This week’s Beauty 101 is focusing on homemade beauty treatments, and your fellow readers have come through with various “recipes” for everything from body scrubs to shampoos:
As always, I’d like to thank everyone for the helpful hints they submitted in the comment section of yesterday’s thread or by email: though I can’t use them all, due to space issues, they are all appreciated. Before I list the recipes sent in by various readers, I’d also like to remind everyone that this entire series relies on user submissions, and that what works for some readers might not be ideal for others, and that when dealing with skin issues, it might be best to check with your doctor or dermatologist before trying anything new. As commenter A Small Turnip points out:
While there’s absolutely nothing intrinsically wrong with using natural products on your skin and hair, remember that just because it’s something you can pick up in your greengrocer’s doesn’t mean it can’t do some serious damage to your skin. Grapefruit is notorious for causing rashes. Papaya gives many people hives. Almond extract can cause sun-sensitivity, and witch hazel will burn you like a motherfucker if you’re not careful.
Keep in mind that some of the spookier names you read on a cosmetics label, like ammonium lauryl sulfate, or triethanolamine, are preservatives (and plant-derived preservatives, at that). They prevent microbial contamination—something that you do need to be aware of if you’re going “all-natural”. Practice safe skincare, guys!
A, who wrote in via email, agrees:
I’m a long time addict of natural beauty remedies. However, as I’ve gotten some nasty rashes after applying some face masks containing either yogurt, milk, tomatoes or strawberries I’d advise for caution. I remember reading somewhere that if you’re afraid of an allergic reaction you should test the product on a coin sized area on the inside of your elbow. Skin is comparatively sensitive to the one on your face and any rash can be covered and treated way easier.
With that in mind, here are a few reader suggestions:
Scrubs/Salves:
From commenter samplesize:
I make a olive and coconut oil salt scrub with kosher salt. Kosher salt is way cheaper than sugar, with a nice, course grain, but beware, if you have any cuts it will burn. Olive oil is cheaper than coconut, but coconut gives it a nice smell.
From S, via email:
I use this get rid of dead skin on my face about once or twice a week (more in the summer when you’re all sweaty): 1/2 teaspoon organic brown sugar + enough olive oil to soak the sugar through. Mix it in a small bowl and then use it like you would any facial scrub. Wash off sugar with water, and then wait a few minutes before washing your face or showering more thoroughly to make sure that the olive oil doesn’t just sit on your skin doing the opposite of what it should. Your skin should feel soft and moisturized, but not oily.
From P, via email:
For my body, I combine a bowl brown sugar with a tablespoon of honey and a few tbsps (depending on the amount I want) of olive oil to make AN AMAZING sugar scrub. It’s good all over (but ignore your nether regions) and you can work longer and use more on dry areas like the backs of your arms, your knees and where ever else needs it. It’s amazing, and probably enough moisturizer for a lot of people, but I follow it up with some thick Hempz lotion just to make sure (I live in a very dry place!)
From S, via email:
I swear by this stuff, especially during the cruel winter months. I hate
using lotion. It’s too expensive, it takes too long to apply (especially to
your entire body), and it takes way too long to soak in. This has been my
solution to “winter skin” for the past 10 years:
Single Batch Body Scrub Recipe
* Recipe can be doubled.
2 c. brown sugar
2 tbsp white sugar
1 tbsp honey
1/4 c. olive oil
Directions: Blend ingredients with a fork. Start with the brown and white
sugar, then add the olive oil and honey. Store the clumpy mixture in an
unbreakable, water-tight container in your shower. (I use cheap-o
Tupperware.) After your usual cleansing ritual, turn off the water and apply
small handfuls of the scrub to your entire body using circular motions. I’m
not prone to acne, so I even use it on my face. Rinse off (the water will
bead off your skin), and pat dry with a towel.
After 2-3 uses, it cures even my worst winter skin. Then I only need to use
it every other day (or less) to maintain soft, supple skin.
I distributed this recipe among my friends years ago, and at the start of
every winter, they tell me when they make their first batch. Warning: My
husband is quite hairy and tells me this does not rinse easily out of body
hair. However, when he’s desperate (he gets terrible winter skin), he’ll
still use it. It’s *that* good.
From S, via email:
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