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Storing Fresh and Dried Ingredients For Homemade Cosmetics

Buying and storing all your homemade cosmetic ingredients properly is of fundamental importance to the overall process of making them. The suppliers listed in the directory on the following two pages give you a range of professional suppliers of all the ingredients you will need to successfully make skin creams, lotions, toners, deodorants, shampoos, conditioners, and so forth.

Following are some tips on how to store and keep your ingredients properly, and also tips on storing your skin care products once you've made them

• All ingredients are best bought fresh. Although the different ingredients for the various cosmetics have differing shelf lives, it is a good habit to buy your ingredients only as you need them.
• Only buy sufficient quantities for your immediate requirements. Even if you can receive a discount for buying larger quantities of ingredients, unless you use it up quickly it could prove a false economy.
• Store your homemade cosmetics ingredients in a cool, dark, dry place away from drafts, light, damp, and heat. This will help prolong shelf life.
• Make sure you store your bottles of essential oils upright, in a cool dark place.
• Many flower waters are supplied in thick, clear plastic bottles. Transfer them into dark glass bottles as soon as possible. Flower waters only have a limited shelf life, and storing them in dark glass bottles will help prolong this somewhat.
• Fresh ingredients such as yogurt, ground almonds, cucumber, herbs, fruits, and honey should be as fresh as possible, especially for organic produce.
• If you have used half a container of base lotion, cleanser, skin cream, or other base product, consider transferring the remainder to a smaller container. This will prevent too much air from coming into contact with the base ingredient, which could spoil it more rapidly.
• If you think something has gone bad because it has discolored or changed texture, then throw it away and buy new supplies. Using old, imperfect ingredients could affect how a recipe turns out, and you don't want to waste other ingredients.

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