Homemade beauty recipes from your kitchen
photo by eamonn
Do you know the health hazards lurking in your bathroom? No, not your household cleaners. Think again. Take a look at your beauty products. Have you ever questioned the synthetic materials used to create them? I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, so I’ll spare you the details and simply direct you to the cosmetic-safety database at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. Read product ingredients and decide for yourself.
I’m willing to bet you’re not a stranger to how great your hair and skin feel when you’re using natural ingredients. Chances are you already have many of the food ingredients such as honey, fruits, mayonnaise, vinegar and oil in your kitchen. The following frugal beauty recipes are quick and easy to make, but please note that they don’t contain preservatives, so don’t store them long term.
If you have a homemade beauty recipe that you enjoy, let me know. I’d love to hear about it.
Feet/hands moisturizer: Soak feet in a small tub of warm water with 1 cup of apple-cider vinegar. Remove feet and apply petroleum jelly. Cover feet with socks.
Relaxing Bath Salts
2 cups Epsom salts
1 cup sea salt
5 drops of blue food coloring and 5 drops of red food coloring (optional)
18 drops of lavender essential oil
In a large bowl, mix salts and add the other ingredients slowly. Store in glass mason jar. To use, add 1/2 cup mixture to bathwater.
To make bath bombs or bath fizzies, as some people call them, visit Scent of Water at scentofwater.wordpress.com and click “Tutorials.”
Exfoliant: Make a paste with equal parts cornmeal and water and apply it to your face. Use a circular motion to scrub and rinse off. For added citrus scent and as a natural astringent, squeeze the juice from half an orange into your paste mixture.
Toner: Combine equal parts water and witch hazel. Apply with a cotton ball.
Simple Shampoo
1 ounce olive oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple-cider vinegar
Combine ingredients in a blender. Apply to wet hair. Massage into scalp. Rinse.
Hair conditioner: Use mashed avocado to condition hair. Apply to wet hair. Rinse. Optional: Add 1/4 cup mayonnaise to mashed advocado for dry hair.
Dry Skin Mask
2 tablespoons aloe-vera gel
1 tablespoon pure honey
4 teaspoons brewed and cooled chamomile tea
2 drops lavender essential oil
Mix all ingredients together and apply to face. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse.
For more beauty recipes with honey, visit www.honey.com/beauty/beauty_download.html.
Bubble Bath
5 drops essential oil of choice
1 ounce liquid glycerin
1 ounce coconut oil
1 (4-ounce) bar castile soap, grated
4 cups distilled water
Mix ingredients together. Store in spill-proof container. Add to bathwater.
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Feet/hands moisturizer: Soak feet in a small tub of warm water with 1 cup of apple-cider vinegar. Remove feet and apply petroleum jelly. Cover feet with socks.
Remove feet? But I like having my feet attached!!
HAHA. You’re killing me!
I’m going to try the vinegar soak on my feet. My feet are in terrible shape—need to get them ready for flip flop time.
Great list, it’s so important to make sure what we put on our bodies is just as safe as what we put in them, since chemicals can enter through our skin and into our body. I need to look into some of these alternatives you listed. I like the moisturizer recipe and my feet could definitely benefit from it right now
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I make my own toothpaste (so to speak) of 50% baking soda and 50% sea salt. I just mix it together and put it in a used spice container. I run hot water on my toothbrush and then put a little of the mixture on the brush. The baking soda is a mild abrasive sufficient to remove plaque form the teeth and the salt is good for the gums. I have asked my dentist about this recipe and he said it would be fine and he did stress to wet the toothbrush with hot water first, to use a soft toothbrush and not to brush too hard–many people brush too hard and damage the enamel on their teeth. My teeth feel clean all day, even after eating something. Even though this isn’t flavored, I think it works well to freshen the mouth.
You can also make a mouthwash if you feel you need something flavored for your mouth. Just place various herbs (fresh is best, but dried will work) in a jar (about 50% filled) then fill the jar with vodka and let sit for about 6 weeks in a dark place (cupboard). I would recommend using cooking herbs (unless you want to research other herb’s properties) such as oregano, thyme, rosemary, parsley, sage, etc. Strain after the 6 weeks and use for a mouth rinse. And believe it or not this makes a great deodorant. Just apply with a cotton ball or pad. The alcohol will evaporte quickly under the arms and the herbs will kill bacteria which is what causes an odor. But this is a deodorant for smell only, not an anti-perspirant–you will still sweat (but in my opinion, that is good for detoxifying the body).
Thanks for your column. I enjoy it.
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