Years ago homemade beauty treatments were considered to be inferior to commercially prepared products, but fortunately this attitude is changing as consumers become more informed about ins and outs of beauty business. The truth is many homemade beauty products are safer and more effective than their commercial version, leave alone they save you tons of money.
Some vitamins and antioxidants are very delicate and their effectiveness diminishes with exposure to sunlight and oxygen. This means that your antioxidant-enriched cream might have much less antioxidant power than you expect. Vitamin C is particularly delicate and you are certainly better off by squeezing an orange or lemon and applying the juice immediately.
[wp_ad_camp_1]
Some simple ingredients can be surprisingly effective on your skin. A few months ago, I described how Middle Eastern women use egg whites and lemons to minimize skin pores and firm their skin. In addition, many use honey to hydrate skin and prevent inflammations.
Another tip comes from Cleopatra who cared for her skin by taking milk baths. Elisabeth I of England and Elisabeth of Bavaria thought along the same lines and are known for publicly acknowledging the beautifying benefits of milk baths. Enzymes contained in milk and yogurt will make your skin smoother and softer.
Exfoliation is probably your most important beauty routine. As Dr Murad, one of the leaders in skincare science, said in his book ‘Anyone over age of 20 should exfoliate’.
Exfoliating scrubs do much more than simply cleansing your skin. Regular use of exfoliating products speeds up epidermis renewal and removes dead skin cells making your skin regain its youthful glow and enhancing the texture of your skin. It also helps other ingredients to penetrate deeper into your skin, making them more effective.
There are many homemade exfoliating scrub recipes available but in reality you don’t need any special recipe and can easily make up your own. You only need two kinds of ingredients:
- Exfoliating agent
- Oil
That’s it! You will basically have to combine the exfoliating agent of your choice with oil to make the texture work for you.
[wp_ad_camp_1]
When it comes to exfoliating agents you have several choices. Here are most popular examples:
Salt
Although large grain version of salt is preferable, even plain old table salt will do. Large grain salt is called Kosher salt in the US and the UK version is called flaked sea salt. You should avoid using salt if you have any cuts or scratches on your skin.
Coffee
Not only coffee tastes great it can also help you look better. Instead of throwing away the wet coffee grounds from your brewed morning coffee, mix them with a little bit of oil and use as exfoliating scrub.
Papaya
Papaya, on the other hand, will add a nice lightening effect to your homemade exfoliator. It will whiten your skin and boost your radiance. You will need to use blender or mash papaya manually to extract its pulp.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal scrubs are more gentle than other kinds and are great for dry, itchy skin.
Almonds
You can also use ground almonds, but it might be too much for sensitive skin.
Brown sugar
Brown sugar is another great alternative.
Combine the exfoliating agent of your choice with olive oil or any other oil and you are done. Avoid using mineral oils as they don’t penetrate your skin.
Last but not least, do not make mistake by exfoliating only your facial skin. These scrubs can be applied to your lips and your body too.
See more homemade scrub recipes here »
