You may have seen “safe” forms of deodorant in healthy living shops. Often they come in the form of large crystals of Potassium Aluminium Sulphate, or Alum.

They have the advantage of being free of Aluminium Chlorohydrate, which has been implicated in ill health. Natural deodorant crystals are suitable for the most sensitive skin, are hypoallergenic and last a long time. Furthermore, they won’t stain your clothes or discolor your skin.

Beauty on a budget indeed — especially if you make them yourself.

You can grow these crystals quite easily with a little bit of knowledge. You will need :

* An small quantity of Alum from a local store or online at Pans Pantry.
* A glass jar.
* A clean stick.
* Warm water.
* Thread.
* Small, sharp stones, cleaned well.

Method
1. Pour enough warm water into the jar to cover the stones — but don’t put the stones in yet.

2. Add the Alum and stir well until it stops dissolving. A small residue will be left.

3. Add food coloring if desired.

4. Tie a small stone to the thread and the other end to the stick. Place the stick across the top of the jar so that the stone dangles in the liquid.

5. Put the jar in a warm place to aid evaporation.

The first crystals will appear in a few days. You can add more Alum to make them bigger.

The biggest crystals can be rubbed under arms as a “safe” home-made deodorant.

It’s a fact that in a cool country like Britain there are more cases of skin cancer than in blazing Australia. Clearly a reliable sun cream is now essential wherever you are. Here are a few ideas :

Lancome Soleil DNA Guard contains “white willow flower to create a protective shield, jasmine flower and African mango extract to nourish”.

Experts say, it’s absorbed easily, leaving skin soft. However, it didn’t stand up to water and needed to be reapplied after swimming.

Recommended retail price, US$35. The UK price varies around £18.

The Organic Pharmacy Cellular Protection Sun Cream is said to “promote safe tanning. Red, white and green tea protect and shea butter hydrates”.

Experts say, it’s easily absorbed and didn’t leave a chalky residue like other organic creams. I had to reapply every few hours.

Hawaiian Tropic Shimmer Oil Protective “The microfine sparkles enhance your natural tan”.

Experts say, the “shimmer” got onto everything, so is not very practical. The low SPF (strength of protection) meant it was more suitable for the end of a holiday.

Clearly, you have to choose your sunscreen product very carefully.

In a test of the latest eye make-up removers, six experts were asked to try five products.

The best was L’Oreal Dermo Expertise Gentle Eye Make-up Remover (pictured) with a perfect score of 10/10. It was described as gentle for sensitive skin, quick to act and effective.

Second, with 9/10, was Simple Conditioning Eye Make-up Remover. The bottle design was found to be particularly useful when using cotton buds for correcting.

Third, with 8/10, was Lancome Bi-Facil Non-oily Instant Cleanser Sensitive Eyes. The fact that it’s non-oily and gentle to the eyes were its plus points.