What are homemade cosmetics?

Homemade cosmetics are beauty aids people make in their own homes, often using easy-to-find ingredients. Makeup, skin moisturizers, soaps and scrubs can all be made at home.

Many types of makeup, including eye shadow, blush and lipstick, can be made using bases and colorants. Mica makes an excellent base for blush and eye shadow. Lipstick bases include waxes, oils and lanolin. Pigments give all these products color.

A combination of waxes, oils and water makes a good homemade skin moisturizer. Essential oils add fragrance.

Recipes for homemade body scrubs might combine sugar or salt as an exfoliant with coconut, almond, safflower, olive or vegetable oil for moisturizing.