At-home Skin/Bodycare Recipes

[msmack]

OMG FAVORITE THREAD EVER. LOVE IT. SO MUCH HELPFUL NATURAL BODYCARE ADVICE. love the one about jojoba oil and vanilla! i am gunna try that one and bottle it up in little bottles as gifts. i have always had a fondness for mixing up my own recipes (money saving, and who needs all the chemicals?). a special thanks to martygreene... awesome recipes! if anyone has a few more i'd love to hear them!

[Indian Barbie]

I made a bowl of cold oatmeal and put some honey in it to make it sticky, keep it on for 5 mins and wash it off. It works as an awesome exfoliator! Make sure you moisturize after though!!!!!!

[GemmaAntonia]

I like to make this;

- brown sugar
- olive oil
-a touch of honey
- baking soda
- lemon juice

Its great

[mjalomo]

In case you missed it on the livejournal page, you can make homemade Biore strips using one tablespoon plain gelatin and one and a half tablespoons milk in a small bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds on high. Let it cool a little and spread a thin layer over your face. When it dries (it turns very stiff) peel off. Yes, you can see the icky stuff just like with the Biore strips.

[BohemianSheila]

My neighbors swear by this, but I have yet to try it - Facial Cleanser/Masque. It calms skin that is starting to break-out (even hormonal breakouts!)

2 pts honey
1 pt cinammon
1 pt nutmeg

If you need more exfoliation, add more nutmeg. Blend into a paste and the smear on face, wait for 10 min or so and then rinse off.

[anns]

I have tried a cinnamon and honey mask, it's tasty LOL.

[V15U4L_3RR0R]

A favourite body scrub of mine is simply olive oil and salt. But you could add a drop or two of an essential oil of your choice. I've mixed lemon and honey in with it before and it's the shizz. I love using it. Makes your skin amazingly soft and smooth.

Also a Yogurt, strawberries and oats face mask is awesome as well. My next venture is to experiemnt is avocado masks and mixing my own clay and food combo mask. I shall post back with results.

If I want to get any particularly strong smells out of my hair I use half a lemon and rub it over my hair and it works really well.

Olive oil in general is great for intensive moisturizing the skin. I use it on my hands mainly but I also smooth it over legs once I've shaved them. I plan on making up my own shaving oil using it as a base at some point. Again I'll get back with results.

If anyone wants a recipe for making your own bath salts then let me know and I'll post it.

Also I plan on buying some glycerin and experiementing with that in masks and scrubs

[rocketqueen]

I have just bought some shea butter and I made a supermoisturizing cream with that, jojoba oil, apricot seed oil and safflower oil. Boy does that keep the winter flakes away from my face! Just put the mixing jar in a heated pan full of water so that the shea butter melts and the grainy texture disappears, making all the oils mix together.

I love the pure honey mask - smoothens my skin and minimizes pores. Aspirin mask rocks too!

[CaitlinRH7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by martygreene

Emergen-C is a vitamin C supplement drink mix available at most health supplements stores, and at many supermarkets and drugstores.

THIS STUFF IS AMAZING! I drink at least one packet EVERY day and I've yet to be sick this fall yet!!!

[CaitlinRH7]

Mashing up fresh banana and doing it as a mask is a pore tightener

my two cents

[wordgirl]

I heartily second the yogurt and honey mask. The lactic acid in the yogurt softens skin while the honey moisturizes. I put a few drops of EVOO in as well.

I just use baking soda plain as a face and body scrub. Just pour it in my palm in the shower, maybe add some shower gel (maybe not) and scrub away.

[jezzy]

I sometimes add baking soda to my shampoo to remove the product build up from my hair.

[LuckyGirl3513]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mjalomo

In case you missed it on the livejournal page, you can make homemade Biore strips using one tablespoon plain gelatin and one and a half tablespoons milk in a small bowl. Microwave for 10 seconds on high. Let it cool a little and spread a thin layer over your face. When it dries (it turns very stiff) peel off. Yes, you can see the icky stuff just like with the Biore strips.

Does this work better than actual Biore pore strips? cause i didnt think they worked well and i also read some bad reviews of them.. I really liek the idea though..i have terrible blackheads on my nose!

[AlleyCat87]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mspixieears

Olive oil (extra virgin) can also be used as a cleansing oil, very much the same way one uses Shu Uemura cleansing oils etc.

oooh does this really work?

i've just run out of my MAC cleansing oil and i am SO poor atm...

[smellyocheese]

for those with dehydrated skin, try this (tested)!

after your basic regimen, apply a coin size amount of glycerin on you face. just massage it in and leave it over night. the next morning your skin will feel smooth, supple and absolutely hydrated. glycerin is a humectant which means it attracts moisture from the environment to the skin. after having the glycerin on your face for awhile, you may actually feel your skin getting "wet". glycerin can be found in practically any drugstore at a very very low price. so, give it a try!

[Kuuipo]

Glycerin does work, it is added to a lot of cosmetics to give them "slip". It also is non comedogenic.
I mix my aspirin mask w/ eggwhite. Careful with the honey-don't use it if you are allergic to bees.
MCCain's coarse Irish oatmeal is a kick ass exfoliater. It's also a great thing to eat to keep your intestines nice and healthy.

[girloflowers]

i make a fantastic body scrub using:

Rice
Sea Salt
Brown Sugar
raw Sugar

grind in a spice grinder (but don't make it too fine!)
put into an airtight jar... Oh and the amounts vary, make sure rice is the dominant ingredient though.

anyway, scrub on any really dry areas of skin whilst in the shower or bath, leave on for 30 seconds and then rinse off. voila! soft skin! make sure not to get any water into the jar!

you can also put almonds in but use it quickly if you do so that they don't go bad

[sharkbytes]

Instead of dissolving aspirin in water for the aspirin mask, I dissolve them in Witch Hazel, which is about 2-3 dollars for a huge bottle at the pharmacy. Witch Hazel is an amazing natural toner, and it helps with redness.

[SweetCheeks]

GREAT thread, thanks to everyone!

[christal24]

for inflammation, eczema rashes, or just dryness I use 1:1 mix of cinnamon and honey. It really hydrates and clears the wounds right up. I leave it on for hrs when I get a rash. But you can just leave on for like 15 mins. Wash off with warm water and then your face is super soft!

If your using it cuz you have a rash then leave it on for longer, initial feeling=stinging and urge to take it off, DON'T this means its working and that your fluid wounds are mixing with the honey releasing H+ acting as an antiseptic.

[smellyocheese]

Quote:

Originally Posted by christal24

for inflammation, eczema rashes, or just dryness I use 1:1 mix of cinnamon and honey. It really hydrates and clears the wounds right up. I leave it on for hrs when I get a rash. But you can just leave on for like 15 mins. Wash off with warm water and then your face is super soft!

If your using it cuz you have a rash then leave it on for longer, initial feeling=stinging and urge to take it off, DON'T this means its working and that your fluid wounds are mixing with the honey releasing H+ acting as an antiseptic.

ooh!! I should try that! I used to use that mixture for acne scars... it kinda didn't work too well. perhaps it'll work on my eczema!

[athena123]

For a simple toner, you can just mist chamomile or rose hydrosol on your face. I obtain hydrosols at Mountain Rose Herbs | Bulk organic herbs, spices, teas & essential oils. Extremely reasonable prices for organic hydrosols for even less than a drugstore brand of toner. Hydrosols offer the same properties as the more expensive essential oil counterpart for a fraction of the cost.

[ShauntyXD]

For a nice facial mask:
1/4c baby oatmeal or just small instant oatmeal
2 tbsp coconut milk or regular milk
1 tbsp honey
1/8c sugar
*flour if it's not thick enough

mix it all together, massage into your face an let sit for 5-10 mins
This mask should be applied at least twice a week for full effectiveness. It makes your skin amazingly soft and smoother for makeup application.

Note: the portions i have given aren't rly exact, i usually just add things as i see fit. just make sure the mask is thick enough to stay on your face; you may need to take away some liquids or add more...

^_^

[DixieHellcat]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jezzy

I sometimes add baking soda to my shampoo to remove the product build up from my hair.

Me too! My hairdresser told me about it.

I read an article online about a Pepto Bismol mask--it said it has the same salycylic acid as expensive facial peels, but since it includes ingredients to buffer the stomach, it's much gentler to your face. So I tried it the other night & it really worked! I just patted it all over my clean face with a cotton ball, let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes til it started to dry & get tight, then washed it off with soap and a soft washcloth...awesome! My skin felt amazingly soft and smooth with no dull dead skin look. I wouldn't do it every day, but for me twice a week should do the trick.

[hollytron]

A lot of these sound fantastic, but what the heck does aspirin do exactly to the skin? I mean, most of the stuff is self-explanatory (strawberries contain the highest amount of vitamin C, a great antioxident for the skin, etc.), but I don't think I'm getting the aspirin.

Also, I have eczema really, really, really, supremely bad in the late winter/early spring. My body I keep under control with a medicated cream my doctor gives me, but I CAN NOT use that on my face... I am totally gonna try some of these with high hopes! My blotchy, itchy, flaky skin needs your help!!