Natural hair and scalp care you can mix in your own kitchen

Hi, I'm Nastassja — the founder of PURE DIY Cosmetics.

Together with my husband, I run three student exchange organizations worldwide. Natural cosmetics has been my personal obsession for more than 25 years — not because I'm a chemist, dermatologist or naturopath (I'm none of those), but because I've always had a slightly nerdy need to research everything down to the smallest detail: scientific studies, natural-health blogs and forums, the No-Poo and Curly Girl communities, you name it. When I see someone struggling with a skin or hair issue, I can't help but dig in.

I'm about to turn 50, married for almost 14 years, and mom to two school-aged sons. My rule of thumb is simple: don't put anything on your skin that you wouldn't put in your mouth. A lot of the cosmetics industry — especially in the US and Canada — still relies on ingredients I personally don't want anywhere near my family's skin.

In under four months, my German social media accounts grew from about 500 to nearly 250,000 followers, and the response to my e-books, print guides and this app — including from naturopaths and skin professionals — has been overwhelmingly positive. I'm not a doctor, and nothing here replaces medical advice — I'm just a mom who did the homework, and I'd love to help more people discover how much better (and often cheaper) natural, homemade skincare can be.