When you buy natural beauty products at your local health food store or online, you may or may not be getting products that are entirely natural. Reading the labels often reveals a number of suspicious ingredients such as parabens, artificial colors, petroleum products and more.

The reason for this is that labeling can be tricky. When the label says a product is “made with’ natural or organic products, that doesn’t mean that the product is entirely organic or natural. It just means that some components of it are.

Additionally, not all “natural” ingredients are desirable. For example, ground up, microscopic red insects are frequently used to impart red coloring in all kinds of products from cosmetics to fruit juices. That’s “natural coloring”, but it’s probably not something you’d want if you knew what it was!

It’s easy to see that getting beauty products that are truly natural can be a bit of an uncertain quest. One thing that is certain, though, is the fact that all commercial beauty products are costly. Those claiming to be natural can be even more costly!

The best way to get beauty products that are truly natural and save money is to make them yourself. This is really quite a bit easier than you might imagine. The ingredients you need to make a wide range of pure products to enhance and improve your natural beauty are simple and pretty darn cheap! Here are a few of the things you should have on hand to get started:

• Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO)
• White Vinegar
• Aloe Vera Gel
• Essential Oils
• Coconut Oil
• Baking Soda
• Cornstarch

Now you can make body butter, makeup remover, hot oil hair treatment, gentle products to wash and condition your hair, toothpaste and deodorant just to name a few.

Body Butter – Use coconut oil on its own or add in a few drops of your favorite essential oils. Usually, about six drops per ounce is a good amount for a nice, light scent. Good choices for this include oil of lavender, lemon oil, rose oil, patchouli and other popular fragrances. Be careful about using oils such as cinnamon or orange because they can cause a burning sensation.

Makeup Remover – Either coconut oil or EVOO are good choices for this. To remove makeup, rub about a third of a teaspoon of oil between your palms and apply to your face. Wipe clean with tissues and repeat until the tissues come clean. If you have very dry skin, you can simply leave the oil in place to moisturize. If your skin is oily, you may wish to wash with warm water, rinse with cold water and apply aloe vera gel to tone and nourish the skin.

Make A Deodorizing Paste For Teeth & Underarms – To make a paste that you can use to brush your teeth and to keep your underarms smelling sweet, just mix up some baking soda and some coconut oil (about half and half) to form a paste. Adding a few drops of peppermint oil or tea tree oil will impart a minty flavor while adding antifungal and antibacterial qualities.

Complete Hair Treatment – Both coconut oil and EVOO make a great hot oil treatment for your hair and scalp. Follow these directions for an all natural hair treatment that will do wonders for your hair:

• Simply warm the oil gently by placing the container of oil in a bowl of warm water.
• Apply it to your hair and scalp and relax for 15 minutes or so to allow it to soak in.
• Sprinkle your hair with cornstarch to soak up excess oil.
• Leave it in place for about five minutes then brush it out.
• Follow up with a “no-poo method” wash.
• Put a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in a quart of very warm water.
• Rinse your hair thoroughly with very warm water then pour the baking soda and water through your hair and allow it to remain in place for 5-10 minutes.
• Place about a quarter of a cup of white vinegar in a quart of lukewarm or cool water.
• Rinse the baking soda solution out of your hair very thoroughly with very warm water and then pour the cool water and vinegar through your hair as a final rinse.
• The vinegar smell will dissipate, but you can improve it by adding about a dozen drops of the essential oil of your choice to the rinse.
• Wrap your hair in a towel to dry.
• Comb and style your hair after it is completely dry. Aloe vera gel makes an excellent styling gel.

 

These are just a few of the simplest products you can make with very basic ingredients. When you get the hang of creating all natural beauty products, you will find that you can create all manner of luxurious creams, soaps and even makeup safely and at a fraction of the cost you would pay for commercial products.