7 Reasons to Try D.I.Y. Skin & Hair Care

MY STORY

Like many others who have gone natural over the years, I went through my “product junkie” phase when you buy an excessive amount of products to try on your hair. I kicked my habit pretty quickly and though I found a few good ones along the way, for the most part I’ve been unsatisfied with the store bought products I’ve tried since going natural.

Ten years ago, I stumbled upon a container of raw shea butter for $6.99 at my local hair care store. At the time, I was unaware of all the benefits of shea butter, but had noticed it in the list of ingredients in many hair/skin products. When I got home I did a ton of research and decided it was worth figuring out how to use it. I never anticipated that purchase would be such a game changer for me, but it absolutely was.

After making my first homemade hair moisturizer in my college dorm room using just raw shea butter and extra virgin olive oil, I immediately realized I had encountered something magical. As my knowledge grew over the years, so did my recipes, methods and target areas. I’ve tried making everything from diy deep conditioners to daily facial serums. Although there were a couple fails (like the time I tried to lighten my hair using a cinnamon concoction), I’ve have a ton of success with making a variety of skin and hair care products. Here are 7 reasons why you should try making them too!

WHY YOU SHOULD TRY MAKING YOUR OWN D.I.Y PRODUCTS

1. YOU WILL SAVE MONEY – The two store bought moisturizers I used daily add up to $30. I had to replace those items at least two times each in a span of a few months. I recently spent the exact same amount restocking my oils (coconut, castor oil) and raw cocoa butter (1lb). These ingredients will easily last over 6 months (typically closer to a year for me) because so little of each ingredient is required per batch.

2. YOU KNOW IT’S GOOD FOR YOU – Have you ever looked at the ingredients list on a product and A.) Seen something listed that you’ve been told “isn’t good for skin/hair” or B.) Had to ask google to break down what a five syllable word you’re completely unfamiliar means? The best thing about making your own products is you literally know every single ingredient that was used, how it benefits you and exactly how the product was made.

3. SATISFACTION IS GUARANTEED – I’ve personally experienced being “almost in love” with a product before. A number of factors often dictate how you feel about a product (i.e. price, scent, quantity & quality, etc) You may not love your d.i.y creation the first time you make it, but the beauty of the process is that you are your own quality control team. You have the ability to make any changes that alter how effectively it works, how much is produced, how much it costs, etc. Even if the first try isn’t perfect, most d.i.y products are easily altered even days after making it.

4. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE – When you are using natural ingredients that specially target the areas you were lacking before, you will often begin to see a difference pretty quickly after using your d.i.y solutions. I recently decided to revert back to d.i.y hair care products because I’ve seen a significant change in my hair since switching to store bought ones. I’m not saying that actual beauty companies don’t know what they’re doing; there’s definitely some science behind creating great products. But there’s no denying that I and many others have seen great improvement from doing our own thing.

5. YOU CAN REDUCE WASTE – I’ve always hated the containers most skin and hair products come in. They’re usually not suitable for reuse and the bottles many products are put in don’t allow you to completely empty them before tossing them out. When purchasing ingredients for my diy items, I almost always reuse the glass jars and dropper bottles my oils come in. In addition, I’ve been using the same mason jars to store my mixtures for four years now. I tend to use storage containers with wide mouths to ensure I can use every drop of product. This may not be a huge factor for others, but I like the idea of wasting as little as possible.

6. THEY’RE GREAT GIFTS – I’ve made d.i.y care products for my friends and family multiple times; the response is always extremely good. Not only are you giving something from the heart, but there are ways to make the gift really special. For example, I’ve added the recipients’ favorite bakery scent to their body butters; I’ve also made oil mixtures my friends can use on their skin or in their diffusers to reduce headaches, clear sinuses, etc.

7. IT’S SUPER EASY & FUN – I love pulling out my box of ingredients during the weekend to try a new skin care recipe or a new scent for my body butter. Most products can be made within minutes and I get a lot of joy from treating myself to a self-care Sunday using the entire KLY body care line. If you don’t want to figure this all out alone, I’ve found that making d.i.y products is a great girls’ night activity as well.

CONCLUSION

There’s a lot of recipes and information out there, but I promise it’s not as overwhelming once you get a bit of direction. My advice is to start thinking of specific products you would like to replace and/or problems you want to solve. Do a little research and you’ll find it’s simpler than you think. (Click here) for an example of how I’ve chosen ingredients for my homemade hair cream in the past.

Focusing on self-care is a great thing and making your own body care products only adds to that. Have fun with this process and take pride in the effort you’re making!

Until next time….