Are you intrigued by all the beauty products out there claiming to be natural or organic, and wondering what you might be able to mix up at home? What did girls use to get gorgeous hundreds of years ago when there were no drugstores? Making your own beauty treatments in the kitchen may sound fun and adventurous, but there are a few things you need to know before you get out the mixing bowl.
- Just because an ingredient grows out of the ground or is found in nature doesn't automatically make it good for your skin or hair. It's important to know that many common kitchen ingredients can cause allergies, irritation, and skin sensitivities, including cinnamon, cottonseed oil, lemon, papaya, peppermint, sage, and even cornstarch! Do a little Internet research before you toss in a pinch of this and a cup of that.
- And once you've whipped up a batch, it is critical that you store your homemade product in a sterilized container with a tight-fitting lid. Most drugstore products have ingredients called preservatives to keep microorganisms from growing in them; because you won't be using preservatives, only make small batches at a time and discard if the smell or color changes.
Now that you know some of the "watch outs," we've compiled a few tips to get you started:
- To remove makeup: Use plain old olive oil.
- Facial mask: For normal skin, use a tablespoon of sour cream, or plain yogurt. For dry skin, mash up half an avocado or a banana. For oily skin, mash up some strawberries, blueberries, or egg whites. Spread the mixture on your clean skin. Keep it on for 15 minutes, then rinse it off with warm water. Apply your favorite cream or moisturizer.
- Face moisturizer: Find some good quality coconut oil. Add one drop of jasmine oil. You only need a small dab for your whole face.
- Face exfoliator: Buy a bag of cornmeal. Mix a tablespoon with a tablespoon of olive oil and one drop of lavender. Exfoliate your face.
- Hair treatment: To treat dry, damaged hair, use pure honey as a hair conditioning pack. Massage a tablespoon or two into your damp hair and let it sit for 15–20 minutes. It might feel sticky at first, but don't worry. It rinses out easily with warm water.
- Body scrubs: Mix together ½ cup of kosher salt with ¼ cup light oil or liquid cleanser. Massage into your skin before bathing. If you use sea salt, you might have to grind it a bit if it's too coarse. You can also add a drop of lavender and/or a drop of rose oil.
- Egg hair conditioner: Beat one egg yolk until its color is light, but its consistency is thick. Drizzle ½ teaspoon of olive oil slowly into the egg and beat well. Pour ¾ cup of lukewarm water into the mixture, and then beat the mixture together well. Place the conditioner into a container. Next time you wash your hair, shampoo, rinse, then rub the conditioner into your hair and leave it in for a few minutes before rinsing completely.
