Do It Gorgeously: How to Make Less Toxic, Less Expensive, and More Beautiful Products (3 page)
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Authors: Sophie Uliano
Always store the products you make from plant oils in dark glass containers (either amber or cobalt blue glass are readily available; see the resource section, Resource Guide). Light and heat will cause your oils to oxidize faster. When you purchase your oils, they will arrive in clear or opaque plastic bottles, so keep these containers in a cool, dark spot until you use them. The shelf life of most of the following plant oils is about one year. Also start looking around for amber glass bottles that you can reuse. I keep a stash of old bottles, from ones that contained cough medicine to vanilla extract—they’ll all be useful.
Sweet almond:
This light but nourishing oil forms the base of many skincare products because it is easily absorbed (leaving no residue), and has a high concentration of fatty acids, which help regenerate facial tissue.
Sesame:
Sesame oil is used extensively in Ayurvedic (traditional Indian) medicine due to its unique molecular structure, which enables it to penetrate all the way into the deeper layers of the skin. It is a very stable oil, so it has a longer shelf life than many other carrier oils.
Rosehip seed:
Also known as
rosa mosqueta
, this extraordinary oil has been found to contain powerful anti-aging properties. It contains an extremely high concentration of essential fatty acids. It’s the only vegetable oil that contains natural retinoic acid (vitamin A acid).
Apricot oil:
Rich in vitamin A, this wonderful carrier oil is great for inflammation and/or sensitive skin conditions. It’s also rich in polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Avocado oil:
This rich and beautifully nourishing oil is green and brownish in color due to its chlorophyll content. It’s useful in treating eczema, psoriasis, and sensitive skin conditions.
Jojoba oil:
“Jojoba oil” is actually a liquid wax made from the jojoba bean. It contains essential fatty acids, proteins, minerals, and myristic acid (an anti-inflammatory agent). It attracts and holds in moisture to the skin and helps you increase collagen production. It’s also great for your hair and scalp.
Virgin coconut oil:
Made from fresh coconut meat, virgin coconut oil has a slightly sweet coconut scent. It is produced without chemicals. It forms a wonderful protective barrier around your skin. It’s also useful in treating irritated or inflamed skin and is extremely soothing.
Evening primrose oil:
Moisturizing, softening, and soothing, this oil is packed with gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid that’s great for your skin.
Wheat germ oil:
Packed with nutrients such as vitamins A, D, and E, and lecithin and squalene, this light carrier oil is a perfect addition to facial skincare products.
ESSENTIAL OILS
Essential oils are miraculous. I’m passionate about them because they have so many benefits—mental, physical, and spiritual. In times of anxiety or desperation, I’ve depended on specific oils to calm my nerves and soothe my soul. Essential oils are also medicinal in that they can alleviate everything from dandruff to staph infections.
Essential oils come from the leaves, stems, flowers, rinds, roots, berries, seeds, needles, or bark of a huge variety of plants. The oil contains the essence or life force of the plant. Strictly speaking, they aren’t “oils,” because they don’t contain fatty acids. They are extracted by steam, hydrodistillation, or cold pressing. Because they don’t contain fatty acids, they won’t go rancid the way regular base oils do. Due to their molecular structure, they can penetrate the upper layers of the skin to nourish and renew skin cells.
What About “Anti-aging” Ingredients?
The skincare industry rakes in billions of dollars annually and uses all kinds of pseudoscientists, advertising agencies, and marketing/branding geniuses
to get you to buy into the latest buzzword in anti-aging. What should we believe?
ESSENTIAL OIL GUIDE
• Buying good quality essential oils is an investment. Unadulterated oils are expensive. However, you will only use a few drops in each recipe, so one bottle could last you for years. Stored properly, in a dark, cool cabinet, they can last up to 10 years. The exception is citrus oils, which will last up to 2 years if you keep them in the refrigerator.
• You need to be super savvy when it comes to choosing the company from which to buy your oils. Many companies dilute or adulterate their oils with cheap plant oils. I can usually tell by taking a sniff. An authentic essential oil should smell extremely strong. Make sure you research the company, asking them where they get their oils and how they are extracted. If the company can’t answer, move on to a different company. You’ll find the companies I like best in the resource guide (see “Resource Guide”).
• If you can buy organic oils, I highly recommend you do so. Paying a few dollars extra for oil that is pesticide-free and unadulterated is worth it. If you want to save a bit of money, buy nonorganic oils for cleaning products and room sprays, but I recommend going organic for skincare products.
• All essential oils are potent, so they should be treated with caution. Always do a skin test by mixing 2 drops of the oil with 1 teaspoon of base oil and apply to the delicate skin on the underside of your wrist. Wait 24 hours to see if you have a reaction. If you have high blood pressure, avoid rosemary and thyme oils. If you are pregnant, avoid basil, jasmine, peppermint, cedar wood, juniper, rosemary, chamomile, marjoram, fennel, thyme, and myrrh oils.
• Citrus oils can make your skin oversensitive to the sun. I prefer to use products containing these oils at night. If I use them in the daytime, I wait a couple of hours after applying before I go outside.
I’m fully into organic and natural, but I’m also fully into reversing the ticking of the clock where possible. The only ingredients in commercial over-the-
counter products that have been clinically proven to improve the skin and in some cases make it look younger are vitamin C, alpha hydroxy acids, and retinol. It’s vital to understand that these ingredients have to be present in a high enough concentration to be effective, and they often aren’t. Moreover, they’re often shoved into useless creams along with a bunch of toxic chemicals, so you really need to know what to look for.
VITAMIN C
Many creams boast a high concentration of vitamin C. It’s an antioxidant, which is essential for the synthesis of collagen, which keeps the skin elastic and supple. The problem is that vitamin C is completely unstable except in its dry, powdered form. So when it’s put into a liquid, it’s incapable of performing the tasks it is supposed to (creating collagen or scavenging free radicals). Worse, when it oxidizes (which it does in most creams and lotions), it may even promote free-radical formation. The other problem with commercial formulations is that they
need to have a really high concentration of vitamin C to be in any way effective. But our skin does benefit from vitamin C—so what’s a girl to do? You can either add dry mixing crystals to your homemade products (see the box, “Do It Beautifully”) or you can make your own vitamin C serum and use it up quickly (see “Do It Beautifully”).
VITAMIN C CRYSTALS AND CAMU CAMU
It’s important to realize that as natural as vitamin C sounds, all L-ascorbic acid (vitamin C) sold is a synthetic chemical. Most L-ascorbic acid is manufactured in just one facility in the United States, and different companies market it as they see fit. This doesn’t take away from the fact that vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid is a fantastic topical antioxidant; however, if you want ingredients that really are natural and not synthesized in a lab, you may want to look out for a powder that comes from an Amazonian bush called Camu Camu. It contains more vitamin C than any other known plant. You can order it in powder form from Live Superfoods (www.livesuperfoods.com).
You can buy vitamin C crystals that have been specially formulated for your skin. The best I have found to date is Pure C by CosMedix (www.cosmedix.com). They come in a small shaker jar.
Put a dime-size dollop of your face cream or oil in the palm of your hand and add a generous shake of the C crystals or ¼ tsp of the Camu Camu powder. Rub your palms carefully together, blending the crystals/powder in, and apply to your face, neck, and décolleté.
ALPHA HYDROXY ACIDS
Alpha hydroxies are a family of acids derived from fruit, which is why they are also known as fruit acids. They can effectively peel off the uppermost layer of your skin, allowing newer, softer skin to come through. In almost all commercial skincare products, they’re added in concentrations below 10%. It’s questionable whether, at this concentration, they can do anything at all. Cosmeticians usually use them on your skin at a 20% to 30% concentration. If you’ve ever had a glycolic peel (glycolic acid is a form of alpha hydroxy acid), you’ll remember it because of the intense tingling sensation. Doctors often use an even higher concentration, which would result in your skin peeling, flaking, and looking horrendous for a week—until it drops off (much like a snake shedding its skin). These salon and doctor’s office treatments can be extremely expensive, so I’ll show you how to make your own AHA Mask (see “Do It Beautifully”).
THRIFTY GIRL TIPS
Since DIY is all about saving money, it’s time to figure out where we need to spend and where we can cut corners. Your biggest initial expenditure will be your essential oils. Either:
1.
Get two or three girlfriends to share your order. Each of you can choose your oils from the recipes here and write out a shopping list. Chances are you’ll all need the same oils. If you do this, you can either get together one evening to make your products or pass the oils on to your friends when you are done.
2.
Just swallow the initial expense and know that you will get literally dozens of bottles of cream out of this one order. Remember that the essential oils will last for years, so once you get a good collection going, you’ll be in great shape to try out many wonderful future concoctions.
RETINOL (VITAMIN A)
This is the only commercial product that I add to my all-natural, homemade regime. Retinol is a derivative of vitamin A and is extremely effective at resurfacing the skin in a gentle, gradual way. If you are going to spend the money, make sure you buy a therapeutic-grade product with a high enough concentration to make a difference (at least 1.0%). Also make sure the product is nontoxic.
You can also add a little retinyl acetate (a natural fatty acid form of retinol) to your creams. Keep in mind that any kind of retinol product can cause skin sensitivity. If you use it and find that your skin gets a little red and dry in patches, you may need to decrease your dose. You should start off using a pea-size amount of the product every other night and increase to every night after two weeks. For a list of my favorite companies that sell nontoxic retinol (and other great ingredients), see the resource section (Resource Guide).
Waxes, butters, and emulsifiers:
If you are going to make creams, lotions, and masks, you will need some or all of these ingredients, which include beeswax,
*
shea and coconut butters, and vegetable-based emulsifying wax from naturally occurring fats. These can be purchased from a number of web sites (see resources, Resource Guide, or go to www.gorgeouslygreen.com and click on “Do It Gorgeously”) and are pretty inexpensive.
Infusions:
Making an infusion is just as easy as making a mug of herbal tea. In the following recipes, you may need to prepare a lavender, chamomile, or rose infusion. You can use fresh or dried lavender. I like to use organic chamomile tea, and it’s preferable to use dried rose petals. You can either dry your own or purchase all of these dried flowers from Mountain Rose Herbs (www.mountainroseherbs.com). Simply place about 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried herbs in a measuring cup and pour in ½ cup of water that has just been boiled. Steep for
half an hour. Pour the infusion through a sieve into a small bowl or clean jar. Your infusion will keep for two days (covered), in the fridge.
Bottles and jars:
You need to store all your preparations in dark glass jars or bottles to avoid light, which will turn your precious potions rancid or inactive. Amber or cobalt blue containers are inexpensive and readily available from the web sites in the resource section. You’ll also find some amber bottles around your house that you can reuse—old cough syrup and medicine bottles are perfect. Whatever size or color container you choose, remember that when making gifts, they can be customized and made gorgeous with creative labels, ribbons, and other decorations.
