DIY for a Newbie on a Budget
EDS Skin Care Forums Forum Index » Skincare Tools & Do-It-Yourself Skincare

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 6:28 pm

Hi momaste,

If I were you, I would definitely start with DIY Vitamin C. You can buy 1 oz. of the ultrafine ascorbic acid from Lotioncrafter.com for only $3.95 and it lasts forever. Even if you do the basic recipe without the Ferulic, I think you'd find it beneficial. If you've read the thread about Kassy's face firming cream, you'll see her suggestion about saving yourself some effort (and money) by starting with a base and then adding actives to it. I've found that's a great way to keep from having to buy lots of different ingredients in amounts which are more than you can ever use. I really like the Vegetarian Base from Gardenofwisdom.com. I've also used the Canvas Base from Skinactives.com and liked it too. I know Kassy likes Juice Beauty serums as a base. I don't know if you'll be ordering oils, but I've just discovered that gardenofwisdom has sample oil packages where you can get three sample oils in smaller amounts. What I do to try to save myself some money is look at what I need and see if I can get it from one site. Even if I'm spending a little bit more on some ingredients than I would at another site, I may come out less when I factor in the shipping charge. One thing I really like about lotioncrafter.com is that you earn customer reward points that you can then apply to future purchases. I've really saved myself some money doing that.

Whatever you decide, good luck!

free skin care · Thu Apr 08, 2010 8:25 pm

momaste wrote:

About me: I am 31 and have dry, flaky, redness-prone skin. I have red patches on my cheeks, have large pores and blackheads on my nose, and still get acne on my T-zone. There are a few dark spots that look like freckles out of control on my cheeks. I have hereditary dark undereye circles with milia, fine lines, and am starting to get wrinkles/lines around my eyes and mouth.

My current routine is super basic - Cetaphil cleanser and cream morning and night, plus sunscreen during the day when I'm going out. I've been eyeing a Vitamin C, E, Ferulic acid serum for mornings and retinoid evenings, and I'd love to try Kassy's face firming face cream and Ally's eye cream.

I'm open to experimenting, but I have a $100 budget and want to stretch it as far as possible. My mother in law is a microbiologist, so the hardware is accessible for me and (someone familiar with mixing small batches!), but the actives and bases will need to be purchased.

If you were starting from scratch, what would you get? Help a newbie out!

Hi and welcome to the forum, and the joys of DIY Very Happy

Since I spent way too much money out of the gate, buying everything under the sun, and then not having a clue what to do with it all, I'm grateful for this opportunity to hopefully help you out... (Phew, long sentence there.)

I'm glad you mentioned your age, routine and skin woes. It's most helpful.

The 1st thing I'd like to say is my "firming" cream recipe is not for you. You are very young, and have young skin issues (based on what you wrote.) That cream would be much too rich and occlusive for you at this time, and could compound your problems.

If I were you, I would start with a nice vitamin C serum, retinol and definitely an AHA/lactic acid product. From what you wrote it sounds to me that you have congested skin, with lots of dead cells hanging on. (Do you drink enough water BTW? I only ask because you are really young to have wrinkles.)

A perfect shopping cart for you might look like this; (Just my humble opinion mind you!)

- microfiber cloth
- L-Ascorbic Acid
- Retinyl Palmitate (Retin-A would be a good option also!)
- Ferulic Acid
- Lactic Acid
- Salicytic Acid
- Rosehip or Vitamin E oil
- Jojoba Oil and/or Macadamia Nut Oil
- Algae Extract (nice subtle skin tightener)
- Green Tea Extract
- Juice Beauty Antioxidant Serum
- CeraVe Lotion
- Optiphen (a good preservative)
- Polysorbate 80 (a good emulsifier)
- And both base creams that Skippie recommended are good
- Skin Gel (I get this at vitacost.com and it's an awesome gel base, good for most actives, and won't clog your pores.) In fact you can start with only this as a great base for now!

There are of course lots of other actives to address specifics and antiaging issues, but I'd really recommend that you start simply with just 2 or 3 DIY products. Once you get your skin more *healthy*, then you can see where you are, and add additional actives accordingly.

I remember my very 1st orders when I decided to try DIY. I received all my goody boxes, opened them up excitedly, and then completely forgot what went with what, and what the he!! it was all for... Shock

It was only then that I realized I didn't do enough homework before ordering, and didn't need half of what I bought.

Moral of the story is this; even though I now enjoy and use several other *special* actives, what I absolutely can't live without, is everything I have posted above for you to consider... Wink

Thu Apr 22, 2010 6:56 am

If you're trying to stay on 'budget' and need a great microfiber cleansing cloth go to MerryMicrofiberBath (.com). In their facial cloths they have the 11 x 11 Beige Premium. It's the exact same as NCN's Microfiber Cleansing Cloth at about 1/3 the price.

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