The term natural cosmetic is often more of a marketing ploy than it is a reality.

The truth is that most cosmetics on the markets that claim to contain only "natural" products actually contain only trace amounts of the natural plant extracts and ingredients they claim their products are based on. The rest are the usual synthetic and chemical suspects: dyes, emulsifiers, preservatives and fragrances.

With this in mind, more and more women are choosing to take matters into their own hands - literally - by creating their own skin care cosmetics, using time-tested natural ingredients such as pure vegetable oil, sea salt, bee wax, milk, honey and cocoa butter.

When you consider that your skin is the biggest organ on your body and actually stretches some 1.8 square meters over your body, you quickly see why nourishing it with only the purest ingredients is very important.

There are a number of interesting and easy-to-make recipes out there. Simple toners and lotions can be made by boiling distilled water and then mixing it with a variety of essential oils: lavender or lemon for oily skin, jasmine for dry skin and chamomile or geranium for sensitive skin. By the same token, moisturizers for every skin type can be prepared in as little as half an hour simply by melting cocoa butter in a double broiler, adding vegetable oil and finally adding the same types of essential oils. Scrub creams that are essential to removing dead skin, increasing blood flow and even getting rid of unsightly cellulite can be prepared using everything from oatmeal and dry milk to ground orange peel, sour cream and sea salt.

Although many natural stores have begun to catch on and now sell natural cosmetics for a pretty penny, you can simply spend an hour on the Internet and make these recipes yourself. If you know the basics of cooking, you can care for your skin. It's that simple.