Home Remedies: Skin & Hair

Hi everyone! I thought as part of my blogathon, I would tell you a few home remedies! Tried & Tested, I promise!

Body Scrub: I make up this nice body scrub once a week and sit in the bottom of the shower to apply the scrub before turning on the water to wash it off. This particular scrub is extremely moisturising, and so good its almost like a body mask and scrub in one. This is great for so many reasons: Firstly, the cleanup is so simple because you can just wash it down the drain as you shower normally, second because it's so inexpensive & can be made out of ingredients you will likely already have, thirdly because it is not very time consuming - adding only a couple of extra minutes before you shower. So what you will need is: Honey (I use manuka honey), an oil (I use sweet almond because I have it for massages, but Jojoba oil or even olive oil - extra virgin - will do the trick!), sugar (I use raw sugar because that's what I have but as long as its about the same size, it will work) and Sea or lake salt (because of their larger size). The amount you will need will vary depending on the surface area of the body, as well as how much of the body you are doing, but basically as much salt that I do, I use half as much sugar, I really don't measure the honey - so just use as much as you think, remembering the more you use the more moisturised you will be - and I only use a small amount of oil mainly to mix the ingredients and increase the spreadability. I mix it in a small metal bowl and add the honey, sugar and salt and leave for about 1-2 minutes to allow the sugar to become sticky and add the oil right before I use it so that it doesn't dissolve the salt. I then sit in the bottom of the shower and start with my legs and exfoliate towards the heart to help the lymphatic system. I basically grab small amounts and rub over the area until all that's left on the area is the stickiness of the honey and move on to the next area. I would never use this on my face because the mixture is just far too coarse for the skin on the face. I also avoid the neck. Once you are finished exfoliating, you may sit there for an extra couple of minutes to allow the honey to sink in or you can wash it off immediately. I recommend that the drier your skin is, the longer you leave the honey to sit, just keeping in mind that you may get cold (as you are likely naked) sitting in the bottom of the shower without the water running. When you shower, just wash as normal, not scrubbing too hard, as you have already scrubbed the skin and then moisturise. Trust me, your skin will feel amazing!

Face Mask/Scrub: I do this particular mask once a week and shake it up adding or removing ingredients depending on my skin's needs. The main ingredients are generally the same, being sugar, honey, jojoba oil and my dermalogica daily microfoliant. I use, again manuka honey, raw sugar and jojoba oil (because it's moisturising), but the microfoliant can be substituted for finely ground up oats. Now these are the main ingredients of which will be in each face mask, but there are things you can add to modify to your skin type and conditions. Bananas: I'm sure if you have previously done a home-made mask, you have already discovered banana. It is a great anti-oxidant and helps to tighten the skin, provide moisture, increase blood circulation, stimulate collagen production (win!), as well as soothing properties - so it is really good for any type of skin! Clay: I'm sure your local beauty therapist, chemist, pharmacy, beauty wholesaler or somewhere near you sell clay. I get mine from New directions and they come in bulk. I use a white clay - which is great for young skin and a green clay (for spot treatment) - which is good for detoxifying the skin. I add this when I feel as though my skin needs a little something extra. Clay has so many benefits on the skin, but mainly it is just excellent at pulling out impurities. If you would like to know more about clay and what type to use, please comment below & I will give you more information! Cucumber: This is a must! It is anti-inflammatory, hydrating, full of vitamins making it nourishing and an anti-oxidant, and also helps to balance out the skin tone. Citrus: orange, grapefruit, lemon, lime, etc these are all great astringents for oily skin and can be added occasionally to balance out the oil in your skin! These work best in toners! Now that you know the basics, you can start to figure out what your skin needs - and if you are unsure of your skin type, I have previously posted about how to tell your skin type. I start with any dry ingredients and add them to a stainless steel bowl, so I add sugar, microfoliant (or oats), and honey (because it won't mix until you add oil). I then add in any extras I feel my skin needs that week, again I really don't measure anything, I just add relatively equal amounts of everything, remembering the face area isn't that large. If I'm adding in any fruit or anything, I quickly buzz it in my smoothie maker (because it doesn't take 10 years to clean) and then add to the mixture. Once I am satisfied with the ingredients, I massage into my face and decolletage (to exfoliate) and then leave on for between 10 and 20 minutes. I apply my mask after cleansing and toning my face (I use Dermalogica products: eye makeup remover, precleanse, special cleansing gel and multi-active toner) and follow my mask with an eye cream and a moisturiser and sunscreen (if leaving the house). You could eliminate the sugar to use solely as a mask, however I like the results you get from combining the two steps together. I remove my mask with a warm, wet face washer (face towel).

Hair mask/Treatments:

Apple Cider Vinegar: mix with equal parts water to the vinegar. I use apple cider vinegar as a rinse before shampooing to help to remove any build-up created from too much product use. I do this about once a month and simply pour over my head in the shower and slightly massage through. It also helps to smooth down the hair's cuticles and balance the pH levels!

Coconut oil & Honey: Is there anything honey can't do? Seriously, invest in some manuka honey! Coconut oil - if you haven't yet discovered the amazing ingredient that is coconut oil - google it, once you're finished reading of course. I use pure extra virgin coconut oil and get it from a health food store. coconut oil is rich in fatty acids and protein, so it helps the hair to be shinier, moisturised and improve the texture. Honey is just amazingness that helps to stick down cuticles, nourish and moisturise the hair! I use on second-day hair before conditioning in the shower once a week, although I imagine you could use it as often as you so wish. I use about six to eight times the amount of honey than I do coconut oil - eg for every half teaspoon of coconut oil, I use about 3-5 teaspoons of honey. You really don't need too much as it is very emollient. I also add about 15mL of water to help mix and spread the product. I lather as much on as I can all over and wrap up in cling wrap for 15mins to half an hour. I then rinse thoroughly and follow with conditioner.

Olive Oil & Eggs: warning: if you don't like the smell of eggs, this is not for you. I use about 50ml of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and two eggs, mixed well and apply best I can to all of my hair and then wrap in cling wrap and sit for 20 mins, rinse in COLD water to avoid breaking the eggs up. Egg white helps to rid the hair of excess oil, egg yolk helps to strengthen hair due to its high protein content, and EVOO helps to moisturise the hair and prevent breakage for brittle hair. Warning for very light blondes: this may alter the colour of your hair & a toner would be needed to refresh the colour afterwards. 

Lip Scrub: you will need sugar and coconut oil and a baby toothbrush. Sugar provides a gentle exfoliant, coconut oil helps to moisturise and spread the product and a baby toothbrush is gentle and helps to scrub the product on your lips. I use about a quarter of a teaspoon of both coconut oil and sugar and place onto the toothbrush and gently move over my lips. This is an amazing scrub!

That's it! Thanks so much for reading my post! I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for more posts this week.

Until next time..

-Beauty Geek x