Homemade beauty is the bees knees, but better

Firstly, making homemade beauty products is awesome.

Secondly, as far as I can tell bees have knees, but they’re not very fancy, therefore…

Homemade beauty wins!

I’ve made my own beauty products since I was a teenager and in all those years I’d never stopped to think about the reason I do it. This is funny because I love doing it so much I studied beauty therapy, aromatherapy, some cosmetic chemistry and in July I declared my Beauty Independence – only using homemade beauty products on my skin – except for mascara and sunscreen (and just quietly, my skin has never, ever been better).

I confess all I want to do is get a loud speaker and roam the streets telling people it’s easy to make your own skincare exactly the way you want, cheap as chips, and your skin will thank you.

Yup, I have big love for homemade beauty.

A little while ago the lovely Sarah asked me, ‘Why homemade beauty?’ and when I drilled down and discovered the real reason, I was a bit shocked. There are a lot of sensible reasons to love making beauty bits, but they’re not my reasons.

The one true reason I loooove making homemade beauty products

I’d love to tell you it’s because I get annoyed by the beauty industry and how unregulated it is. They can stick toxic nasties in stuff we apply to the largest organ in our body and make practically any claim without having to prove it. On top of that, they have the balls to create advertising campaigns that make us feel stupid and ugly. But that’s not the main reason.

I’d love to tell you it’s because it saves me hundreds of dollars every year. It does, but that’s not the main reason.

I’d love to tell you it’s because homemade beauty has something the cosmetic giants would kill for… fresher active ingredients. Bought products can be sitting around for years before we get them home and by then so much of the active stuff is gone. This a big factor for me, but not the main reason.

I’d love to tell you I find it really empowering to make my own after so many years believing those people in the fancy ads telling me that the stuff is really, really complicated. I’ve read cosmetic chemistry books they’re not. Anyone who can make a bolognese sauce is beyond capable of making a beauty product. I do find it empowering, but it’s still not the main reason.

I’d love to tell you I do it because it’s more environmentally friendly to make my own, because of the reduced resources it takes for me to make my own. That’s a big bonus, but not the main reason.

The truth is I do it because it’s FUN. It’s a creative outlet. It’s like cooking, but simpler. It’s something I love to do for me or my friends and every time I wash my face or moisturise my hands it makes me happy. It smells and feels exactly how I want it and that’s when I start to think about all the other benefits.

Are you curious about starting your own beauty independence adventure and make some of your own skin care products?

It’s a mighty fine day to start here.