Commercial arguments when selling cosmetics are mainly based on mental images but also on incredibly exotic active ingredients. If you make cosmetics yourself, how can you get equally effective ingredients in your products? I can tell you that neither you have to be a chemist nor you need your own laboratory. You can find easily many ingredients that affect your skin condition. This time we’re going to take a deeper look what cosmetics actually contain. You will get good tips on how to create a product with necessary ingredients by yourself.
There are numerous herbal chemicals used in natural cosmetics. Where these ingredients originated from?
In this story, I only deal with natural cosmetics. The ingredients in conventional cosmetics are largely synthetic. Now we are talking only about ingredients used in natural cosmetics.
Natural cosmetics is also sold by highlighting the excellence of the active ingredients. In natural cosmetics, these mysterious ingredients are mainly obtained from plants. Ordinary plants contain many different chemical compounds. Some of them are scientifically proven to be chemicals that are beneficial to the skin.
Safe cosmetics
Herbal ingredients are often added to natural cosmetics same way as to home cosmetics. The plants are extracted with water, alcohol, glycerine or oil. Many ingredients are obtained by distillation. The components obtained by distillation are hydrolats and essential oils. Of course, professional cosmetics companies use significantly cleaner extracts for their products. Professionally made extracts are always equally strong – or mild. This is how natural cosmetics companies ensure the safety of a product.
What are the right Plants for Cosmetics?
When you start developing your own cosmetic product, always start by thinking about your own skin and the needs of your skin. Your own skin should nominate the plants.
How to choose the right ingredient?
- If your skin is dry, you need the most moisturizing ingredients possible.
- If you want to keep your skin youthful you choose anti-ageing ingredients.
- If you want to soothe irritated skin, choose balsamic plants.
In natural cosmetics the effects of plant extracts are especially emphasized. The plant extracts are very different depending on which plant they come from. By knowing the most important herbs used in skin care, you can create products that are equally effective to those bought from the beauty shop.
What are the active ingredients in herbs?
There are huge number of different compounds in herbal chemicals. Most of the plant-based substances have not been studied at all. There are certainly many plant chemicals existing that have even not been discovered yet.
Following groups of herbal chemicals are found to be useful to the skin:
- Vitamins and trace elements
- Carbohydrates
- Proteins
- Fats
- Resins and essential oils
- Phenols such as flavonoids
- Organic acids
How can I benefit the phytochemicals of herbs and plants in cosmetics?
Many cosmetic creams and other products are rich in herbal active ingredients. Here are some examples of products that contain herbal chemicals. The links are not paid, meaning I have not received any money or products for linking. There may be other particularly good similar natural cosmetic products available. Please feel free to share your knowledge on the comment section or on Helenatur Facebook -page.
Do you want to make a pore-reducing facial lotion?
Then use herbal poultice made from rose, raspberry, apple or strawberry leaves. They are rich in tannins, which reduce the pores.
Do you want to get rid of the circles? Then an oil extract from horse chestnut leaves is the solution. Horse chestnut contains aescin glycoside which constricts blood vessels and protects them too. The oil extract from the leaves contains a small dose of aescin. Add some extract to your eye contour cream.
Do you want to make a moisturizing cream for your skin? Then you should choose plants that contain mucus. Mucus agents are carbohydrates. All carbohydrates are humectants meaning they attract liquids. There are only a few plants that contain mucus. Burr and Mallow are very moisturizing herbs.
Do you want an anti-aging effect on your cream?
One really effective phenol is rutin. Many plants contain rutin. It is a herbal chemical that is especially beneficial to the skin. In fact, many natural cosmetics are rich in rutin. The rutin increases the effectiveness of Vitamin C and maintains the condition of veins and skin. The rutin prevents swelling. You can find plenty of rutin in apple tree leaves, rowan leaves, common yarrow, mint and common selfheal (Prunella Vulgaris), just to mention a few.
Natural cosmetics are always originated from nature
Now you got some tips how to make your own cosmetics just as effective as professionals make. And you can always buy a ready-made product from a store. The ingredients of natural cosmetics are always originated from nature and not from the factory. This is the reason why I am so much in favour of natural cosmetics.
Which cosmetic incredient is your favourite and why?