Getting equipped

Have you ever tried to make crêpes without a pan? No, but it would make the process more complicated... Well, it's the same with homemade cosmetics: you need a few utensils to start making your own products. However, most of them are already in your cupboards, just waiting to be used!

The recipes in our application require minimal investment and very little equipment specific to cosmetics. You don't need a scale either - you can measure with a spoon. If you want to be more rigorous and get the same result every time, then a precision scale (accurate to 0.1g) may be useful. 

Here's what you'll need to make your beauty and wellbeing products:

• A saucepan with a thick base to create a bain-marie.
• Heat-resistant glass or stainless steel bowls, preferably with a pouring spout (capacity 200 ml), for melting or heating ingredients in a bain-marie.
• A ceramic, porcelain or glass bowl (anything but metal) such as a kitchen bowl, to make masks using clays or plant powders.
• A teaspoon and a tablespoon to scoop out the ingredients.
• A knife to remove the pigments.
• A wooden or ceramic spoon to remove the clays and mix.
• A small maryse, so you don't lose a crumb!
• A mini whisk or "milk emulsifier", to emulsify the cold cream or whip your balms.
• A small glass or plastic funnel, to transfer your preparations smoothly into their containers.
• A small fine sieve to filter certain mixtures.
• A powder mortar and pestle to crush the pigments and make your make-up.
• An electric mixer to whip up your shea whipped cream.
• Silicone moulds or ice cube trays to shape your solid cosmetics.
• A freezer to chill certain preparations quickly.

How do I prepare a bain-marie?

Some recipes call for melting or heating ingredients. I recommend using a bain-marie: it's a gentle technique that preserves the qualities of the ingredients. Avoid using a microwave or, even worse, heating your ingredients directly in the pan. You run the risk of burning them and altering their texture.

A bain-marie for cosmetics follows the same rules as a bain-marie for melting chocolate. Fill the bottom of the pan with water. You don't need to use a lot of water because the containers used for cosmetics are much smaller than those used for cooking. Let the water heat up for a few minutes, but don't let it boil. Place the heat-resistant container with the ingredients on top of the pan. Allow the mixture to melt or heat up without stopping stirring to make it easier to melt and avoid overheating. Also make sure that the water from the bain-marie doesn't get into your mixture, especially if it's an oily mixture - you'd have to throw it all out and start again. Water and oil don't mix!

I respect conservation rules

The two biggest enemies of your cosmetics are:

• Micro-organisms (bacteria, moulds and yeasts): give them water and a little organic matter and they will reproduce happily;
• Air: it encourages oxidation, i.e. the rancidity of fats.

Unfortunately, neither can be eradicated from our environment. But by adopting good habits and doing the right things, we can control them and minimise their impact. However, some recipes cannot be preserved spontaneously, so you'll need to give them a helping hand by using natural preservatives.

Finally, it should be noted that essential oils, whose properties we will describe in detail, cannot be used to preserve preparations over the long term. Their antimicrobial activity is not sufficient at the concentrations found in the product.

I watch out for germs

Creating your own cosmetics is fun! However, as they are intended to be applied to the skin, they must be free of microbes. So it's important to follow certain rules and adopt certain reflexes.

1- I wash my hands!

It sounds obvious, but it isn't... You wash your hands to be clean, but above all to avoid contaminating a preparation or ingredients. Particular attention should be paid to cosmetics and ingredients with an aqueous phase (water, hydrolats, aloe vera gel, etc.), which can be prone to bacterial and mould growth. Conversely, products made up entirely of fats, such as oils and balms, are not ideal environments for microbes to multiply.

2- I disinfect EVERYTHING!

You can make up your own disinfectant spray by mixing 70º alcohol with a few drops of essential citrus oils. Spray this disinfectant spray onto your work surface and all your utensils: bowls, spoons, whisks, spatulas and anything else that will come into contact with your mixtures. You can also choose the boiling water sterilisation method (10 minutes in a pan of boiling water), but this is more restrictive.

3- I pick my raw materials with a disinfected utensil and not with my fingers to avoid contaminating the jar.

I avoid all wooden utensils in favour of metal and glass, except for clays which do not tolerate metal. Mark your jars and bottles with the date you opened them. This will prevent you from using out-of-date ingredients, because time flies...

4- As far as possible, I avoid putting excess ingredients back into my jar.

When you make yourself a sandwich, would you ever think of putting the excess jam back into the jar? No. CQFD. Minimise contact with your ingredients to avoid contaminating them.

5- I disinfect my container before transferring my preparation.

To do this, spray alcohol on all parts of your empty container: bottle, lid, pump and other parts. To disinfect the bottles, spray the disinfectant inside, then turn them upside down on a clean cloth. For pumps, spray the alcohol inside the stem, then turn on the vacuum pump to sterilise the whole mechanism.

6- I always write the date of manufacture and the best-before date on my bottle to ensure that it will keep for as long as possible.

After a few weeks' use, check that the product has not changed in appearance, colour or smell, to make sure there has been no bacterial or mould growth. If this is the case, dispose of the product without a second thought. To avoid this kind of problem, store your products away from light and heat. Products containing an aqueous phase (creams, lotions, gels, etc.) should also be kept in a cool place.

I make my own disinfactant spray in 2 minutes

Fill a 100 ml bottle with 70º alcohol. Add 40 drops of organic essential oils for the scent. I usually combine lemon, grapefruit and lemon bedew for a fresh, fruity scent. With this sweet-smelling spray, there's no excuse not to disinfect your utensils!

Note: 70º alcohol is more effective than 90º alcohol. It contains a larger quantity of water, which prevents it from evaporating too quickly. 70º alcohol penetrates bacteria more easily, denaturing them.

I protect my oils from oxidation

Vegetable oils are made up of fatty acids which can oxidise when they come into contact with air. The oxygen in the air attacks these lipids, which were not asking for much, causing the formation of free radicals and then potentially toxic molecules (peroxides).

This oxidation cascade occurs gradually. It changes the smell of the oil, which becomes pungent. It can also change its colour, texture and taste (the oil becomes rancid), but above all it causes it to lose its main cosmetic qualities. It is limited by the antioxidants naturally contained in oils. For example, vitamin E and beta-carotene slow down the breakdown of lipids. This is why vitamin E is systematically added to cosmetics containing a lot of oil.

Certain external factors can accelerate the oxidation process, such as light and heat, which is why storage conditions are so important for product stability.

Not all oils react in the same way to oxidation: some keep very well and others are very sensitive to oxidation. Vegetable oils containing a lot of unsaturated fatty acids are brittle and go rancid more quickly than those rich in saturated fatty acids, such as coconut oil, shea butter or cocoa butter. The latter are solid at room temperature, resist oxidation well and keep longer.

To limit rancidity, seal your bottles of oil tightly and store them in a cool, dark place at the back of your cupboards.

I respect the shelf life of my homemade cosmetics:

Generally speaking, it's best to keep all your cosmetics and ingredients away from light and heat. However, I recommend keeping the following products in the fridge:

• Emulsions containing an aqueous phase: face cream, body cream, milk, etc.
• Gels
• Fresh masks: a mixture of clay or plant powder and water
• Lotions

On the other hand, products containing only an oil phase do not need to be kept in a cool place. They can be kept at room temperature, taking care not to expose them to direct sunlight.

You can also keep the following ingredients in a cool place:

• Aloe vera gel
• Hydrolats
• Vegetable oils that are sensitive to oxidation: rose hip, hemp, evening primrose, grape seed, borage, flax, walnut, wheat germ, etc.
• Coconut oil in summer if you want it to remain solid.

I respect the precautions for use

1 - I don't play around with aromatherapy!

I avoid essential oils if I'm pregnant or breast-feeding, if I have epilepsy or asthma, or if I suffer from a hormone-dependent disease. And quite simply if my health is fragile. Essential oils are very powerful concentrates of active ingredients. They should be used with care and in the correct dosage. In general, the recommended concentration for cosmetics is between 0.5 and 1.5%. If you are making products for your baby or children under the age of 6, refrain from adding essential oils. Like all fragrances, they contain a number of allergens. It's best not to bring the skin of young children into contact with these molecules, at the risk of sensitising them.

2- Be careful, it burns! 

I must be wary of photosensitising ingredients, i.e. those that can cause burns following exposure to the sun or UV rays: all citrus essential oils (sweet orange, grapefruit, lemon, bergamot, etc.) as well as St John's wort macerate. So avoid day creams and lip sticks!

3- In the crease of the elbow, we said!

Before using my homemade cosmetics, I don't forget to carry out the skin tolerance test by applying a little product to the crease of my elbow. Once your product is finished, resist the urge to spread it all over your body straight away!  Wait 48 hours to make sure there are no allergies. This applies to homemade products as well as those bought in shops.

Note: the fewer the ingredients, the lower the risk of an allergic reaction. The right approach is to favour short ingredient lists and to know what you're putting on your skin. 

4- Keep it light!

I respect the dosages given in the recipes or indicated on the ingredient bottles. Are you tempted to empty your bottle of glycerine to make sure your cream is moisturising? Yes, but beyond a certain concentration, the effect is reversed and it becomes drying... The same goes for essential oils: they are active at low doses, but if you overuse them, they can become irritating. Preservatives are active at a very specific concentration, so there's no point in doubling the dose in the hope of keeping your product longer!

5- Not everyone can be a chemist!

I follow the recipes and avoid replacing one ingredient with another. In minimalist cosmetics, each ingredient can be important. Remove one, and the whole formula can be destabilised! Each ingredient has its own particularities, its own dosage, its own contraindications and sometimes its interactions with other substances. If you want to adapt a formula, ask a professional for advice or send us a message.

Avoiding beginner's mistakes

Here's a (non-exhaustive!) list of the 'stupid things' I often see in my workshops.

• Forgetting to disinfect equipment. Hygiene is basic! Think of all the little bacteria that could develop in your product...
• Substituting one ingredient for another. Have you ever tried making pancake batter with rice and tomato sauce? No! It's the same with cosmetics, you don't mess with the recipe! Most of the time, you can replace one vegetable oil with another or change the essential oil or hydrolate. For the rest, this is generally not possible, unless you have a good knowledge of the ingredients, their dosages and possible interactions.
• Don't list all the ingredients. Each ingredient can be important, especially if you're working with minimalist recipes. If you omit an ingredient, don't be surprised if your preparation makes a mess...
• Use your product after testing it first. You're a risk-taker, but just because it's natural doesn't mean you can't be allergic to it!
• Confusing two ingredients. Take your time... and read the labels!
• Getting the quantities wrong. Double-check your weighing (if you decide to weigh) and make a note on a sheet of paper of what has just been added to the recipe.
• Burning your raw materials. Work over a low heat and check your bain-marie. Avoid simmering your ingredients for too long. High temperatures can alter the quality of the raw materials. Overheated vegetable oil will oxidise more quickly, for example.
• Forget to add the preservative. Add it at the end to make sure you put it in!
• Keep your products too long. Make sure you use your preparation before the expiry date. Nobody eats food that's gone out of date! Well, it's the same with cosmetics. Don't apply products to your skin that have gone sour, rancid or mouldy.