Natural Beauty: Make Your Own Products

When it comes to beauty, many of us will admit to spending a large amount of cash on a variety of beauty products. They all can make our hair extra shiny, our skin blemish-free, younger-looking and more supple. But what if we’re watching our budget or just want to try making our own natural beauty products? Well, there’s a way. The simple fact is that there is often no need to look much further than the household cupboards, where many of these important ingredients lie waiting to be discovered for use in our daily beauty regimes.

There are many foods, especially fruit, which can be used to make face masks, lip balms, skin exfoliators, moisturisers, spot treatments and potions to reduce puffy-looking eyes. The good news is that they are a number of recipes available for all kinds of beauty products using natural ingredients, which have all been tried and tested and can be made in the comfort of your own home.

Sugar, for example, is a hot new ingredient used in body scrubs these days. It is a very effective exfoliator, which gently removes dead skin cells without causing any irritation to even the most sensitive skin. By mixing equal portions of sugar and vegetable oil and a little essential oil of your choice, you can make yourself an excellent skin potion for use in the bath or the shower.

Why not reach for your pot of baking soda from the kitchen cupboard. This can work wonders on your skin. It will remove dead skin cells and neutralize acid on the skin. It also eliminates oils and perspiration.

Honey has been regarded as a gift of nature for many centuries. Created by the honeybee, this product is a natural humectant, which draws moisture to the skin from the air. It can cleanse and soften the skin by attracting dirt from the pores and dead skin cells from the surface of the skin. A teaspoon of warm honey and a tablespoon of milk can be mixed together and used immediately as a beneficial cleanser. Honey can also achieve excellent results when used as one of the ingredients in a face mask.

Another product obtained by the honeybee is beeswax. This can also help to retain the skin’s natural moisture balance. It is a very good ingredient to use in creams and lotions too, as it is good at bonding certain ingredients together.

Cocoa Butter is derived from the cocoa bean and has been used as a skin care product in Africa for years. It helps to retain moisture and restore hydration to the skin. It is well known for healing sun burnt skin and can soften the appearance of stretch marks and wrinkles. Aloe Vera can be used for similar purposes. It is the gel on the inside of the leaf that holds the beneficial properties. It stimulates the epidermis and accelerates tissue repair and normal cell growth and can be particularly good at treating acne too.

Tea Tree oil is another product with immense beneficial properties. It has anti-fungal, anti- virus and anti-bacterial benefits and is excellent at combating acne. It is also known for helping to prevent head lice in young children. A couple of drops of the oil can be added to the shampoo and conditioner, or a couple of drops can be added directly on to the hair and brushed through using a hairdryer to enhance the aroma, which the lice dislike.

Fruits hold a wealth of useful properties. So, instead of just eating it, try putting it on your skin too!

Bananas - Relieve dry skin conditions. Try placing slices on your face for about 20 minutes to nourish and moisturise it. For a nourishing hand treatment, mash a banana and mix it with butter. Then simply rub into the hands.

Oranges and lemons – These have a high acid content, which makes them natural drying agents. They help to remove access oil from the pores.

Peaches – These are rich in vitamins A and B and have a high water content. They add extra moisture to your skin.

Papaya – These contain proteins and enzymes, which help to promote the flaking of dead skin. Smooth the pulp over your face and leave for about five minutes, and then wash off with a damp face cloth. Strawberries – Are excellent for clearing up acne and oiliness from the skin. They can make skin younger-looking and smoother, reduce puffiness around the eyes, leave hair shiny and conditioned and even whiten your teeth!

The list of potential beauty treatments goes on and on. There is literally no end to which natural ingredients can be used in nourishing face or body treatments. Once you begin to experiment with your own lotions and potions, you will probably never need to buy any expensive products again. Before using any product over the whole of your face, it is always advisable to test it out on a small area of skin first, just in case of any sensitivity.

Don’t want to make your own products? Its ok. I usually don't want to either...


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