Cucumber, honey, oatmeal and more have been recognized for their benefits and used for beauty purposes at home and in commercial products for decades. Invite over a friend or two on Saturday afternoon and enjoy a facial or hair treatment with products inspired from nature’s own boudior.
Banana Hair Pack (deep conditioning treatment)
Half a banana
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon avocado oil
Mix the above ingredients together and apply from scalp to ends of hair. Discard any leftover mixture. Wrap hair in a towel for 20 minutes. Rinse then shampoo and condition as normal. (Recipe found in Beauty Magic, 101 Recipes, Spells and Secrets by Jennifer Knapp)
Apricot Face Mask (to soften skin)
Soaked dried apricots
Bunch of grapes
3 tablespoons skimmed milk powder
Mix ingredients in the blender, apply to face and neck and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with cool water. (Recipe courtesy of A Consumer’s Dictionary of Cosmetic Ingredients by Ruth Winter, M.S.)
Baking Soda Beauty
A quick pit stop. Dust baking soda under arms as needed to feel fresh all day. The magic of baking soda naturally absorbs odors instead of just covering them up.
For locks that rock, remember to shake it. Sprinkle a small amount (quarter-size) of baking soda into your palm along with your favorite shampoo. Shampoo as usual and rinse thoroughly. The baking soda helps remove the residue that styling products leave behind so your hair is cleaner and more manageable.
Bad breath keeping you tight-lipped? Open up for baking soda. Put one teaspoon in half a glass of water, swish, spit and rinse. Odors are neutralized – not just covered up- so get ready to pucker up!
Taking a bath is so last year…until now! Add 1/2 cup of baking soda to your bath for a relaxing and refreshing soak. Your skin will feel silky smooth, and it’s a great way to get away from it.
Give yourself an invigorating, yet gentle, facial and body scrub with baking soda. Removing dead skin cells will leave your skin soft and smooth, perfect before application. Make a paste of 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Rub in a gentle circular motion to exfoliate the skin. Rinse clean.
Here’s a great way to start your home pedicure. Dissolve 3 tablespoons of baking soda in a basin of warm water and soak feet. Gently scrub with a paste of baking soda. The hardest part is deciding which color nail polish you’ll use this week!
(Baking Soda Beauty Tips courtesy of Arm & Hammer®)
TIPS
- Applying olive oil or sesame oil can help heal chapped lips.
- Rubbing half an apple over flaky skin can help even your skin out.
- Lying down with cucumbers over your eyes for 10 minutes really does help reduce puffiness!
(Tips courtesy of Beauty, The New Basics by Rona Berg)
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