Class: welcome substitute teacher Cassie Aimes. Enjoy the British spellings! The Damsel decided not to edit them because, well, they look awesome.
Good Old-Fashioned Beauty Remedies
As being frugal becomes the new cool, many more people are going back to the good old fashioned ways of doing everything. Ingredients such as baking soda, white vinegar and borax are finding their way back into our cleaning cupboards and the importance of wholesome food baked from scratch is not only saving us money but helping to make sure we’re getting the balanced diet that can be hard to find from modern and expensive convenience and take away foods.
But after all that scrubbing and baking it’s important to make time for a little pampering as well. Luckily many of Grandma’s good old fashioned beauty treatments have stood the test of time and are as good today as they have always been.
Go Natural, Avoid Chemicals
If you spend even a small amount of time watching TV or flicking though magazines you can’t fail to be bombarded with tonnes of adverts promoting the latest developments in scientifically formulated skin care and make up, usually accompanied with a string of pseudo scientific jargon which is specifically targeted to make us part with our cash. The cosmetics industry is worth billions of dollars a year, and most of what’s available is chemical laden potions which do little more than lighten your wallet. Not only are these products expensive but many of the chemicals they contain have been linked with a number of health problems including cancer, heart disease, ADHD, Alzheimer’s and allergies. Anything applied to the skin can get absorbed into the blood stream–just think of how medicines such as nicotine patches work–so there’s little wonder that there’s been resurgence in natural, organic skincare in recent years.
Now, while there are a vast array of expensive organic skin care companies out there and a whole host of books and articles on how to make your own skin care products using a number of hard to find ingredients, it may surprise you to learn that some of the most effective home beauty treatments can be found in your kitchen cupboard. What’s more, these simple remedies have been used for many years proving that they are not only safe to use, but incredibly effective too.
Finding the Best Ingredients for a Natural Beauty Regime
So what are the best ingredients for an all natural skin and hair care regime? You might be surprised. Here a just a few of my favourite homemade beauty remedies but once you start looking you’ll find there are many more.
Oatmeal
Oatmeal is one of nature’s most calming beauty products. It’s great for sore and inflamed skin and can be applied both topically or consumed to give a beauty boost that’s really effective. If you pop a handful or two of oatmeal into a clean muslin cloth and secure it with a rubber band you can create a soothing treatment which will help moisturise and protect your skin. Just squeeze your oatmeal “tea bag” into a bowl of water until it the water gets cloudy and splash it all over your face. It really couldn’t be easier.
For a deeper treatment you can make an exfoliating oatmeal scrub by mixing a little with warm water or milk to form a paste. Use circular motions to rub it into your skin, avoiding the delicate eye area, and rinse off with warm water. Oatmeal is high in beta glucan which helps the skin to retain moisture, while milk contains lactic acid which aids the exfoliation process and leaves you with gorgeously soft skin. Best of all it only costs a few cents for a luxurious treatment. Milk can also be used as a skin softener in the bath and is great for anyone with sensitive skin such as eczema or psoriasis.
Oranges
Oranges are great for getting rid of any dry skin from your elbows, knees or anywhere else that needs a bit of extra care. They are high in fruit acids which loosen the dead skin cells and smell gloriously fragrant too. All you need to do is squeeze out the juice from about half of your orange and mix with a quarter cup of olive oil and a quarter cup of granulated sugar. Rub the unsqueezed orange half over the bits that need treatment then follow with your home made scrub. Finally rinse it all off with some warm water and you’re done.
There are all manner of homemade beauty treatments which have stood the test of time. Beer or eggs can make your hair shinier, lemon juice can make it lighter, not to mention the vast variety of herbs that grow in your garden which have a number of fantastic beauty uses. Best of all these beauty treatments contain no savage chemicals and most of them can be found in your cupboard or picked up for pennies at the local grocery store.
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Cassie Aimes is a full time writer and researcher who also runs a children’s clothing store on eBay. She maintains an organic lifestyle, utilising the best natural ingredients to feed and support her family. She specialises in writing about organic lifestyle and beauty tips.
