The Benefits of Natural DIY Skincare

Since when did skincare, even natural skin care, become so complicated. From anti-aging creams to pore minimising serums, we lather ourselves in creams, oils, scrubs and treatments promoting dubious claims but at the end of the day, are we just giving away our money to large profit driven companies?

Preying on people’s vulnerabilities and insecurities is an age-old marketing tactic that rakes in billions of dollars for global and Australian profit driven skin and beauty care corporations, for which most people fall victim to their marketing hype, fancy advertising campaigns and costly celebrity endorsements. We are promised eternal youth by big brands and fork out thousands of dollars for products with dubious claims in the hope of looking younger, but what we are truly paying for is the expensive promotional campaigns and not just the skin care products themselves.

A Global Industry Analysts report estimates the global anti-aging products market will peak at $120 billion by 2030. The multi-national corporations producing these products don’t truly care about you, your health or the environment. They only care about developing the next ‘miracle cream’ to boost their bottom line. Their products are mostly made from synthetic ingredients and are mass produced - some still test on animals.  

They present pseudo-scientific claims that make the product benefits believable to most people, increasing sales and demand, and because it’s a billion-dollar industry with mutually dependent industries such as manufacturing, retail and advertising, these claims are often misleading and rarely questioned or tested. The most empowering thing you can do as an independent consumer is to stop using the commercial skin care products and start making your own natural skin care products at home.

Biome's Naked Beauty Bar to make your own natural skin care products was formulated to combat this issue and offer a natural and environmentally friendly alternative to chemical produced products. 

The Naked Beauty Bar takes a back to basics approach, allowing you to truly understand the ingredients in your products. Instead of purchasing expensive creams produced by global brands, you can make your own at home from a few simple natural ingredients. From lip balm and body scrub to natural deodorant and toothpaste, you can make various beauty products from naturally derived ingredients including clay, salt, avocado oil, ground coffee, shea and cocoa butter, honey, vinegar, sugar, soap berries, charcoal, essential oils, petals and herbs. These ingredients possess beneficial properties that nourish and heal the skin naturally. 

Don’t fall victim to large corporations elaborate promotional campaigns and pseudoscientific claims. Save money by making your own natural skin care products at home.

There is a growing trend to market 'special skin care' to the tween age or pre-teens (10 to 12 years old).   It really is unnecessary to introduce children so young to a skin care routine with special packaged tween skin care such as cleaners and moisturisers.  It is good for tweens to use gentle cleaners (such as a natural moisturising hand made olive oil soap) and washer. Tweens rarely need a moisturiser, but should wear a sunscreen on days they will be outside.


Related: Natural toxin free deodorant; Cutting chemicals out of cosmetics; What is in your sunscreen?  How to Nourish Your Body with Hemp Oil

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How to compost

Composting is a rewarding planet-friendly activity that creates a closed loop in your own home by turning food scraps into rich nutrients for your garden. Reduce landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions by learning to compost your household food scraps using composting, Bokashi or a worm farm.

Garden Composting

You can set up an outdoor garden compost heap without any special equipment by creating a designated heap in your backyard; though if you want something a bit more contained, you can purchase a compost bin.

Balance your carbon and nitrogen (which makes a successful compost) by including a mixture of high nitrogen “green” matter (fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and grass clippings) and high carbon “brown” matter (leaves, straw and shredded paper). If you have excess carbon, decomposition slows down. If you have excess nitrogen, you will end up with a stinky pile. A recommended ratio of carbon to nitrogen for an outside compost pile is 25:1, so 25 brown parts to every 1 green part.

Good For: Those who have a medium or large backyard and create lots of food scraps or organic garden matter.

Build a compost heap > add scraps + brown matter > water > mix > wait > add to garden

Bokashi

A Bokashi is a compact 1.5 litre bucket that uses microbes to ferment and decompose waste. The fermentation process does not produce smells and can be used on almost all foods including dairy, meat and fish. The Bokashi bucket tap allows you to drain the excess liquid as you fill it up which you can use to fertilise your garden, clean drains and break down waste in septic tank systems.

Good For: Those who have limited or no outdoor space but still want to quickly decompose food waste.

Bokashi bin > add scraps + Bokashi powder > drain liquid > fill bin > bury contents in garden

Worm farm

Worm farms are a low maintenance and fun way to dispose of your organic waste. You can set up a worm farm in a wheelie bin, or there are kits and DIY options available. All you need to grow your worm farm is food waste and a weekly watering, the worms will take care of the rest. The worms used in worm farms aren’t common earthworms – they are compost worms, usually either red, blue or tiger worms. The castings and diluted worm juice can be used for garden fertiliser.

Good For: Those who have a balcony, or shady outdoor area and want a low maintenance option. Worm farms flourish both inside and out and don’t take up too much space.

Worm farm bin > add scraps > water weekly > drain liquid > bury castings in garden

Check out a Beginners Guide to Composting here

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Nourish your body with hemp seed oil

Hemp Seed Oil is a nourishing and antioxidant rich oil that can be applied topically, as well as taken internally. This multi-tasking oil contains all 10 essential amino acids plus 14 fatty acids including gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), an omega-6 fatty acid that acts as a powerful anti-inflammatory that encourages skin and hair growth and new cell generation while moisturising and nourishing the skin. Here are three ways to incorporate hemp seed oil into your daily routine to nourish your skin, hair and body.

Hair

Hemp seed oil contains many beneficial nutrients that help to stimulate hair growth, nourish and moisturise the scalp, improve elasticity and strengthen strands. The ceramides in hemp seed oil help to form a protective barrier that assists in retaining protein and moisture in the hair and scalp while the Omega-3, Omega-6 and Omega-9 fatty acids promote new hair growth.

To Use: There are a number of ways you can apply hemp seed oil to your hair. For a serum, rub a small amount of hemp seed oil to your scalp and hair, leave for 10 minutes before shampooing. For a treatment, add a few drops to your hair conditioner, or make a hair mask with hemp seed oil, apply, leave for 30 minutes and rinse.

Skin

Rich in omega fatty acids, hemp seed oil is particularly beneficial for those with acne, eczema, psoriasis, and inflammatory skin conditions. It dissolves stale sebum and drives out grime, dirt and pollution from deep within the pores while its moisturising properties create a protective barrier over the skin to prevent moisture loss. It also moderates oil production, soothes inflammation, contains anti-aging properties and is non-comedogenic which means it doesn’t clog pores.

How to care for dry skin naturally? For general face and body, either use alone or add a few drops to moisturiser for extra benefits. To nourish cracked heels, dry hands and elbows or reduce the appearance of scars, massage a small amount into the affected area daily until healed. For a complete body treatment, combine hemp seed oil with an exfoliant like raw sugar to make a scrub, and rub all over your body.

Body
Hemp seed oil is one of the best plant-based proteins and contains high-quality nutrients that offer many health benefits. The omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in hemp seed oil helps to lower cholesterol levels and support weight loss by accelerating the body’s metabolic process. These essential fatty acids also improve immunity and regulate intestinal flora.

To Use: Hemp seed oil is not suitable for cooking with heat as it has a low smoke point. Instead, use cold for salad dressings and smoothies. Alternatively, consume 1 to 2 tablespoons of hemp seed oil daily or as recommended by your health professional. Larger doses can be toxic.

More reading: 

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The world's first plastic free crystal deodorant stick

Reduce unwanted odours from sweat this summer with Biork, the world's first plastic free crystal deodorant stick.

The trend towards mineral or crystal deodorants without aluminium is increasing as more people experience skin irritations when they use deodorant with aluminium chlorides and other artificial ingredients. The anti-bacterial agent of Biork is a potassium crystal, also called alum which has been used as an antibacterial and deodorant since ancient times, especially in Asia. Biork’s deodorant without aluminium comes from Europe and contains a natural aluminium sulphate compound that does not have the harmful side effects of aluminium chlorides commonly found in commercial antiperspirant deodorants. Potassium alum remains on the surface of the skin and fights the bacteria to reduce odours, whereas aluminium chlorides penetrate the skin’s pores, constricts and deforms them. When the pores are blocked, the skin cannot breathe, and this causes skin irritations and stains.

The crystal used in Biork is encased in a container made of cork sustainably sourced from Portugal. Cork is a no waste material that is obtained from the bark of cork oaks. It’s a renewable raw material that’s easy to recycle and is recommended by nature conservation organisations as cork oaks contribute in a highly valuable manner to mitigating climate change. Cork oaks store up to 30 per cent more CO2 than other trees, and a cork oak that has its bark is harvested regularly binds more than three times as much CO2 as an unused tree. With an area of around 2.3 million hectares, the Mediterranean cork oak forests absorb around 13 million tonnes of CO2 per year. 

Biork is suitable for unisex use and is free from aluminum chlorohydrate, alcohol, perfumes, parabens, preservatives and dyes. To use Biork, you simply moisten the crystal with water, glide it over the skin where needed and pat the crystal dry for storage. Biork will provide up to 24hrs of protection against sweat odour, and one stick will last for over 12 months.

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Carving a sustainable solution with coconuts

When Jake McKeon stumbled across painted coconut bowl souvenirs while travelling around Bali, he thought the bowls in their raw state would be great to sell in his health food business. Following this thought, Jake filled his bags with coconut bowls and returned to Australia. Within six weeks the first batch sold out, and within three months the sales of the coconut bowls surpassed the health food products. “At this point, I decided to create a new business and in January 2016 I launched Coconut Bowls,” says Jake.

After launching the business, Jake began to realise the significant environmental and ethical impacts of his new venture. “Of the billions of coconuts harvested each year for the coconut oil, water and flesh industries, 99 per cent of their shells are discarded and burned as waste,” says Jake. “This contributes significantly to CO2 and methane emissions, and the smoke is an environmental and health hazard to humans and animals.”

Coconut Bowls is now part of the solution to this environmental issue. Jake reclaims coconut shells from companies that treat them as a bi-product and up-cycles them into beautiful eco-friendly bowls. His craftsman cut, clean and sand the coconut shells, turning them into beautiful coconut bowls that you can eat from. Each coconut bowl is then finished with an organic virgin coconut oil polish. “Every coconut bowl is unique with its own shape, size, marking and imperfections - they're one in a billion,” says Jake.

Jake strives to build a company that supports all three pillars of sustainability, environmental, social and economic otherwise known as planet, people and profits. Jake is regularly asked about the fair-trade status of the coconut bowls, and although this is a certification he would ideally like to obtain, it’s currently unachievable due to the current operations of the only three fair trade coconut farms in Vietnam. “We have investigated working with these farms, but due to the large scale that they operate, the way they open coconut shells prevent us from being able to up-cycle them,” says Jake.

Instead, Jake chooses to adhere to his own moral and ethical values, by working with a number of smaller family farms where he pays farmers to sort and package the coconut shells into the sizes he requires. “This ensures they receive an income from products that they otherwise would have to pay to dispose of or burn themselves,” says Jake. This income makes a difference for the farmers Jake works with, who are considered some of the poorest in the country, often earning the equivalent of $1 to $2 per day whereas a single collection from Coconut Bowls can total hundreds of dollars. “With regular collections across the year, the income from discarded coconuts can be more than what they earn for the coconuts themselves,” says Jake.

Once collected from the farms, the coconut shells are sent to a workshop, where local craftspeople and artisans sand and polish the shells. The workers are paid more than double fair-trade standards which is 30 per cent more than regular incomes for similar jobs and receive food, drinks and regular breaks throughout the day. “One of the wonderful things about our workshop is that many of the artisans are family. This is desirable within the Vietnamese culture as many workers must travel hours every day to get to their workplace, meaning less time is spent with family,” says Jake.

Coconut Bowls has grown from strength to strength over the years. Jake has fostered a hub focused on plant-based eating and mindful living, and is currently is working towards achieving B Corporation certification. Jake believes environmental sustainability involves participating every day in making positive decisions that will foster a sustainable future for humans and all beings alike.

“The reason sustainability is so important is very simple; our future and the future of our children depend on it.”

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