A lot of my wonderful clients, friends and family know I am a great advocate of skincare being as natural as possible and many have heard me frequently encourage to ditch the chemicals and open the larder! So in this post today I am going to bring to you some inspiration for filling some 'lockdown' time, saving money, getting healthy and best of all, having fun for all the family.
I've taken some pictures after raiding my cupboards to give you a visual on how ordinary, everyday items found in your cupboard can not only look beautiful on display, but can work their magic on your skin....and that's yours too men and teenagers!
These products are safe, you know exactly what they are, as in no hidden ingredients, and they're tasty as well - so make enough to have leftovers!
Facials at home - what to remember
Before Applying A Facial Mask Follow These Steps :-
Use a cleanser or face wash to remove the dirt.
Then exfoliate with a mild scrub that contains exfoliates that are round and non-abrasive.
And then apply a facial mask that suits your skin after exfoliating.
Why use natural exfoliants
Natural ingredients that make excellent exfoliants can be found in most of our homes, but they tend to get overlooked in favour of shop bought products. Many affordable, everyday staples in our cupboards have beneficial exfoliating properties that can be used to make homemade facial treatments to target dryness, flaking and irritation along with acne, blackheads and breakouts.
Considering that many exfoliating products are made with fragrances, dyes, chemicals and other not-so-optimal ingredients, natural ingredients are an obvious choice when applying products to our skin. It is our largest organ, after all, and everything that it comes in contact with eventually ends up in our bloodstream. Therefore, it’s important to use natural ingredients on our skin whenever possible — just like how we should also opt to eat more natural foods. This healthy practice exposes us to fewer chemicals and toxins over time and can also be more affordable than using conventional products.
Be gentle during the application and removal of these exfoliants since harsh scrubbing can actually irritate your skin and make dryness worse. It’s best not to use an exfoliating application every single day either, as overuse can also exacerbate dryness. Two or three times a week is ideal.
Natural exfoliators for the skin can be combined to create effective and simple treatments that address dryness, redness, breakouts and oiliness all at once. The best combinations include three components: moisture, acid and granulation.
Effective granulating agents include sea salt, baking soda, sugar, oats and even finely shredded coconut.
Two of the best acid ingredients to fight oiliness, blackheads and breakouts are lemon juice (fresh is better) and apple cider vinegar. These two ingredients fight bacteria and aid in skin cleansing.
Popular moisturizing agents found in most homes include coconut oil, honey and olive oil.
All of these can be combined to make an amazing range of homemade face masks.
Tasty exfoliators to try at home
1. Coconut oil, lemon juice & baking soda
Baking soda and lemon juice both help exfoliate and cleanse the skin while the coconut oil helps keep skin lubricated and prevents redness during exfoliation. Use this combination no more than twice per week on non consecutive days.
Directions
Combine 3 Tbsp. of softened (not melted) coconut oil with 1 tsp. of fresh lemon juice and 1 Tbsp. of baking soda. Apply to face with clean hands and leave on for one minute before gently washing off with a warm cloth.
2. Honey, apple cider vinegar & sea salt
Honey is a natural emollient (having a softening or soothing effect to the skin) and makes a great base for a skin application and specifically, is said to contain antibacterial properties. The natural sugars found in honey can also help with exfoliation and dryness. Apple cider vinegar and sea salt each combat breakouts, and sea salt also gently exfoliates the skin without drying it out. This treatment should be applied no more than three times per week, and avoid using it two days in a row.
Directions
Combine 3 Tbsp. of honey with 1 tsp. apple cider vinegar and 1 Tbsp. of sea salt. Apply to face with clean hands and leave on for one minute before gently washing off with a warm cloth.
3. Honey, lemon juice & oats
Oats are full of antioxidants that can battle redness and irritation; in fact, they have been used for many years as an external treatment for severely dry skin. Combining oats with honey and lemon juice creates a natural exfoliant that can be applied twice per week on non consecutive days.
Directions
Combine 3 Tbsp. of honey with 1 tsp. of lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. of oats. Apply to face with clean hands and leave on for one to two minutes before gently washing off with a warm cloth.
4. Honey, lemon juice & finely shredded coconut
Believe it or not, finely shredded coconut is another terrific natural exfoliating agent that can be used in a variety of homemade masks and other skin applications. The key is to use finely shredded coconut and to only use unsweetened varieties. Sweetened varieties tend to be overly moist and won’t work the same way. Honey and lemon juice work to combat dryness and breakouts at the same time. This is a very gentle application that can be used up to three times per week.
Directions
Combine 3 Tbsp. of honey with 1 tsp. of lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. of finely shredded coconut. Apply to face with clean hands and leave on for one to two minutes before gently washing off with a warm cloth.
5. Olive oil, apple cider vinegar & sugar
Olive oil is full of healthy fats that are great for the skin, and it works well with other natural ingredients as a base for simple skin applications. Sugar helps exfoliate the skin while apple cider vinegar helps combat oiliness and blackheads that can occur from the build-up of dead skin cells from dry skin. This combination is gentle enough to use several times per week.
Directions
Combine 3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil with 1 tsp. of apple cider vinegar and 2 Tbsp. of granulated sugar. Apply to face with clean hands and leave on for one to two minutes before gently washing off with a warm cloth.
6. Olive oil, lemon juice & sea salt
You might be thinking that this mixture looks like something you use as a marinade or put on salad and roasted veggies, and while you’d be right, this combination also happens to make a great exfoliating application. Olive oil, lemon juice, and sea salt work to moisturise and cleanse the skin for pennies. For best results, use twice per week on non consecutive days.
Directions
Combine 3 Tbsp. of extra virgin olive oil with 1 tsp. of lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. of sea salt. Apply to face with clean hands and leave on for one to two minutes before gently washing off with a warm cloth.
7. Coconut oil, lemon juice & finely shredded coconut
This combination smells great and is often used in baking, but try not to eat it! Save the benefits of these healthy ingredients for your skin instead. Coconut oil lubricates the skin while lemon cleanses it and prevents oiliness. Finely shredded coconut exfoliates the skin without being too harsh. Apply two to three times per week on non consecutive days.
Directions
Combine 3 Tbsp. of coconut oil with 1 tsp. of lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. of finely shredded coconut. Apply to face with clean hands and leave on for two to three minutes before gently washing off with a warm cloth.
As you can see, many of the same ingredients appear multiple times throughout these scrub recipes. They can be used interchangeably so long as the combination of moisture, acid and granulation occurs in each one. Don’t worry about choosing whichever natural ingredients from these mixtures you have at home, you can’t go wrong and there’s nothing harmful in any of the ingredients. Have fun!
Face masks straight from the larder
Face packs for normal to dry skin:
Note for dry skin: Always wash your face with lukewarm water; do not wash with hot or cold water. Do not use soap to clean the mask off your face.
1. Banana facial mask
Mash 1/2 banana and add 1 tablespoon honey and 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yoghurt. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth or wash it off with lukewarm water.
2. Honey facial mask
Take 1½ tbsp. honey, 1 egg white, 2 tsp. glycerin, 1/3 cup flour. Whisk the honey, egg white and glycerine (coconut oil is a good substitute for glycerine), and then add the flour. The result should be a thick paste. Apply to face and rinse after 15 minutes this mask effectively moisturizes and tightens the skin, making it smooth and soft.
Face packs for oily & problem skin
Note for oily/blackheads/spotty/acne skin: Wash your Face with lukewarm water and then with cold water. While washing with lukewarm pores on your skin open and you can wash off the oil present in the pores. After that you need to close the pores, so that dust does not move inside, for that wash your face with cold water. Do not use soap to clean off the mask.
1. Apple facial mask
Smash ½ a peeled apple and add 1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice and 2 tablespoons sour cream or Greek yoghurt. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with lukewarm water and then with cold water.
2. Tomato facial mask
Pulp ½ a tomato and add the juice to 1/3 cup flour and mix it well. Apply to face and let set for about 10 minutes. Gently wipe off with lukewarm water and then with cold water.
3. Egg white facial mask
Take egg white and apply it on your face, do not beat the egg. Let it dry and gently wipe off with damp cotton wool or wash it off with lukewarm water and then with cold water.
Face packs for mature skin
Note for mature skin: Always wash your face with lukewarm water; do not wash with hot or cold water. While making face packs do not add water as an ingredient, you can add rosewater instead of water. Do not use soap to clean off the mask.
1. Almond facial mask
Blend about 2 tablespoons of ground/powder almonds together with 1 tablespoon of honey and 1 egg white. Apply to face and wash off after 15 minutes. Gently wipe off with a damp wash cloth.