Transform Your Skin: DIY Natural Beauty Hacks from Everyday Kitchen Ingredients
Written by: Becca Blumer
Every day we are bombarded with marketing from the beauty industry. One product claims to completely erase your wrinkles while another promises that oh-so-sought after glass skin look is just one application away. But let’s get real… most of those claims are NOT true. And the brands that have the data to back them up are often filled with ingredients we can’t pronounce! Or, if you’re anything like me, the price tag has you making an audibly gasping in the store!
On my personal skincare journey, both ingredients and price, have always been top priorities. For starters, I work on a serious budget and a cream that’s over $100 just isn’t going to cut it. Secondly, I try to eat healthfully, Iso it seemed natural to also pay careful attention to what I’m applying what topically. Plus, as an avid animal lover and welfare advocate, I just couldn’t spend my money on a product that was tested on something cute and fluffy. So, I thought, “why not make it myself?”
Now, obviously I don’t think I can make everything (I’m budget conscious, not delusional). But I realized that there were so many things in my own kitchen that could do some amazing things for my skin. Those good fats in the avocado on my sandwich, could also really put some pizzaz back into my complexion. That brown sugar stashed in the pantry for impulse baking could easily slough off some dead skin. And so, I started my own little experiments in Kitchen Counter Beauty!
Some of these recipes are old-school hacks that you may have heard of before and some will be new. But ALL of them are to help you be more naturally YOU!
Get Buff with Brown Sugar
This one is a favorite of mine and SO EASY! This two-ingredient scrub is by far the best scrub I have used for lips and body. Just don’t use it on your entire face, as the grain isn’t suited for facial exfoliation, as it’s a little too rough.
Ingredients:
• Brown Sugar
• Honey
• Spoon and bowl for mixing
1. Place a scoop of brown sugar in the bowl. Base the amount on the area you want to scrub (i.e., if it’s just for your lips, use a smaller amount, for your body, you’ll need more)
2. Add honey to the brown sugar, enough to almost cover the brown sugar
3. Mix the two ingredients in the bowl until the mixture is fully combined
4. You’ll be left with a super simple scrub for minimal cost
a. If you have leftover scrub, place it in a container. It will last for a day or two!
Fight Under-eye Bags with Tea
Green tea has tons of health benefits, and we’ve been hearing about those for years! But before you throw those tea bags away, try using them one more time for your face. Chilled tea bags can be super helpful when it comes to those pesky under-eye bags that we all tend to get after a long day at work, or maybe a long night out with friends!
1. Steep a cup of your favorite green tea
a. Don’t have green tea? That’s alright! Use any basic herbal tea you have!
2. After the tea has steeped and you’re ready to sip, remove the tea bags and place them in a zip-lock bag or container in the fridge
3. Once the tea bags are nice and cold, sit back, relax, and place the cool bags on your eyes (making sure to cover that under-eye area)
4. Relax until you’re de-puffed and reenergized!
I always recommend doing this on a clean face, and then finishing up with some hydrating skincare afterwards.
Wake up Your Face with Coffee!
I love a good cup of coffee or a latte, but what I think makes coffee even more special is how it can benefit your skin! Caffeine can not only wake up your mind, but it can also wake up your complexion. Coffee grounds can be used in a simple facemask that brightens, energizes, and exfoliates your skin. One of my favorite facemasks is from Lush, and is called Cup O’ Coffee, but it’s super easy to replicate at home.
Ingredients:
• Coffee Grounds
• Honey
• Bowl and Spoon for mixing
1. Mix honey and coffee grounds in a 1:1 ratio in your mixing bowl
2. Once mixed, place bowl in fridge to cool
3. After cooling, spread evenly across skin and let it sit for 12-15 minutes
a. Be sure to apply to a clean face!
4. Follow with your normal nourishing skincare
You can add other elements to your mask to help with different aspects of skincare (like clay for clarification, or yogurt for evening skin tone and fading dark spots). So, pretend you’re a barista and dream up a fancy new concoction!
Get Glowing with Avocados!
Avocados are full of healthy fats and antioxidants we love to include in a meal. But we shouldn’t discount them in our skincare! Take that extra bit of avocado leftover from the guacamole you made, or that half you know you won’t use before it gets brown and put it to use for your skin!
Ingredients:
• Half an avocado
• Half of a banana
• Juice of half a lemon
• Tablespoon of honey
1. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until they are well combined.
2. Apply to a clean face
3. Let sit for 30 minutes
4. Rinse and finish with your normal skincare routine
The next time you’re in your kitchen prepping a meal or grabbing a snack, remember that while the big beauty brands are trying to sell you this and that, you already have a treasure trove in your home! So grab your mixing bowl and your ingredients, and make your kitchen counter your own beauty lab!