Natural beauty: Jane wrigglesworth explains how to use plants and herbs to make your own cosmetic creams

摘要

There is a great deal of satisfaction in replacing store-bought lotions and potions with homemade herbal concoctions. Creams, lotions, salves, lip balms and glosses can all be made at home, using herbs from your garden (although you have to buy a couple of ingredients from herbalists, health shops or over the internet too).Start with basic formulas because the complex ones are less stable, says naturopath and registered medical herbalist Valmai Becker, and can be affected by factors such as the oil content; the mucilage and astringents found in some herbal ingredients; and the chemical salts that can be found in mineral and spring water. "Creams are a little bit trickier than ointments because you're blending water and oil, which always makes things more difficult," Valmai says.