Homemade cosmetics: pros and cons

The Slow Cosmetique invites us to make some cosmetics ourselves in a DIY mode. But what are the benefits and limits of homemade cosmetics?

DIY cosmetics: we save money

DIY (do-it-yourself) cosmetics or homemade cosmetics clearly allows you to save money as long as you practice it in a Slow Cosmetique way, that means with simple recipes based on ingredients that are little processed and with just a few ingredients. For example, a 15 ml hydrating oleogel, made with aloe vera gel and black cumin oil + 5 drops of essential oils, costs less than 5 euros which is much cheaper than a luxury cream. Be careful however, home cosmetics impose slightly higher expenses at the beginning, but then allow savings because we use the products for several recipes and several uses.

DIY cosmetics: we customize

Homemade cosmetics really personalize our care. A homemade beauty oil for dry skin will for example contain borage oil and sweet almond, and a small dose of cistus essential oil, while a beauty oil for oily skin will be made with hazelnut oil, cumin, and a small dosage of rosemary essential oil. Ditto for neutral liquid shampoos, neutral washing bases and neutral creams will be personalized depending on your needs.

DIY cosmetics: we take the time

Making your cosmetics yourself takes more time, but it is not necessarily a disadvantage because in our society where we live life in the fast lane it feels good to slow down 😉

DIY cosmetics: it’s fun!

Making cosmetics is a real pleasure because over time we acquire specialized knowledge on many subjects. We learn that we must disinfect all of the equipment before starting, we learn that all the ingredients are not stored in the same way, we learn that an essential oil is handled with care, and that vegetable oils have many benefits for our skin. What a pleasure to learn! Another pleasure is also to offer our cosmetic products to our friends. Be careful though, we cannot sell homemade cosmetics, but we can give them to those we love.

DIY cosmetics: what about the disadvantages?

Home cosmetics necessarily contain more active ingredients than conventional cosmetics, filled with water and highly processed and often inert oils (such as silicones, PEGs, paraffin, etc.). In the end, this beautiful cosmetic is active and natural, therefore a little more allergenic in theory (this is normal because essential oils are allergenic, even if the advantages are much more important than the disadvantages), and sometimes more irritating (it is the case for example if we don’t dose out the surfactants properly in a solid shampoo, or if we put too much baking soda in a deodorant).

Get Slow Cosmetique recipes in english here.