Think about all those skin treatments you see in stores. Toners and exfoliants. Moisturizers and anti-aging lotions. The list can go on for days. And then think about all of the infomercials, YouTube ads, and coupons – there’s an overload of skin care and cosmetics. But don’t you find that it’s frustrating at times thinking about the money you have to spend, and all the conflicting information there is about skin health? Wouldn’t it be great if skin care wasn’t such a complicated mess? If you’re nodding away in agreement, look no further than your kitchen for the answer.
The answer to natural skin care may very well lie within your refrigerator. That doesn’t mean the heavy-duty cosmetics sitting in your washroom cabinets are useless, but they’ve got some competition! At the very least, you can rely a little less on the chemicals and more on what nature provides, the result being a lighter shopping bill and fewer side effects.
Check the Grocery List
There’s a good chance that you’ve got the ingredients of a winning skin care program in your shopping bags already. Our society is bent consuming the latest products. Think about those glossy Revlon and Covergirl ads, featuring leading ladies from Hollywood and the music biz. There’s also those late-night infomercials featuring these “groundbreaking products that contain scientifically-proven formulas”. You probably have a few of them in your bathroom cabinets. And while they’re probably doing a decent job, it’s worth taking a look at the grocery items that most of us overlook.
Coconut Oil
If you love flexing your chef skills, you’re probably familiar with coconut oil and might have a few cans stocked up. While it’s awesome for adding flavour to things like vegetable curry, it has some great benefits for your skin as well. Coconut oil provides a blast of nutrients that keep your skin healthy and vibrant. Vitamin E, protein, and essential fatty acids are abound in coconuts – compounds which are essential to the maintenance of your skin.
Skin Benefits of Coconut Oil
- Keeps your skin moisturized
- Protects skin from microbial infections
- Gives your skin a healthy glow
- Slows down signs of aging
- Keeps the skin soft
- Great for removing makeup
Ask yourself, how many of the products in your cabinet do ALL of those things at once? Coconut oil is a multitasking beast that can do much to maintain all that beauty of yours. Therefore, consider adding a product that contains these oils into a natural skin care routine to keep it balanced.
How to Use: Here’s one method courtesy of Overthrown Martha.
1)Massage a thin layer of coconut oil onto your face for about 30 seconds
2) Dab a warm towel on your face to open your pores
3) Wait for 15 – 30 seconds and afterwards, gently remove the oil with a washcloth
4) An optional step, you can splash some warm water to remove the excess oil
Honey
We all know that honey is the perfect substitute for sugar. As a food item, honey fights cancer and heart disease, relieves coughing and throat irritation, and may improve athletic performance. But what can it do for your skin? Just like coconut oil, honey is a nutritional powerhouse that your skin could greatly benefit from. It’s full of vitamins C, D, and E, all of which belong in your natural skin care routine. Additionally, honey contains other important nutrients including thiamin, biotin, and niacin.
Skin Benefits of Honey
- Fights acne
- Contains anti-aging properties
- Treats scars
- Moisturizes the skin
- It removes dark circles from under the eyes
- Also fights eczema
As you can see, honey is powerful product that belongs not only in the kitchen, but also in the bathroom cabinet. So the next time you see a honey-based treatment on the shelf, do yourself a favour and pick it up!
How to Use: Here’s how the folks at Empowered Substance recommend you use honey.
1) Find yourself a bottle of raw honey (must say “unpasteurized” or “unfiltered” on the label)
2) Take ½ teaspoon of honey, rub it in your fingers to keep it warm, and add a few drops of water if necessary
3) Gently apply to your face
4) Rinse it off with hot water and pat dry with a towel (advised to leave on for 10 minutes before rinsing)
5) Finish off by patting down with a toner
Lemon Juice
Everyone knows that expression about life giving you lemons. But lemons are a good thing, especially for your skin. Not only is this citrusy fruit rich in vitamin C, it’s also loaded with vitamins A, K, and E as well as carotene and magnesium. All of these nutrients are essential for healthy skin, so adding lemon juice to your beauty routine will work to your advantage.
Skin Benefits of Lemon Juice
- Acts as a natural skin cleanser
- Fights acne
- Great for treating dark spots and discolouration
- Works as a natural exfoliant
- Lemon juice is a high source of antioxidants
- Fights anti-aging signs such as wrinkles
If you ever feel that your natural skin care routine is missing something, then you should consider using lemon juice if you’re not doing so already. You might be surprised how quickly a frustrating skin issue can fade with a just a drop!
How to Use: Here’s how the folks at Livestrong recommend you use lemon juice.
1) Wash your face with cool water and an exfoliating cleanser. Dab your face with a towel or washcloth afterwards.
2) Take half a lemon and squeeze the juice into a bowl. Dip a cotton ball in the bowl of lemon juice.
3) Wipe your face with the cotton ball gently, so that the juice covers uneven skin tone and blemishes.
Why Bother?
You might not buy into all the fuss about using fruit and kitchen stuff as cosmetics. But think of it this way: a few centuries ago, the masses didn’t have all of the options you have now. They were limited to what grew on trees and what sat on their shelves at home. It’s only over the last few decades that there has been this explosion of beauty products hitting the market. While many of them bring results, they also carry weekly expenses and unwanted side effects for some people. That’s why some of the items mentioned above can have real advantages if you’re looking to maintain your skin without too much extra baggage.
Benefits of Natural Skin Care Items:
- Cost Less – Depending on the treatment, you can easily dish out $30 or $40 for a lotion or gel. The items mentioned above usually cost a few dollars (under $10 in most cases).
- Fewer Side Effects – The combination of chemicals in today’s cosmetics can be harsh on the skin. For the most part, the items listed in this article rarely cause problems for those who use them. Of course, conditions such as allergies will mean leaving some products on the shelf.
- Easy to Use – You might argue that it doesn’t take much forethought to use a cream, and you’re right. But when you have to use it in conjunction with something else or make sure it matches your skin type, it can get tricky. Fortunately, natural items like the ones discussed usually don’t need such scrutiny. You will of course want to make sure that you’re not overusing or under-using natural products.
The lesson here is not about abandoning the products you see in stores. Rather, it’s more about learning to view the items already lingering in your kitchen as viable solutions in your natural skin care routine. There’s no need to splurge on what’s in stores, neither is there a need to bombard yourself with so many chemicals. So treat your skin and budget right by searching the kitchen for your next cosmetic fix.