Homemade Skin Care Recipes

It’s the perfect time of season for homemade skin care recipes. The garden is where you can find your next all natural and effective skin care product. Yes, right in your vegetable garden or at your local farmer’s market. The vegetable facials and cleansers contain vitamins and minerals that can maintain skin health and beauty for a long time. Each vegetable has its own vitamin levels, like retinol is found in expensive beauty products but also in carrots and pumpkins. Fruits and vegetables are great natural sources of alpha hydroxy acids and antioxidants, AHA’s, vitamins A, C, D, and E as well as salicylic acid, and beta-carotene, all buzz words when it comes to firmer and clearer skin. It’s cheaper than products found in drug stores and large department stores, and you know exactly what you are putting on your delicate facial skin.

LEMON CLEANSER: for all skin types

Ingredients

1/8 cup ground almonds

2 tsp. milk or cream

1 tsp lemon

Combine all thoroughly and use gently to cleanse skin. Rinse well with warm water.

Lemons are a natural source of alpha hydroxy acids and antioxidants. This recipe not only cleanses, but tones and exfoliates the skin.

SKIN REVITALIZING ORANGE PEEL

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. honey

1/8 cup fresh citrus (lemon, orange, or lime) juice

1 packet gelatin

Mix thoroughly and apply to skin for 20 to 25 minutes. Oranges are great sources of AHA’s and vitamin C, which are clinically known to prevent wrinkles and fine lines. The egg yolk firms and the honey moisturizes.

AVOCADO BODY MASK

2 avocados thoroughly mashed into a paste

3 tablespoons sea salt or kosher salt

Grated rind of two fresh lemons along with juice

1/4 tsp organic coconut oil

Mix all ingredients until it forms a smooth paste. Apply to skin for 15 to 20 minutes then wash off with warm water. This paste can be kept in the fridge for 3 days.

Avocados have an unending list of benefits; they include anti aging vitamins A, D, and E. They also have proteins and potassium and beta-carotene as a cancer fighting ingredient. The benefits of avocados don’t end there - they are a rich emollient whose qualities work to heal sun damaged skin, scarring and age spots.

STRAWBERRY DRAWING FACIAL MASK

1/2 cup strawberries

1 tablespoon fresh milk

1 tablespoon rice flour or cornstarch

Mash together all ingredients to make a smooth paste. Spread over your face and neck and leave on for 20 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat your skin dry. Use twice weekly.

This mask works in two ways: it contains natural antioxidants to repair skin and act as anti-aging agents, and the salicylic acid in the strawberries removes dead skin cells unveiling smooth radiant skin.

APRICOT AND PAPAYA FACE SCRUB

1 tablespoon apricot kernel powder (or you can use oatmeal or almond powder)

3 tablespoons apricot pulp

3 tablespoons papaya pulp

Mix all ingredients and apply to your skin for 20 minutes. Rinse off with warm water.

Apricots are high in beta-carotene and known for reducing skin problems. Apricots are a great gentle exfoliant, and nourish the skin leaving it looking younger and brighter.

Here are two great pumpkin recipes for facials. It is a low fat product so you can use it for oily, dry, or combined skin types. It is one of the best ingredients in vegetable facials because pumpkins have huge amounts of vitamin A, and are rich in potassium.

PUMPKIN MASK FOR DRY AND WRINKLED SKIN

1/4 cup of pumpkin

2 tablespoons celery cooked

Milk

Mix all ingredients to make a smooth consistency. Cover facial skin and leave on for two minutes. Wash off with warm water. Pat dry.

This mask can give you strength, elasticity and radiance. For extremely dry skin add 1 tablespoon of wheat germ oil which contains a large amount of vitamin E. If you add the wheat germ oil, use only once a week.

PUMPKIN MASK FOR OILY SKIN

1/4 cup of fresh pumpkin grated

2 tablespoons of low fat yogurt

1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Stir all together and apply to your face for 15 minutes, wash off with warm water and pat dry. Use this mask 2 to 3 times a week.

I hope you enjoy these recipes. Gather some friends over for the evening and make a variety of cleaners and masks. Leftovers can be shared and taken home.

Look for more homemade facial cleansers and masks in the coming weeks.