A healthy glow is something we all desire, but as we age, that school-girl radiance becomes increasingly more difficult to achieve. Drink plenty of water, don’t overuse facial expressions, and get plenty of sleep become rules to live by once we ever-so-slowly roll over the hill. Our skin changes as we age, and while there’s no stopping mother nature, we can certainly slow her down. That merciless drop in estrogen that makes our skin look and feel dry, causing lines and wrinkles to look deeper and even more prominent, is our enemy. As a result, it’s vital that we have many weapons in our skincare arsenal to fight back. Even a few DIY products.
I enjoy experimenting with skin care. Once I run out of a product, I research new brands until I find a new concoction I’d like to try. But I also make skincare products at home. I like being in charge of my own ingredients, and seeing the affect they have on my skin. I don’t know about you, but I’ve found that mixing things up instead of sticking to the same old, same old makes a noticeable difference in the way my skin looks and feels. If you’re up for trying something new, here are a few of my favorite homemade skincare recipes:
Brown Sugar Scrub: This is an easy to make exfoliant that is inexpensive and has a forever shelf life. Just mix the ingredients to your desired consistency and spoon into a mason jar to store. When you’re ready to use the sugar scrub, take some out, rub it onto your skin, rinse, and follow up with homemade Body Butter. It’s that simple. Rub, Scrub, and Shine.
Ingredients: Brown Sugar, Coconut Oil, Honey
Body Butter: This body butter recipe is LIFE (no exaggeration) when paired with the Brown Sugar Scrub. If used regularly, this duo makes a huge difference in dry, crepey skin. It’s a little greasy, though, so take time to really rub it in.
- Coconut Oil
- Raw Shea Butter
- Almond Oil
- Fragrance or Essential Oils, if desired (I use Sugar Cookie Fragrance)
In a small saucepan, melt the oils together over low heat. I used 1/3 cup each of the coconut oil and shea butter and 2 tbsp almond oil. Carefully pour the liquid oil into a chilled bowl, mix in 20 drops of fragrance or essential oil, and allow to sit until the oil begins to harden. You can throw the bowl in the fridge if you want to speed up the process, but be careful not to let it get too hard! You want the oil to have the consistency of butter when it’s at room temperature, not solid. When the oil is ready, whip with a mixer for several minutes until the body butter is fluffy and the volume has increased. Spoon into a mason jar to keep.
Lip Balm: This is so much fun to make. The shea butter is a healthy lip care solution, because it locks in moisture. Mix flavors to formulate your own special recipe and then share with friends and family members. “I have plenty of lip balm,” said NO female Everrrrrr.
3 TBSP Beeswax Pellets
2 TBSP Shea Butter
4 TBSP Almond Oil
10-20 drops of Flavor Oil
(To add some color, scrape out one of your almost empty tubes of lipstick and stir into the mix.)
Melt the first three ingredients slowly in the microwave, stirring often. Then add the drops of flavor oil and pour into Chapstick Containers while the mixture is still liquid. (WARNING: It solidifies fast)
When you set out to make DIY skincare products, you’ll find it’s easy to make far more than you need. You’re already going to be creating a big mess in the kitchen, so why not make an extra mess to give out as gifts? Buy a box of mini mason jars, purchase some fun labels, and enjoy giving them away.
If you have a special DIY skincare product you make at home, feel free to share your recipe in the comments.
As always,
Mel
Brick Marshmallows 