Why spend tens and even hundreds of francs on beauty products when you can just as easily make them yourself, using simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen pantry? Making your own beauty products will not only help you cut your expenses, but your skin and hair will also benefit from the all-natural ingredients in them. And of course it is also just really fun to tackle a little DIY project every once in a while. Let’s have a look at ten easy do-it-yourself beauty recipes.
Make-up remover
The secret behind a great make-up remover is very simple: oil. Oil gets rid of even the most stubborn waterproof make-up and will leave your skin, lips and lashes perfectly clean. Pure coconut oil makes a great make-up remover and is the perfect choice for DIY beginners who don’t feel comfortable mixing ingredients and feel intimidated by complicated recipes. Just scoop a little coconut butter right from the jar and gently rub it across your eyelids, lips and face. The butter will melt into a smooth oil, removing even the toughest waterproof mascara and the most stubborn lipstick. And as an added bonus the oil will moisturize your skin, making it feel silky soft and super smooth.
Another great way to remove make-up is by using a mixture of distilled water and olive oil. Fill an empty bottle with 80 percent distilled water and 20 percent pure olive oil to create a gentle yet efficient make-up remover that won’t sting your eyes or irritate your skin. Feel free to replace the olive oil with another oil like pure jojoba oil or almond oil and don’t be afraid to add extra skin-soothing ingredients like vitamin E oil or rose water. Just make sure that whatever you add is all-natural, 100% pure and non-irritating.
Body scrub
Soft smooth skin begins with regular exfoliation. A great way to remove dead skin cells is by scrubbing your skin at least once a week using a body scrub. A good body scrub has a creamy or oily base and is packed with tiny scrub particles. So the idea is to make a mixture that spreads out easily but also thoroughly scrubs your skin in the process. Sugar scrubs are by far the easiest body scrubs to make and are made by adding half a cup of white or brown sugar to two and a half cups of coconut oil, olive oil or shea butter. If you like your body scrub a little thicker you can use honey instead.
More seasoned DIYers can experiment with different combinations to create more unique body scrubs. Add dried lavender for a soothing effect, some lemon oil and lemon zest for a refreshing sensation or freshly squeezed exotic fruit juice for a tropical shower experience. Let your imagination run free and experiment away. The possibilities are truly endless.
Lip scrub
Not only your skin but also your lips can use a good scrub now and then. Especially in winter lips tend to get dry and flaky, so regular exfoliation is a must to keep them soft and smooth. Just cut the quantities of your body scrub recipe in four and you will have yourself a great lip scrub that not only smells good enough to eat but actually also is good enough to eat.
Face mask
With some simple fresh ingredients you can make home-made face masks that are perfectly tailored to your skin’s needs. Those with oily and acne-prone skin will benefit most from clay-based masks. The easiest way to make a purifying face mask is by simply adding water to some green clay powder from your local health store. Adding witch hazel will give your clay mask extra acne-fighting properties and adding a teaspoon of lemon juice will have an added brightening and pore-tightening effect on your skin. You could even add a crushed aspirin tablet to dry out pimples. Just make sure to set a timer when applying your clay mask. You want the clay to absorb excess oil without also sucking all the moisture from your skin, so don’t leave the mask on for longer than ten minutes.
Dry skinned gals will love the combination of avocado and honey. Just mash half an avocado into pulp, add a quarter of a cup of honey to it and you will have a wonderful soothing and moisture-boosting face mask that you can leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. If you don’t like the stickiness of honey you can replace it with cocoa butter or shea butter.
Sensitive skin types should look at calming and cooling ingredients like yoghurt, cucumber, chamomile and aloe vera. Use two tablespoons of natural yoghurt, one table spoon of honey and mix in some aloe vera juice or add two tablespoons of strongly brewed chamomile tea. Leave the mask on for 15 to 20 minutes and it will instantly soothe and soften your skin without causing any redness or irritation.
Hair treatment
Not just your face and body, but also your hair can benefit tremendously from what Mother Nature has to offer. Mash up half an avocado and massage the pulp into damp hair to nourish and smoothen dry locks or use half a cup of honey with one or two tablespoons of olive oil to repair and strengthen brittle and damaged hair. Those with oily hair should consider bi-weekly treatments with half a cup of raw egg whites or a mixture of two cups of distilled water and the juice of two lemons. To get the most out of your hair treatments it is best to use them on freshly washed damp hair and to leave them in for at least 20 minutes before rinsing them out with lukewarm water.
With these five DIY ideas you are all set to become a real do-it-yourself beauty. Just make sure to store your home-made beauty products in the fridge and don’t keep them longer than you would keep any of the individual ingredients in them. Have fun DIYing!
Melissa Van Roosbroeck is a style and fashion writer.
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