Save your skin – DIY Skincare
Adapted and extracted from Imperfectly Natural Woman: the pocketbook by Janey Lee Grace
The skin is the largest organ of the human body and, without doubt, what you put on it is absorbed within. After all, that’s what the beauty advertisements tell us, so it applies to chemical products as much as it does to harmless food preparations such as coconut oil or avocado face masks.
The positive news is that there is now a huge range of one hundred per cent natural creams, moisturisers and oils available that are every bit as nourishing and pampering as those you may use currently. What is more, they contain NO scary chemicals. There are also lots of ‘DIY’ recipes when it comes to skincare. So get concocting!
For cleansing oily skin, a very simple foaming cleanser for the face is Liquid Castile soap, made from pure olive oil. Add your own favourite essential oil to give it a lovely smell. Lemon or lavender work well but don’t use lavender if you are pregnant.
Olive oil cleanser
In an emergency a tiny amount of olive oil will remove make-up but could be a little too heavy to use every day.
Tomato and milk toner
Even cheaper, use up some of the leftovers in the fridge! For example, you can easily make a home-made cleanser by using tomato and milk. Make tomato juice by straining the pulp and mix it with an equal quantity of milk. Store this in a bottle and refrigerate it for use every day. Spread it on your face and neck with your fingertips; leave it on for ten minutes then wash off with cold water.
Oatmeal and honey facial scrub
Oats are highly absorbent, hypoallergenic and help to soften skin.
Take a handful of oatmeal and some water and rub over your face for an exfoliating scrub. Or you can make a really simple mask by adding honey. Oatmeal is great for oily skins because it’ll absorb excess oil while the honey soothes and smoothes the skin. It’s safe for sensitive skins too. Honey is anti-microbial and is also a natural antiseptic.
To make this scrub, throw a handful or so of oatmeal into a mixing bowl and add enough honey to produce a nice thick paste. If you want to use a vitamin capsule, squeeze it in at this stage too. When you have it looking nice and gooey, slap it on your face and leave for fifteen minutes before washing it off with lots of lukewarm water. Then apply your regular moisturiser or facial oil.
Fruit smoothie quick fix for dehydrated skin
2 teaspoons of oatmeal
2 teaspoons of mashed strawberries
Mix into a paste and massage onto damp skin. Rinse off with warm water.
Actually, any fruit pulp will do Nothing need go to waste! See the section in the book on juicing !
Adapted and extracted from Imperfectly Natural Woman: The pocketbook Crown House publishing, £8.99
