How do I get started with DIY?

Determine your needs before taking the plunge

When you start making your own beauty and wellness products, you often want to do everything, and sometimes the products you make don't always get used. We advise you to start with products you use every day, such as facial and body care products. Choose simple recipes too. You can then add more specific products that require a little more experience to make.

Do I need to stock up on raw materials to get started?

Not necessarily. For example, to make a cream, you only need 3 ingredients: an oil or butter, water and an emulsifier. Choose multi-use ingredients (skin and hair, for example). Vegetable oils, butters and clays are excellent bases. Remember to add a preservative to your preparations, as home-made products have a very short shelf life. Vitamin E, isocide, cosgard... the choice is yours.
Once you've got the hang of it, you'll be able to use more and more ingredients and active ingredients.

It's important to research the products you use, because allergies and other reactions are possible. Just because a product is natural doesn't mean it's harmless.
If you still find DIY too tedious, neutral bases are available to make things easier. They're ready-made, and all you have to do is add the active ingredients of your choice to personalize them.

Professional DIY equipment?

As with the ingredients, you don't need to buy dozens of utensils to make your skincare products. Most utensils are already available in your kitchen (whisk, kitchen scales, spoon...). Recovering old containers can help you get started.
You can, of course, buy a few utensils to get you started: a small whisk, a bowl for mixing, a few jars for storing your preparations, a precision scale or measuring spoons (Americans measure their ingredients with these kinds of spoons).

Hygiene is essential for your beauty and well-being DIYs

Before you start making your products, it's important to wash your hands or use hydroalcoholic gel. Germs and bacteria on your skin can spoil your preparations. All utensils must be clean and sterilized. You can heat sterilize them, but 90°C alcohol is very effective.

Pleasure first

Many people have tried their hand at making their own cosmetics, but soon stopped. If your creations aren't identical to the ones you wanted to reproduce, that's perfectly normal. It's with time, curiosity and the desire to learn that you improve. The most important thing is to enjoy doing things yourself, and above all to be proud of what you've achieved.

To help you, we regularly propose simple recipes in the "DIY recipes" section.