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Tansy Lane - Tansy Lane
Story of a Recovering DIY Queen
Updated: Aug 15
I seriously used to DIY all the things. Serums, creams, balms, scrubs, toner, lotions, candles, perfumes. (Ok, I still make my own perfume.) I loved finding the bottles, making cute labels, having friends over for DIY night, making new recipes, and obviously making a mess. If there is a way to DIY without making a mess, I haven’t found it yet.
I collected a whole closet full of ingredients, jars, funnels, spray bottles, pipettes, droppers, essential oils (because ummm, no artificial fragrances allowed.) You name it, I had it. Which meant I’d also spent a fortune on my DIY habit.
Being a dedicated DIYer means you'll learn a LOT about synthetic ingredients and the importance of clean skin care. Everything you put on your body is absorbed whether it’s good or bad for you. It was all about healthy choices for me, creating a spa-like feel in my skincare products, and crafting something highly effective!
One of my favorite things to make and teach about was anything related to skincare. I like knowing what’s going on my face and body – knowing it’s pure and natural. I had access to a wonderful natural plant-based skincare line, but it had a complicated set of choices, and a multitude of ingredients. Even “clean” skincare can have corrective ingredients that produce negative results.
You’re most likely NOT going to run to the grocer and pick up high quality, well-sourced, oils, butters, and essential oils. And to me, that’s what makes DIYing so challenging: high quality ingredients, available through retail and in small amounts, aren't easy to come by and I have little confidence in what's on Amazon. Many times, the average “consumer” doesn’t have access to the very best and often unknown possibilities.
If you’re still DIYing skincare products at home or want to give it a try, here are some tips to make sure you’re creating safe products and not wasting them:
Learn how the ingredients in your recipe support one another synergistically
To avoid yeast, mold, and bacteria from growing in your DIY projects, learn about natural preservatives so your creations last longer. (Aloe Vera, Benzyl Alcohol, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate (salt), Sorbic Acid, Rosemary Extract, Grapefruit Seed Extract)
Recipes with water, clay, honey, and fruits are most likely to spoil very quickly without a high-quality natural preservative.
Use hygienic containers. It is easier to contaminate a product that is in an open jar than one dispensed from an air-tight container. To avoid cross contamination with daily use, choose pumps or sprays, a dropper, or a spatula.
Create small amounts. This will be more fun any way -- you’ll get to experiment and refine more often.
Whenever you can, remember to add an antioxidant such as Vitamin E to slow down product degradation.
The purity and sourcing of the carrier oils and butters you choose is every bit as important as any essential oils you add in your recipes.
Keep your work area clean! You don’t want to invite bacteria in before you even get started! I recommend a plant-based all natural cleaner so that you don’t introduce toxin-heavy chemicals into the pure products you’re wishing to create. Keep your hands clean!
After four or five years of DIYing, while I love what I learned, and the pure joy of the aromas in my kitchen when combining and creating, I’ve given it up. I was looking for perfection and confidence. I found myself running out of things when I was busy and would go a week or two without properly caring for my skin. The “joy” became a chore.
Except for crafting perfume, now I use the Yanahli skincare line found in our mercantile. It was a primary reason I opened Tansy & Lane: everyone needed (NEEDED) this quality of skincare. This line formulated by Mason Grove Farm has that DIY “feel,” that’s been masterfully crafted into simple skincare that benefits everyone. Fewer ingredients, each expertly sourced, and exquisitely combined for luxurious results.
You can join me over here on the other side of the DIY revolution or skip it altogether. You’ll still get the pure and simple without a whole lot of expense in bottles and ingredients. (I don’t have to lock the closet door anymore to keep my husband from asking “why aren’t you using ALL THIS?” Well, the short answer was – I am -- one ounce at a time. Which didn’t help my case in the discussion.)