Many years ago all the cosmetic products were based on natural ingredients only. Nowadays most of them are based on chemicals and synthetic ingredients. Homemade cosmetics have become popular again due to their natural origin, which means that it is absolutely safe for your health.
All the bottles and vials with modern cosmetic products have a list of ingredients which are contained in it, though in most cases we don’t know what they mean. The main advantage of homemade cosmetics is that you know for sure what is contained there.
You can feel yourself as a real specialist when combining all the natural ingredients and experimenting with them. For example if an allergic reaction took place then you can find out the wrong ingredient and remove or substitute it. In the case of bought cosmetics this option is almost impossible.
One more positive thing is that you know that homemade cosmetics weren’t tested on animals and so it didn’t do any harm to any living creatures.
If you feel inspired and you are sure that you will be able to make your own cosmetics, then you should try to do this. But you should also remember that all your handmade products may not be as effective as bought ones and they should be stored carefully because they can easily be spoiled due to the temperature or some other factors. And of course it is almost impossible to create the same cosmetic products that you used to buy in house conditions.
One of the most significant advantages of homemade cosmetics is that you can avoid allergic reactions and irritations because you know what types of ingredients you put in them and what’s suitable for your skin.
One more advantage is that all the natural ingredients are readily available. Honey, lemon, spices, sugar, oils and yogurts can easily be found in the nearest supermarket or they are already stored in your kitchen. Such ingredients as herbs or some rare essential oils can be bought at the pharmacist’s.
It should also be mentioned that homemade cosmetics is cheaper and you don’t need to spend enormous sums of money to buy cosmetics for your skin or hair care.
Besides, a lot of recipes are available online and for free, you can easily find step-by-step tutorials of different handmade cosmetics, great guides (as for me) are on the Wikitalks in the handmade section http://wikitalks.com/category/articles/fashion-beauty/handmade-cosmetics/ They’re all illustrated in each step and easy to read.
Now let’s move to disadvantages of homemade cosmetics. The most significant one is that not all the cosmetic products can be made by yourself. Of course you can create crèmes, lotions, scrubs and masks but it is rather difficult or sometimes even impossible to make decorative cosmetics such as lipstick or eye shadows.
They also takes a lot of time to make, which becomes a problem when your time is limited, for example if you have a job or some other business.
The bought cosmetic, despite the fact it has synthetic components, can be stored during a long period of time. All these preservatives prevent it from spoiling and appearance of bacteria, while homemade cosmetics can be stored only for a while.
In consequence homemade cosmetics can be made in small portions only and stored properly in order to avoid rotting which can cause inflammations. And again we go back to the time costs. It takes a lot of time to make new portions once every two or three days (depending on the products used).
But on the other hand it is great to have the possibility to give such natural and useful cosmetics as a gift for your family and friends. So you should weigh all the advantages and disadvantages and then decide whether to create your own cosmetics or not.
Donna is a Content Creator, Marketer, Brand Ambassador, Social Media Consultant, former teacher, wife, and proud mom. Blog by Donna encompasses all that… she writes about family life and being a woman while weaving in articles about the brands and products she and her family love.