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Mon Apr 16, 2007 12:08 am  |
| do people feel it is really worth it if you are not going to be a serious DIYer and make many items or sell them? Just seems like a lot of trial and error even for the talented ones we know here, and you need to have a lot of ingredients on hand which can add up. How many people have found it to be worth it even for a few things? If so which ones? How many tried and came to the conclusion they were better off buying from one of the wizes here that we know instead? |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 2:34 am |
| Personally for me, I didn't find it was worth it. I didn't really have the time or the know how (or if I'm honest the interest) to experiment with so many different oils etc. It just seems so much easier to buy one! I did spend quite a lot of money buying all my ingredients and the majority of items are still in a cupboard. However, it depends what your interest is and how much you enjoy it. Each to their own! |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 2:35 am |
A combination of both actually. Yes there is some trial and error, but in many ways no more than buying product after product and finding that it's not right for your skin type. Because there are a good number of natural moisturisers on the market, I wouldn't bother making my own from scratch. But serums are a different matter altogether. Using aloe vera gel as a serum base for water soluble actives you can custom make products easily and quickly. For instance $5 worth of DMAE from Bulk Actives and $5 worth of aloe vera gel and you can create your own face firming serum for very little. That amount of product would be enough for you to make the serum for all your friends, or alternatively add the dmae to your favourite body lotion (dissolves very easily) for firmer skin all over.
My suggestion would be to post your skin type and what you want your skin care regine to do in the DIY section asking for suggestions for beginner recipes. Here's one to start you off.
DMAE face firming serum
1/4 tsp dmae powder
15 mls aloe vera gel
Small amber bottle with eye dropper top
Add both ingredients to the bottle, close and shake. Voila! Your first home made anti-aging product. No heating, next to no weighing or measuring. I find this gentle enough to use around the eyes. Experiment to see what concentration of dmae powder is right for your skin type. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 2:54 am |
| Ya know, I've recently made my own pearl cream, SKB cleanser, lip scrub and I'm getting ready to make something with Beta Glucan-oat type. I think it depends on the product as to how involved it is to make. I do think the efficacy of most DIY products are better than what you can buy and in the long run I think it's cheaper, plus I've never seen an aspirin mask mask manufactured. For now it's fun and interesting. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 4:58 am |
i don't like to buy diy products~~~
i think it wouldn't be very clean.
as far as its effect concerned, i don't know.
because i have no experience  |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:25 am |
hi there,
for me, if i had the time i would def try to make some of my own products to use and sell (u can sell them for quite a bit)...but i just dont have the time to do that, and u need to have quite a good knowledge of the ingredients b4 u promote and sell them. it would be fun to make ur own serums and masks, but sometimes its so much easier to just order online- click click click and done!
if ur interest lies in DIY skincare and u have the time and effort, then go for it...when u know ur products really work then u can design ur own website and sell them! |
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Premenstrual acne, combination, dehydrated skin. Using- Retin-a, bb cream, Asian sheet masks, Avene mist, Dr Jart |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:41 am |
I actually enjoy the process, but I'd have to make waaaaaaay too much for my own person use in order for it to be cost effective. Now I don't even bother ... maybe in my next life.  |
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Cheers - Ruth/4sons 56 yrs. old, combination skin, getting tired ... |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 8:07 am |
I think this is a very good question. When I first joined the forum I was very anti-DIY because I thought that it could never be as good as the stuff I buy in a store. Boy was I wrong!!! I toyed with doing my own stuff, but after I made a list of all the ingredients I needed, the cost, and whether or not I'd REALLY follow through with it and keep making my own skincare (I have a tendency to start something, do it once, then forget about it) I thought it wouldn't be economical for me. Most of it is time...I just don't have it right now.
That said, many of my products are from home-based business/DIY and I love them. They are hygienic, efficient, economical and work better than anything similar product I've purchased in a store and I wouldn't be without them. Ideally I'd like to make my own, but right now it's just not feasible.
Le sigh! |
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32, Fair Skin, combo/break-out prone. Simple routine of REN No. 1 Purity Cleansing Balm and Argan oil as a moisturizer; Clarisonic when needed. That's it! |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:27 am |
mommydearest,
I don't have the time or motivation to do any heavy duty DIY, but I love EDS for having tons of references here if I ever do get the notion! I also respect the research, development, and testing that companies have done for many of their more sophisticated products.
The most DIY I've done at this point is purchase a few oils (coconut, jojoba, grapeseed, and avocado) to mix in equal portions for a preconditioning hair treatment before I color/shampoo. It's fast, simple, and leaves my hair very shiny -- I love it and wouldn't have known to try without glancing at some of the DIY threads.
So, as with most things in life, you choose a balance of products that you're comfortable with. My 2 cents. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:56 am |
Thanks everyone for your feelings about this and I identify with all of you. It does help me sort through my own to hear others talk about it. I wonder if you don't need to know a lot more than most of us can learn though to really make a balanced product. For example, I just heard that DMAE is very touchy and you need to be careful to balance the PH. Once you get into this level of detail I am totally at a loss. I was thinking that perhaps it is a lot more complicated than just finding actives you like and plunking them into your favorite lotion or serum base. I don't know. Maybe it is not difficult. I just think with many recipes there are way too many ingredients and I would much prefer to buy from others. It never occurred to me to worry about cleanliness issues with other's DIY products. Has that been a problem in the past for anyone?
luckylouie - does the aloe balance out the DMAE? What form of DMAE do you uses? I am a bit of a scientist type so I would probably love it but I just don't have the time now or the money to do anything complicated. Good idea to post my skin type and concerns on DIY board. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:04 am |
| nm |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:05 am |
mommy-d, this is how I see it:
1) Be a consumer who pays attention to ingredients and wants the best stuff for his/her needs
2) research some DIY and DIY sellers at the same time, evcen just here
3) Consume other people's DIY, pay attention to ingredients, slowly read up on mixing, ordering, sources, actives, etc...
4) try mixing some stuff for yourself, small scale, from products you already have, or easily accessible ingredients like olive oil or oils/liquids from the health food store or some place you shop
5) order a few serios ingredients from distributors (like SKB, CoQ10, whatever), and mix up one or two experiments
6) keep making experiments for yourself
7) have freinds or diy associates try the stuff you consider a success and use yourself -- get good at making stuff adequate for yourself
8 ) start learning about labeling, presentation, by watching other DIY peeps
9) make some economic cost/benefit/feasibility decisions
10) Start selling or keep doing for yourself -- both good!
oops -- duplicate post |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 10:40 am |
| Hi Ali - I have actually decided I would start getting samples and stuff from other DIYers. This way I can first get a feeling for how this kind of thing differs from store bought. Then I was thinking that if there were some simpler things I liked I might try and make myself. Some things like lip and lash stuff is too much. Even the complicated face serums. But I was planning on some basic simple things and just incorporate them with my routine and see how my skin responds. Just like adding in SKB to my facial cleanser or something. I do love, love the aspirin mask and I use it on all members of my family and tweak it for each person sometimes. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 11:33 am |
| Mommy: Interesting! I'm starting out slowly by adding SKB and Cocoanut endosperm to some of my shampoos that just aren't "enough" and voila! now they are favorites! I also beefed up some of my eye creams with Chrysin for lightening circles. I'm not going into starting from scratch though. Too much trouble! Guess it depends on how much of a mad chemist you are! |
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✪ My go-to products: MyFawnie.BigCartel.com ✪ |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:36 pm |
I use dmae bitatrate which I buy from Bulk Actives. It is active over a wide ph range. Apparently the dmae amine form is trickier to work with. Bulk Actives have their own forum and John is very helpful answering questions. I just use Fruit of the Earth uncoloured aloe vera gel. It does have firming properties and it doesn't irritate my skin so I can only assume there is no problem with the ph. As for cost, I will give you some examples of just how different costs can be.
Niacinamide is the active ingredient in Olay Total Effects. In Australia a 50 ml bottle of this costs $20-25. However I can buy Niacinamide from Bulk Actives for less than $5 and a good quality reasonably priced cream and make my own version of this product for less than $5 per 50 mls. For instance I purchase an australian made cream called Youth Activator which costs around $14 for a 400ml pump pack and already contains vitamin e, green tea extract, glucosamine, alpha lipoic acid, hyalauronic acid, glycerin and shea butter. This is non greasy and works for my slightly oily skin. You can see how big a difference the price is, and the niacinamide I have purchased will be enough for me for a couple of years at least.
Another example is Olay Regenerist Serum which in Australia costs $30 for 50mls and $25 for the 15 ml eye serum. The active ingredient is Matrixyl which can be bought from Garden of Wisdom for around $10. Once again using the generic cream that suits my face, I can add the matrixyl to both a face cream and an eye cream and still have some left over for a second batch.
A third example is a cream called Rosacure, specifically for redness and broken capillaries. In Australia it costs $40 for a 50 ml bottle. The active ingredients are msm (organic sulphur) and milk thistle extract. The msm can be bought from Garden of Wisdom for $4 or from any health food and the milk thistle from Bulk Actives for around $5. Once again by adding this to the generic cream, I can make my own version of Rosacure for less than $5 per 50 mls.
I personally now have two home made products which I use every day - an aloe vera based serum that contains niacinamide, glucosamine, dmae, beta glucan and allantoin and a night cream that contains msm and milk thistle extract, along with added vitamin a and d, because I've never discovered a skin cream that has vitamins a,e, and d together. I use the serum twice a day, including around the eyes and the night cream goes on my hands and arms as well as my face. Several nights a week I don't bother with the serum, instead I use vitamin c, just a pinch of ascorbic acid crystals (available cheaply at any health food store) mixed with around a teaspoon of rosewater (or use distilled water). I rub this all over my face, neck, hands and wait 20 minutes before applying night cream. This is because vitamin c is acidic and will be neutralised by the night cream. This is the only case so far where ph is actually important.
Before I started making my own products I bought the smart skin care pdf on making your own and then I started slowly, only buying a couple of actives at a time as I learnt more, and also to keep costs down.
My skin looks better now than it did before I started making my own, fine lines in my forehead have disappeared, skin tone is more even, thread veins are less prominent and hydration levels are better, so I can only assume that diy is effective and that ph is possibly overrated in most cases.
Most people will choose to buy ready made, but I personally couldn't justify the price of a product like Rosacure because I have broken thread veins on my neck/chest as well as my face and to use it all over I would go through a $40 tube every month, plus I would have to use another cream on top of it for anti aging benefits. DIY means you can tailor creams to suit whatever problems your skin has. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 5:50 pm |
Out of curiosity I just added up what I have spent on DIY ingredients (including postage and handling) since I began making my own products 4 months ago. It comes to $75AU, which is roughly $50US, less than the cost of two tubes of Rosacure. I have enough of most of the active ingredients to last at least two years which means I will only have to spend around $25 on aloe vera gel and Youth Activator cream. Even if I add Matrixyl and have to reorder some of the other actives I will still be looking at spending a maximum of $100-$120AU per year on anti aging products.
I'll be a DIY'er till I die. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 6:56 pm |
I found I spent too much time and money on it to be worth it. I spent time researching, shopping, mixing ... I'm am a person who can get anal and obsessive about things easily.
So I gave it up. I just use Hauschka for now. If I do anything 'DIY' it's the things that are a single ingredient or maybe 2 ingredients. Like ACV or something like that. |
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late 30's, medium/olive tone, learned recently I'm oily, not dry and my pores clog if you just look at them, love natual products...in beautiful Seattle |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:15 pm |
| I haven't done any DIY yet. I am still in the research phase. If I do decide to go down that road mostly likely I will only make body or hair products and leave the face to the professional products only. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:21 pm |
I really find it very interesting and think myself lucky that I discover this site. I recently made Vitamin C serum and toner. And planning for hair growth discarding oil and aspirin mask. Its really fun to do and m yielding great results.
My skin is very oily and sensitive and its really hard for me to buy new products and then throw it after 3-4 days. But with this I can experiment with products suitable for my own skin type like I made vitamin C with rosewater without any greasy or creamy base. |
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how you spend your day is eventually how you spend your life |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 7:47 pm |
Thanks for bringing this up, mommydearest! I've wondered about others' experiences with DIY. Personally, I have tried the "basics": aspirin mask variants, ACV toner, Vitamin C serum. I still do the aspirin mask, found the ACV toner to not work that well for me anymore (skin has changed) and the Vit. C stuff was getting too complicated for me to get me poor head around. So I just purchase C serum from a home-based operation like Candessence, where I know the ingredients are simple and unadulterated with weird preservatives, dyes and fragrances.
I might try some of the simpler DIY recipes on the DIY thread if I ever get the time and energy. But I'll have to say that it is 100% simpler for me these days to just go "click, click" and order something online. |
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Light, yellow undertones, dark hair & eyes, extremely combo., resistant skin prone to congestion, dryness AND breakouts! |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:01 pm |
Since finding EDS about 5 months ago, I've gone from a high end retail skincare and make-up devotee to a semi-home based/small business buyer and casual DIYer. I have to say that my skin has never looked better.
I read all that I can about the ingredients for DIY and then figure out if it's easier to DIY or purchase it. The EDS and Skin Interactives members are fountains of information.
Many times, it's just a matter of buying a product and "ramping" it up with more actives to meet my needs. If I can purchase something that is priced reasonably from a home based/small business, I won't go to the bother of ordering all the ingredients and making it myself. Thank goodness companies like Garden of Wisdom let me choose ready-made or DIY within the same shopping trip!
Just my 2 cents. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:10 pm |
| Hi Nijey - I agree so much easier to let someone else make it and really we can get a homemade product from others for so cheap compared to what we pay in stores. The problem is the more I learn the more Actives I want to try out and I can see how it might be good to make your own and maybe less expensive. I think you also have to be the kind of person who digs this stuff you know. I actually love mixing up my Aspirin mask and the oils for my OCM. When it gets complicated with many ingredients and what can or cannot be mixed with what and proportions and getting things to dissolve and creating the right textures, etc, I feel it is just way too much. I am not an aesthetician or chemist and have lots of other things I need to be doing. But I do have to say I like the idea of beating the system and getting perhaps even more potent actives (they can degrade and if you make small fresh batches I suppose you are guaranteed of having the best and most effective). I think I will find a way to start simply like others have suggested and if I like it enough I may add in another active here and there. I guess that is how it happens. Just seems pretty overwhelming in the beginning. Fortunately for us we have some talented people here who we can buy from. |
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Mon Apr 16, 2007 9:19 pm |
| Hi Genie - I have been intrigued by it all for the exact reason you say. People do say their skin has never been better and that is has actually been quite miraculous. I just think it is because the actives are fresh and strong. Especially compared to commercially produced products. I agree the ready made things is a great way to try these things out and many times you can get samples which very helpful. |
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Tue Apr 17, 2007 2:11 am |
I absolutely love my DIY serums because:
1. I can add insane amounts of actives to my serums that otherwise I couldn't buy at any price because companies would never make serums with such high doses. Someone's face would fall off and they'd sue.
2. I've heard a theory that our skin becomes accustomed to active ingredients that are used regularly, over a period of time. So...I have my DIY serums (I'm up to about eight!) that I use in weekly rotations. If anyone knows if this is wise or stupid please let me know! It's kind of fun, because I get bored with skin products and this way, there's always a new one!
3. I know they are not tested on animals. Unless you count my friends.
4. I really loved chemistry labs and if it wasn't for not getting through physics I'd have gone to med school and be a research dermatologist  Since when does a dermatologist even USE physics?
5. There's never the agony of buying an expensive cream everyone is raving about and being sad because it doesn't work and you've wasted money. With active ingredients, some recipes, and the ability to proceed logically, carefully, and patiently, you KNOW your DIY cream will work.
6. Thomas Dolby voice..."Science!"
Everyone...it's fun!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVpLLmD98os
I love the lab coats
7. If you put them in little recycled lemon custard jars in your fridge, your friends will break out the Carr's Water Biscuits and dive in. Only you busting up laughing as they open wide for the nicely spread cracker will keep them from eating alpha lipoic/idebenone cream. |
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Blond, Swedish/Cherokee, normal/dry skin, a sucker for products, gizmos, and treatments that are "age-defying." Just hit the big 4-0 |
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Tue Apr 17, 2007 3:30 am |
I don't hesitate to mix up simple things, such as scrubs, body butters/balms, and toners, but when it comes to heavy-duty preventative or treatment skincare, I like to leave it to professionals who have done their research (which includes those who make at home and sell; they know a lot more about it than I do). I just don't have the time nor the trust in myself to come up with well-formulated products that work, so I prefer to leave the research and trial and error to somebody who really enjoys it. That way, I can benefit from their enjoyment of DIY 
Tina |
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