Natural and Cheap Home Remedies for Beauty

With so many beauty products, with so many complex chemical ingredients, it’s no wonder that Western women suffer far more skin and hair disorders than women in developing countries who don’t lather up with toxic cocktails. But beauty products are so much fun, right? I certainly do. But when I started to have chemically sensitive skin, I had to look for other options. And so began my research on natural home remedies.

Tips for dry skin and hair:

– Drink fresh apple juice. It will help cleanse and detoxify your skin from the inside out, helping it regain its natural moisture.

– The following essential oils are good for skin and hair: geranium, neroli, sandalwood, patchouli, chamomile, rose. Remember to dilute essential oils in a carrier oil or base cream. You can even add them to a simple moisturizer like VegeSorb (a vegetable oil-based version of sorbolene). Or add 5 drops to a sink of warm water, soak in a face cloth, wring out, and place on face. Inhale the aroma! This is not only good for your skin, but also for your mind.

– Although it’s tempting to exfoliate any scaly patches, be GENTLE. Try this gentle, natural scrub once or twice a week: a tablespoon of honey mixed with rolled oats or oatmeal… gently massage onto dampened face. If you want a lighter scrub, add a little whole cow’s or goat’s milk until you get a texture you like.

– Eat oily fish (for example, sardines, salmon, mackerel) and olive or flaxseed oils.

– Honey is very good for dry skin, or sensitive skin, or skin with imperfections… it’s moisturizing, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and will help cure any infection. Use liquid honey, preferably organic. Rub in circular motions on the skin, then leave on for 10-15 minutes. It can also be rubbed into the hair and scalp to help with itchiness, dandruff, and dry scalp. The honey washes off easily with lukewarm water.

– You can fill a muslin sachet with some oatmeal or rolled oats, moisten well and then: 1) gently massage onto face and body for a moisturizing, gentle and exfoliating cleanse or 2) hang under warm running water into your sink or bath before washing in the water. This is a very gentle and moisturizing form of cleansing.

– Fresh Avocado: If you don’t mind looking like a delicious swamp monster for a while, mash up some fresh avocado and cover your dry bits with it. It is super richly moisturizing. Good for your hair and skin. You can also eat any piece that falls into your mouth…

– Heat some sesame oil on the stove until it’s a comfortable temperature to apply to your skin, and then massage into your hair and scalp. Then wrap a warm towel around your head and relax for as long as you can without washing away the oil. You may need to shampoo twice to remove grease. But it will leave your hair shiny and your scalp comfortable.

– Bathe your nails in a container with olive oil if they are dry. Then later in a hand cream or oil.

– Cold Cream works as an excellent face and body moisturizer, baby sunscreen, make-up remover, after sun cream, etc. It’s a great idea to make your own cold cream. It’s simple and inexpensive to make yourself and you can be sure of what’s in it, and also tailor any fragrance or adjust essential oils to your skin and preferences.

– Use chamomile and basil for your facial steams.

– Try not to wash your hair too often if it is dry. Condition your hair with eggs, oils (macadamia, olive, avocado, coconut and sesame are good), honey, herbal rinses (mix a pinch of cider vinegar with a little water and chilled herbal tea, eg chamomile) .

– Massage a tablespoon of mayonnaise into your dry skin. Leave for 15 minutes and then wash off. This is fast skin nutrition.

– Just before entering the bath, add 10 ml of olive or sunflower oil to the water. This will make your skin divinely smooth. Be careful when you go out! it can be slippery.

-Mixing 50g of coconut oil, 50g of cocoa butter, 30ml of almond oil and 15 drops of neroli oil will work wonders as a cream for dry ends of your hair. It will act as a barrier against drying and cracking.

– 5ml of cider vinegar and 6 drops of chamomile oil in 3L of water will work to restore the pH of the hair and perfume it. Use as a final rinse after conditioning.

Blackheads, Acne and Oily Skin and Hair Tips:

– Honey! I love honey! Massage in circular motions onto affected areas to help clear up blemishes, redness, dryness, infection, inflammation, and redness.

– To help eliminate redness associated with pimples, mix 15ml of oats with 60ml of warm water. Add 2 drops of chamomile oil and apply as a face pack. add more oat flour if the mixture is too runny. Leave for 15 minutes and then rinse.

– I find that dipping a make-up remover cloth or pad in unpasteurized, unhomogenized, organic goat’s milk and then wiping it over your face will help clear up breakouts and sensitivity.

– Lavender oil applied neat to the affected areas once a day until the outbreak disappears (or the skin becomes irritated). Tea tree oil also works well on its own, but is much more likely to cause irritation.

– Put a handful of Salad Burnett in a bowl large enough to lean over and cover with hot water. Put your face about 20 cm from the water and cover your head with a towel. Steam for 10 minutes if you have oily skin, less if you are sensitive. Stop if you feel uncomfortable.

– Cut a clove of garlic in half and rub on pimples/boils etc. It will help remove any pustules very, very quickly. You can apply it about 3 times a day.

– Pure witch hazel on a cotton ball applied to uneven areas will help clear up the area. Or you can use witch hazel all over your face as a good natural toner for sensitive oily and pimple prone skin.

– Diluting 1 teaspoon of cider vinegar in 3 liters of warm water, used as a final rinse, can help prevent oily hair, allowing you to go longer between washes.

– Try to find a shampoo that does not contain Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLS), as it can break the lipid barrier in your scalp, causing your scalp to produce more oil, or make it itchy and eczema. Same for your face wash. SLS is generally found in foaming products.

– Aloe-vera… it’s great, especially if you have sensitive skin and also blemishes or acne. I have very sensitive skin, and whenever I have a severe breakout, I apply lavender oil to the area and then apply aloe vera to my face to prevent it from becoming dry or irritated. It also helps speed up the healing process.

– Apply lemon juice directly to pimples or acne regularly… dilute if it irritates your skin or if your skin is sensitive (note: use sunscreen if you are doing this)

– Grated cucumber, applied daily on the affected area for 15-20 minutes can help reduce the reappearance of pimples and blackheads.

– Soak a cotton cloth in as hot water as you can then wipe your face/chest/back until cool then rub it on your skin in gentle circles to help remove blackheads and pimples. Repeat several times in one session, once a day. Don’t be too harsh with the rubbing. If you have sensitive skin, don’t rub…just wipe the affected areas with a cloth soaked in warm water.

– Mix some kaolin or green clay with 3 drops of lavender/geranium/tea tree/chamomile/lemon oil and add water to make a paste. If you wish, you can add a tablespoon of honey. Apply to face and leave on for 15 minutes. If the mask begins to dry out and crack, mist with water or spray rose water.