Obsessed with Natural Beauty Remedies

Around 9:00 on any given evening you can most likely find me raiding the kitchen, but I'm not searching for a snack. I am searching for ingredients for my latest obsession, natural beauty remedies! The kitchen may seem like an unlikely place to turn to when your hair is dry or a giant zit has reared its ugly head, but I have found that food products offer a variety of solutions to these common beauty problems. I'm not saying that these products work miracles; in some instances the most promising concoctions do nothing at all or just make a smelly mess. For example my attempt at a banana hair mask (half a banana, one egg white and a tablespoon honey all mixed together into a gooey paste) while it resulted in reasonably shiny strands, it required shampooing twice, lots of conditioner and 30 minutes of rinsing to get the banana out of my hair. As the above story attests to not every home made beauty remedy is a success. The mask did work (or perhaps it was all the conditioner), but it required way too much effort to make it a practical addition to my regimen. The best solutions for me have been the ones where the ingredients are on hand, require minimal effort to apply (and remove) and have positive results.


Here are my top 4 must have ingredients and their multiple uses:


  1. Olive Oil - Heavy duty moisturizer. Less is more with this ingredient, apply sparingly and give it time to absorb into the skin. I like to apply olive oil to my hands, knees and feet at night, making sure to massage the oil in to reap the full benefits. To lock the moisture in, oiled hands and feet can be covered with old cotton gloves and socks. Pre-shower deep conditioner. I have been experiencing a bout of dry hair and scalp lately. In a desperate attempt to revive both I have been massaging olive oil into my scalp and onto the ends of my hair. I do this about 10 minutes before I shower, shampoo and condition as usual and voila! Shinier strands and a more balanced scalp. For even more conditioning power leave oil in overnight and rinse it out in the morning (just be sure to use a shower cap or sleep on an old pillowcase to avoid grease marks).

  2. Baking Soda - Bath soak. Baking soda is another great product with multi-tasking power. When my winter weary skin is tight and dry I like to add a ½ cup of baking soda to warm bath water. This mineral bath soothes my dry skin while removing any excess oil and perspiration. Super Scrub. A very effective body and face scrub can be made using 3 parts baking soda to 1 part water. Simply mix baking soda with water to form a paste and apply to face, feet, knees or anywhere that would benefit from a little exfoliation. Work the paste around the skin in gentle circular motions for about 30 seconds, rinse off with lukewarm water, and follow with a favorite toner and moisturizer. Shampoo Booster. A dash of baking soda added to my favorite shampoo instantly transforms the suds into a clarifying shampoo. Perfect for removing product buildup and revealing the hairs natural shine (Not recommended for color treated hair).

  3. Honey - One sweet face mask. I use honey as a deep cleaning face mask whenever my skin is looking dull and congested. Apply to a damp face (water makes the honey easier to spread) 10 minutes before showering, simply rinse off and wash as per your usual routine. Spot Be Gone. Honey is a great remedy for when a zit pops up when least expected. I combat these sudden breakouts with a dot of honey. Simply dab honey on the pimple before bedtime (if you don't like honey on your fingers simply use a q-tip). In the morning I wash as usual and definitely notice reduced redness and inflammation. I don't recommend honey as a day time spot treatment since it leaves a shiny sticky patch where it has been applied.

  4. Lemon Juice - Fresh squeezed hair rinse. In an ideal world I use fresh squeezed for these remedies, but in my world where I usually don't have lemons hanging around (or the time to squeeze them) I substitute it with bottled lemon juice. My favorite hair rinse is made from the juice of 1 lemon mixed with 2 cups warm water. After shampooing and conditioning I pour the mixture over my hair as a final rinse (Make sure it doesn't get in the eyes. Ouch!). The lemon hair rinse has dual benefits; it removes any leftover buildup and lightens and brightens my light brown strands (especially in the summer months). I wouldn't recommend it for color treated hair. Lemon pimple treatment. I dab a mixture of lemon juice and water on stubborn pimples (those ones that are under the skin) to help remove dead skin cells and bring the pimple to the surface. The more lemon the stronger the exfoliating power, but start with a less, more can always be added later.


These are just a few of my favorite home beauty remedies. They might not work for everyones' skin or hair type, so if you decide to try, please test it out on a small area of skin/hair first.

Shine readers do you have any natural beauty remedies? I would love to hear what your tried and true natural beauty remedies are or even the ones that were complete disasters (so I know which ones to avoid). Please Share.


For more recipes using the ingredients mentioned check out the web sites listed below.


Baking Soda

http://www.armhammer.com/myhome/room.asp?room=Bathroom#


Honey

http://www.honey.com/nhb/recipes/category-results?category_number=3