Worried about the amount of chemicals, preservative and additives lurking in your bathroom cabinet? Well, if you want natural beauty, the only answer is: make your own products!
Find out how to use the contents of your cupboards to make gentle, effective and inexpensive beauty remedies for your face, hair and body.
Eye make-up remover
What your skin needs: Gentle, effective, moisturising make-up removal oil. Because oils work better than cleansers. Fact. Here”s how to make your own!
What you need: A see-through pump bottle, A small bowl,100ml castor oil, 200ml sweet almond oil, 200ml cornflower water (try health shops or the Internet)
Recipe: Mix the sweet almond oil and castor oil, add the cornflower water and pour into your bottle. Every night, apply a generous amount using cotton wool to remove eye make-up.
Lightenening treatment for blonde hair
Both natural and dyed blonde hair can get dull and lifeless if you don”t look after it. This extra gentle lightening treatment is based on an ancient alternative ayurvedic method and will naturally boost your locks.
What you need: A saucepan, A bowl, A small sieve, One sachet of loose camomile, The juice of a lemon, Sunlight (where possible!)
Method: Heat the camomile for 20 minutes in a pan of boiling water, leave to infuse for another 20 minutes and strain. Pour little by little onto clean hair, retaining the excess. Add the lemon juice to the excess and pour over your hair again as a final rinse. Let your hair dry naturally in the sun to intensify the lightening effect. Use once or twice a month.
Mattifying toner
Oily skin that tends to shine needs gentle care: anything else just aggravates it.
What oily skin needs: A purifying, strengthening mask. This will brighten and revive skin, stop excess sebum production, prevent blackheads from forming, tighten your pores and get rid of unsightly shine.
What you need:
A bowl, A pot of honey,200ml rosewater (this has astringent properties), 5 drops of essential lavender oil (this regulates sebum)
Method: Mix 3 tbsp honey with 1 tbsp rosewater and 6 drops of essential lavender oil. Apply in a thick layer over the face, paying particular attention to the T-zone (chin, nose and forehead). Leave for 15 minutes. Massage gently, making small movements with your fingertips. Rinse. Use this mask once a week on clean, dry skin.
Radiance booster
What your skin needs: A two-phase injection of moisture every morning.
Ingredients: A small pump bottle (200ml), A bottle of orange blossom water (this has moisturising effects), 100ml carrot oil (available in health shops or on the Internet), 100ml musk rose oil (this regulates sebum)
Method: Each morning, tone your skin by dampening a piece of cotton wool with orange blossom water and dabbing it over your skin, making sure it”s properly absorbed.
Mix the carrot and rose oils, then pour the mixture into your bottle.
Massage your face with the oil mixture every morning before you apply your make-up.
If you have very dry skin, use argan oil.If you have oily skin, dilute your rose oil with rose water so you get a less oily, more fluid mixture. This will help regulate sebum production.
