How I reduced my cost of facial skin care by nearly £300 a year by using natural products
Image by Beth Punches
So there
you are, on the sofa after a hard day at work, your face feeling worn from the
whirlwind of wear it has been exposed to; waking up (an insult in itself….) smiling
when maybe you don’t feel like it, pollution and the rest. No wonder your face,
(and possibly your soul, depending on what kind of day you’ve had!) might feel
like it’s cracking up. The fact that you may have spent a sizeable portion
of your income on beauty products to face the world only adds salt to the
wound. Welcome to the fickle business of the quest for a flawless face.
What kind of day did you have? Image by Xavi
A euraka moment came to me a while ago through a friend. Why not make my own, bespoke facial oil, using natural products for a fraction of the cost of my current beauty regime? But how can this be, I thought? All these years of thinking the ladies in lab coats at beauty counters were the only gatekeepers to that elusive skin elasticity…. Could all that have been an illusion? I had to find out.
Is this for real? Image by Audio Visual Junkie
It was with some reservation I watched my friend don her (thankfully virtual) lab/alchemist coat and was presented with a plethora of carrier and essential oils to choose from. I won’t deny it, at this point the excited-kid-in-sweet-shop urge in me overwhelmed my skepticism. Not only did this have the potential to save me money, it was so much fun too!
Which one to choose..... Image by Henna Sooq
A prerequisite is for you to know your skin, but having lived in it for a few years by now, you probably have a pretty good idea what your type is from dry, oily, sensitive to combination.
You know that feeling when a face mask is drying out? That's what my face feels like straight out of the shower! Image by Foundry Park Inn
My skin is definitely dry, so dry in fact that coming out of the shower, my number one priority is getting some sort of moisturiser on my face. Otherwise my skin feels like parchment!
Sweet almond carrier oil was an obvious choice for me, topped up with a combination of essential oils. I went for carrot seed (a universal rejuvenating oil) and cedarwood. The combinations are endless, limited mainly by what supplies you happen to have to hand. The basic formula is a carrier oil and a proportionate amount of drops of essential oil.
My bespoke mixture finished and poured into a delicate glass bottle dispenser, I went off to the bathroom for the big test. I wavered between excitement by what in a certain light looked like liquid gold and digging my feet firmly in the ground to avoid possible disappointment. Surely this sounded just a little bit too good to be true…
All you need is this....
Using my recently purchased organic facewash (clocking in at a fraction of the price of my usual product), I washed my face, ready to face the music. And what sweet music it was. After warming the oil by rubbing my hands together for a few seconds I can only describe what followed as my face being cocooned in warm velvet.
A convert since, I can definitely recommend releasing yourself from the bond of brands who relentlessy pretend to know what is best for us. I am no expert, simply someone who tried another way, reluctantly at first. In the beginning I would very carefully measure out the essential oil, but I’ve found that as long as you don’t go overboard then you should be fine. I usually go for around 20 drops for a 30 ml bottle of carrier oil, often a combination of different types. You will soon work out what you prefer, both from the effect of the oils and their smell.
I love making up different combinations! Image by How to be Sustainable
In summer just the oil is enough for me, but in the winter months I top up with an organic moisturiser bought from health food shops. I don’t need very much of this and generally two jars of 50ml get me through the cold months. I have included details in a breakdown of cost below.
If you're wondering, I'm not sponsored by Lavera, I simply like and use their products!
Below is a link to a great resource to give you an idea of what to go for if you’re starting down this path of dodging both the support of large beauty corporations and putting unnecessary chemicals onto your skin every day.
It's worth noting that everyone's skin is different so be mindful of the effects of different ingredients on your skin and change up the formula if needed. This is definitely not a 'one-size-fits-all' thing!
So what about the cost? This is how I worked it out on an annual basis. Prices are based on products available on Amazon.co.uk and other major websites.
What I spend now per year
Carrier oil: 500 ml sweet almond (£6), 200 ml avocado (£7.50), 100 ml jojoba (£8.99) = £22.50
Essential oil: 5 x 10 ml bottles (on average £5 each) = £25.00
Organic brand 50 ml jar of moisturizer (2 jars at around £15 each) = £30
Coloured glass pipette bottle 30ml capacity (a full bottle lasts me at least 2 weeks) = £5.00
Total annual spend £82.50
What I used to spend per year
Major brand 50 ml jar of moisturizer (8 jars at around £25 each) = £200.00
Major brand 30 ml bottle of serum (6 bottles at around £30 per bottle, each one lasting me about 2 months) = £180.00
Total annual spend £380.00
Click here for an excellent quick reference guide for what oils suit different skin types
If you have any questions, you can contact me either through a comment below or my email (address is on the About page).
