Must-Have Ingredients for DIY Beauty Products

Just as how it’s important to be aware of what you put inside your body, it’s also a good idea to start looking into what you put on your body. Take a look at the ingredients in your beauty products and see how many of the ingredients you can recognize. We’ve included a list of healthy, natural ingredients to look for, or better yet, create your own DIY beauty products with.

Coconut Oil

Coconut oil holds plenty of benefits as a cooking ingredient (from reducing hunger and increased fat burning to killing harmful microorganisms), but it also serves as a great ingredient for cosmetic purposes. Coconut oil works for your skin and your hair by moisturizing and protecting against damage. On your skin, it can even reduce symptoms of eczema. For your hair, it can protect against damage by serving as a weak sunscreen.

Beeswax

Not only is beeswax a mild antioxidant, it can also act as a protectant by being a surfactant when blended into cold creams and skin lotions. That means beeswax builds a protective barrier on the skin but also allows it to breathe. As if that’s not enough, beeswax also draws moisture to the skin, hence why many lip balms boasts about having beeswax as a main ingredient.

Shea Butter

Shea butter’s claim to health lies in its anti-inflammatory properties. Like all the ingredients before, it also serves as a great moisturizer because of its abundance of fats. Other benefits include serving as a antioxidant, anti-aging agent and mild sunscreen (just like coconut oil) because of its possession of vitamins A and E.

Goat Milk Soap

Just like shea butter, goat milk soap also contains vitamin A. Vitamin A is certainly something to celebrate because it can repair damaged skin tissue, as well as reduce lines and wrinkles and control acne. It also has moisturizing properties along with minerals such as selenium. Selenium is another agent that can protect against damage, particularly from the sun.

Arrowroot Powder

Here’s another ingredient that’s edible, good for your skin AND your hair. When ingested, arrowroot powder can regulate bowel movement and aid diarrhea. On your hair and skin, though, arrowroot powder’s absorbent properties make it a great ingredient in to beauty products. It’s used in hair dye to thicken the dye all the while mixing well with other ingredients in the dye. On the skin, its absorbent properties can dry out blemishes, rashes, sores or wounds.

Essential Oils

Essential oils can be ingested, applied and used for aromatherapy. On the skin, essential oils have varying degrees anti-inflammatory properties and sometimes treat pain. They are also easily absorbed into the skin, helping the oils deliver relief fast. Some of the most well-known essential oils include lavender, tea tree and peppermint oil. Read up more on what essential oils you should keep in stock with the Well + Good article here.

For those who want to do more than just learn about all-natural ingredients, take it one step further and make your own beauty products. There are plenty of great recipes, such as this article with 10 recipes using just six ingredients. Get healthy and get creative!