5 DIY Skincare Products for Dry Skin

When I was living as a student, there were certain budgets I had to stick to and, sadly, skincare had to be added to the list of the many routines I had to cut. Though I can now afford certain high-end brands, I do find myself going back to my old DIY tricks as I like knowing what ingredients are in my products.

As the title suggests I will be focusing on dry skin products as I suffer from severe to mildly dry skin (depending on the weather). When doing DIY, I make sure I do as much research as possible so that I am buying products that help my skin and do not irritate it. If you are allergic to any product, find an alternative that consists a high content of Vitamin E.

Key ingredients to stock up on:

Ingredients which you really need to look out for are Vitamin E, Alpha – Tocopherol (a form of Vitamin E), Vitamin B12, Omega 3 and 6.

These are great lipids (fats) that really nourish your skin and replenish the oils and vitamins which your body is lacking in, hence the dry patches you would tend to find around the nose and mouth.

Foods and oils which are high in Vitamin E would generally be olive oil, almond oil, oats, and avocado. These are generally items which you would find in your kitchen and its absolutely easy to make.

Oats and Honey Face Mask:

To prep the skin, I first start with a face mask. Generally, I use an oat and honey face mask. Oats are proven to have antioxidant properties and is a great substance to naturally exfoliate your body. Honey, the natural kind, is a fantastic product to use for disinfecting your skin and help break down the dead skin proteins for a smooth finish.

How to make:

Ingredients: Oats, almond milk and honey (I tend to not measure and just make as much as I need or have)

• Boil oats until they are slightly soft (but not completely).
• Use a muslin, sieve or any form of filtering to remove the milk of the oats and set aside for later.
• Once cooled blitz oats into finer grains in a food processor.
• In a bowl add the finer grains and add honey.
• Create a consistency you feel is comfortable if you find the honey is too sticky add as much almond milk needed to make a smooth-like consistency.
• Apply on the face and leave for 15 minutes.
• Rinse with warm water.

Hydrating Face Moisturiser:

This facial moisturiser I make is fantastic for smoothing my skin and removing pesky dry patches.

Ingredients: ½ a cup of Olive oil, ½ a cup of Coconut oil and about ¼ of Bee’s wax. (if in a solid form, you can grate it into shavings, or you can buy pellets)

How to make:

• On a bain-marie melt both oils with bee’s wax.
• Start whisking the oils together to combine.
• Once they are melted and combined, remove from heat and start whisking.
• Whisk until the texture has become smooth – do not over whisk as you will not have a buttercream – like texture.

Cocoa Butter and Coffee Body Scrub:

I have made this body scrub to dupe Lush’s Scrubee body scrub. The smell is beautiful as its made of cocoa butter which is a key ingredient in making chocolate, whilst using coffee granules for exfoliation. I ended up making a – instead of a bar-form

Ingredients: ½ a cup of olive oil, ½ a cup of jojoba oil and a spoon full of cocoa butter pellets. (as it hardens in room temperature), ½ a cup of coffee granules.

How to make:

• Melt in a bain-marie the cocoa butter pellet.
• Combine it with both oils.
• Once cooled, add coffee granules for exfoliation.

Coconut Salt Hand Scrub:

I love this moisturising hand scrub I use for exfoliating dead skin, removing calluses and being a great antiseptic.

Ingredients: ¼ of Himalayan Salt or body bath salt, ½ a cup of jojoba oil, ¼ cup of coconut oil (as it solidifies at room temp).

How to make:

• Melt coconut oil and mix jojoba oil together.
• Once cooled, gradually add the salts and create a consistency that is slightly runny but just a smooth.
• Apply on the hands in a circular motion gently and rinse with warm water

Olive oil and Avocado Hair Mask:

As most of the products I am using are olive oil and avocado oil, you can see that these oils go the extra mile and they are fantastic hydrating oils filled with vitamin and antioxidant goodness.

Ingredients: Olive Oil, Avocado oil and Honey.

How to make:

JUST MIX IT ALL UP! The honey adds a nice sweet smell, whilst being a great source of hydration for the hair.

I love doing DIY- they don’t break the bank and you can make the most of the ingredients you have to last you a while. Remember to look out for fatty acids such as omega 3 and 6or vitamin E and you can start creating a range of different DIY Skincare products!

Is there anything else I haven’t checked off the list? Let me know in the comments!

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