The trend for DIY cosmetics (Do It Yourself) among beauty addicts is becoming increasingly popular due to the influence they exert on social media, where you can find an infinite number of recipes for making all kinds of products with easy-to-find ingredients. (After all, everything homemade is much healthier, right?) But, beware! The fact that you enjoy experimenting at home or because homemade remedies are cheaper can harm your skin. To resolve doubts regarding homemade cosmetics once and for all, I'll tell you if we can trust the recipes we find online and, above all, what is allowed and what is not. Almost all of us have done it at some point in our lives; we have all spent some of our time looking for remedies or recipes on different websites to cure or alleviate some disorder, or simply to lead a healthier and more eco-friendly life. However, natural is not always synonymous with safe, and there are even foods that are part of our usual diet that can cause allergies and irritations once applied to the skin.
PROBLEMATIC INGREDIENTS
Lemon juice
It is commonly used as a whitener, but it has such an acidic pH that it can alter the skin's protective film. If you expose yourself to the sun with lemon residue on your skin, you could also suffer an allergic reaction.
Egg white
Known and used for its firming effect. We forget that raw egg white can contain the bacteria responsible for salmonella. If this comes into contact with mucous membranes or is accidentally ingested, the consequences could be disastrous.
Cinnamon powder
Many people use it as a natural exfoliant, and it's true that it has vasodilating properties, but applied near the eyes, it can cause severe irritation.
Toothpaste
It's a classic to use it to dry pimples. However, in addition to drying out the surrounding skin, it alters the skin's pH and causes dryness and itching.
Baking soda
It is used added to homemade masks or as an exfoliant. Despite its widespread use, it is not harmless at all. Its extremely alkaline pH promotes infections due to a certain type of bacteria. The first symptom is very bothersome irritation.
Sugar
Any mixture containing sugar causes microscopic scratches on the skin and damages the protective barrier.
Honey
Very common in beauty recipes, it is the sweet setting for bacteria to proliferate rapidly.
Olive oil
It should be avoided if you have combination, oily, or acne-prone skin, as it can be occlusive. That said, oils are not contraindicated for this skin type; oils such as argan or sunflower work very well if you have acne tendencies or bothersome shine appears throughout the day.
Lavender
Lavender essential oil is one of the most used to perfume our homemade formulas, but it can cause hyperpigmentation due to its high coumarin content.
Alcohol
In recent years, online stores selling small quantities of cosmetic ingredients and botanical distillates have proliferated so that we can "play chemists." Special care must be taken. Alcohol is used for the extraction of most plants, and even if it is of natural origin, it always dries out the skin.
Water
It is the most suitable medium for microbial growth, and the more water our recipe contains, the more likely it is to have contamination due to microorganisms.
BETTER IN THE LABORATORY
We cannot compare the hygienic conditions in a laboratory with those in our kitchens. Formulating and mixing requires all instruments to be completely disinfected to reduce the risk of contamination. Gloves can be used, and every tool to be handled can be cleaned with ethyl alcohol. But no matter how much care is taken, a preservative should always be used to keep our recipe stable over time if it contains water, or an antioxidant to protect an oil-based formula. Calculating these doses is complex. Using too little is a problem, and exceeding the correct dose is also a problem.
MY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOMEMADE REMEDIES
On a positive note, DIY cosmetics are to be enjoyed once you take the necessary precautions; they should never replace manufactured cosmetics that you can find through different sales channels, and above all, never store your own creation. Always prepare just the right amount and use it as quickly as possible. A poorly prepared or preserved homemade remedy is not only ineffective but can also be dangerous. The absence of preservatives can cause, for example, an ingredient that acts as an antioxidant on the skin, if poorly preserved, to become a pro-oxidant that promotes skin aging. Or products based on vegetable oils and butters, which present the problem of oxidation. In contact with light and air, they can degrade, leading to compounds called peroxide radicals, which can endanger skin health. A MASK THAT COMBINES THE BEST OF BOTH WORLDS A valid, safe, and effective alternative is undoubtedly our London Mask, as I choose to mix it by hand myself (something very unusual in the cosmetic industry). This allows me to place the ingredients that provide the greatest benefits on the surface of the emulsion, to ensure that they are in direct contact with the skin when the mask is applied. It requires a lot of work, but it is essential because it allows me to ensure that the skin gets the best of natural clays, without any of the unpleasant side effects such as dryness, dehydration, tightness, and cracking. I love this mask because it is a good example of how you can work with nature to produce something truly extraordinary, or choose to work against it and then lose much of its natural magic.