Making your own skincare

Who doesn’t love the idea of DIY skincare? The idea of saving more money or making things without chemicals sounds really beneficial. And in some cases it is! Things that are worth making at home are things like body lotion, lip balm, oil cleansers, and oil based face serums. According to the CDC, bacteria cannot grow in oil itself, it’s when you add water that things get tricky.  I recommend making small batches everytime you make something of your own so you use it up in a short time frame. Using essential oils is also beneficial because many of the are antibacterial.

When you shouldn’t make your own skincare

Somethings are best left to the professionals. Things you make at home have of the potential to grow bacteria over time and cause breakouts or flat out damage your skin. One of the biggest no no’s is making your own face scrub. Unpolished scrubs can cause microscopic tears in your skin. The idea of someone making a sugar scrub for their face gives me chills.  Things like toners, water based facial cleansers, and face scrubs I would avoid trying to make yourself.

Skincare worth making at home

Oil based skincare is worth making at home. It can’t grow bacteria and with the addition of essential oils you can make some awesome serums/oil cleansers that will make you never want to buy professionally again.  I encourage you to use what you have on hand for these recipes, but please do not put coconut oil on your face.

Oil cleansing benefits

Oil cleansing is one of the single best things I’ve done for my skin. As someone with combination acne prone skin, I was hesitant to add more oils to the mix. Cleansing with oils actually removes excess sebum, cleans out clogged pores and locks in moisture. It’s the perfect addition to your skincare, especially if you wear make up on a daily basis. Wiping excess makeup off with a towelette, oil cleansing, and cleansing with a gel/cream cleanser is the best way you can keep your skin cleansed and healthy without over drying.

The best DIY oil cleansing recipe

Things you need:

• Oil of your choice ( grapeseed and hempseed are great  )
• Essential oils
• Pump bottle

Some of my favorite oils for DIY skincare and oil cleansing are grapeseed, hempseed, and evening primrose oil. This clear complex blend from plant therapy is perfect because its a blend of all three plus vitamin E oil. Some great essential oil blends to add to your oil cleanser:

• Rosemary + Lavender
• Peppermint + Lavender
• Lemongrass + Peppermint

Directions

Add 15-20 drops of each EO and fill the rest with the oil of your choice. Done! This recipe is good for 3.5-4oz bottles. If you have a 6oz bottle do 25 drops of each.

Why a serum should be in your skin routine

Serums are a great addition to your DIY skincare routine because they deliver condensed nutrients to your skin. Seseme seed oil, sunflower seed oil, argan oil, rose hip, jojoba oil, avacado oil, and tamanu oil all make great carrier oils for serums.

Why you need frankincense in your skincare 

Frankincense is truly the magic maker behind face serums If you’re looking for a homemade serum worth while. Just to name a few benefits, it reduced inflammation, targets fine lines and wrinkle, and stimulates cell regeneration.  This is a great DIY face serum recipe.

What you need:

• Carrier oil blends of choice
• Essential oils ( Frankincense, geranium, copaiba, lavender and cedarwood are all powerhouse skin oils )
• 2 oz dropper bottle

This is a blend of Seseme seed oil, sunflower seed oil, argan oil, rose hip, and vitamin E oil. It’s a great base for your serum.

Directions

In your 2oz dropper bottle, add 40 drops frankincense, 20 drops cedarwood, 20 drops geranium, and fill the rest with carrier oil.