Spend a lovely Sunday afternoon pampering yourself with these all natural beauty recipes. Most of these ingredients are probably already in your kitchen!

 

1. To clear out pores and promote general awesomeness of the skin, heat up water in a pot or sauce pan until almost boiling. Add freshly cut mint leaves and one or two chamomile tea bags. Take the steaming concoction off the stove and set the pot at a table. Get yourself comfortable leaning over the pot, covering your head and the water with a towel (like a tent). The steam may be very hot, so make sure you leave an opening for some heat to escape. Keep your head close to the steam for ten minutes; it’s like a mini sauna! Afterwards, splash cool water on your face to tighten pores.

 

2. For oily skin, use fresh squeezed orange juice in a variety of ways. My favorite recipe is an orange juice and cornmeal scrub. Squeeze the juice and pulp of one orange into a bowl and mix with five tablespoons of cornmeal and a few teaspoons of sugar. Scrub gently your freshly washed face for two to three minutes and rinse. The astringent qualities of the orange juice help cleanse pores and oily skin. 

 

3. To moisturize, use this honey facial mask. All you have to do is massage honey over a clean face. Sounds silly, but honey is a miracle worker for tired, dry skin. Leave the honey on your face for fifteen to twenty minutes; when you rinse off, you’ll have beautifully softened supple skin.

 

4. Another deeply penetrating moisturizer is avocado. Combine a mashed avocado with one cooked and mashed carrot and a few splashes of heavy cream for an antioxidant, Vitamin E rich concoction. Smooth the mixture over your face and leave on for fifteen to twenty minutes. Rinse, and enjoy your freshly moisturized skin.

 

5. Give yourself a mini manicure. Make a moisturizing hand scrub by mixing a few tablespoons of olive oil and equal amounts of baking soda and sugar to create a paste. Gently rub the scrub into your hands and nails for two to three minutes. Rinse, and slather more olive oil on your hands. Keep your gooey hands protected in socks for ten to fifteen minutes, and rinse again.

 

6. To make your own lip balm, try this recipe courtesy of mybeautyrecipes.com. Homemade lip balm makes great gifts, too!

 

Ingredients:

1/2 ounce beeswax beads

4 ounces sweet almond oil

1 teaspoon colored jojoba beads

2 teaspoons essential oil 

 

Directions:

Put the 4 ounces of sweet almond oil in glass measuring cup, add beeswax beads and jojoba beads and melt in microwave. Stir with spoon. Let it cool for a few minutes, then add essential oil. Pour into lip balm jars.

 

*photo courtesy of naturalbeautyguide.net 

 

• La Femme