My Homemade Beauty Remedies

Herbalists have touted honey for centuries because it helps skin retain moisture and is thereby rejuvenating and softening. Take 2 tsp honey, 1 cup very hot water and a few drops pure essential oil, if desired. Dissolve the honey in the water. Add essential oil, if desired. Pour the mixture into the bath water. Makes 1 cup, enough for one bath.

Tomato, used externally, is good for getting a good complexion. You can make tomato lotion. Take one tsp of tomato juice add a couple of drops of lime juice. Apply on face and remove after 15 minutes. It is very effective for shrinking enlarged pores.

Make a paste of almonds with mild cream and fresh rosebud paste. Apply it daily over the face. This softens and bleaches the skin and nourishes it. Regular application of this mixture prevents the early appearance of wrinkles, blackheads, dryness of the skin and pimples. It also keep the face refreshed.

Astringents are used to remove excess oil from the skin. This is how you can make it at home. Take 6 parts lemon balm, 4 parts chamomile, 1 part rosemary, 4 parts roses, 1 part lemon peel, 1 part sage and vinegar to cover and essential oil of lavender or rose (optional). Place all herbs in a wide-mouthed jar. Add enough vinegar to come about an inch or two above the herb mixture. Cover tightly and let sit in a warm spot for two to three weeks. Strain. Reserve the liquid. To the herbal vinegar add ½ - 1 cup of rose water. Add a drop or two of essential oil, if desired. Rebottle. This product does not need to be refrigerated and will stay preserved indefinitely.

This easy-to-make formula will help to dissolve the ‘glue’ that binds dead skin cells, allowing them to fall away like autumn leaves, revealing the smooth, soft skin underneath. The secret is fresh alphahydroxy fruit acid – in this case, from tomatoes and sugar. You need ¼ cup granulated sugar, chopped fresh tomato and 2 tbsp yogurt or sour cream. Place the sugar in a small bowl. Add enough fresh chopped tomato to moisten, then add yogurt. Combine and apply to a clean, damp face, using fingertips to gently massage the formula into skin. Allow formula to remain on skin for 10 minutes, then rinse with warm water and pat dry.

This recipe smells divine and it really works: you’ll have more lustrous hair after just one application. Make a strong brew (espresso if possible) and allow to cool until only warm, not hot. Apply the coffee to dry hair and rinse with warm water after for 20 minutes.

Here’s one easy formula for minty refreshment. Take 1 cup vodka, peel from 1 organic lemon and 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, shredded. Place all ingredients in a lidded jar and shake well. Allow to macerate for at least 3 days, shaking daily, then strain out solids and discard. Place cologne in a spray bottle and use whenever you need a refreshing spiritz.

You’ll need: 1/4 cup all-vegetable shortening, at room temperature, 10 drops essential oil of orange, 2 drops essential oil of ylang-ylang and 1 drop essential oil of vanilla (optional). Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whip together, using a small spatula or whisk. Apply a dab of balm to your temples after cleansing your face and just prior to bedtime. May be used daily, if desired. Store in a glass jar in a cool, dry place for up to three or four months.

Here is a wonderful fruit-and-vegetable based formula for a skin toner, one that was decoded from an old Mayan text of beauty formulas by a Mexican archaeologist. A good time to make this toner is when the harvest is bountiful. What you need is: 1/4 cup cucumber juice, 1/8 cup carrot juice (rich in Vitamin A), 1/2 cup spearmint infusion, 1/4 cup chamomile infusion and 1/2 cup lemon juice (an alpha hydroxy acid). Make the cucumber juice and carrot juice. Make strong spearmint and chamomile teas, and let cool. Combine all the ingredients in a glass jar and blend. If you freeze the mixture in ice cube trays, just pop out a cube and rub it over your face, then put the cube in the refrigerator and use the toner over the next few days.

Take 1/4 cup palm yogurt and 1/4 cup walnuts (very finely grounded). Mix ingredients together. Wet your face then gently work the scrub into your skin. Rinse off with warm water. Try this once a week and watch your face glow.