2002) by Shatoiya de la Tour and Richard de la Tour.

When was the last time you read the labels of the products you put on your skin? Pick up a couple of items now. How many of the ingredients can you pronounce, let alone recognize? Do we really need to be putting stuff like that on our skin? If we won’t put something in our bodies that we don’t recognize, why would we put it on our bodies?

Our skin is our largest organ, and it is our first line of defense against harm—from impact, ultraviolet rays, and germs. While many of us take our skin for granted, even those who slather it with expensive cosmetics aren’t really treating it fairly.

Many skin-care products are loaded with preservatives. Some contain petroleum derivatives, which clog the pores and make the skin’s natural functions of excreting wastes and modulating body temperature more difficult. Some moisturizers contain isopropyl alcohol, which, instead of hydrating the skin, actually serves to dry it out more.

I prefer to put products on my skin that are made from ingredients that I can understand (and pronounce) and that I know come from natural sources that are safe to apply or ingest. Some cosmetic lines carry such products, and many of them are wonderful—but they can be very expensive. Although some of the ingredients I use to make my own cosmetics aren’t cheap, per se, just a few drops are all that is necessary for an entire batch, and I can be certain of what is going into my skin-care products.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulates many of the additives in medicines and cosmetics, which must undergo extensive testing before they can be deemed safe for human use. This is a good system, but I prefer to use products that have been used for thousands of years in the practices of herbalism. Many medical advances have come from plant compounds. Herbal effects can be slower, but they are also gentler on the body.

Homemade cosmetics can require specialty ingredients, most of which are easily found at natural-food stores and pharmacies or available online. Get small quantities, because quite often a little goes a long way.

I keep separate cooking implements for these recipes, simply because some of the compounds (especially wax or emulsifying agents) are difficult to thoroughly clean away. You can get packs of cheap disposable tin pans (I wash and reuse them) in grocery stores for heating and mixing, and I store my beeswax in a used soup can and melt it in a pan of boiling water.

The recipes here are excerpted from The Herbal Body Book, copyright © 1994 Stephanie L. Tourles, used by permission of Storey Publishing LLC, all rights reserved. I hope they will encourage you to try more on your own.

Lip Balm

Homemade lip balms make great gifts—you can either put the finished product in little tubs or refill used-up lip-balm tubes. The essential oil lets you pick a custom flavor, and the honey makes it lip-smackingly tasty. I use a tiny cocktail whisk to mix it up, and then I put it in the containers before it is completely hardened. This also doubles as a cuticle cream.

Materials/Ingredients:

•Double boiler

•Small whisk

•Small storage tubs or jars

•2 tsp beeswax

•7–8 tsp sweet almond, castor, jojoba, or quality

•vegetable oil

•1 tsp honey

•5 drops essential oil of lemon, lime, orange, tangerine, peppermint, or apple blossom

Melt the oil and beeswax together (using 8 teaspoons of oil will result in a thinner, glossier consistency) in a small saucepan over low heat or in a double boiler just until the wax is melted. Remove from heat. Add the honey and blend the mixture thoroughly. Stir the mixture occasionally as it cools to prevent separation. When the mixture is almost cooled, add your essential oil of choice and stir thoroughly. The lip balm should have the consistency of vegetable shortening, such as Crisco, when ready. Store in a small container.

Baby’s Bottom Cream

This is a nice, thick, protective cream that is good for preventing diaper rash and for protecting skin in the cold winter air or while skiing.

Materials/Ingredients:

•Double boiler

•Small whisk

•Small storage tubs or jars

•2 tsp nonpetroleum jelly

•2 tsp cocoa butter

•2 Tbsp grape-seed, jojoba, or castor oil

•2 drops essential oil of orange blossom, apple blossom, carrot seed, or lemon balm (Melissa officinalis)

Heat all of the ingredients (except the essential oil) in a small pan just until the cocoa butter is melted. Remove the mixture from the heat, allow it to cool a bit, and then stir it occasionally until it is cool and thick. Add the essential oil and then stir the mixture again. The cream will be relatively thick and clear. Store it in a shallow tub or jar; it does not need refrigeration. Use 1 teaspoon per application.

Herbal Soap Balls

Castile soap is a very pure, simple, olive-oil-based soap product, and it makes concocting your own cosmetics and cleaning products that much easier (you do not want to play with making soap from scratch, believe me!). It is available at natural-food stores in either liquid or bar form; for this recipe, grate the bars with a coarse cheese grater. These soap balls are fun to make and give as gifts.

Materials/Ingredients:

•Double boiler

•Small whisk

•Coarse cheese grater

•Wax paper

•Two 3½-ounce bars unscented castile soap or pure glycerin soap, grated

•2 Tbsp ground oatmeal or cornmeal

•1 Tbsp crushed lavender, rosemary, or peppermint (or your favorite herb for your skin type)

•10 drops essential oil, your choice

•1 Tbsp anhydrous lanolin

•1 Tbsp sweet almond, castor, jojoba, or quality vegetable oil, plus additional oil for hands to prevent sticking when rolling

Melt the grated soap, lanolin, and essential oil over low heat in a small saucepan or double boiler until the mixture is a very soft, mushy consistency. Stir occasionally while melting. Remove the mixture from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.

While the mixture is still hot, oil your hands and form the mixture into balls. You can make the soap balls any size you like, but I think the size of a lime is a good size to handle. Place the balls on wax paper to cool. Use this soap as you would regular soap, but do not leave it in a puddle in the shower, as it will melt. If you prefer round cakes of soap to balls, this recipe will yield approximately two cakes the size of rice cakes.

Castile soap is a gentle yet effective natural cleanser.

Insect Repellent

This insect repellent is a natural alternative to chemical sprays. It works best on days when the mosquitoes are only slightly to moderately hungry. If they’re voracious, seek a stronger concoction.

Materials/Ingredients:

•One 16-ounce or two 8-ounce spray bottles

•2 cups witch hazel

•1½ tsp essential oil of citronella or lemongrass

•1 Tbsp cider vinegar

Combine all ingredients in a 16-ounce spray bottle or two 8-ounce spray bottles and shake vigorously. This formula requires no refrigeration and keeps indefinitely. Apply liberally as needed, keeping away from the eyes, nose, and mouth.