Moisturize Me
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN MOISTURE-PACKED BEAUTY PRODUCTS
Story by Karen Welcome
Image & objects by Madison van Rijn
The days are getting colder and your skin needs extra moisture to combat the weather’s drying effects. Exposure to frigid air can lead to cracked, dry skin that can weaken its elasticity.
While you’re cozy at home, make yourself a luxurious body butter or bath fizz to give your skin a moisturizing boost; it’s cost effective, and you can make enough to last you through the winter months.
With vitamin E as a preservative, you can use any ‘carrier oil’ you like to create these butters. By making the body butter yourself, you are ensuring that you’re getting the richest amount of vitamins and minerals, something that can be compromised by manufacturers creating beauty products at an industrial level.
Avoid the harsh chemicals, mineral oils and fragrances that will dry out your skin, and try out these highly moisturizing DIY beauty treatments instead!
Lip and Nail Butter
What you’ll need:
1 oz of bee’s or soy wax
1/2 cup of cocoa butter
1/2 cup of coconut oil
1 tsp of vitamin E
Melt the wax in a double boiler on medium heat (once brought to a boil), or in a sauce pan on low heat.
Once the wax is melted, add the cocoa butter and coconut oil and continue working until all of the ingredients are a liquid texture.
Pour the liquid into a small pitcher and stir in the vitamin E.
Quickly pour the lip and nail butter into a canister because the wax will cause the butter to solidify faster. You can use small plastic pots, but silver tins are ideal because they’ll keep out light (which will breakdown the nutrients).
Allow the butter to cool and solidify, then moisturize your lips and cuticles as you like.
Using cocoa butter keeps your homemade body butter full of antioxidants, and best of all, it has a delicious chocolatey scent; coconut oil helps smooth the skin while fighting signs of aging; and shea butter helps deter wrinkles, and is often used as a natural sunblock.
Body Butter
What you’ll need:
1/2 cup of cocoa butter
1/2 cup of coconut oil
1 cup of shea butter
1/2 cup of sweet almond oil or jojoba oil
1 tsp of vitamin E
Melt the cocoa butter, coconut oil, and shea butter in a double boiler on medium heat (once brought to a boil). You can also use a sauce pan on low heat, or melt the ingredients in a microwave by stirring in 30 second intervals.
Once fully melted, add the almond or jojoba oil (or both if you like) as well as the vitamin E.
Stir for a few seconds, then allow the mixture to solidify.
Once it has solidified, whisk the butter into a whipped consistency, then place in a container and use as needed.
Vitamin E is great because of its role in your skin’s collagen production, and it puts in double duty by preserving your body butter for up to one year.
Bath Fizz
What you’ll need:
(Dry ingredients)
1/4 cup of epsom salt
1/2 cup of citric acid
1/2 cup of oatmeal
1/2 cup of corn starch
1 cup baking soda
(Wet ingredients)
witch hazel
2 tsp of melted shea butter
1 tsp of lavender oil
1 spray bottle
Begin by combining all of the dry ingredients in a bowl by hand (citric acid is available at any pharmacy, and will help in preserving your bath fizz).
Add the oils to the dry mixture, ensuring that they are blended in evenly.
Pour the witch hazel into the spray bottle and spray on the dry mixture while mixing all the ingredients together with your hand. The consistency of the finished product should be like wet sand that can form a ball in the palm of your hand.
You can pack the mixture in a silicone mold, or use cookie cutters to form your fizz; you can also add one drop of a water soluble colourant if you want to make your fizz a little more fun.
Allow the packed mixture to set in the mold for 10 minutes, then lightly tap your fizz out.
The fizz will take 48 hours to dry, and will then be rock hard and ready for you package any way you like.
