Why you should eschew store-bought beauty products and produce your own, instead

July 5, 2008 · Print This Article

In your typical shampoo, body cream or face mask, there may be any of the following products:

Triethanolamine, or TEA, a chemical used to adjust pH and may cause allergic reactions and eye irritation
Parabens, chemicals that imitate estrogen and can cause rashes
Imidazolidinyl urea and Quarternium 15, preservatives that can release trace amounts of formaldehyde into the skin

These, of course, are just a few examples. And there are two major ways to avoid that: buy overpriced organic beauty products and have healthy skin but an empty wallet, or save the money and form your own products at

home. Voila - you’re clean, you smell good, and you are rewarded with paraben-free skin and a still relatively-full wallet (making your own products is remarkably cheap).

So wash out some old glass jars or bottles, prepare some mixing bowls, snap on a pair of rubber gloves, and get to mixin’. Check out the gallery for some great recipes, courtesy of Stephanie Tourles’ Organic Body Care Recipes: 175 Homemade Herbal Formulas for Glowing Skin & a Vibrant Self.

Gallery: Organic beauty product “recipes”