All posts in DIY Skincare – Make Your Own

Kill a spot with apple!

June 17, 2012

I woke yesterday morning to the awful sensation of a spot brewing. Now, not one of those little spots, I shan’t moan about those. This felt more like Vesuvius. One of those blind spot lumps that hurt like a mother when you move your facial muscles. If I wasn’t on holiday I would have gone straight to the acne product drawer in my pink room – You know you have issues with spots when you have a shelf dedicated to products claiming to clear them!

Instead I thralled the internet looking for a natural solution. One of the simplest ones I came across was using an apple. Having one of those sitting in my fruit bowl I decided I had nothing left to loose.

All I did was pore boiling water over a slice of apple and wait 3-5 minutes for it to soften. I then popped it over the spot whilst still warm and left it there for 20 minutes. Afterward I patted the area with a warm cotton ball. I repeated this is the afternoon and at night. This morning the spot was gone. Result!

Apparent apple is highly antiseptic. it kills bacteria and protects from infection. They also contain AHA’s which is a natural exfoliant. I’ll definitely be using this again.

From what I’ve read you need to get those big sore spots just as they’re coming up. This mightn’t have worked had I waited a few days.

Have you any natural remedies?

My Hair Saviour – Olive Oil & Egg Hair Mask

June 10, 2012

My has been going through a bit of a dry spell lately. I blame hormones. Of course, I blame those on just about everything :) As you can gather I spend a lot of money on hair care products but I did wonder if I could revert to my old ways and use something from my kitchen to improve the quality of my hair.

I settled on this recipe and have been delighted with the results.

OLIVE OIL AND EGG HAIR MASK:

4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 eggs

Apply to dry hair. Leave on hair for at least 15 minutes (I waited 30 minutes). Then wash you hair as normal.

I tried this three times over the past week and my hair feels soft, shiny and manageable. It’s not greasy or dry. It’s just right. It’s almost like the mask normalised my hair.

Definitely worth a try!

Any home remedies to share??

Image from here

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DIY Skincare: Egg White & Lemon Juice Mask

November 30, 2010

It’s been a while since I posted a ‘make your own skincare’ post. This recipe is perfect for this time of year and is suitable for all skin types. It gently exfoliates whilst brightening, toning and clarifying your skin.

What you need

Still bottled water
1 large egg white
Half of a lemon

*Optional – Witchhazel or rosewater (from you local health shop)

Beat the egg white until it forms stiff peeks.

Squeeze one teaspoon of lemon juice from the lemon.

Gently fold the juice into the egg white. Apply it to your face and neck, leave it for 2o minutes to work its magic. Rinse with lukewarm water and a muslin cloth (or cotton wool pads), pat dry.

If you have any witch hazel or rosewater you can dab some on the skin. Follow with your moisturiser.

This mask last 6 hours in the fridge. I tend to make a batch when I have someone to share it with. Once a week will do it!

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Make Your Own Stimulating Scalp Massage (Non Oily)

October 26, 2010

This recipe is not oily despite the fact that is uses essential oils. The witch hazel leaves you scalp feeling tingly and fresh.

Rosemary essential oil has been used for thousands of years to help stimulate the scalp. The lavender oil calms the scalp whist the witch hazel acts as an astringent.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon witch hazel (distilled)
3 drops Lavender essential oil
3 drops rosemary essential oil

Mix the ingredients together, shake vigorously to disperse the essential oils. Massage in to the scalp (damp or dry) using your fingertips. It’s up to you if you want to rinse it out or not.

Easy – Hello stimulated scalp!

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Make Your Own Aromatherapy Foot Spray

October 21, 2010

Making your own aromatherapy foot spray is so easy. This recipe is natural, deodorising and refreshing.

Lavender and Cypress essential oils have antimicrobial properties that keep odour at bay. Witch Hazel makes your feet feel fresh and tingly as it’s a great astringent.

Ingredients

10 drops Cypress Essential Oil
120ml Witch Hazel (distilled)
30 drops Lavender essential oil

Add the ingredients into a spray bottle (I bought mine in Superdrug for €2) Shake vigorously to disperse the oils.

Spray on your feet morning and evening.

This recipe is definitely one of my favourites. You could also decorate the bottle and give it to your boyfriend as a subtle hint :)

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DIY Skincare: Make Your Own Liquid Soap for your Home & Gifts

October 14, 2010

Ok so I am cheating a little here to make this easier for you. If you buy an organic Liquid soap base online (I buy mine on ebay for a couple of euro, it’s called castile soap) then you can add healthy oils and essential oils suitable for your skin type, mood and the season. Even though I make my own organic soap bars they tend to be more suitable for body use so I like to leave a liquid soap beside the skin in the kitchen and bathroom.

I’m very anti-antibacterial products – you can make your own antibacterial soap without harsh chemicals very easily. I also make up batches for family and friends. I enjoy finding unusual bottles and jars for this purpose – I’m all about the pretty :)

My favourite blend to add to liquid soap at the moment is quite calming and warming which is perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients

125ml Liquid Soap (organic preferably)

5 drops Clary Sage essential oil

10 drops Lavender essential oil

25 drops sandalwood essential oil

*You can add a few drops of Jojoba or sweet almond oil if you have particularly dry hands.

Lavender has antiseptic and skin calming qualities which makes it a great soap ingredient. It’s not the dominant scent in this blend since it’s in lesser quantities than the sandalwood. The Clary Sage adds a warm, winter citrus punch – it’s also a great mood lifter.

All you have to do is mix the oils into the soap and store it in a pump bottle. You could also get a little creative with the packaging.

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DIY Skincare: Coffee Scrub

October 10, 2010

DIY Homemade Coffee Scrub

I’m not a coffee drinker but you know how much I like making skincare products with stuff from my kitchen presses. I opened the cupboard the other day to look for inspiration and on front of me stood this lonely bag of ground coffee beans – unloved and getting old!

I decided to incorporate them into a scrub that I could use in the shower. Although I don’t like the taste of coffee I do love the smell so I was excited about this little mini project. Coffee is said to be good for stimulating lymphatic drainage – I can’t testify to that but it’s a common ingredient in anti-cellulite products.

Ingredients

2 cups of ground coffee
Half cup of cup or granulated sugar
3 tablespoons oil (Olive oil, grapeseed, almond etc)

Mix all the ingredients together and massage into damp, warm skin. You could store left overs in a jar and keep in the fridge for use later in the week. It’s that simple!

It does look a little messy but you’re in the shower when you apply so getting messy is part of the fun. The scrub leaves your skin silky smooth.

Finally, I have a use for coffee!

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Make Your Own: Antidandruff Herbal Shampoo

October 7, 2010

As a hair stylist, my Dad has always grumbled about the promises made on anti-dandruff shampoo advertisements. His best friend, a trichologist (hair scientist) also agrees that using anti-dandruff shampoo is a viscous cycle that will lead to you buying hundreds of bottles of the stuff in your life time.

Now, I’m not going to pretend that I understand the science because I don’t but I trust their judgement! I suppose it makes sense – Using harsh shampoo chemicals on your sensitive scalp every time you wash your hair will keep your poor head sensitive long term – even if you do get a few days relief. Maybe a long term approach to scalp health could alleviate the problem.

If you are interested in trying a natural herbal solution then this recipe might be of use to you. The shampoo contains eucalyptus and tea tree which both have microbial properties that control fungus. They help to clean the scalp and facilitate healing.

A note on packaging – I always keep an eye out for pretty or usual bottles and jars so that I can make a batch for friends and family. I usually store my own in pretty containers, it feels more luxurious.

Ingredients

50ml Water
8 drops tea tree essential oil
12 drops lavender essential oil
12 drops eucalyptus essential oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
50ml mild natural shampoo (I bought an organic version on ebay – or try your local health shop)

Mix the apple cider vinegar with the essential oils. Shake well to disperse. Add the natural shampoo and the water and shake once more.

I hope that this was helpful!

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DIY Skincare: Scrub for Sensitive Skin

October 6, 2010

It has been a while since I posted a DIY Skincare piece. I thought I would share the recipe for a scrub I made myself this week.

My skin has been very sensitive and irritated lately, you gotta love hormones, so I need something extra gentle but still effective.

This scrub is very easy to make, polishes the skin but doesn’t strip moisture.

All you need:

4 drops Lavender Essential Oil
1 Tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon almond oil
12g wheatbran
25g ground oats
115ml yoghurt (made from whole milk)

Mix the almond oil, honey and lavender oil in one bowl (not plastic). Then combine oats, bran and yoghurt in another bowl. Add one bowl of ingredients to the other.

Apply to damp skin. Massage well but be gentle, rinse with warm water and pat your skin gently with a towel to dry.

I had some left over so I kept the remaining mixture in a glass jar in the fridge. I used the rest the following day.

My skin is super soft today – no kp breakouts, no tightness and no irritation. I think I’ll make up another batch early next week until my skin has calmed down.

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DIY Thigh, Bum & Hip Scrub

September 15, 2010

lemon essential oil This scrub contains oils that are perfect for bums and thighs. This is amazing for sloughing off dead skin on these areas, revealing fresh skin. The combination of cornmeal, which acts as a great natural scrubber, oils and massage stimulate lymphatic drainage which helps the body eliminate toxins.

All you need:

- 2 tbsp Grapeseed oil
- 6 Drops Juniper Essential Oil
- 3 Drops Lemon Essential Oil
- 80g Cornmeal (from your local supermarket)

Mix the oils by shaking them in a bottle or jar with the lid on. Shake well. Pour the oil over the cornmeal and mix until it looks like a gritty paste.

Apply it to damp skin and massage well for at least two minutes. The more energy you put into the massage the better the results. If you want to increase the effects you can use a muslin cloth or massage mit instead of your hands.

You can also use this scrub on your upper arms and feet.

This is one of my favorites. It stimulates my circulation and lymphatic system. It also leaves my skin baby soft for weeks. If your skin is in a bad way and in need of some rescuing try this twice a week for a few weeks.

I keep on top of exfoliation weekly so I only resort to this mask when my skin is in a bad way, usually once of twice every season.

Have you any exfoliation tips you can share with us?

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