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Suffering from dry, winter-ravaged skin? We tried making DIY moisturizers

 
 

The past few months have been a doozy, skin-wise.

Dry patches popped up on my face. Makeup flaked off. My arms and legs itched from the dryness.

With spring upon us, I took on the challenge of making my own moisturizers.

When it comes to DIY beauty, I’m pretty new to the scene. I use coconut oil as my primary makeup remover — it’s far more effective than any store-bought product I’ve tried — and, in an effort to revive my chapped lips to “I can wear lipstick again” status, I made my own lip scrub earlier this year. But that’s it.

This week, however, I’ve been testing out two made-by-me moisturizers. And I might just be a convert.

They were easy to make, and all the ingredients are pronounceable, affordable and chemical-free. I found everything I needed at a local health food store and on Well.ca and Amazon.ca.

Note: When making beauty products in the kitchen, try to stay focused. Don’t lick the wire whisks. It’s tempting. Moisturizers look like icing. They’re NOT.

Here’s what I made:

Whipped Shea Butter Moisturizer

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

I used this recipe — but halved it — from the blog Whole New Mom, choosing a combination of coconut oil and jojoba oil as my plant oils and lavender oil as my essential oil.

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

It was a super-fast make, and turned out to be a rich, creamy (and borderline-greasy) moisturizer.

(I blame the world of “oil-free” skin care for redefining what moisturizers are supposed to feel like. Oil should not the enemy.)

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

When you first apply, the texture feels grainy, but it quickly dissolves into a smooth lotion. And your hands will feel moisturized for quite some time post-application.

(Warning: this stuff takes longer to absorb than store-bought body lotions. I slathered some on my legs after a shower — and then couldn’t get my pants on. I was stuck. It was not a pretty sight. The “soft, moisturized skin” thing eventually did happen, though. And I did wear pants that day. So everything worked out.)

I’m pretty sure this stuff is too heavy for the hot summer months. But I’m happy to keep using it as my skin recovers from all those -20°C days.

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

And if you’re not acne-prone, you could probably use this on your face. Some people find coconut oil a skin-saver, others find it pore-clogging. (Of all the ingredients I used, it ranked the highest on the comedogenic scale.)

Homemade Aloe Vera Face Moisturizer

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

For a facial moisturizer, I used this recipe from Pins and Procrastination, choosing to use all jojoba oil instead of half jojoba and half sweet almond oil. (Jojoba oil, an antibacterial, non-greasy, skin-nourishing oil, is a pretty safe bet for all skin types. Plus, it’s all I had on hand at the time.)

I used lavender essential oil again.

Note about essential oils: Do your research before adding these to your homemade beauty products. Some oils, like citrus oils, can cause increased photosensitivity — so you’ll need to be extra cautious when out in the sun — others are not safe for pregnancy, and most should be kept away from children.

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

At six months pregnant, I wasn’t going to take my chances. I stuck with a safe one.

This recipe required me to melt down (cosmetic-grade) beeswax, mix it with the oil, then let the mixture reach room temperature before mixing in aloe vera gel and the essential oil. Don’t worry when the beeswax mixture hardens. The hand mixer will soften it up again, easy-peasy.

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

One minor note of stress: the recipe says to “whip until it reaches your desired consistency.”

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

“I don’t know what I desire!” I shouted at the recipe, and kept whipping it until it looked enough like the photo on the blog for me to be satisfied. (First-timers like me could use a little direction in the consistency-direction department. Still, it turned out just fine. Apparently I’m a stress-whipper.)

Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas
Courtesy Nadine Kalinauskas

I was a little nervous to put the moisturizer on my face, but it turned out to be a pretty decent night cream. I’m not sure I’d wear it much during the day — the sheen is a little much for me, although some might really enjoy the glow it offers — but when applied at night, it feels nourishing and, well, kind to the face.

I woke up looking refreshed, not dry.

Bonus: After a few days, there are no breakouts to report. Yet.

Have you made your own moisturizer? Any tips for a DIY beauty newbie?