Healthy skin, like true beauty, starts on the inside. Nutrients from the food we eat give us what our skin needs to help build healthy cells from the inside.

As it turns out, ingredients from your fridge and pantry can also help nourish and improve your skin from the outside. Mixing up your own lotions, potions, scrubs and masks at home from natural ingredients can yield real results when applied topically, sometimes even better than their pricey store-bought counterparts.

Globally, consumers of the beauty care industry spend more than $379 billion annually, according to Business Wire. From drugstore brands to highly marketed “miracle” products such as Crème de la Mer moisturizing cream — an astonishing $310 for two ounces — there are no shortage of skin-care products claiming to fight wrinkles, reduce acne, treat redness, improve elasticity or clarity … the list goes on and on. Many do contain beneficial ingredients with proven results. However, most are contained in formulas laced with artificial colors, preservatives and synthetic fragrances. Even if you’re not someone who panics without organics, common sense — as well as science — tells us that avoiding these is a safer bet.

Creating skin-care products at home gives you the ability to control what goes into it, just as you do when cooking from scratch instead of a box. From cleansers, moisturizers and toners to lip balm and cuticle cream, products to pamper every inch of you can be made in minutes using everyday ingredients. The savings alone might be enough to get you glowing.

Find inspiration in the ideas and ingredients below and, if you’re one of those uncomfortable with trial and error, there are thousands of specific recipes online. Otherwise, just jump in. Note the specific ratios of ingredients you use in each batch, so you’ve recorded the details and can duplicate them when you like the results.

Test, apply, reflect then reformulate. Complexion perfection may be as close as your kitchen and cost much less than a store-bought product with inferior results and harmful additives.

“Skin care is about balance, just like diet. And everyone is different, so finding the right balance is key,” said Melissa Coffman, licensed esthetician, holistic skin-care specialist and co-owner of Be Well Bend. “I encourage my clients to look at their skin health from an internal health perspective. Next, I address how we can improve the health and radiance of the skin from a topical perspective.”

First, consider your skin type and then seek out recipes and ingredients appropriate for your specific challenges. Another consideration is to use caution when including strong, though effective, or potentially irritating ingredients such as vitamin C-rich lemon juice or antibacterial tea tree oil. Use these in small amounts. Test for sensitivity before leaving on skin for prolonged periods of time.

Concoctions using perishable ingredients should be made in small batches, kept in fridge and used within days.

The easiest way to make homemade cleansers and shampoos is to begin with a gentle, sudsing base of pure castille liquid soap (found at natural grocers or online). The amount used depends on which product you’re creating; facial cleansers will have the least per volume, followed by body washes, with the strongest concentration in shampoos. To dilute down, simply add water or brewed and cooled teas such as anti-inflammatory chamomile or antioxidant-rich green tea.

Facial cleansers — as well as facial oil, toners and moisturizers — can be diluted to ideal concentrations using hydrosols. Rose water is just one example of a hydrosol, the liquid byproduct of producing essential oils through distillation. For added moisture, include oils such as sweet almond or grape seed. Add fragrance as well as benefits with essential oils such as antibacterial eucalyptus or calming lavender.

Exfoliation helps to clear rough, dead skin cells from the surface and reveal the fresh, healthy skin beneath. According to Coffman, however, “exfoliation is something you need to do carefully. Skin is slightly injured each time you exfoliate,” so use moderation, especially for sensitive skin. “Also, you want to be careful about sun exposure afterward, as you’ve weakened and thinned your skin barrier.”

To make exfoliating scrubs, start with a base of semi-fatty oils (coconut, almond, etc.) or fatty butters (cocoa butter, shea butter) and add crushed oats, ground rice or sugar, plus any other treatment ingredients or fragrance. Apply and massage, gently, in circular motion, then rinse. For sensitive or inflamed skins, skip abrasives and use the enzymes in papaya, the lactic acids in dairy products or the alpha hydroxy acids in fruit as an exfoliating mask instead.

“Masks can clean and clear congestion, while hydrating and adding minerals and nutrients to the skin”, said Coffman. Mix in bentonite clay or activated charcoal for a great cleansing “mud” mask. Hydrating masks may include ingredients such as coconut milk, avocado or soothing aloe vera. Masks that include exfoliating ingredients as well as these hydrators work double duty when they include papaya puree, apple cider, baking soda or sour cream.

For a stimulating mask, include peppermint essential oil or ground ginger. Add vitamins with C-packed citrus, antioxidant-rich blueberries, A-rich apple puree or simply vitamin E oil. For a tightening and firming effect, try adding a whipped egg white to other ingredients and allow the mask to dry before rinsing. The amount of time to leave on skin should vary depending on how soothing vs. potentially irritating the ingredients may be.

Toners, when applied with a cotton ball or pad, can help remove traces of makeup and residues from cleansers or masks as well as balance the skin. Witch hazel is a wonderful astringent, clear liquid base to use when making toners for medium to oily skin types. For drier skin, use hydrosols as a base. Personalize your toner by diluting with herbal teas, adding fragrance, moisturizing oils or aloe vera juice.

Moisturizers can be light and refreshing when diluted or hydrating and thick, depending on the ratios of basic ingredients. These include fatty butters such as cocoa, shea and mango and semi-fatty oils that are absorbed more quickly (think apricot, avocado, even olive oil). Adding a waxy component such as beeswax or jojoba oil (which acts as a wax but is lighter and great for acne-prone skin) gives skin extra protection from daytime moisturizers. Just as with many other products mentioned, customizing is as easy as diluting with tea or hydrosol and adding other treatment or fragrance ingredients.

Beeswax is what gives lip balm its stiffness and staying power in lip potions that are otherwise readily absorbed. Melting an ounce of beeswax in a double boiler and mixing in equal amounts of moisturizing oil and fatty butter is a basic recipe for balm. After it’s well-combined, pour this liquid into a tin or small container, then resist touching it before it hardens to achieve that perfect, store-bought surface. Use more or less beeswax until you get the perfect balm for you. Add a few drops of stimulating peppermint or soothing lavender essential oils for “flavor,” or squeeze in a vitamin E capsule for added benefits.

By simply adding a larger ratio of butters or oils to your lip balm recipe, you achieve a moisture-sealing cuticle and nail conditioner. Less beeswax per volume means it absorbs more quickly, more means it coats and protects better.

Finding the right ratio of ingredients for any product is all about trial and error. But even a “failed” moisturizer can be an excellent frizz-fighter for hair or body cream for drier areas. Play around, and you’ll quickly begin to see how these ingredients combine to create nearly every skin-care product you previously purchased.

— Reporter: laurakessinger@gmail.com