Make your own beauty products
Its relatively easy to make your own beauty products at home, using ingredients you may already have on hand. Below there are some recipes for popular beauty products using common at home ingredients. These ingredients include sugar, honey, coconut oil, olive oil, oatmeal and essential oils. Here are why these products are considered to be beneficial to your skin:
Coconut oil is comprised of a unique combination of natural fats, linoleic acid – which can be beneficial for acne-prone skin and lauric acid – which is hydrating and antimicrobial, which makes it useful in treating the skin.
Studies show that coconut oil may improve skin barrier function and repair, has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, fights the signs of skin aging, and makes an effective moisturiser, per a 2018 review of research published in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. ¹
Olive Oil is packed with anti-aging antioxidants and hydrating squalene. This makes it perfect for skin, hair and even nails.
Oatmeal is a soothing ingredient that will relieve irritated and itchy skin, and leave you with smooth skin.
Honey is often used to improve texture of the beauty product you are making, while also acting as a humectant to help moisturize your skin. It also has antibacterial properties to help treat acne.
Essential oils give lovely natural scents to beauty product recipes, while also being uplifting to your mood.
Sugar may not be good for your insides, but it is good for your skin! Sugar, often used in scrubs, moisturises and exfoliates skin.
Salt is for skin exfoliation. Different type of salts can be used to give different varieties in grit.
Below are several easy homemade beauty product recipes. They can be stored in any air proof container, or a wide-mouth glass mason jar if you would like it to look a bit fancy, or for making gifts. The essential oils used in the recipes are often inter-changeable with other essential oils if you prefer different aroma’s. Try to use the best quality and organic ingredients to make these recipes, after all they are going on your skin.
Moisturiser
Use this simple moisturiser day and night.
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vitamin E oil
6 drops lavender essential oil and/or essential tea tree oil
Combine all ingredients into a bowl and mix. That’s it!
If you are making this in the colder months when coconut oil is solid, you can use a hand mixer to combine the ingredients to achieve a creamy consistency.
You can find vitamin E oil in most chemist or purchase it online.
Sugar Body Scrub
1 cup granulated sugar, either white or brown
½ cup olive oil or coconut oil
Essential oils of your preference (optional)
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Use 1 tablespoon as needed in the shower. Scrub skin with the mixture and rinse well. Your skin will be left feeling like silk.
Lemon Sugar Hand Scrub
This scrub is great for using after you have just washed the dishes.
1 cup white sugar
½ cup olive oil
½ tsp vitamin E oil
15-20 drops (or more) of lemon or orange essential oil
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container.
Use 1 teaspoon on your hands as required. Rub into the skin and rinse will. This will rehydrate your hands after dishwashing or any other activities that may have stripped moisture from your hands, like gardening.
Rosemary and Peppermint Foot Scrub
This is great for summer when wearing sandals. Feel free to create whatever flavour of scrub you prefer and you can also swap salt for sugar.
1/4 cup sea salt
1 tbsp table salt
1 tsp coconut oil
2 tbsp olive oil
3 drops peppermint oil
1/2 tsp rosemary
Mix all ingredients. If it’s too dry, add a bit more oil. If it’s too wet, add more salt. store in an airtight container
Use about 1-2 tablespoons on your feet as required, rub into skin and was well. Your feet will be left soft and subtle.
Oatmeal Facial Mask
4 tbsp of rolled oats
1 tbsp honey
1 egg yolk
Put the oats into a blender / food processor, and pulse until the oats are a coarse powder. Combine the oats with the honey until its creates a consistent mixture. Mix in the egg yolk to form a paste. Then it is ready to use.
Egg yolks are rich in vitamin D, which is an antioxidant that delays the aging process.
If you have oily skin, include a splash of lemon juice to help clean away excess oil.
Apply the mixture to your face and allow it to set for 15 minutes, then rinse it off thoroughly with warm water and pat face dry with a towel.
Coconut Oil and Honey Hair Mask
This is perfect for repairing and moisturizing damaged hair.
1 tbsp Coconut Oil
1 tbsp Raw Honey
Mix the ingredients together and as an extra step to help your hair follicles open up, slightly heat the mixture up in a saucepan on the stove. If your hair is long or extra damaged, then simply increase the ingredients.
This can be applied to dry or wet hair, although it’s easier with wet hair. Focus on the ends where most damage occurs and make sure you put a towel around your neck to protect your clothes. Leave the mask in for 30-40 minutes before washing it out and following your normal shampoo and conditioning routine. You will find your hair is very soft, smooth and health.
Hair Spray
1.5 cups filtered water
2 tbsp white sugar (dark sugars don’t work)
1 tbsp high proof alcohol like vodka
10-15 drops of essential oils of choice
Start by boiling the water and dissolve the sugar in it. Allow water mix to cool and add the alcohol and essential oils. Pour into a spray bottle and use as regular hair spray.
This recipe lasts indefinitely if kept in an air tight container. Adjust the sugar for more or less stiffness and hold – more sugar = more hold, however too much will make the spray sticky.
Resources:
¹ www.prevention.com/beauty/a20428276/coconut-oil-cures-for-your-skin-and-hair/
wellnessmama.com/3628/sugar-scrub/
wellnessmama.com/11624/natural-hairspray-recipe/
www.thesmallthingsblog.com/2013/05/homemade-rosemary-and-peppermint-foot/
www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-prepare-quaker-oats-in-a-microwave/
theeverygirl.com/coconut-oil-honey-hair-mask/