photo by eamonn

Do you know the health hazards lurking in your bathroom? No, not your household cleaners. Think again. Take a look at your beauty products. Have you ever questioned the synthetic materials used to create them? I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, so I’ll spare you the details and simply direct you to the cosmetic-safety database at www.cosmeticsdatabase.com. Read product ingredients and decide for yourself.

I’m willing to bet you’re not a stranger to how great your hair and skin feel when you’re using natural ingredients. Chances are you already have many of the food ingredients such as honey, fruits, mayonnaise, vinegar and oil in your kitchen. The following frugal beauty recipes are quick and easy to make, but please note that they don’t contain preservatives, so don’t store them long term.

If you have a homemade beauty recipe that you enjoy, let me know. I’d love to hear about it.

Feet/hands moisturizer: Soak feet in a small tub of warm water with 1 cup of apple-cider vinegar. Remove feet and apply petroleum jelly. Cover feet with socks.

Relaxing Bath Salts
2 cups Epsom salts
1 cup sea salt
5 drops of blue food coloring and 5 drops of red food coloring (optional)
18 drops of lavender essential oil

In a large bowl, mix salts and add the other ingredients slowly. Store in glass mason jar. To use, add 1/2 cup mixture to bathwater.
To make bath bombs or bath fizzies, as some people call them, visit Scent of Water at scentofwater.wordpress.com and click “Tutorials.”

Exfoliant: Make a paste with equal parts cornmeal and water and apply it to your face. Use a circular motion to scrub and rinse off. For added citrus scent and as a natural astringent, squeeze the juice from half an orange into your paste mixture.

Toner: Combine equal parts water and witch hazel. Apply with a cotton ball.

Simple Shampoo
1 ounce olive oil
1 egg
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon apple-cider vinegar

Combine ingredients in a blender. Apply to wet hair. Massage into scalp. Rinse.

Hair conditioner: Use mashed avocado to condition hair. Apply to wet hair. Rinse. Optional: Add 1/4 cup mayonnaise to mashed advocado for dry hair.

Dry Skin Mask
2 tablespoons aloe-vera gel
1 tablespoon pure honey
4 teaspoons brewed and cooled chamomile tea
2 drops lavender essential oil

Mix all ingredients together and apply to face. Leave on for 15 minutes. Rinse.
For more beauty recipes with honey, visit www.honey.com/beauty/beauty_download.html.

Bubble Bath
5 drops essential oil of choice
1 ounce liquid glycerin
1 ounce coconut oil
1 (4-ounce) bar castile soap, grated
4 cups distilled water

Mix ingredients together. Store in spill-proof container. Add to bathwater.

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