While it's fun to try out the latest, buzzed-about beauty products, there's something really charming (and affordable) about cooking up your own beauty recipes. But before you get intimidated, know that you don't have to be Julia Child to give yourself a farmer's market facial. In fact, some of these recipes only require a single ingredient -- like raspberries, which make a great after-sun face mask -- pretty amazing considering the laundry list of un-pronounceable ingredients we're used to seeing in our beauty products.
And with all the beauty joys that sunnier days bring, like wavy locks and less makeup, also come the woes of swimming pool hair and sunburned noses. Which is why we got DIY beauty product recipes from Janice Cox, author of "Natural Beauty for All Seasons", to help cure those issues, plus warm weather herbal remedies designed by sustainable gardener Melinda Joy Miller and the owner of the Steam Salon in Los Angeles, Calif., Carla Gentile Day. Use their beauty tips to learn how to take things like sage from your herb garden (see, you can use it for something other than spicing up pasta) and make beauty products like a hair remedy out of it, or a must-be-eaten-today melon that you picked up from the market and turn it into a face mask.
Making homemade beauty recipes is really just about mixing nature's best offerings with stuff that you have in your pantry and medicine cabinet to create beauty products that will make you feel like a natural beauty. The possibilities are endless for what beauty products you can create, so use these recipes as a starting point, and as you begin to think outside the beauty aisle, you'll soon be brimming with creative ideas for what to do with that too-ripe avocado �
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Sunburn Soothing Lotion
So you slacked on your SPF reapplication duties ... shame on you! But because we're not total meanies, we'll share how to create a lotion that'll soothe your tender skin. The peppermint oil (a natural coolant), witch hazel and baking soda (two well-known sunburn soothers) in this recipe will bring you some relief.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon witch hazel
1/4 cup baking soda
1-2 drops of peppermint oil
Directions:
Mix together all ingredients in a container with a lid to form a thick, milky solution. Shake well before applying. To use: Gently apply to your sunburned skin and allow to dry. Reapply if necessary. You may also want to rinse your skin after the lotion absorbs and works its magic because it leaves film as it dries (you know, in case you decide to venture out -- tan lines and all).
Recipe courtesy of: Janice Cox
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Swimming Pool Hair Remedy
There's nothing better than taking a dip in the pool on a hot summer day, but the chlorine and chemicals can be harsh and damaging to hair. This hair care potion will protect your locks -- and help blonde hair from turning green.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons baking soda
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon mild shampoo
*Yields 2 ounces -- enough for one treatment
Directions: Mix together all the ingredients until well blended. Wet hair and massage the mixture onto your hair and scalp, making sure hair ends are coated. Cover hair with a plastic bag or shower cap and leave on for 30 minutes. Rinse hair well and shampoo as usual.
Recipe courtesy of: Janice Cox
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Watermelon Clarifying Face Toner
Watermelon is packed with vitamins A, B, and C -- all of which keep skin glowing, protected and healthy. To boot, this fragrant, rose-colored toner looks smashing in a glass bottle.
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons fresh watermelon juice (see note below)
1 tablespoon vodka
2 tablespoons witch hazel
2 tablespoons distilled water
*Yields 4 ounces
Directions: Combine the watermelon juice with the other ingredients in a bowl and stir well. Pour into a clean bottle. To use: Apply to skin with a clean cotton pad.
*Note: To make fresh juice, put watermelon in a blender or food processor and strain to remove all solids
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Beauty-full Tea
This tonic is an herbal remedy that supports beautiful skin and complexion from the inside out, and helps to build the immune system -- providing strength and stamina to the body.
Ingredients:
5 moringa tree leaves
1 cup red clover blossoms
1 inch slice of fresh ginger
1 teaspoon rose hips
*Note: You can find moringa tree leaves at your local seed store, online, or you can grow and dry them if you live in California.
Directions: Add all of these ingredients to your favorite pot of green tea and steep for 5 - 10 minutes. Drink throughout the day.
Recipe courtesy of: Melinda Joy Miller and Carla Gentile Day
While it's fun to try out the latest, buzzed-about beauty products, there's something really charming (and affordable) about cooking up your own beauty recipes. But before you get intimidated, know that you don't have to be Julia Child to give yourself a farmer's market facial. In fact, some of these recipes only require a single ingredient -- like raspberries, which make a great after-sun face mask -- pretty amazing considering the laundry list of un-pronounceable ingredients we're used to seeing in our beauty products.
And with all the beauty joys that sunnier days bring, like wavy locks and less makeup, also come the woes of swimming pool hair and sunburned noses. Which is why we got DIY beauty product recipes from Janice Cox, author of "Natural Beauty for All Seasons", to help cure those issues, plus warm weather herbal remedies designed by sustainable gardener Melinda Joy Miller and the owner of the Steam Salon in Los Angeles, Calif., Carla Gentile Day. Use their beauty tips to learn how to take things like sage from your herb garden (see, you can use it for something other than spicing up pasta) and make beauty products like a hair remedy out of it, or a must-be-eaten-today melon that you picked up from the market and turn it into a face mask.
Making homemade beauty recipes is really just about mixing nature's best offerings with stuff that you have in your pantry and medicine cabinet to create beauty products that will make you feel like a natural beauty. The possibilities are endless for what beauty products you can create, so use these recipes as a starting point, and as you begin to think outside the beauty aisle, you'll soon be brimming with creative ideas for what to do with that too-ripe avocado �
