Easy Natural Beauty

Image by spaceodissey via Flickr

Maybe the idea of using natural ingredients to make your own beauty products seems like a nice idea, kind of sweet even. Good for you. Good for the environment. Blah. Blah. Blah



But in this post I’ve got recipes for natural products that can help you solve three of the most downright embarrassing beauty problems on earth: dark undereye circles, pimples, and excess hair.

For Undereye Circles

Ingredients:

• juice of 1/2 cucumber
• juice of 1 tomato
• 1/2 teaspoon tumeric powder
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• about 4 tablespoons finely powdered cornmeal

1. Use a juicer to extract the juice in the cucumber and tomato. (If you don’t have a juicer, you can peel and seed them then use a food processor to liquefy them.) Strain the liquid to remove any solids.

2. Add the turmeric powder and lemon juice to the juices.

3. Gradually add the cornmeal by stirring in a little at a time. Add enough to make a thick paste.

4. Apply the paste gently around the eyes using a cotton pad or patting lightly with your ring finger. Rinse gently – do not rub – with warm water.

Apply daily and you should see results in about a week.

If you have any left, keep it refrigerated.

For Pimples

Ingredients:

• 1/4 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 drop tea tree essential oil

Use the apple cider vinegar to saturate a cotton swap. Put one drop of the tea tree essential oil on the pad. Pat the swab on the pimple and leave on overnight. (You can use a bandaid if you think the solution might rub off while you’re sleeping.)

This can diminish pimples as quickly as overnight, and it keeps indefinitely.



Need something even faster?

A Mask for Pimples

Ingredients:

• 1 teaspoon green clay
• 1 teaspoon runny honey
• 1 teaspoon yogurt or sour cream
• 1 drop rose geranium essential oil

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients and mix well. Add the rose geraminum essential oil and mix everything again.

2. Smooth the mask on your face and relax for about an hour.

3. Rinse with warm water and finish with a splash of cool water.

This mask is terrific for oily skin and works especially well if you steam your face first with chamomile, roses, sage, and thyme.

If you have any of the mask left, keep it refrigerated.

For Unwanted Hair

If you hate those overpowering chemical depilatories and don’t want to pay for expensive salon treatments, try this recipe for a sugar-based hair remover from MAKEYOURCOSMETICS.COM.

Ingredients:

• juice from half of a lemon
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup white sugar
• a number of cotton strips (about 1/2 inch thick and 3-4 inches long)
• 1 pop sickle stick

Blending Procedure:

1. Add all the ingredients to a saucepan and heat until the sugar is dissolved and turns to liquid.

2. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Touch it with your finger before using to make sure it’s not too hot to touch. If it is, wait a few more minutes before using.

3. When the mixture has cooled so you can touch it, but it’s still warm, use the pop sickle stick to apply it to your selected area. Smear it in the direction of the hair growth.

4. Put a cotton strip over the area where the mixture was applied and rub it until you feel it warm as the sugar mixture sticks to the hair.

5. To remove the cotton (and the hair), gently pull the cotton against the direction of hair growth (opposite from the direction you applied the product). It will not hurt if you have thin hair, but if the hair growth is thick, it will hurt.

6. Repeat the steps on other parts of the skin where you want hair removed, using new strips for each area.

7. Test this product on a small patch of hair before using on larger patches. If any adverse reaction occurs, do not use it again. Hair removal is sometimes painful, even when done in a salon by a professional so if you have any doubts about how to do this yourself, skip to another recipe. Also, do not use on sensitive, damaged or broken skin. Do not use on children or babies.

This recipe can be used on legs, arms, underarms, upper lip, and eyebrows. This recipe does temporarily turn the treated skin red, but the effects can last more than six weeks. The mixture doesn’t last though, so discard any you may have leftover.



If you have any recipes for beauty problems that you’d like to share, please let me know at nataliemacbride@easynaturalbeauty.net.