The shelves of drugstores and department stores are filled with all sorts of beauty treatments. There are products formulated for oily skin, dry skin, sensitive skin, acne, wrinkles, and any other skin condition imaginable. And they invariably come with a hefty price tag.
What the companies that make those treatments don’t want us to know is that we can easily make our own beauty treatments at home. Most of the ingredients we need are already in our kitchen cabinets, and we don’t have to worry about potentially dangerous chemicals in our creations. Homemade beauty treatments are less expensive than store-bought ones, and they can be just as effective.
Finding the Right Combination
The trick when making your own beauty treatments is finding the right combination of ingredients for your skin. When you’re buying a cleanser or mask off the shelves, the labeling tells you what type of skin it is designed for. But natural ingredients do not come with instructions. The good news is that you can experiment and tweak recipes until you come up with something that is perfectly tailored to your unique needs.
To get started on the right foot, you’ll need to know a little about your skin type. Is it oily, dry or combination? Do you have acne or fine lines? Is your skin sensitive, or do you have any allergies that would preclude using certain ingredients? Once you’ve analyzed your skin’s needs, you’ll be able to determine which ingredients to start with. Here are a few suggestions:
* Dry skin – Olive oil, almond oil, grapeseed oil, milk, honey, yogurt
* Oily skin – Lemon juice or oil, witch hazel, cornmeal, fennel, buttermilk
* Combination or sensitive skin – Milk, cornmeal, baking soda, olive oil, rose water, yogurt, chamomile
* Acne – Lemon juice, witch hazel, tomatoes, tea tree oil, apple, aloe vera
* Fine lines and wrinkles – Grape juice, honey, carrot juice, coconut oil, banana, pineapple
Basic Recipes
Here are a couple of basic skin care recipes to get you started:
Apricot Cold Cream (for Dry Skin)
* 10 oz. apricot kernel oil
* 2 oz. cocoa butter
* 2 oz. beeswax
Heat ingredients in top of a double boiler until melted. Beat with a wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed and cooled. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.
Rose Mask (for Combination Skin)
* 1 rose
* 1 tbsp. rose water
* 1 tbsp. plain yogurt
* 1 tbsp. honey
Wash rose petals in water, soak for a few minutes, and crush in a bowl. Add rosewater, yogurt and honey and mix well. Use immediately.
Honey and Apple Mask
* 4 tbsp. honey
* 1 apple
Grate apple into a fine pulp. Mix in honey. Use immediately.
Making your own beauty treatments requires a little experimentation, but the rewards are many. You don’t have to worry about unknown ingredients, and you can adjust recipes to meet your skin’s special needs. And in most cases, you can make your own treatments for a fraction of what you would pay for them in the store.
