5 Reasons to Make Your own Skincare

15/09/202202/08/2023

Make your own skincare benefits

Make your own skincare may sound daunting but it isn’t as difficult as you might have thought and it comes with many benefits. With a bit of creativity and research, you can make almost anything you need. You don’t need to have any particular fancy skills or knowledge. There are plenty of easy-to-make recipes available online. Here are some of my favourite reasons to ditch store-bought skincare products and make your own skincare.

5 reasons to make your own skincare products

Trust

Everything you put on your skin is absorbed into your body so it is important to be mindful of what is in your skincare. Many people don’t want to use products that contain synthetic ingredients or undesirable and potentially harmful chemicals. When you buy a skincare product it can be hard to know what you are really putting on your skin. The ingredient list often contains things we don’t know how to pronounce let alone understand. It’s hard to trust products with a long list of unknown ingredients on the back.

When you make a sugar scrub with 3 ingredients, there is no question about the safety of the product, you know exactly what is in it. When making your own skincare you can make sure you are happy with the ingredients, understanding what they are and their benefits. Lots of natural ingredients also have magical benefits for the skin, so there is no need for anything extra. You can keep it natural, simple, and minimal.

Cost

Beauty is a multimillion-dollar industry. Luxury beauty products can cost up to £100. What you are really paying for is fancy branding and marketing, not the ingredients themselves. In reality, you can probably bulk buy all the ingredients you need for a fraction of the cost. You may even have some of the ingredients lying around your house.

The ingredients in store-bought skincare might not always be what they are cracked up to be. Did you know many skincare products contain 70 – 90 % water? This means you are mostly paying for a filler, not an active ingredient that will nourish your skin. When you make your own skincare you can create more concentrated and effective blends that maximise the ingredients and minimise the costs.

Personalisation

Making your own skincare means you can tailor and personalise the products to suit your needs. You know exactly what’s going into each product, which is essential if you have skin sensitivities or allergies. You can choose if you want no preservatives, fragrances, or colourings.

How many times have you bought a skincare product just to find out it doesn’t work for your skin? The beauty of making your own skincare is you can make a small tester batch first and alter it as needed. Personalize your products to suit you – your skin type, your ethics and values, the aromas you like, and the benefits you want to see.

The environment

By making your own skincare you can save on plastic waste and single-use packaging by reusing your packaging again and again. You can also pick whatever type of packaging you would prefer and avoid plastic altogether.

Being able to make products in small batches before committing to a formula can also help save on waste. If you buy a product that doesn’t work for your skin then the whole lot will most likely end up in the bin, but if you make your own you can try out different recipes until you find one you like. Choosing to use natural ingredients can also save the environment from harmful chemicals that go down the drain and into our waterways.

The percentage of water in skincare also affects its environmental footprint. Water adds weight and volume to store-bought products creating more carbon emissions when shipping. When you bulk buy ingredients less plastic is used and there is no added water.

It is more fun

Making your own skincare products gives you a chance to be innovative. If you love cooking or making crafts, DIY skincare projects might be an excellent new creative outlet. Making your own skincare can become addictive as you try out different recipes to find the ones that work best for your skin. You can even start making gifts for others. What’s more special than a gift that is handmade and personalised?

Final thoughts for making your own natural skincare

DIY beauty and skincare products can be very rewarding for a variety of reasons. From having control over what goes in them, to customizing according to preferences, reducing waste, saving money and more. Why not start today?

It can feel empowering not having to rely on big businesses. A passion for making your own skincare can even transform into a business itself.

Luxury Adviser: How I Transformed My Therapy Business

05/07/202112/07/2023

Luxury Adviser Feature: How I Transformed My Therapy Business Online During The Pandemic Article

Luxury Adviser Feature -July 2021

When I launched my business Me-Time Therapies 24 years ago, my main offering was in-person massage and therapy treatments. For these appointments, I had developed a range of natural, sustainable massage balms to use on clients.

The rise of clean beauty

Over the years I noticed that there was a huge demand for clean, eco-friendly beauty products using natural ingredients, something I was already making on a small scale for my clients. In 2017, I refined my products and their packaging and started selling on Amazon as an additional source of income.

People really care about what what goes into their skincare products so I am completely transparent about the ingredients I use. Similarly, the packaging used for all of my ranges is reusable and eco-friendly and everything is handmade with care by myself.

My massage balm, body butter, lip balm and self care kits, all use eco-friendly and 100% natural ingredients. What sets my products apart is that, given my aromatherapy background, I can create aromatherapy blends that will help customers feel relaxed or invigorated depending on their needs.

The impact of the pandemic

The client side of the business was still my primary source of income, so when the pandemic hit last year forcing me to halt all consultations I went into panic mode. I had appointments booked in that had to be cancelled and I had to completely rethink how I was going to make an income.

I refocused my business strategy on my products and doubled down efforts online. People were becoming increasingly conscious on mindfulness during a time of isolation, and demand for products like mine increased. People were either looking for something to use themselves, or as a gift to check in with loved ones.

How I shifted to sell clean beauty online

Thanks to having established a small business Storefront on Amazon, the pivot to a more product-led business model was fairly straightforward and it became my main source of income. This meant I was already in a good place to reach new customers and fulfil orders. Amazon’s distribution network was one of the ways I could maintain sales with a good service to customers.

With Amazon handling fulfilment, it meant I was able to focus more on making the high-quality products that my customers have grown to expect. As I am the only person in the business, it is reassuring to know that this aspect of my business is in capable hands.

There were several key ways I adapted my strategy to not only sustain the income I had lost from therapies, but make my products a more prominent part of my business and continue to grow during this time:

I solidified the relationships with suppliers and placed more considered orders for materials strategic order sizes to ensure I was always properly equipped and limiting wastage.

I doubled down on production and increased the inventory held with Amazon to meet the increased demand for my products. This helped me to not only meet delivery deadlines, but also expectations of my customers.

I expanded my product ranges to cater to new customer needs. As we emerged from the first Lockdown in July 2020, and massage therapists were returning to work, I developed the Muscle Relax Balm for more professional use. Similarly, in the run-up to Christmas, I launched the Self-Care Kit which proved as a popular gift as people isolated over the festive season.

Me Time Therapies Beauty Secrets Article

20/09/202012/07/2023

Beauty secrets Green Parent Article – Sept 2020

https://thegreenparent.co.uk/articles/read/metime-therapies-beauty-secrets

Extract from Me Time Therapies Beauty Secrets Article

I started out offering Complementary therapies and over the years have branched out into teaching short courses in Indian head massage, Aromatherapy and Reflexology. In the past 3 years, I have trained as a Mindfulness teacher and now offering 8-week Mindfulness classes. I have also created a natural skincare range over the past 3 years .

The natural skincare products are

· Vegan Body Butter

· Relaxing Massage Balm

· Invigorating Citrus Massage Balm

· Make your own Body Butter & Lip Balm kit (Vegan)

Even though I have been in business for over 20 years, I only started to focus on my brand three years ago when I was creating my first product; Make your Own Body butter & Lip Balm kit.

By offering Wellness therapies, courses and products, my brand is about helping others and being of benefit to them by sharing my knowledge and skills.

SELF-CARE SECRETS

1. An Epsom Salt bath with Neroli & Geranium Aromatherapy oils followed by lying on top of my bed with a cosy blanket and doing a Mindfulness Body Scan.

2. Getting out into nature either into my garden or a walk by the sea helps me calm down when I feel overwhelmed by my ‘To-Do List’.

3. I also use Hand Reflexology when I am feeling anxious by massaging the Diaphragm, Solar Plexus and Head reflexes. I can do this anywhere (travelling or at home) as my hands are easily accessible.

BUSINESS PLANS

I am about to launch a Muscle Relax Massage Balm which is suitable for Body Massage, Indian head massage or for achy muscles post-exercise.

I teach a Self-Care Wellbeing Day and I am formulating a plan in how to create this as a Self-Care Kit to launch in October to sell as a Christmas gift.

THREE WAYS TO BE MORE SUSTAINABLE

1. Food – buying fresh ingredients, bulk buying nuts, pulses& rice and avoiding processed, over-packaged foods.

2. Organic gardening – having a compost bin and by avoiding pesticides it has encouraged bees & butterflies into my garden.

3. Making as many natural skincare products myself and buying natural skincare products that are free synthetic chemicals & preservatives.

Plastic free mission at Me-Time Therapies

15/07/202012/07/2023

Meet the Maker - Eco products by Me-Time Therapies

Plastic free mission

My Plastic free mission when creating the Make your own Body Butter & Lip Balm kit in 2017 was to make it as ethical as possible and to help you cut down on 1-use plastic packaging.

The kraft Cardboard Box: you can reuse it for e.g. store jewellery, hair accessories, craft accessories or Aromatherapy oils

The aluminium tins: you can reuse them when you make a new batch of Lip Balms & Body butters. You can also use them to decant sun lotion, aloe gel, after sun when going on holiday.

Bottle: the bottle is 100ml so you can reuse it for lotions to put into hand luggage/handbag to meet airport restrictions of the size of liquid bottles.

Tissue paper: you can reuse it for wrapping presents.

Making your own skincare helps with going plastic-free

By learning to make your own natural skincare, you are cutting down on purchasing one-use plastic skincare containers and bottles. By following the Recipe Cards and video tutorials, you will see how easy it is to make your own natural skincare in your kitchen. You can reuse the aluminium jars provided in the kit over and over again for your Body Butters and Lip Balms.

Massage Balms & Vegan Body butter

In 2018, I added to the natural skincare range and now offer

Relaxing Massage Wax|Balm

Relaxing Massage Balm

Invigorating (Citrus) Massage Balm

Invigorating Citrus Massage Wax|Balm

Muscle Relax Massage Balm

Muscle Relax Massage Balm|Wax

Vegan Body Butter

I use aluminium jars for the Massage Balms and the Body butter rather than hard plastic containers or 1-use plastic skincare jars/bottles. Once the balms and body butter have been used, the aluminium containers can be washed and reused or repurposed e.g. storing seeds to sow in the garden, storing paper clips or coins.

Joanne Thompson

I’ve tried the new Comforting Massage balm for over a month now and it’s certainly easing my aches and pains. Took a few days to start seeing a difference but my osteoarthritis in my hands isn’t as painful and neither is my lower back. Think I’m just going to put it on my knees now too. It’s great that it doesn’t smell either so people don’t ask you if you are using deep heat as soon as you walk through the door. Worth the investment.

S B

I’ve tried Me-Time Therapies balms before and love the products so I was excited to try the new comforting balm. I was not disappointed. I’ve suffered from knee pain and joint pain in my hands for some time now but since using the comforting balm, my pain has considerably improved. I have found the results to be quite amazing and it feels lovely in your skin which is an added bonus. I’m closely keeping my eyes open for any new product from this company!

Elspeth Walker

Me-time therapy balms are incredible. There is a new balm out called Comforting Balm. It’s a miracle balm. It soothes all types of pain and especially arthritis complaints. As a therapist (25yrs) my hands get very sore. Not now! Thank you Me-Time Therapies

Niamh Clancy

I purchased the self-care kit as an activity to do with my flat mates to unwind after a stressful week of lectures and studying for exams. The products were a great size and perfect for a group activity on a Friday evening ! The clay face masks were so relaxing and the hand reflexology videos were so informative and de-stressing, to accompany the beautifully smelling body butter. The pamper evening finished off with a lovely refreshing mist of orange blossom water. The kit was a great purchase and there is plenty left over to do another pamper night ! Perfect for a well needed self care night.

Grace Budge

I love this balm, the scent provides an ambience conducive to relaxing.and it has a silky non greasy texture that leave my feet nourished and the skin is smooth and soft.

jacqueline McGrath

I have been looking for a product that will help with rosacea and discovered this product- I could feel the face clay working it’s magic and can see and feel the difference in my skins condition. Added benefit was the vegan body butter. This is really good on dry skin- especially around heels…. The packaging is lovely- and really good instructions. I thoroughly enjoyed the hand reflexology and learned a lot from that. The blossom face spray has a lovely scent. I also thought the cloth that was included was a very high quality product . So overall- I am very impressed with the quality of product and packaging and am looking forward to trying out more products from this range.

Lisa McCormick

I have been using the relaxing massage balm for use during Indian head massage on my clients and they all comment on how nice it smells, I love how well it goes on and would definitely recommend it for this use. It’s also great for control on how much you use

Judith Dunn

I really appreciate the Muscle Relaxing Massage Balm. I’ve been using it for a few months now whilst recovering from some serious injuries caused by an accident. The feel of rubbing it in is so therapeutic, and with its gorgeous texture and aroma it is lovely to use, hugely soothing and calming. I am certain this product has been key to getting my body working again, so thank you Geraldine for your wonderful product.

Vijay Chumber

Brilliant products used in my clinic, ethical, natural and super smooth on the skin. The scent is lush and leaves an everlasting impression. Great value all round with service, quality and sustainability in mind. Excellent overall! Craven Physio Clinic

Fiona Robertson

I bought four Me-Time Self-Care Kits recently as gifts for friends - two who were under a great deal of stress with work and family issues, one who is under-going treatment for cancer and one who is struggling through a difficult menopause. Apart from the products, which are entirely natural and smell wonderful, my main motivation for buying these was the very original link to the reflexology and meditation videos. I have never seen this with any other gift product and, given their individual circumstances, I knew that my friends would appreciate them - and they certainly did! One friend was keen to try meditation, but had no idea how to start and this was the ideal introduction. The others said that it was a wonderful boost to morale in difficult times and, combined with the lovely products, was the perfect excuse to carve out some essential, therapeutic me-time. This little kit is very aptly named and is a very thoughtful gift for anyone in need of some time to themselves and a spot of mindful pampering. I'll definitely be buying more in future - including one for myself!