We have to make no bones about it: life is getting significantly more expensive. Earlier this year, we saw increases in gasoline, but our gas and electricity bills are also suffering. Not to mention a visit to the supermarket where prices rose an average of 12%. No wonder we start saving massively on all kinds of things, including cosmetics. But did you know that making your own cosmetics is not only fun but also cheaper than ready-made alternatives?
One purchase, multiple products
Working with natural ingredients yourself has been gaining popularity in recent years. This is not surprising when you know that consumers are increasingly skeptical: we want to know where our products come from and what's in them. In addition, DIY cosmetics allow you to tailor products completely to your needs. We don't have to tell you anymore that natural products are also good for your skin. But what many still don't know is that you can also save quite a bit if you make your own cosmetics products. How can you do that? We would like to show you with a few examples.
Day cream
| Ingredient | Required amount (1 bar) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Argan oil (100ml) | 6g | € 12,90 |
| Shea / karite butter (100g) | 4g | € 5,90 |
| PolyAquol (50g) | 2,5g | € 6,95 |
| Sensicare preservation (20g) | 0,5g | € 4,79 |
| Green tea hydrolate (200ml) | 34,85g | € 9,50 |
| Repair'activ (20g) | 0,75g | € 7,97 |
| Allantoin (25g) | 0,25g | € 3,90 |
| Xanthan gum (20g) | 0,15g | € 2,95 |
| Vegetable glycerin (100ml) | 1g | € 3,60 |
For the ingredients of a DIY day cream, you pay €58.46 at Marion Maakt . However, you buy these ingredients in bulk, which means you can use them multiple times. If you buy the green tea hydrolate twice, for €67.96 you can make as many as 10 day creams at a price of €6.80 each. That's a lot cheaper than ready-to-use natural cosmetics. Discover the day cream recipe here.
.Lip balm
| Ingredient | Quantity required (1 balm) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Marigold macerate (100ml) | 6,5g | € 10,75 |
| Yellow beeswax (50g) | 2,1g | € 6,50 |
You make a simple but effective lip balm with just two ingredients. Considering you purchase the ingredients in a larger quantity here as well, you can make 15 (!) lip balms with the purchased quantities for only €17.25 (+ the cost of an eco or PET shell). That's €1.15 per balm. For a natural lip balm of similar quality you quickly pay €5-10. You can find the lip balm recipe here.
Hair Mask
| Ingredient | Required amount (1 mask) | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Nettle powder (100g) | 1 teaspoon (3g) | € 9,90 |
| Rhassoul clay (200g) | 2 teaspoons | € 5,90 |
| Lemongrass essential oil (10ml) | 3 drops | € 5,90 |
| Vegetable glycerin (100ml) | 1 teaspoon | € 3,60 |
Boosting your hair with a strengthening hair mask? You can do this yourself too with just a few ingredients! For a total cost of €25.30, you can easily make 15 to 20 masks, which amounts to about €1.5 per hair mask (which, by the way, can also be used for your face). Discover the recipe for hair masks here.
Zero waste
As you can see, making your own cosmetics is very inexpensive because ingredients can be used multiple times. With the above recipes, you also often don't use everything in the same quantity, and there will often be some leftovers. Fortunately, ingredients can be used for multiple products or applications. So you won't have to deal with waste anytime soon. So you see; natural ingredients and zero waste are a match made in (eco) heaven.