Back To The Garden: Natural Beauty Products You Can Make At Home

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By Mia Bolaris-Forget

Professionals point out the power of nature walks, natural eating, and the natural look. And what a better way to be a nature girl or guy than by naturally preserving your skin, your radiance and your (natural) beauty with all natural ingredients?

According to (many) experts, the best way to achieve a natural and healthy glow is by relying on all natural ingredients, from the inside out.

And for some of nature’s best outward expressions of beauty, you may want to consider the following:

Bath Works:

Strawberry Milk Bath: It seems that our ancestors had it right, using (healthy) foods from the earth to nourish body and soul. In fact they used strawberries to cool fevers, heal sore throats, calm nerves and to whiten and brighten their smiles. Now you can use these same yummy ingredients to sooth and soften sensitive or sunburned skin. Simply place 6 to 8 large strawberries in a blender with 2 cups milk, 1-tablespoon almonds and 1-tablespoon wheat germ. Blend and add to bath water.

Tangerine Peel Bath: The pungent aroma of citrus is known for its ability to exhilarate, and soothe, but its also known for its ability to control acne, and oily skin as well as helping reduce scars and stretch marks. Experts suggest combining in a small bottle or container 5 drops essential oil of tangerine, 3 drop essential oil of lavender and 1 drop essential oil of pine needle, 1 handful fresh organic tangerine peel and ½ teaspoon jojoba oil and add to bathwater.

Delicious Body Wraps:

Seaweed Body Wrap: The seas has lots of tasty, healthy ( ) and one of them is seaweed. It simply does the body good. Experts recommend 1 package of dried wakame seaweed (found at most Japanese or health food stores).

Soak seaweed in water for a few minutes and wrap it around your body while soaking in the tub (for about 30 to 40 minutes) then rinse.

And experts add that during an body wrap and soak, its advisable to rub an emerald sea leaf over the face as a means of cleansing and detoxifying the skin. Dried seaweed can also be ground into powder and placed in a small bag that can be used to scrub skin while bathing. And, besides being great for the skin, wakame (seaweed, like many other varieties) is also mineral rich and it’s tasty too.

Saving Face: Mists, Masks, And Scrubs:

Apple Blossom Facial Mist: Keeping your face hydrated is a great way to prevent it from drying out and adding a hint of apple blossom for a squirt per day, may help keep the wrinkles at bay.

Combine 2/3 cup boiling water with 2 cups fresh, apple flowers and let steep for between 12 and 18 hours. Strain and add 5 drops tincture of benzoin and 1 drop essential oil of linden flowers (optional). Pour into a mister bottle and refrigerate, shake well and use to mist face.

Banana And Honey Mask: Combine:

· ½ mashed banana

· ¼ cup oatmeal cooked with milk

· 1 egg

· ½ teaspoon honey.

Mix ingredients into a “paste”. Massage onto face in a slow, circular motion and leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse with luke-warm water. Keep in mind that oatmeal is full of nourishing vitamins and minerals that gently cleanse and heal the skin, bananas have lots of vitamin A, eggs are high in lecithin, nature’s skin emollient, and honey helps preserve the skin’s natural acid mantle, making this mixture ideal of all types of skin.

Cranberry-Date Skin And Body Polish: In a blender place and mix the following:

· 8 dates

· 1/3 cup frozen cranberries

· ½ cup apricot juice

· 1 teaspoon wheat bran

Massage into skin to exfoliate and moisturize.

Honey Calendula Skin Toner: Make an infusion by combining 1 and 1/3 cups boiling water and ½ cup dried calendula flowers. Cover, allow to cool, then strain. Combine 1-teaspoon honey to ½ cup infusion water and mix until honey melts. Allow cooling. Now add ½ teaspoon vanilla extract and 1-drop essential oil of calendula. Bottle and keep refrigerated. Dab on face with cotton ball after cleansing or prior to makeup application. You may also choose to use it as a body splash. The honey-vanilla (infusion) combo spells great and restores moisture while calendula (because of its antiseptic properties) heals and softens.

Fantastic Fragrances:

Natural Body Splash: Want a subtle but sultry fragrance to your skin; why not create one to fit just your personality, your taste and your mood.

Create scented water by dropping a few drops of pure, plant-extracted essential oil into distilled, chlorine-free water (4-5 drops of essential oil to each cup of water), or make a botanical infusion using dried or fresh flowers and herbs, strain it and add essential oils. Witch hazel or cider vinegar can also be added to each cup of water if you’d like.

Bottle the spritz in a spray bottle give yourself a mist or two or apply to face and body with a cotton ball.

To better preserve store in the fridge (especially if you’re using fresh or dried plant material) of use tincture of benzoin (a natural preservative found in most health food stores)

Head, Shoulders, Knees And Toes:

Smooth Strands: Hair requires lots of nourishment from protein to stay looking healthy and shiny, and that may not be something chemicals can always effectively do. Instead say experts consider blending together 1 egg and half and avocado (save the other half for another time or eat it to help lower cholesterol levels). Massage the mixture deeply and thoroughly into your scalp and allow to penetrate for 20 to 30 minutes. Rinse with cool water and slowly switch to warm.

Lotion Potions: Plums contain plenty of calcium and soy has lots of lecithin and proteins, which allows for this combination to give you skin that’s plum perfect (and peachy keen).

Combine ¼ cup ripe, peeled and pitted plums; 1-tablespoon soybean oil; and 3 tablespoons water in a blender and process until mixture is smooth. Bottle and refrigerate, and generously apply to face and body. By the way, the seed of the plum fruit can be ground and added to face and body masks.

Lavender And Rosemary Scalp Treatment: Invigorate your scalp by rubbing in a mixture of:

· 2 teaspoons vodka

· 2 tablespoons water

· 6 drops essential oil of rosemary

· 10 drops essential oil of lavender

· 4 drops essential oil of rose geranium

Experts suggest leaving mixture in and towel drying. They add that alcohol combined with essential herbal oils stimulate the scalp while also adding a great yet subtle smell to hair.

Aloe And Olive Shampoo: Boil 1 cup water and pour over ½ ounce dried flowers (such as hibiscus for redheads, chamomile for blondes, and rosemary for brunettes). Cover, let cool and strain. Combine ½ cup liquid castile soap, 1-teaspoon olive oil and 2 tablespoons aloe-vera juice (with 1/3 cup of the herbal infusion). Bottle, shake thoroughly, wash, and rinse.