Kari writes:
I’m sure a lot of you have noticed the recent trend of using ‘natural products’. It seems only fitting, right? Use natural products on your natural head of hair! Some of the most popular product lines on sale today have a few things in common: they use minimal ingredients, and those ingredients tend to be natural and/or easy to find and mix ourselves! It makes me wonder: why don’t I make my own products? Being a product junkie (and proud of it!) it seems foreign to me to put down the credit card and back away from the online shopping cart, and instead turn to the oils, butters, and refrigerator items that I own and are always ‘in stock’. Actually, making my own mixes could even be more fun than buying the mixes of others!
So I ask: How many of you make your own products? Do you find that they work better than store bought ones? Or would you rather save time and test out the products of others rather than mix your own (even if you have many of the ingredients listed in those items)?
I definitely am a PJ and I am cool with that I do make my own products but I do buy my shampoo, cheapie conditioners, and my SM curl smoothie to twist my hair but I add to my conditioners to make all sorts of concoctions and it is SOOOOOO FUN to me! So I keep mixin and creating stuff and I will keep doing that until I don't enjoy it anymore if that ever happens!!!!
Thanks Lucky,
I must say that I too am a producdt junkie, however i prefer being a pj now over my own stuff. I can mix up some stuff. My daughter calls it
"hair poo" lol. I love it and it's good for our skin also. Becoming natural has changed my whole world!
I'm a serious mixtress. I mix my own whipped hair and body butters, deep conditioning treatments, leave-in condishes, facial mist treatments, pre-poos, softening foot salves, you name it and I can mix it. I got 11 different butters (everything from coco, shea, mango, coffee, illipe, cucupu, etc.), a slew of herbs, a whole lot of different oils and numerous miscellaneous items. There are lots of herbal books out there as well as info on the web.
I hope this helps someone: ROE (rosemary oil extract–not the same as rosemary essential oil) is a heck of a preservative. When I make my products, I use several natural preservatives to keep my batches mold-free. Tea tree, cinnamon, vitamin E (preferably T-50 or T-100), honey, citric acid,etc. can all extend the life of your products.
Also, to inhibit bacteria, make sure your containers are clean. Keep a small amount of alcohol in your empty containers. When it's time to use them, dump the alcohol and wash with distilled water. Allow to air-dry and fill with your product.
Well the only products that I do make are a shea butter and oil mixture and flax seed gel but I recently found a recipe that combines them together to make a styling cream. Hopefully that works out good then I wont need both. But i am 50-50 on buying and making products. I've gotten over my pj days now so i will buy some things (only natural though)and I will make some. So I spend some money and I save some. It works for me
I only mix a few things on my own right now. I have my shea butter mixture, kimmatube's leave in conditioner, and oils. It will save you money in the long run if you don't mind making it and it usually lasts long. I'm all for natural products and youtube is a great place to get recipes.
I love making my own stuff and controlling what goes in my hair and on my skin.
I make hair oil, body oil, shea souffle,body cream, shampoo and I'm looking to make leave-in conditioner and shampoo bars with out lard…
I'm avoiding chemicals and I enjoy pampering myself and saving money!
I'm definitely a mixtress lol. I can't afford or find unrefined shea butter in my neck of the woods, plus online shopping scares me so I just go to the grocery store and get some eggs, butter, crisco, and maybe lard plus some castor oil in the laxative section or go to a health food store for the organic oils. I whip up egg whites and use that as a mousse, I put the egg yolks into my deep conditioner (store bought) or mayo. I whip up the crisco or lard until it's nice and fluffy and then I add vegetable glycerin to it and oils and maybe a little conditioner or aloe vera and I got myself a knock off shea butter mix. With the butter, I boil it until I make ghee and use that as an overnight treatment. I love being a mixtress lol.
I mix H E hello hydration conditioner + olive oil + coconut oil and it works like a charm every time. I plan on adding aloe vera juice to my next mix and then it would be more like the kimmaytube leave in. The aloe vera juice is supposed to lay down your hair cuticles so that it would be more smooth and less susceptible to split ends and breakage.
I am a mixer and it works for me. I like to make multi use products. I also purchase products from the store and it works well considering my household is also natural and they use alot of product. With the economy so crazy I am looking into more oils and juices to add and get a little more creative. If Im eating natural foods then I have to make sure my hair has the same advantage.
Plan on making a batch of Kimmaytube Leave-In. Just today a friend of mine exclaimed to me, "It works." So after purchasing some jojoba oil, castor oil, and aloe vera juice, I will be whipping up a batch using Giovanni Direct Leave-In or Oyin Handmade Honey Hemp conditioner. Aside from that, I plan on making my own moisturizing spray and shea-aloe mix. Wish me luck ladies!
I definitely mixing my own products. It really gives me a sense of self-satisfaction. I get to control what goes into my own products.
I like mixing my own products as well. So far there are 3 mixtures I've created that have worked well for me.
1. My leave in spritz for extra moisture during the week: Suave coconut conditioner + coconut oil + aloe vera juice + water.
2. Kimmaytube leave in: KKKT/Giovanni Direct Leave in + jojoba oil + castor oil + aloe vera juice.
3. Body lotion/(night) face cream/ Hair sealant: Shea butter + coconut oil + castor oil + jojoba oil+ aloe vera juice.
As you can see the main 4 ingredients in all of my mixes are jojoba oil, castor oil, coconut oil and aloe vera juice. I always try to keep them on hand. Also extra virgin olive oil is really great to use, especially since you can find it at any grocery store.
Living in Spain means that there is no easy access to products, and shipping is horrendously expensive. So I have gotten into the habit of mixing. I usually mix everything from my shampoo (with camomille tea and soap flakes), to my deep treatments (usually a yogurt base), to my sealants (with shea butter base). i do buy my conditioners to co-wash. and the one thing i have indulged in by ordering away foris SheaMoisture Shea Butter Leave-in conditioner. that's a special treat for me.
I'm not making my own hair products but I have started using the Oil Cleansing Method on my face. I've put down the commericial face products and picked up the Castor oil, EVOO, and Tea Tree oil to clease my face. I LOVE it!!
I too am a mixologist and proud of it 🙂 I love being able to use the same product from head to toe and have that plastic feeling on my face and body. And, a little goes a long way.
I enjoy making my own gel, deep conditioner, leave-in, hot oil treatments and shine sprays. Yes I do order and buy other products, but I find that most of the concoctions I make are of equal value (sometimes better) than the stuff I buy. I just like getting presents in the mail LOL Instead of buying that $20+ DC that says it had coconut oil, you're better off buying a $10 jar of coconut oil from the Vitamin Shoppe and adding it to a regular conditioner. Not only will it save you money but you know for a fact that your product has real coconut oil, not 1% of some kind of filler.
Mixtress here! I'm a full time college student and single mom of 2. I make my gel with flax seeds. I mix coconut oil and grape seed oil for hot oil treatments and for me and my kids skin. I try to keep things really simple. I have made home cleaners for years and years. Simple mixes of vinegar, water and tea tree oil to clean surfaces, baking soda and borax to clean just about everything else. It's very affordable and super easy.
I'm a PJ (but I've got a lot better, nowadays I also buy cheap stuff; in the past I only believed in brand one). I am not fond of mixtures, though I've made my shea butter mix months ago. What I dislike about using my own potions is the date of expiration. Real natural stuff needs to be done almost right before being used. I already spend some time only washing and styling my hair. If I had to prepare the masks, I'd certainly apply deep treatments twice a year, which would be death for my hair :-). From Brazil.
Mixing my own hair products did not appeal to me. I tried doing this after reading about it. Not for financial reasons, but because I thought it would be healthier and more natural. However, I finally realized I do not like natural scents that many people were using and suggesting others use in their mixes, i.e. lemongrass, lavendar, etc.
I much prefer the scents of products I find in stores. I appreciate the shelf life of such products. I like being able to read reviews on products before I buy and not use myself as a guinea pig. Lastly, I'm just too lazy to bother with mixing anything anymore. It was a fun diversion, but I know myself and mixing isn't for me…but I'll buy YOURS! LOL
i wouldn't call myself a mixtress at all. and it's weird because i'm a chemist and i love to cook/bake from scratch, but i do not have the same feeling of accomplishment by mixing my own hair products. more power to y'all, but store bought products are the way for me.
I'm a beginning mixtress. I mix my oils. But, I am slowly learning about other things to create. If it saves money and provides good health, I'm all for it.
Oh my! I am a true mixtress! I'm not sure exactly what sparked it but this is definitely my path of choice right now. I'm a Southern gal so being in the kitchen gives me a feeling of calm & accomplishment. I just emerge from the kitchen with a new twisting gel instead of a piping hot meal! LOL! I don't have the time it requires to research all the ingredients that are in store-bought products. Making products myself allows me to add the things that I know my hair & body likes. I can make as much or as little as my space allows. As time has gone by I've slowly rid my regimen of all but a handful of store-bought staples. I'm sure that by the time those run out, I will have figured out how to make a comparable dupe of those, too!
I buy products and make my own. I enjoy the fact that now when a product does not live up to my expectations, I don't have to toss it out…I just add some of my "secret ingredients" and I have a "new and improved" product to try!
I am a PJ for sure. I've recently started to mix my own leave ins with oils and butters and I actually like the thrill of adding ingredients to create something new! The results thus far have been positive so say my healthy strands. I do have to say I still rely on store bought products as well as I am usually strapped for time. I agree that natural hair likes natural products best.
I do a little of both, I buy products and I make homemade stuff on my own. The problem with making homemade stuff is that it has a shortened shelf life compared to buying products that have a longer shelf life.
I dont necessarily make my own products but I do mix EVOO with aloe gel to make the curls less crispy for a braid out and I make my own leave-in conditioner.
I want to get more into but haven't at this point in my journey.
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I wasn't a 'mixtress' for a long time because I thought it was just too much work when there were products already out there, but then after the sticker shock of some of the item I wanted and not REALLY finding products I could stick with I started mixing my own stuff, I do everything but shampoo and the recipies I have are super simple [4 ingredients or less] they use a lot of the same ingeredient so i dont need a cabinet full AND i found everything that can go on your hair can go on your skin so I've eliminated sooo much stuff.
I'm a mixtress. I make products for my hair and skin. I love it. I buy shampoo and conditioner from a health food store but I make everything else. It's wonderful and I wouldn't have it any other way.
I have made up my own concoctions, but I mainly rely on store bought products because I'm lazy, lol. I do quite like my rosewater, aloe vera juice, rosemary oil, peppermint oil, castor oil, and olive oil spray mix though, very refreshing!
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I mix just about everything but my shampoo. I keep store bought items on hand in case I run out of something and don't have time to mix something up. The thing I like most about mixing my own products is, I don't have to worry about what ingredients are actually in the product because I mixed it myself. I also don't have to worry about a company discontinuing something that I made a staple in my routine. I think it's fun to mix stuff too not to mention way cheaper. And it's moved over to other items not just for hair. I recently started making the soap my husband and I use and I've been making our lotions and cremes for the past 4 months. The satisfaction I got from rubbing my soap in my hands and creating a lather was amazing. I just kept saying to myself… you made that from scratch. 🙂
I am a "mixer" and PROUD of it! I like to mix products for my hair as well as for my body. (I've even started a little business from it.) My preference are things that I mix myself because I control what goes into the products and what's going on my body. There's a sense of satisfaction when you can look at something you've created and know "hey, I made that". I love it!
I too am a mixologist! I lost my job too and found that I could make my own Body butter/ hair butter. I pruchased them off line and threw together a bunch of the along with some EO's and a scent that makes ya wanna eat it! For reall my son calls it frosting! So far I made a batch for my self and put the leftovers into small sample size jars and gave them away to my family and they love it!
PS. Am I still a PJ uhhhhhhhhhh YUP!
I love making my own homemade hair recipes! And yes, your hair does love it much more. It's fresh, preservative free and the best part is you made it yourself. I make my own and I even sell a few 🙂 www.etsy.com/shop/mstashab
I like mixing some things, but right now I don't have a need to 'cause I BC'd and it's pretty short. But I am concerned about synthetic ingredients, so I mix my own body butter. I also mix my own scalp oils with sulfur powder and EOs. If I'm unable to mix anything, I stick to lines like Aubrey Organics and SOME Kiss My Face products.
I finally got my Kinky Curly Knot Today and made a batch of kimmaytube leave-in so yes I am a mixtress.
I find that I really enjoy mixing my own stuff up. Its fun and much cheaper than things in the store. All your really paying for is the pretty packaging….lol
I enjoy doing both. Mixing scents, oils and the like offers a creative outlet, and I most enjoy putting together spritzes and daily moisturizers using very simple recipes. But alas, what a treat it is to find an effective product on the shelf, like Shea Moisture at Target, plus we get to support the craft. And who doesn't enjoy receiving a package from an online seller, especially when you unwrap it and catch a whiff of a fantastic scent. I'm anxiously awaiting so Coco-Mango butter from Butters-and-Bars.com right now. Hey, Mr. Postman…
I am a "PJ" and due to some finacial hardship (job loss) I am forced to cut expenses. I have gone back and forth on making my own products or spending 200.00 in one day on hair products. My problem is I dont get the same consistency when I make up my own products and they dont have any shelf life.
I'm learning my "mixed" products can work just as well as store bought in regards to leave-ins and sealers. Except, of course, shampoos and co-wash conditioners! Once you learn what, how and which natural item responds to your hair, it becomes even better. Will that stop me from being a mini-pj? Probably not! lol!!