Why Buy Handmade Bath and Body Products

So last month I wrote a post about why I choose to live the Handmade lifestyle. I promised to share how well I have been able to incorporate handmade items into my daily life. I thought I would start with an easy one with Bath and Body Products. Let me start by telling a painful anecdote. I was a feature editor on my high school newspaper and once wrote an article on skin care for teens. I vividly remember when the papers were handed out in home room one of our school's designated mean girls saying, "Like I would take beauty advise from her." I won't say her name because for all I know she's a perfectly delightful adult, but I doubt it... So I included a picture I took the other day of myself before I headed out the door in all my low maintenance glory so you can choose to ignore my advice if you so choose.

I don't spend a lot of time on my looks to be perfectly honest. I have a brother who actually spends more time getting ready than myself and my 2 sisters combined. I have always wanted to put a secret video camera to find out what the heck he actually does for 2 hours every damn day. I am a wash and go kind of gal. I like to feel clean and that's about the extent of it. Which is one reason I love handmade soaps and cleaners. You actually feel clean when you use the natural handmade products. You don't have all the chemicals and other ingredients that stick around after you wash them off. If you read the ingredients on store bought soaps there is always a whole list of chemical words you've never heard of. With handmade natural soaps they are all yummy sounding things you know like Olive Oil, Shea butter, Glycerin, and Goat Milk for example. The soaps to the left are from one of my favorite sellers Pegassusoaps and they are just as pretty as they look here.

When buying handmade you can also get exactly what you want. I love Patchouli, and it is nearly impossible to find in the stores. You can specially request just about whatever combination you can think of when working with small sellers. If you want a Patchouli lotion with a touch of lime or mocha and orange, it's yours. And the scents are so much richer in the handmade soaps and lotions. They last and last while store bought soaps seem to loose whatever special smells they start with.

Using handmade bath and body products is better for the environment too. They don't have the excess chemicals to pollute and they tend to use much less packaging as well. If you buy local at a farmer's market or craft show then you cut down on the carbon miles of your beauty routine also. I love picking up a fresh bar of local soap and cracking it open right away. I buy a bar of soap at just about every show and market I'm at as a simple treat to myself. Yes, I am worth it.

I don't really like getting my hair cut either. When I do they always ask how long it's been and I say I generally get it cut seasonally. They are usually amazed at how healthy my hair is for not being cut in over 3 months. It is because I use such natural and chemical free products. I tend to keep my hair care routine simple just like the rest of my life.

So here is my step by step beauty routine including links to where I bought the products. The fun part is finding your own favorites. There are so many amazing small sellers out there, but this group is a great place to start.

The first thing I do in the morning is shower and wash and condition my hair. My absolute favorite shampoo is Gudonya's Salty DAWG Creme Shampoo (tm) in Mayan Gold. It is completely vegan and gives you the cleaniest feeling you will ever have in your life. The Mayan Gold is a light fruity scent that I adore and it doesn't overwhelm the other products I use. I also use her Gudonya INTENSE Hair Conditioner in TAHITIAN VANILLA. It is a very light but truly intense conditioner and scent.

The next thing that normally goes on my hair is Wiggleperfume's amazing Hair Polish. It is an rich concoction of oils that leaves your hair shiny and smooth. I have had remarkably fewer frizzy hair days since using her product.

I finally found a natural hair spray that I like recently from JoyfulGirlNatural called Natural Hair finishing Spritz. You really have to check out her shop for her huge selection of beauty and natural remedies. I also use her Natural Lip and cheek tint as my lipstick. It is a light and shiny tint that is also really good for your lips and won't dry them out like many lipsticks. I currently don't use mascara since my eyes are so sensitive but I just discovered that she also makes an eyelash conditioner that I will have to try soon.

Since I am now over that certain age when they tell you it is important to really take care of your skin and use those antioxidants and whatnot I have discovered a seller that makes a facial lotion with all the good stuff. 4thAveSoapCo has a Renewal Facial Serum with the active ingredients of DMAE, vitamin A, B, C and E, ibodene and alpha lipoic acid, along with multifruits (orange, lemon, and cranberry extracts) and the wonder oils carrot and meadowfoam. It really does make my face feel moisturized and toned. It is also remarkably reasonably priced compared to what you would spend for a similar product at the mall. I also use her antioxidant facial toner which makes my skin feel truly clean without irritating it like so many toners do.

I am kind of fickle in the way of lotions. I pick them here and there and use what I like when I like it. But one of the richest body butters I've ever encountered is from Nettiescrub seen here. I usually reserve it for my super dry feet. They can get seriously dried out and nasty but one or two nights with this stuff slathered on makes a huge difference. The scent is neutral enough that most guys would approve of it too.

And finally if you haven't discovered the world of mineral makeup yet than you must give it a try. These foundations, powders, and eye shadows are amazingly light and smooth. I like how I get the coverage I need without feeling like I'm wearing makeup. They give you a light glow and make you feel fresh and look healthy. And the great thing is most sellers have a huge selection of colors and often will send you samples to find the perfect match. The seller that my current makeup is from is no longer selling but I just bought some from Lighthouseminerals at a very reasonable price. A 10 oz. jar lasts me forever and I tend to just use a light blush on top of that.

Feel free to share any of your handmade beauty discoveries. I'm always looking for a new favorite product!