Close shave

Susan Jane White Eats shoots & leaves

What hooked me into making my own beauty creams at home was the undeniable pleasure it adds to everyday life. The cosmetic industry is a headless beast, driven by an insatiable libido of profit. It makes good business sense to use cheap, low-quality ingredients with glitzy branding. I can’t stand being their target. So I vote with my wallet. It’s as good as giving industry giants the two fingers, and beatifically laughing into my own crazy-cool lab.

I ditched nasty skincare and junk food over a decade ago. The biggest surprise? I look and feel younger now than I did when I was 25, and my energy levels could rival a Pokemon on LSD. Rethinking your skincare regime is much easier than reformulating your diet. It’s a quicker journey with fewer steps, and involves complete indulgence. Score! If you’re worried about a pal’s health, home-made skincare is a speedy way to convert them to a wholefood diet. Crazy, right? It’s a gateway drug, my friends. Once you start to glow from the outside, imagine what food could do for your body from the inside?

The mantra for making this body butter is ‘melt, freeze, whip’. It takes 15 minutes of casual supervision, while you potter about your kitchen doing more important things like daydreaming about being Michelle Obama’s bestie.

If your body butter feels too greasy the first time you use it, you may have got too excited. (Understandable. I ate my first ever batch). Apply a little less next time, or dilute it with wet hands. There’s no better moisture-lock for sexy pins. Plus, you get to smell like chocolate all day long.