apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

i make a lot of my own skincare products.

i make vitamin c serum which is very easy. it's vitamin c crystals which i buy from my local natural foods store, glycerin and distilled water. recipes can be found if you just google it.

also, i use a facial mask of aspirin (which is essentially salicylic acid) and honey and it really works great.

Have you used any recipes from the natural skin care website?

my dry skin loves an oatmeal and honey mask (or sometimes just honey)!

another great trick: if you see a zit coming in (especially if it's red or swollen), mash up an aspirin with a few drops of water. pat the paste onto your skin (don't scrub) and let it dry. then brush away the crumbs and moisturize. the aspirin reduces redness and less swelling means it's easier to cover with makeup, if necessary.

as for moisturizers, make sure you're buying one that works! I used to get a cheaper brand, but I'd have to use quite a bit a reapply it fairly often. I switched to an expensive brand and now I get away with a tiny dab (and my skin is happier). a jar lasts me up to a year. sometimes it really is better to get the pricier product...

Plain yogurt does make a great face mask, as do honey, eggs, powdered milk, etc., but this over-emphasis on "natural" cleansers and products is a bit over the top. Simply because something is natural doesn't make it beneficial; anthrax is all-natural, and not all synthetics are bad. Did no one who writes for this site ever take a chemistry class?

I use a thick, plain yogurt mixed with a tiny bit of either A) Almond oil (sensitive & dry skin - plus it smells great) B) Sunflower Oil (regenerates & conditions skin) or C) Soybean oil (tons of Vitamin E) with baking soda. The vitamins in the yogurt are EXCELLENT, as well as moisturizing properties of the oils and the baking soda is a wonderful, mild daily exfoliant.


Another thing I use on occasion is lemon juice, egg white & baking soda as a mask. Mix into a paste, smooth onto skin and let set. It leaves the skin like porcelain. (don't do this more than once every couple of weeks)

Check out our ideas for homemade beauty products at http://www.organicfoodee.com/lifestyle/diybeauty/

Enjoy!

I frequently use baking powder to exfoliate. Shake a little into the palm of your hand, add a dribble of water to make a wet paste, then massage onto your face. Rinse. Simple and cheap. (Note that this only exfoliates, not cleanses. If you want to do both steps once, add a drop or two of cleanser to the paste.)

Pepto Bismol makes a perfect salicylic acid mask (there's aspirin in it). I got that recommendation from a dermatologist. Making your own aspirin mask is a little dangerous because you absorb some of the medication through your skin, and you can actually overdose. In Pepto Bismol the aspirin is suspended in the solution and is buffered. It works really well.

Also, the Body Shop used to carry an overpriced exfoliation scrub that was ground-up azuki beans. I buy the dried beans and grid them in a spice grinder. Sprinkle some into the cup of your hand, blend with water (or whatever else you wish), and gently scrub the face. It's a very gentle scrub.

Oh, and as for baking soda -- it makes a great poultice for poison oak. Mix up a thick paste of it and dribble that onto the affected area. Let it sit for 10 minutes or so, wash it off, pat it dry. It dries up the seeping and calms the itch.

Forgot to add -- olive oil is a perfect face moisturizer. Rub it in, tissue off the excess.

I'm two days late to this party, but if anyone is still reading, plain milk of magnesia is a great substitution for a clay mask.