Like you, your great-great-grandmother wanted to look her best. She may have sewn her clothing, avoided sun exposure and used a scented hair pomade, but many of today’s skin care products did not exist.
When it came to beauty treatments, she used what was available; natural ingredients she or a neighboring friend already had. By combining items from her kitchen, she whipped up her own beauty treatments, and you can follow in her footsteps.
Face And Body Skin Care
Scrubs are the simplest of all natural face or body skin treatments. Oatmeal, cornmeal, baking soda and sugar make good abrasives for exfoliating. Mix baking soda, cornmeal or oatmeal with a little water to make a paste, apply the paste to your face, then scrub with a circular motion.
Milk is good for your skin, but you don’t always need to drink it. Since milk has lactic acid, it makes a good exfoliate that is both gentle and natural. Blend a tablespoon of turmeric and a tablespoon of lemon juice with two tablespoons of milk. Spread the blend on your face and neck, relax for 15 to 20 minutes while the ingredients work their magic, then rinse. Since lactic acid isn’t as caustic as glycolic acid, you won’t have to wait for your skin to heal before leaving your house. You can use the treatment in the morning and look great for that evening’s festivities.
Softer Hands And Feet
We pay more attention to our faces, because we see them in every reflective surface, but we often ignore our hands until faced with a special occasion. Instead of waiting for an excuse to get a professional manicure, you can soften your hands and improve their appearance at home. Whisk 1/2 cup buttermilk with 1/2 cup warm water and a teaspoon of almond oil. Then, soak your hands in the resulting potion for 15 minutes. Rinse and pat dry.
Healthier Hair
Hot oil treatments, used before shampooing, have long been the favorite dry hair treatment. Just blend coconut oil, almond oil and jojoba oil, two teaspoons each, in a medium size pot, warm it, apply it to your hair. Don a plastic treatment cap or wrap your hair in plastic kitchen wrap. To keep your hair warm, wear a heat cap, wrap a warm towel around your plastic covered head or sit under a hair dryer for 30 minutes. When ready, unwrap your hair and wash with a mild shampoo. Hot oil treatments, best used once every seven days, soften and shine your hair. Don’t have any of these oils? Replace them with olive oil or use a full-fat mayonnaise, but omit the heat.
You can condition your hair with eggs, blended with other ingredients or alone. Thoroughly mix two egg yolks with olive oil and spread the blend through your hair. Keep the mixture in your hair for five to 30 minutes and then rinse it out with lukewarm or cool water. Never heat the mixture and avoid hot water when rinsing it out. Doing so prevents the eggs from being cooked into your hair! Adding a little water to the mix can make even distribution easier and you can set half the mixture aside to use as a facemask.
Need a deep conditioner? Put two avocados and a ripe banana in a blender and puree them. Spread the avocado and banana paste through your hair and let it sit for 20 minutes, then shampoo. Speaking of shampoo, did you know that you could make your own hair wash from rice milk and honey? Mix two teaspoons of honey with a cup of rice milk and spread the blend throughout your hair. Let the mixture stay on your hair for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse.
Be Creative
Mix and match ingredients or add essential oils to make these kitchen sourced beauty treatments uniquely yours. Just remember to refrigerate your creations to keep them fresh between treatments. Throw a spa party with your naturally beautiful friends, much like the quilting bees your great-great-grandmother might have joined. Break out the shopping list and take stock of your kitchen. Shift your hunt for natural, safe beauty products from the cosmetics counter to the grocery store.
