Why is DIY Skincare Bad?
Have you ever wondered why DIY skincare is bad for your skin? Some DIY skincare is bad for your skin because it contains no preservatives and unpreserved food, which will cause products to grow mold and bacteria making your skin irritated or break out.
Preservatives in Natural DIY Skincare Products
Some natural skincare products do not need any preservatives. The skin care products that do not contain water or will not come in contact with water typically do not need a preservative.
For example, when you create a lotion, you will be using a water phase. Because you have a water phase, you will need to use a preservative.
Another example of why you would need to use preservatives is when you make a skincare product that will come in contact with water. Such as a body scrub. Typically, you will have this body scrub in or near your shower, which has water. Because it has the possibility of coming in contact with water, you will need to add a preservative.
Food in Natural DIY Skincare Products
If you use food in a DIY skincare product, you will need to use it as soon as possible. You should not make it and continue to use it for the next month.
An example of this would be an avocado. You can use avocado as a one-time use skincare product when it is not brown and squishy. The avocado has gone bad and will develop mold and bacteria. At that point, the avocado is doing more harm than good for your skin.
Not all Natural DIY Skincare Products are Bad
Not all DIY skincare products are bad, and a majority of them are safe to use for months if you know what you are doing. Natural skincare products you make at home could be better for your skin than the skincare products you buy in the store.
When you make natural skincare products at home, you can put the ingredients that you want into the product. If you are allergic to lavender, you do not need to put in ingredients that contain lavender. If your skin loves rose water, you can put that in all of your products that have a water phase.
You are in control of what you put on your skin when you make natural skincare products at home.
Why Homemade Skincare is Better for Your Skin
You are In Control of the Ingredients
Homemade skincare products are better for your skin because you can control what you are putting in them. If you are allergic to an ingredient, you do not need to put it in the skincare product. You can find a substitute that will not irritate your skin.
You can also change out different ingredients if you do not like the feel of one versus another. An example of this would be carrier oils in a natural homemade lotion. If you do not enjoy the feel of jojoba oil on your skin, you can swap it out for safflower oil. In fact, you can mix carrier oils if you so desire.
You can make natural skincare products that do not skimp on ingredients. If you want to use all hydrosols instead of distilled water, you can do that. You are able to use the highest quality ingredients in your natural skincare products.
Click Here to Learn How to Make Clean Skincare Products at Home
Small Batch
Another reason why homemade skincare products are better for your skin is because they are small-batch items. Alexia Inge believes that small-batch skincare products are better because the consumer has “access to the freshest products available.”
Another reason why small-batch skincare products are better than large batches is because they produce less waste. The small-batch skincare creators will make their product when they run out instead of making a large quantity and hoping it all sells before it spoils.
Because there is less waste when making small-batch skincare products, they are better for the environment.
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How to Choose a Natural Preservative
Some preservatives are natural. You will find that there are two categories of preservatives: water base and oil base.
Natural Water-Based Preservative
One of my favorite water-based preservatives is Leucidal SF Complete. It is a mixture of antimicrobial peptide technology. The two antimicrobial peptides are created from lactic acid bacteria (Lactobacillus) and Cocos nucifera (Coconut) with Lactobacillus.
Active Micro Technologies mentions, “Leucidal SF Complete uses a combination peptide technology to deliver moisturizing and conditioning benefits as well as providing broad-spectrum activity to protect against bacteria, yeast, and mold in one product.”
Natural Oil Based Preservative
An oil-based preservative for natural skincare products is Optiphen. This preservative consists of Phenoxyethanol in an emollient base of Caprylyl Glycol. It is paraben and formaldehyde-free. It will protect your skincare product against mold and bacteria.
How do You Store Homemade Beauty Products
The best way to store your homemade beauty products is in an airtight container at room temperature.
Some would recommend storing water-based products in the refrigerator. This is so they will continuously be at the same temperature.
How you store your homemade beauty products will help them remain pure and not grow bacteria.
Containers For Storing Natural Skincare Products
Another way to store your skincare creations is by putting them in a blue or brown tinted containers. This will keep them out of direct sunlight.
If you want to put your skincare products in a clear container, you may, but it is best to keep them out of direct sunlight so they do not fluctuate in temperature.
Sanitize the Containers the You Store Natural Skincare Products In
Before putting your natural skincare product into a jar, make sure the container is properly sanitized. You can sanitize the container by putting it in a bucket of distilled water with a Steramine Sanitizing Tablet. You will let the jar sit in the sanitizing water for 5 to 10 minutes. Rinse off the jar in another bucket of distilled water, and you can either let it air dry or use a clean towel.
Conclusion
Not all DIY skincare products are bad for your skin. Check that the ingredients you use are stable and can be used for an extended period of time. Also, use natural preservatives to keep your natural skincare products shelf-stable and safe to use.
I keep all my skincare products away from direct daylight. This also helps maintain them longer lasting. Thank you for a great article and clarifying so many interesting points
These are some great tips! I have always assumed that DIY means it’s better than store bought because the ingredients just have to be good if they are our own ingredients. This post really taught me to be more careful about what ingredients I use, even at home. These are some great and doable tips to make sure we use the quality and safe ingredients. Thank you so much!