Beauty isn't Just an Art it's a Science!

If you've read this blog before, you may have picked up that I heart DIY projects. I often try to feature crafts that will help to set your party apart from the pack and dazzle your guests both in my K.I.S.S (Keep It Simple Soiree) feature and in my Spa Party of the Month themes.

In my Spa Party of the Month posts I often feature recipes for body products that you can make from things that are easily found in most grocery stores. What you Don't know is that in my house we have a big ole' cabinet dedicated to such pursuits which is dubbed "The Apothecary". Inspired by our love of Carol's Daughter products, my mother declared years ago that "We could make this"... and by "we" she mostly meant Me. While my mom and my little sis do dabble in making a body oil here and there I can easily be deemed the family's Chief Mixologist and the one they turn to when they want a whipped body butter. While for us body products are only a hobby, it is one that has paid off in terms of our heightened awareness of the things we use on our skin. As a mother I'm so glad that I acquired these skills, in the earlier months of my child's life I did not use commercial moisturizers on him. but instead made my own unscented products using ingredients I knew would be good for his skin.

Something else that you don't know about me is that prior to being a stay-at-home mother, and self-proclaimed Spashionista blogger, I worked as a grant writer for a children's museum. One of the focuses of our work was promoting hands-on science. The research that I came across with regard to American children and their science knowledge was to say the least somewhat disheartening. Though science/engineering careers are slated to increase over the next decade or so, our children are generally scoring lower on science and math assessments than children abroad, and are less likely to pursue science education at a collegiate level. On top of that, women are less likely than men to pursue science and math based careers.

Research by a team that includes vocational psychologists at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) indicates that the self-confidence instilled by parents and teachers is more important for young girls learning math and science than their initial interest.

So how do we instill self-confidence in girls when it comes to science? One place to start is in your own kitchen! By involving your daughter in beauty based hands-on science projects, you are exposing her to a real life career Cosmetic Chemistry. These types of projects can serve to impact not only your daughter's confidence in her science and reasoning skills, but also in her self-image. Just as there has been a push these last few years to "get the kids in the kitchen" to encourage healthy and informed eating habits, you can get your kid in the kitchen to formulate your own beauty products. Take the ingredients of your average smoothie and you can discover the humectant properties of honey, the antioxidant effects of strawberries, the moisturizing and smoothing effects of lactic acid found in yogurt, and the regenerative properties of bananas... so how's that for a tasty facial.

In a previous post I mentioned the statistic that 8-12 yr old girls spend $40 million/month on beauty products. Involving your daughter in formulating her own beauty products, not only decreases the amount of money you spend on commercial products, but it ultimately makes her a more educated consumer.

So throw on your lab coats, or bathrobes and check out some of these pre-packed kits to bring out the cosmetic chemist in your daughter:











Perfume Science & Creative Cosmetics by Thames & Kosomos














Make Your Own Lip Balm by Creativity for Kids & Spa Science by Scientific Explorer


These kits are great because they contain all the necessary equipment like droppers, measuring implements, containers, and are science based. However, you don't need a kit in order to become a mixtress, here are some great resources for recipes to begin creating your very own product line:

Make Your Own Cosmetics
The Natural Beauty Workshop
Homemade Bath Products Blog
Bath and Body Recipes
DIY Cosmetics

Perfect for Parties, Playdates, or just Mom & Me time!