THE beautiful days are there. While heat, sun, salt or chlorinated water risk attacking and dry out your skin, the use of a moisturizing cream or balm is recommended. But be careful what you put on your body. “For some of the products, the list of components used is very long, we don’t understand much about it, sometimes with chemical or even toxic substances”, warns Caroline Vivant, co-founder of the site Lekaba.fra guide to responsible consumption which gives advice and recommends products for a greener daily life.
Not to mention the impact on the planet of these creams with the multiple packaging, the plastic tubes which end up in the trash – avoidable waste – and the manufacturing processes, transport, not always environmentally friendly… To her only, the cosmetics industry is responsible for 0.5 and 1.5% of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.
So why not try making your own moisturizing balm? “The advantage is that we control the composition with natural ingredients, without additives. And there is no packaging since it is a solid balm. Note also that it is practical to carry during a plane trip for example,” she points out. If the recipe is a little more technical than for dishwasher tablets or washing, “there’s nothing very complicated either,” she promises. The necessary ingredients already: “They differ a little from what we usually use. Some can be found in supermarkets, for others you will have to go to organic stores or to specialized sites like Aroma-Zone,” she warns.
A slightly more expensive investment
You need coconut oil or beeswax – also necessary for making a homemade deodorant — as well as cocoa or shea butter. “It’s for the moisturizing side and it helps to solidify,” explains Caroline Vivant. Vegetable oil such as sweet almond, argan or hazelnut oil is also essential: “It all depends on your skin type, whether it is oily or dry,” she says, referring to the properties specific to each oil. It can also be used to make hair or face masks. »
Finally, you will need a drop of vitamin E: “It is a natural preservative,” she explains. And the cost? “The investment is a bit expensive, around twenty euros in total: around 5 euros for shea butter, 8 euros for vitamin E… But you will have enough to make several balms. And these ingredients will be useful for many other things,” she assures.
Some precautions are necessary
Once you have them all, get to cooking. You need to melt the coconut oil and shea butter in a bain-marie, before adding the vegetable oil and vitamin E off the heat, “mixing well because it hardens quickly”, advises you. -She. Then, you pour the mixture into a small cake mold (like those for muffins) or into an old cream pot that you have collected. “You place it in the fridge for a few hours until it becomes solid. And voila. This is a solid balm, it will melt when you pass it on your skin under the effect of the heat of your body. In summer, if it’s very hot, I recommend keeping it in the fridge,” says Caroline Vivant.
On average, it will last a month. A few precautions all the same: “I do not recommend using it on the face, especially the first time, because we do not know how your skin may react. Furthermore, it is a balm, not a cream. It therefore leaves a slightly oily layer on your skin. You can’t put your jeans back on straight away, you have to wait for them to dry. But it’s very hydrating. It’s hard to do without it. »
Ingredients
- 6 g coconut oil or beeswax
- 15 g of cocoa butter
- 9 g of vegetable oil
- 1 drop of vitamin E.
Recipe
- In a double boiler, in a bowl, mix the coconut oil or beeswax with the cocoa butter, making sure to remove the pan from the heat.
- Remove the bowl from the water then add the vegetable oil to the mixture. Stir until the mixture cools.
- Add a drop of vitamin E then mix again.
- Pour the mixture into a mold. Leave to rest in the refrigerator for half a day.
