How to make your natural skin care products last longer

Here at The School of Natural Health Sciences we’re really into all-natural products. One of our most popular courses is the 10-lesson distance learning diploma course Holistic Skin Care Products.

We don’t really see anything wrong with falling in love with a certain brand, or using toiletries and cosmetics that aren’t perfect, we do however, know that the skin loves to be pampered. And the best way to pamper your skin, is to give it good-for-you ingredients. Our skin after all, is the bodies largest organ, featuring a semi-permeable membrane which absorbs whatever it comes into contact with. Just like feeding your body a healthy diet, your skin also needs the right stuff to be at it’s best.

That’s quite an unnerving statistic. In addition, all the preservatives added to these cosmetics to prevent them becoming overrun with bacteria and subsequently hazardous to our health, is the exact same reason we need to be wary of home-made products too. When things are all-natural, they don’t have the same shelf-life. That’s why when we make our own natural skin care products we have to take the necessary steps to avoid contamination. The payoff is definitely worth it though. Here’s a few tips to bare in mind when going for gold:

Natural skin care tip Nº1

Use dispensing bottles

Dispensing bottles are a great way to avoid contamination. Using open-mouth jars will invite too much oxygen, bacteria from repeated finger-scooping and is just generally a messier way of storing and using your products. In general you want to avoid touching products with your fingers, especially ones that are for facial use such as cream, eye gel or lip balm. If you must use a jar, try using a cotton swab or small wooden spatula for application.

Natural skin care tip Nº2

Keep it cool and dark

In the same way that we’re trying to avoid the contamination of bacteria, we also want to minimise it’s growth if it does make it’s way into our products. Keeping your products in a dark cabinet where it won’t be affected by heat, UV rays, light or moisture will prolong it’s shelf life and keep all the ingredients functioning as you intended them to work. My bathroom is always way too hot and steamy, so I like to keep my delicate skin care products in the pantry where I know they’ll be safe from fluctuating temperatures and humidity levels.

Natural skin care tip Nº3

About that shelf life…

When creating a delicious skin care product which contains a food base, such as an avocado butter mask or sugar-scrub, stick to making one batch at a time. Usually, food-based products can last a week when kept in the fridge, other products without food will last twice as long, if not more. Personally, I can’t survive the winter without a decent lip scrub, and love to incorporate the textures and flavours of foods and spices into homemade products. Try this fantastic follow-along recipe by Nicole Guerriero for a perfectly flawless result and smooth introduction into DIY home cosmetics.

Natural skin care tip Nº4

Always sniff test

Not something that we always do when applying a product, but a great indicator of whether it’s still good to be used. Odours to watch out for include sour, fishy, methane-like or just generally off-putting.

Natural skin care tip Nº5

Water and washing quality

When a recipe requires water, always used distilled. Even filtered water carries bacteria, traces of chlorine, chemicals and other contaminants. Never use unfiltered tap water. When mixing, remember to always use apparatus that’s been recently washed in hot water. When cleaning containers after or before use, a dishwasher is best with a cycle of bicarb and vinegar. If you don’t have a dishwasher avoid towel-drying, and allow to air dry on a clean surface and paper towels instead.

Natural skin care tip Nº6

Natural preservatives

Vitamin E: Due to it’s antioxidant content, vitamin E is the perfect addition to any products containing fragile oils, (avocado, primrose, sweet almond), or to be incorporated into any lotion recipe, including balms, creams, and even scrubs.

Rosemary Oil Extract:  Another fantastic antioxidant-rich all-natural preservative, the advisory ratio rate is 0.15-0.5% of the overall formula.

Coconut Oil: A well documented anti-microbial oil which has become a household favourite and an industry phenomenon.

Grapefruit Seed Extract:  Also anti-microbial, advisory ratio is 0.5-1% overall. Buy / View on Amazon.