This is a guest article by Josianne Hosner from Quittenduft. I met Josianne at an event organized by my mentor Andrea Hiltbrunner and was impressed by her knowledge and her business idea of not only producing natural cosmetics but also offering workshops on the subject.
And I thought that the topic of natural cosmetics would certainly interest many of my readers, because we not only feed ourselves with food, our body also absorbs nutrients through the skin, which then actually end up in the body! That's why it's not only important to pay attention to what's in your food, but also in the skincare products you use every day.
You can find out more about Josianne at the end of the article and on her website www.quittenduft.ch.
My path to homemade natural cosmetics
15 years ago, I sat on a rock and looked out over a deep, clear lake. It was quiet, the volcano on the other shore mighty, and the tortilla in my hand tasty. I was in Guatemala.
Behind me were several dozen avocado trees, as numerous as our apple trees. Many overripe avocados lay on the ground, brown. But there were also avocados that were still delicious and went wonderfully with my tortilla.
Suddenly I remembered the avocado face packs I loved as a teenager. Hair conditioners with avocado. Shower gels 'with valuable avocado extract'.
So I ventured into a completely different kind of skin experiment, grabbed three beautiful avocados, opened them, squashed their flesh in my hands and spread them all over my arms, stomach, legs and head. I sat there like a green, quirky woman by the lake, all alone (luckily no one saw me), and found the whole situation terribly amusing.
I giggled, I enjoyed the piece of nature on my skin and felt the vitality of the healthy, fresh fruit, which I washed off in the clear water after a while and felt great afterwards. And no, I didn't have baby-soft skin afterwards. It was that of a twenty-year-old woman. Fortunately, you are as old as you are!
Natural cosmetics: an early love
My love for natural, healthy natural cosmetic products was sparked early on. Probably the first scent I can remember was the homemade St. John's wort oil on my grandmother's cheeks.
Over the last 15 years, I have tried, learned, researched and tested many things - and the conclusion speaks more and more clearly to me: less is more when it comes to skincare.
My skin is happier with a few healthy, fresh products than with a multitude of products where I have no idea what is actually in them. So over the last 5 years, one quince-scented natural cosmetic productafter another has been created - my range has always expanded when I or someone in my family felt the need for an ointment, oil or cream.
Not all natural cosmetics are the same
I always laugh when I see one of these advertisements: "Night serum with valuable jojoba oil", or "Rich day cream with fresh evening primrose extract" ......
Please understand me correctly, jojoba oil, the evening primrose extract, is indeed valuable and ingenious! In my opinion, they just don't need the rest of the product, but can be used pure on the skin in its original form.
A really expensive face lotion with a 'fresh/natural' ingredient is likebuying a ready-made pizza and then putting a fresh basil leaf on it. It would be healthier to just eat the basil leaf. Because nobody talks about the ingredients, which are in almost all conventional cosmetic products.
The mostly overpriced products of the big companies are simply sold well. They have great marketing strategies. They make you believe that if you pay CHF 230 for a 30 ml jar, you will become a fountain of youth overnight. That Aragan oil will make you look 20 years younger.
But is that true?
Fortunately not. Try touching a lady's mantle leaf. Or a hazelnut. Or caress a ripe quince, a plum. They all have different textures, they are all equally 'beautiful'!
There is a wonderful book called 'Naturkosmetik selber machen' by Pia Hess from Bern, with lots of great recipes. At first I was always skeptical when it said 'can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days'. Now I am delighted with this sentence. Because it means: the product is fresh. Very, very fresh.
Look, there are creams that have a shelf life of 10 years.
Of course it says on the jar 'use within 12 months of opening'. But their consistency and smell remain unchanged year after year.
Can it still be good for your skin? What exactly is in it?
So it's an advantage if a product doesn't last forever! But you need to change your mindset before you can see that as a quality.
The skin eats with
Our skin is great and capable of a lot! And it doesn't matter what you put on your skin. The skin has a big mouth (approx. 1.7 square meters) and eats too! And it doesn't want to be constantly "overfed" with junk food.
In my herbal ointment courses, I always ask this question: which of the beauty products in your bathroom would you spread on your bread like butter and eat with pleasure?
Find two or three products that are good for you.
Try things out - play with the seasons, with your cycle - because, who would have thought it, your skin is not always the same and doesn't need the same care day in, day out. Get involved in exploring and discovering - it's fun!
And if you think that natural cosmetic products are far too expensive, I can confidently say: the quality is worth the price. You will need much less of a facial oil than a cream. You don't need 10 different lotions - one good one is enough.
Natural cosmetic oils
I have long been a big fan of face and body oils. Here, a natural, healthy base oil (e.g. apricot kernel oil, evening primrose oil, jojoba oil) is mixed with essential oils and applied pure to the skin. Who now If you think you're walking around with a shiny pear, you're wrong!
The oil is wonderfully absorbed, doesn't clog the pores and nourishes the skin beautifully. Especially if you don't dry off completely after a bath or shower, for example, and then rub yourself with an oil - you only need a small amount and the remaining water on your skin, mixed with the oil, has created its own 'lotion' that can now be gently absorbed.
There are many factors involved in radiant skin, and many of them don't come from a miracle jar with incomprehensible, in my opinion even harmful, ingredients!
A suitable diet, healthy sleepa good personal environment, healthy drinks and refreshing walks in the forest - all of these make the skin glow. A twinkle in your eye, a friendly face and minimal body care with healthy, natural products will thank you for your skin for a long time to come.
"I feel good in my skin " - that's what I wish for you!
About Josianne Hosner
With my yellow rubber boots and a song on my lips, I pick fresh herbs in my healthy garden - and conjure up precious herbal ointments and fresh natural cosmetics from them. For more than 5 years, I have been passionately dedicated to the theme of moon time. Earthy and playful, open-minded and relaxed, I walk through life - and if I were an Indian, I would probably belong to the clan of the happy prairie chickens.
Do you have any questions for Josianne? Do you already have experience with natural cosmetics? We look forward to your comment!
