In July last year, I discovered that most
beauty products, particularly the affordable ones you can buy on the high
street, contain harmful chemicals such as formaldehyde, sodium sulphate and
parabens that can cause all kinds of horrible illness’ and diseases. So I
started a quest, to discover homemade substitutes for each beauty product I
used. I must admit that at this point I was quite lazy with my beauty routine.
I didn’t take great care of my hair and I hadn’t used toner or moisturiser on
my skin in years. But I thought I would give it a go and see what I found.
Hair
care
When I wrote my last post I had just
started using my homemade shampoo made from water and bicarbonate of soda and
my homemade conditioner made from water and honey. At first everything was
going great. I couldn’t believe that my hair felt the same and I was using
natural products on it! But after a few weeks everything started to change. I
noticed that my long hair was breaking a lot easier than it had been, my split
ends were getting worse and my hair felt very dry. I went to get my haircut and my hairdresser
asked me what shampoo and conditioner I was using. I was a bit scared at what
she would say about me using homemade shampoo and conditioner so I told her my
last shampoo. “You’ve got to stop using it!” She said to me. “Your hair is in
such bad condition!” She washed my hair, cut all the split ends off and styled
it. I could not believe how much better my hair looked! So much healthier! This
was where I discovered the joys of Moroccan oil. As I was living in Australia
at the time, I needed a product that would protect my hair from the Australian
heat and this did just that plus so much more. I changed my shampoo straight
away and the health of my hair improved immediately. I started using hair
masks, which again I hadn’t done for years. Lo’s coconut oil and egg one is
great, but I also find that a mashed up avocado with coconut oil does wonders
for your hair too. If you insist on using a shop bought one, I love Aussie
Miracles, which surprisingly I have never been able to buy in Australia! I
still use my all natural coco dry shampoo though, made from half coco powder
and half cornflour. It works and it’s homemade, so why not. Plus it leaves my
hair smelling like chocolate. A couple of months ago I had 6 inches cut off my
hair to help it grow better and so I didn’t have damaged hair. Now I am growing
it again, but looking after it and getting regular trims.
Skincare
I also tried out my own homemade skin
products. After trying my own exfoliator made from coconut oil and bicarbonate
of soda, which was just a bit too oily for my skin, I discovered the Neutrogena
Naturals collection. No parabens, no sodium sulphate and no chemicals. I use
the face wash every day, twice a day and the exfoliating scrub twice a week. I
discovered this amazing recipe for a facemask that is made from a handful of
strawberries and spoonful of sour cream. Blitz it up in the blender and put it
on your face, it helps even out your complexion and reduce the appearance of
scars. I promise you it will look amazing afterwards just not while it’s on
your face. I have recently started using toner and moisturiser again as well. I
found that the Olay Oil Reducing Toner works best for me and has barely any
chemicals in it. Unfortunately it does contain alcohol but personally toners
don’t seem to work on me unless they have alcohol in them. My new favourite
moisturiser is Nude’s Oil Minimising Moisturiser.
Make
Up
I spent most of June and July last year
staying with a family who own an organic farm and beauty spa just outside of
Byron Bay and they introduced me to health food stores and we had a great one
down the road from us. Health food stores are a great source for natural
ingredients to go into homemade products and most of them have a selection of
natural beauty products as well, including makeup. It just so happened that in
July most of my makeup needed replacing. So I went down to the local health
food store and picked Lavera’s Long Lash Mascara and Lavera’s So Fresh Mineral
Rouge Powder. I love both the
se products, they are not cheap but they are
totally worth splashing out on, especially if you wear makeup every day. As I
am much more tanned than I was when I bought my last foundation I thought it
was about time to replace this as well and get something that was actually the
same colour as my skin. I went for Nude by Nature’s Liquid Mineral Foundation,
which has no parabens, no bismuth and no talc. It’s a great product and Nude do
a whole range of amazing makeup products from primer to finishing veil and
everything in between. I do indulge in some MAC products too though, and I’m
booked in to a makeup tutorial with them next week where the cost is fully
redeemable on products which I’m very excited about!
I have found that a good balance between
homemade products and shop bought products is the best way to go. Remember that
it’s what works best for you that you’ve got to stick to. I tend to have an
oily t-zone so oil reducing natural products are great for me and I have found
some awesome ones. But you might have normal skin and have found a great face
mask but not exfoliator. The same goes for your hair too. You’re not always
going to be able to find a recipe for something homemade that works for you,
but you might be able to find a product with minimal chemicals in it that works
great! Just remember to treat your skin and your hair well.
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