It’s time to get down to basics and craft your own personal care products writes Meera Murugesan
AS I step into the shop tucked away on the upper floor of a building in 10 Boulevard, Petaling Jaya, I see jars and bottles that seem to contain strange stuff and a host of tools that wouldn’t look out of place in a science laboratory.
Rather intimidating at first but upon closer inspection, I’m pleased to note that many of the bottles don’t house complex chemical compositions with unpronounceable names.
Instead, they hold easily recognisable ingredients like peppermint, rosemary and lavender essential oils as well as natural clays,shea butter and beeswax, many of the commonly used components in personal care products.
Craftiviti is a place that embraces and encourages the idea of making your own soaps, shampoos and other skincare products and it provides consumers with all the ingredients and tools they need to get started.
More importantly, it debunks the myth that doing so is a complex, time consuming process.
They teach you to keep things simple here because the goal is to make your own products in the comfort of your home.
When we look at the label on a bottle of shampoo or lotion, most of us can’t decipher half the ingredients listed. It makes you wonder what goes into the making of a single personal care product and is it really as complex as it seems?
DO IT YOURSELF
Weiyein Leong, the founder of Craftiviti wants more Malaysians to embrace DIY products, especially personal care products and to understand that the process is simple, even for someone who has never ventured into that field.
Do you know that to make an effective lip balm or body cleanser, you only need four ingredients?
For a lip balm, you just need beeswax, shea butter, a soft oil (like jojoba or almond oil) and some essential oil.
And it takes just 10 minutes to make a large 1kg bar of soap that will last you probably 2-3 months.
And body lotions? Well, you just need water, emulsifier, and a good oil such as coconut or extra virgin olive oil.
And it doesn’t cost as much as one would imagine either. Leong says bath bombs which are so popular now can be very expensive if store bought, around RM40 a piece but if you were to make a batch yourself, it would probably come to only RM5 a piece.
Leong says DIY personal care products is a rising trend in Malaysia. In the United States, it’s already an industry worth billions of dollars.
“People are becoming more conscious about the ingredients on a label and what they want or don’t want on their skin, leading to more consumers making their own products.”
Crafting your own personal care products allows you to have complete control over what ingredients to put into your soaps, shampoos and lotions.
More importantly, one can personalise the product to suit one’s individual needs or concerns.
GETTING PERSONAL
Leong says people with itchy or irritated skin for example can incorporate tea tree oil into their soaps while those with scalp concerns may want to include good oils for the hair such as neem, moringa or castor oil into their home-made shampoos.
When you make your own products, you can avoid unnecessary ingredients like synthetic fragrances, pearlizers and thickeners, which gives a pleasing texture or appearance to a formulation but may not be good for the skin.
“We try to keep things as natural as possible here. For example, our soap bases for soap making are from cocoa butter, mango butter or shea butter and we also have good quality clays such as French green clay and pink clay which can be incorporated into masks and scrubs.”
Leong adds that with DIY products, what you use is up to you and things that you don’t need you can eliminate and personalisation becomes possible.
“ Commercially made products cannot be created to suit you. You have to suit the product but with DIY products, the approach is the exact opposite.”
Craftiviti regularly conducts workshops where consumers can learn the basics of making their own personal care products.
Leong says many of those who attend are surprised at just how easy it is to craft their own products. An increasing number of them start to experiment further in their own homes, creating even more beautiful and effective products.
With DIY products, creativity knows no bounds. You get to choose the colour, texture, shape and fragrance of your product and decide how rich or nourishing it’s going to be.
Leong says mothers for example choose cute moulds to make colourful, moisturising soaps for their children. Some even embed tiny toys into these soaps during the soap making process so kids will be excited and diligent about washing their hands.
“The more they wash, the closer they get to the toy so it’s really a fun process for them too,” says Leong.
But she stresses that they always encourage customers to do a patch test first before using these ingredients to make personal care products.
Just because something is natural doesn’t mean it’s completely safe because some people do get a reaction to certain natural ingredients.
“Many customers who come into our shop are looking to create something of their own because they have problems with commercially made products. We don’t claim to be a pharmacy. We just provide the necessary raw ingredients and the tools and it’s always good to test it out first.”
Craftiviti does offer small bottles for people who want to try and test out certain formulations.
Leong add that one of the most important aspects of DIY personal care products, aside from having safe, effective solutions for the skin, is the satisfaction that comes from making something on your own.
Most consumers she says feel excited and empowered when they create something from scratch and see the results.
DIY projects can also be very de-stressing and therapeutic. More importantly, in the case of personal care products you have control over what you’re applying on your skin.
“It empowers you to make your own decisions and choose safe options for your skin.”
For more information, go to www.craftiviti.com
KNOW YOUR OILS
ESSENTIAL oils and fragrance oils are commonly used in DIY personal care and home products. But how do they differ?
Essential Oils
Extracted from plants.
Have aromatic properties.
Used mainly for skincare formulations and aromatherapeutic crafts.
Examples of scents: lavender, geranium, tea tree, lemon and rose.
Fragrance Oils
Synthetic but choice of scents is greater.
Does not have aromatherapeutic properties.
Fragrance lasts longer.
Used mainly for candles, perfumes and other fragrance-dominant formulations.
Examples of scents: coffee, leather, tutti frutti, sea breeze or watermelon.
GIVE YOUR ESSENTIAL OILS A LONGER SHELF LIFE
Essential oils are volatile, meaning they will oxidise. Here are a few ways to extend their shelf life.
1.Keep the cap screwed tight so there’s no space for oxygen to slip in.
2.Don’t shake essential oils as this will introduce oxygen into them.
3.Store them in dark glass bottles (like amber or cobalt ones which keep sunlight out) and stay away from glass tube dropper caps which allow space for oxygen to enter.
4.Keep away from heat and sunlight. A wooden box or an airtight container kept in a cool, dark cupboard is ideal.
5.Refrigerate essential oils to keep them at a fixed and optimal temperature so they are less prone to damage caused by temperature variations.
Source: Craftiviti
START “COOKING”
HERE are some personal care products you can make at home, using a few basic ingredients. Recipes are from Craftiviti.
Gentle and Calming Organic Body Cleanser
(makes 1 litre)
Ingredients
1 litre Organic Castile liquid soap
Yein & Young lavender essential oil and vetiver essential oil
Craftiviti castor oil
Tools
Glass pipette
Method
1.Measure 7ml lavender essential oil and 3ml vetiver essential oil.
2.Add both oils to 1 litre of the liquid soap.
3.For more moisturising benefits add in 10ml castor oil
4.Gently shake bottle to mix and it’s ready for use.
*Vetiver oil is deeply balancing, calming and can tighten and protect skin. Lavender oil is ideal for overall wellness. It can disinfect and soothe skin and reduce stress and anxiety.
Refreshing Peppermint and Grapefruit Face Mist
Ingredients
Witch Hazel
Distilled water
Peppermint essential oil
Grapefruit essential oil
Polysorbate-20
Tools
Beaker
200ml spray bottle
Method
1.In the beaker, add two drops of Polysorbate-20 to a drop of grapefruit essential oil and a drop of peppermint essential oil.
2. Stir until evenly mixed before adding into spray bottle.
3.Measure out 10ml witch hazel and 10ml distilled water. Add this to the oil mixture. The Polysorbate-20 helps oil and water to blend homogeneously.
4. Use within 3 days (as no preservatives have been used).