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    Natural Beauty Recipes: 35 step-by-step projects for homemade beauty
    Natural Beauty Recipes: 35 step-by-step projects for homemade beauty
    Natural Beauty Recipes: 35 step-by-step projects for homemade beauty
    Ebook411 pages1 hour

    Natural Beauty Recipes: 35 step-by-step projects for homemade beauty

    By Karen Gilbert

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    About this ebook

    Natural skincare and fragrance expert Karen Gilbert shows you how to make your own lotions and potions that are kind to your skin and the environment.

    Most of us use a huge variety of beauty products on our skin and hair every day, but the majority of these contain a variety of chemicals and toxins that can be harmful to you and to the environment. Now, you can create your own beauty essentials with these 35 facial, body and hair recipes. From a neroli hydrating spritz to a macadamia and jojoba moisturiser, a mango and lime body butter to a lemon and tea tree foot balm, and a bergamot and grapefruit wake-up wash to a cocoa butter lip balm, the hardest part is choosing which of the pampering projects to try first. Each recipe has clear step-by-step photographs to guide you, comprehensive lists of equipment and ingredients and easy-to-follow instructions – you'll wonder why you ever bought beauty products in the first place.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCICO Books
    Release dateJan 9, 2024
    ISBN9781800653504
    Natural Beauty Recipes: 35 step-by-step projects for homemade beauty
    Author

    Karen Gilbert

    Natural skincare and fragrance expert Karen Gilbert originally trained as a make-up artist and cosmetic scientist at The London College of Fashion. As part of the product development team at Neal's Yard Remedies, Karen helped to create many of their award-winning formulas. She currently has a successful retail business and runs natural beauty workshops. www.karengilbert.co.uk.

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      Book preview

      Natural Beauty Recipes - Karen Gilbert

      Introduction

      After working in the skincare industry for so many years, I sometimes forget that most people do not realize how easy it is to make beauty products at home. There is something I find very therapeutic about hand crafting a product from scratch—just like creating a meal from fresh ingredients, it does take a little bit more time and knowledge than grabbing something off the shelf, but the results are worth it. In writing this book I wanted to create something that could be used both by a complete beginner to make products for fun as well as giving those with a bit of experience some great recipes to try.

      The workshops I teach are generally attended by women (and the occasional man) as both a way to learn a new skill and as a social event. Most of the recipes in this book make one bottle or jar of product, but there is no reason why you can’t get a group of friends together and make a batch of products. Make it a fun occasion and get creative.

      What is natural and is it always best?

      My answer is always the same—just because it’s natural, it doesn’t make it safe and just because it’s man made, that doesn’t make it harmful. Most ingredients used in skincare are processed in some way to make them usable. Essential oils are steam distilled and oils are pressed by machine. Look for botanical ingredients that have the least amount of processing and are as close to their natural source as possible, and do not be afraid to use a small amount of safe synthetics to make certain products more functional.

      The term green means different things to each of us depending on our lifestyle. For some it just means recycling and re-using carrier bags; for others it means composting, growing organic veg, and cycling everywhere. When making skincare products, decide on your expectations for their performance and what compromises you are willing to make. For some, emulsifiers and preservatives may be out of the question, which restricts the types of products you can make. For others, you may be prepared to compromise 5–6% of the green-ness for a more sophisticated product—each view is equally valid.

      Organic certification has become a huge focus for green skincare brands but I wonder if we have lost sight of some real issues here. Should we be shipping ingredients halfway across the world just because they are organic, and shun good local producers because they do not have organic certification? Should we buy organic over non-certified fair trade, or should we support fair trade co-ops regardless of their organic status? You will need to make up your own mind on what is important to you, and it will be different for everyone.

      I hope you find the recipes both fun to make and fabulous to use. Feel free to experiment and if you come up with a great variation, do let me know!

      chapter 1

      Getting started

      I know the temptation is to skip this chapter and move straight on to making the recipes that follow, but please take just a few moments to read through these pages. You’ll find good advice on the equipment and different types of ingredients used in the recipes, plus some essential information on using preservatives and the shelf life of your creations. There are also guidelines on skincare and beauty from the inside out, and once you’ve mastered the basics, you will be able to create your own variations of my recipes.

      Understanding the skin

      The dermis

      This layer is quite tough with a lot of elasticity since it is mainly composed of connective tissue made up of collagen and elastin. As we age, the collagen fibers—which help to bind water to the skin and give it strength—decline, and so wrinkles start to develop. If the skin is overstretched, as in cases of obesity and pregnancy, the elastin fibers can rupture, resulting in stretch marks. The dermis also contains hair follicles, sweat glands, sebaceous glands, blood and lymph vessels, and sensory nerve endings.

      The sebaceous glands are located near the hair follicles and are present in all parts of the body except the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. They secrete sebum—a mixture of oils and fats—in order to keep the skin lubricated and to provide some waterproof protection. Sebum also acts as a bactericidal and antifungicidal agent to prevent microbes invading the skin. Sebaceous activity is regulated by the male sex hormone androgen, which is present in both men and women and increases at the onset of puberty; this is why oilier skin and acne are more common around that age, especially in teenage boys.

      Skin types

      NORMAL

      If you are lucky enough to have neither particularly dry nor oily skin, then it could be classed as normal and just needs to be kept clean and hydrated with simple cleansing and light lotions. Many skins fall into what is known as the combination category. Combination skin is where the T zone of forehead, nose, and chin is slightly oilier than the cheeks. The cheeks are not necessarily dry, but most of us produce more sebum in the center of the face. Don’t be afraid to treat each area with different products, if necessary. If you always seem to have a shiny nose, don’t use any moisturizer on it since it is obviously producing plenty of oil on its own.

      OILY

      Although more prone to blocked pores and blemishes than dry skin, oily skins do have the bonus of looking younger for longer. However, they can also be prone to dehydration and sensitivity, so take that into account when choosing your skincare. Avoid any ingredients that are heavily occlusive, since they may cause breakouts, and include plenty of water-based humectants instead. Choose the lighter oils, such as thistle, rice bran, and jojoba, avoiding coconut oil and butters such as cocoa and shea, because they can block the pores.

      DRY

      Skins with an under-production of sebum need extra help to stay looking smooth and supple. Adding richer oils and butters to your products helps not only to trap water in the skin but also to smooth the rough edges of the cells in the epidermis, to give a smoother appearance. Cleanse gently and use protective moisturizers in the winter as well as in an air-conditioned environment, since this tends to make dehydrated skin worse.

      The epidermis

      The outermost layer of the skin is itself made up of several layers. The basal layer, at the bottom, also known as the stratum germinativum, is where new cells are created. During their 40-day cycle, the cells move gradually from the basal layer through to the stratum corneum at the surface, where they are sloughed off in a process called desquamation. New cells will then take their place, and the cycle starts again.

      The basal layer is also the site of melanocytes, which are responsible for pigmentation in the skin—the production of melanin. Melanin production is actually your body’s defence mechanism against the harmful rays of the sun.

      Three-step skincare routine

      The three steps to healthy skin are to keep it clean, to protect it from dehydration and the elements, and to address any problems that occur.

      1 Keep it clean

      As sebum is sticky, it attracts dirt and debris from the environment and needs to be removed with regular cleansing to prevent pores becoming blocked. You cannot stop sebum production or close the pores, and nor should you want to because they both perform vital functions. For some people, using soap or detergent-based cleansers on the face disturbs the acid mantle of the skin and makes it feel dehydrated and uncomfortable. Here the answer is try a cleansing lotion, oil, or balm instead. As I have an oily skin and like to wash my face with water, I use either a cleansing balm or oil removed with a face cloth or cheesecloth (muslin). For years I used foaming face washes (because I was nervous about using anything oily), but always felt that they irritated my skin. I now use the basic cleansing balm with manuka honey (see p.31), and my skin feels much better for it.

      Personally, I do not advocate constant exfoliation with facial scrubs, and think the skin does a pretty good job on its own if treated properly. That said, the act of using a face cloth or cheesecloth (muslin) twice a day will remove excess dead cells, so that probably has something to do with it. I would use a scrub only very occasionally if my skin was looking a little dull.

      2 Protect it from dehydration and the elements

      There are two things you can do to help your skin look and feel better: keep it moist and protect it from trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL). Trans-epidermal water loss simply means that the water in your skin evaporates when subjected to the elements, leaving it dehydrated. Ingredients in skincare products such as humectants have the ability to draw more moisture from the air to the surface of the skin, but they cannot hold it there. This is where ingredients such as emollients and occlusives come in, because they help to slow down the evaporation process whilst keeping the top layer of cells soft and supple. Sometimes we want to create a protective barrier, but if the barrier is too thick it can block the pores and cause spots, so choose your ingredients carefully for your particular skin type.

      3 Address any problems

      Facial skin problems can be very debilitating. I personally believe

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