MAKE YOUR OWN COSMETICS

Natural beauty care is something I've been passionately interested in for as long as I can remember. My first attempt to make cosmetics involved rose petals and water, aged around three, and was actually intended as a magical concoction for the fairies I was convinced they were living under our weeping silver birch. But today there's a different reason why, whenever I can, I make my own cosmetics: I prefer to know exactly what I'm putting on my skin – just as I choose very carefully what I put in my mouth. And the penny is dropping that even so-called natural cosmetics aren't always as natural as they're cracked up to be. They may still contain a high percentage of chemicals – and many of us are making a lifestyle change to reduce our overall 'chemical load'.

By harnessing the power of plants and herbs yourself to make your own cosmetics using natural ingredients, you'll also know you're getting the full impact of plant goodness – benefits which have been understood by wise women down the centuries and chronicled by famous herbalists, among them Culpeper and Gerard. The truly botanical beauty world is full of skin-saving ingredients: rose, for anti-ageing; sage, as a deodorant; antioxidant-rich marigold, to soothe troubled complexions. You don't have to be a lady of leisure to make your own cosmetics, either: it's possible to whip up a cleanser, toner and moisturiser (plus a mask, to boot) far, far more quickly than it is to cook a three-course dinner.

I'm not pretending there's no place for shop-bought cosmetics – especially when there's too much to do in too little time, and now that there are certified-organic cosmetics on the market. (The Soil Association, in the UK, and Ecocert, in France, both certify cosmetics that meet their strict criteria, and you'll see their symbols on cosmetics available worldwide.) But there are some amazing alternatives to much of what you'll find at the beauty counter that are simple to make – and heaven to use. 

BEETROOT & GLYCERINE CHEEK & LIP TINT

Benefit cosmetics popularised the idea of 'cheek tints': sheer, liquid colour that delivers a just-got-back-from-a-seaside-walk glow. I wanted to come up with an all-natural version – and this is it.

45g (1 1/2 oz) raw beetroot, grated
3 tablespoons vegetable glycerine

Put beetroot and glycerine in the top of a bain marie. Heat gently for 15 minutes, cool, then strain into a small jug. Pour into a sealable container. Shake before use, then apply a dab on to your cheeks, blending well. Try smooshing it on your lips, too (it tastes delicious!).

ALOE VERA CLEANSER

According to beauty lore, this is pretty close to what Cleopatra – Egypt's own beauty queen – used to cleanse her face (including that famous eyeliner!)

30ml (1fl oz) aloe vera gel (either peel your own aloe leaves, or buy aloe vera gel from a natural foodstore)
50ml (2fl oz) olive oil
30ml (1fl oz) rosewater
4 drops rose essential oil
2 drops grapefruit seed extract

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor and decant into a small bottle. Ideally, keep in the fridge. Shake before use, as the ingredients may separate. Massage into your face and neck and remove with either a muslin wash cloth or plain water.

VITA-CARROT MASK

Carrot is incredibly rich in vitamin A, which has an anti-ageing activity when applied topically to the skin. This is good for even the most sensitive skins.

1 large carrot
1 tablespoon sweet almond oil
5 drops jasmine essential oil (optional)

Peel and liquidise carrot and strain off juice (you can drink this!) Blend pulp with sweet almond oil and add jasmine essential oil, if using, drop by drop. (I also like to add a few jasmine flowers, when they're in season.) Lie on an old towel and apply pulp to your cleansed face avoiding the eyes and mouth area. Relax and allow the mask to work for 10-15 minutes. Rinse well with warm water, then pat dry and moisturise as usual.

VITAMIN BOOST MOISTURISER

Some women swear by piercing a capsule of vitamin E and simply smearing the contents over their face. This recipe, however, turbo-charges the effect of the vitamin E with borage flower (starflower) oil, in a gorgeously moisturising blend.

1 tablespoon fresh marigold (calendula) petals or 1 teaspoon dried marigold flowers
150ml (1/4 pint) (1/4 pint) water
20g (3/4 oz) ( 3/4 oz) beeswax
100ml (3 1/2 fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon vegetable glycerine
30ml (1 fl oz) wheatgerm oil
2 capsules starflower oil
2 capsules vitamin E oil
15 drops frankincense essential oil

Put the herbs and the water into a saucepan and bring to the boil to make a 'decoction'. Leave to cool, then strain. Heat the beeswax in the oil in a bain marie until melted. Remove from the heat and slowly add the glycerine and two tablespoons of the herbal decoction, beating well with a hand or electric whisk. Pierce the capsules to extract the starflower and vitamin E oils, then beat in these and the wheatgerm oil. Transfer into a sterilised pot or jar and cover when completely cold. Use within two months.

RAVISHING ROSE COLOGNE

Alcohol is wonderful for extracting the fragrance from plants – as ancient perfumers knew – and it's very sterile, ensuring that homemade colognes and scents don't go 'off'. Alcohol is, in fact, still the main ingredient of most contemporary fragrances. Tincture of benzoin has a vanilla-like fragrance.

110g (4 oz) fresh, scented rose petals (must be unsprayed)
600ml (1 pint) vodka
50 drops rose essential oil
15 drops geranium essential oil
10 drops tincture of benzoin
50 ml (2 fl oz) vegetable glycerine

Put the rose petals in a large glass container. Put the vodka in a separate jug, and add the essential oils, drop by drop, the tincture of benzoin and, lastly, the glycerine. Pour over the rose petals. Shake daily for 3 weeks and decant into a beautiful bottle.

Josephine Fairley's The Ultimate Natural Beauty Book is published by Kyle Cathie and is available, for £14.99, from local bookshops.