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Seven Natural Beauty Tricks From Your Kitchen

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natural kitchen beauty tips recipes Seven Natural Beauty Tricks From Your Kitchen

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Oil Cleansing

Use olive, coconut or almond oil with Castor oil to clean your skin instead of a harsh soap. This will cleanse your skin naturally and keep from pulling out natural oils. My personal blend is 25% Castor Oil (don’t use straight!) and 75% sweet almond oil.

How to do it: Rub a small amount of oil onto dry face and massage into skin for several minutes. To remove, Soak a clean washcloth in steamy water and place on face until it starts to cool. Gently use the washcloth to wipe your face until the oil is gone. Softest. Skin. Ever! Here’s a website with much more detailed info if you are interested

-2-

Natural Bronzing

Until I switched to eating healthy, I never tanned well at all! I used to try all kinds of natural “bronzers” and self tanning lotions (cringe on the ingredients!) in hopes of golden skin. Now, I’m excited to be able to tan easily, but for days when I want a slightly more bronze look, I head to the kitchen…

How to Do It: Mix cocoa powder, cinnamon and arrowroot (optional) until you get a shade you like. For me, this was at least half cocoa powder, about 30-40% cinnamon and a little arrowroot, but experiment to get your skin tone. Store in a small jar or container and brush onto skin for an instant bronze look. Bonus: it smells good! You can also mix this into lotion for a liquid version!

-3-

Food Facial Mask

No need to drop a lot of money at the spa for great skin, just rub breakfast on your face instead! Many foods are also beneficial for your skin too!

How to Do It: Use honey, plain yogurt or whipped egg whites by themselves or in combination for a great toning facial mask that leaves skin glowing.

-4-

Naturally White Teeth

Use strawberries (I know they are red!) and baking soda as a highly effective and natural teeth whitener. Oil pulling (swishing oil in the mouth and then spitting) is also an effective way to whiten teeth.

How to Do It:Make a paste of equal parts mashed or pureed strawberries and baking soda. Put in mouthguard or tooth tray and leave on teeth for up to 30 minutes. Repeat a couple times a week until your teeth are as white as you want. To speed things up, swish with 1 TBSP of olive oil each night for 20 minutes and then spit and brush well. This supposedly helps remove toxins too, but I can certainly vouch for its whitening capabilities!

-5-

Natural Hair Conditioner

For an occasional hair strengthening treat, mix up some other breakfast foods into a natural hair mask. This certainly isn’t one for everyday use, but it makes hair shiny and smooth and even works on really curly hair (according to a lucky friend with lovely curls!)

How to Do It: Mix one banana and one avocado and puree until smooth (great way to use over ripe bananas and avocados!). Add essential oils if Banana isn’t your fragrance of choice. Comb through clean, damp hair and put a shower cap on. Leave on for at least 15 minutes and rinse out in the shower. Go sign up to audition for a hair commercial!

-6-

Sugar Scrub

Sugar is not good for your body. It is, however, great for your skin! Since your skin doesn’t metabolize and store glucose or fructose like your fat cells do, sugar is a great way to tighten and smooth skin! Sugar scrubs in stores are expensive! Sugar scrubs in the kitchen are not!

How to do it: Mix equal parts of white or brown sugar and olive or almond oil and add essential oils of choice (optional). To exfoliate skin, rub the mixture onto skin and massage in for a couple of minutes. Rinse off with warm water. Enjoy!

-7-

Natural Microdermabrasion

Ever seen those ads for microdermabrasion (not even sure I’m spelling it right!). Well, they look expensive and I’m leery of the chemicals they might contain. No worries though… the kitchen can help! Baking soda is a very effective natural and gentle abrasive that pulls off dead skin cells and makes skin glow!

How to Do It: Wet face with warm water. Pour some baking soda into hands and massage into your face for at least 3 minutes. It will sting a little (its called abrasion!). Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

Those are all strange kitchen ingredients I’ve put on my face, hair or skin. What are your beauty tricks and tips? What is the strangest thing you’ve tried in the name of beauty?

Shared at Conversion Diary and Fight Back Friday

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Wellness Mama is a full-time housewife with a background in nutrition, journalism and communications. Her passion is helping others achieve optimal health through a “Wellness Lifestyle.” She has helped hundreds of clients lose weight, increase athletic performance, improve fertility, and overcome numerous health problems and diseases. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, & Pinterest.

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DISCLAIMER: The statements made here have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These statements are not intended to diagnose, treat or cure or prevent any disease. This notice is required by the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.

  • Robyn

    Thanks for the tips — I never would have guessed about the strawberries being good teeth whiteners. I’m definitely going to try that one! Actually, I plan on trying all of these.

  • Daria

    I’ve heard of mixing baking soda and peroxide as a tooth whitening paste, but never strawberries!  Very interesting.  Certainly cheaper than the gels you can buy from dentist for hundreds of dollars.
    Also I may try the oil cleansing.  I found out recently that I have rosacea so I have to be careful with my cleansers, so this seems like an all natural treatment that would be good for it.  The only thing I’m not sure of is the steaming part, as rosacea flushing will be more promenient with hot water and I’ve been trying to use only cold water on my face.  I will look into it.

  • http://profiles.google.com/meganciampa Megan Ciampa

    I love the ideas! I have started using more natural items as cleansers and such, especially coconut oil as a moisturizer.  Before I got pregnant, the oil-cleansing method did not work very well for me, so I switched to using baking soda as a cleanser, apple cider vingear as a toner, and coconut oil to moisturize, and tea tree oil for spot treatment.  Once I got pregnant though, the baking soda was too drying, so I just use a creme cleanser from Aveda (not as natural, I know!) and coconut oil to moisturize. My skin is probably better than it ever has been in my life!  If I could find a more natural cleanser, I would switch…

  • Jxnklm

    That oil pulling hurts my teeth; what do you think that’s about?  I stopped using commercial toothpaste about a year ago.  I use baking soda and some sea salt (Himalayian ?) and essential oils for taste.  My teeth are not sensitive any more!!!

  • Jeanne G.

    Coconut oil is great for scalp massages and helps your hair grow, if you want it to get longer. You can use a small amount as a leave in or more as a deep conditioner– but you have to wash it out (probably with shampoo) if you don’t want to look greasy. At least if your hair is like mine. I have heard it doesn’t show in thick, dark hair, but mine is thinner and light brown.

  • Anonymous

    I’ve also read that the pit in an avocado is great for massaging the bottoms of your feet. Bonus! And olive oil is also good for moisturizing the skin.

  • Donna

    I like using grapeseed oil on my legs when they are dry. Be careful about staining if you use too much though.

  • Ryandkels

    I haven’t done oil pulling exactly like you’re supposed to, but I often rub some coconut oil on my teeth and let it sit there for a few minutes before brushing my teeth, and you’re right, I started noticing my teeth hurting a little and being more sensitive. Anyone know why this would be? I want to try oil pulling, but I’m nervous about my teeth hurting…

  • Ryandkels

    I use coconut oil or organic unrefined shea butter for moisturizer, and I brush with either coconut oil or baking soda. Sometimes I will use apple cider vinegar as a conditioner. I tried using raw apple cider vinegar for a toner like you suggested in a different post, but holy cow the fumes burn my eyes and mouth and nose! I’m careful not to get it around my eyes, or right under my nose, but those fumes are strong and no matter what I do it burns for a minute after applying. Am I the only one with this issue??? I’d like to use it for my toner, but It’s just really hard to get over that burning after I put it on. Any ideas?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Have you tried diluting with water? If you have any chamomile or
    lavender flowers (dried or fresh) you can make an infusion with these
    in water and mix half and half with the vinegar to dilute it. You can
    also just dilute with water and it should make it more mild. The only
    caveat… once you dilute, it is better to store in the fridge.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I’ve heard of some people having this reaction to oil pulling. It
    could be that it is pulling a lot out and making them sensitive, or
    that you need to remineralize them first. Have you tried a toothpaste
    with calcium in it for a while first to help strengthen teeth?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Have you tried a handmade bar soap? A lot of people have good success
    with that for facial cleansing.

  • http://profiles.google.com/meganciampa Megan Ciampa

    I’ll have to try it again. The last one I tried was a little too drying and at this current point in time, I need something the cleans but really moisturizes.  I’ll look again!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    look for one made with food grade oils like coconut and olive and
    make sure they put the glycerin back in during the process so it
    isn’t drying.

  • Lauren Trussell

    Quick question on the oil cleansing for face – is it ok to do this every day? I’ve read it should only be done once per day max or even only every few days, especially for sensitive skin. If I work out in the morning and need to wash my face before work, is there a natural wash I can make at home for day? Or to use in general if I can’t tolerate OCM too often?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I use OCM every few days and just use natural bar soap in between, which seems to work great!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I use OCM every few days and just use natural bar soap in between, which seems to work great!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I use OCM every few days and just use natural bar soap in between, which seems to work great!

  • Lauren Trussell

    Ok, perfect. Thank you, Katie!

  • Lauren Trussell

    Another idea I found and have been using for the past few days is a natural almond oil cleanser. You mix 1 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon sweet almond oil and 2 tablespoons organic whole milk. My almond oil has a few drops of lavender essential oil mixed in and it makes the cleanser smell lovely. I pop it in the microwave for just a quick second to mix the honey in well. Pour the liquid into your hands and massage into face for a couple of minutes, then rinse and pat dry. Soft and smooth and very gentle for sensitive faces like mine! This quick cleanser works for me on off nights from OCM.

  • http://www.firedupcookingsa.com Zabwan

    Thanks for a great post, I’m thrilled to have found your blog! I intend trying several of your ideas.  I have a very sensitive dry skin, and have been making my own toner for some time (half rosewater, half witchazel, 1 tsp glycerine, bottle and shake well), and I love sweet almond oil and coconut oil as moisturizers.  I’m going to try your oil cleansing :)

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  • http://www.facebook.com/amy.stadler.7 Amy Stadler

    Thanks for all these great tips! i definitely need to try the natural hair conditioner because every store bought item i have tried just doesn’t work!!  i am not a fan of bananas but if it works i could learn to love them!!

    not sure if anyone else mentioned this but another great facial scrub is oatmeal and honey. it gets a little messy (when the honey warms up from your body temp, honey dripping everywhere!) but leaves your face feeling GREAT!

  • Nairedd

    Do you have any suggestions for acne prone skin? I have tried prescription stuff as well as Proactive. I am 31 almost 32 and I feel more insecure then I did when I was a teenager.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Are you eating wheat and dairy? I used to have acne also and it went away completely when I removed wheat from my diet. I’ve also seen other cases where it was caused by an underlying food allergy. Also, fermented cod liver oil and gelatin internally might help.

  • Ursula

    My daughter had a bad case of rosacea in her early twenties, and despite all sorts of harsh medicated products it did not improve. I told her to wash her face with full fat organic plain yogurt, nothing else, and it healed in a week. Rinse it off with tepid water, not cold. When she has a flare-up now (which is rare) she just goes back to yogurt and it works every time. If you have a problem with rosacea, you might want to try this.

  • http://www.facebook.com/melanie.thomassian Melanie Thomassian

    I used coconut oil on my babies cradle cap, and it disappeared with just one application. Great post, love these suggestions.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jennifer.long.5036 Jennifer Long

    Thank you for all these tips! I am very intrigued with the oil cleansing. I followed the link you shared, and have a question: It says to do it regularly, but not frequently. What does that mean? Not every night? If so, what would you use to cleanse when not using the oils? Thank you!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Once your skin adjusts, a warm washcloth will work in between oil cleansing, or I use microfiber now, which removes all dirt and bacteria without stripping natural oils.

  • Aysha Julie

    Your site if fabulous.  Thanks for all the info, we are ditching the chemcials  and I’m even trying to go no poo!  My husband and I have started to use Tuna (you giys might know it as Nopal, a type of cactus in the aloe vera family) as a facial cleanser and body wash.  It seems to be naturals soap and has wonderful grainy bits in it too so you do actually feel clean too.  My skin has never felt and smelt better.

  • Wideawake306

    I use coconut oil as a moisturizer after washing my face at night. I have acne, so many times washing my face irriates it a little too much. Coconut has antibacterial properties to protect, and moisturizes : )  I’ve also heard it’s great as a hair mask, I’ll be trying that next!

  • http://www.facebook.com/akaycarr Amanda Kay Carr

    I don’t know if the vinegar works well, because I hate the smell of it also. I use straight witch hazel for toner and it works great. Hope this helps.

  • Cheryl

    Just wondering, why is it bad to use straight castor oil? I am new to the ocm and have been massaging a little straight castor oil on, then top it with more coconut oil or olive oil to dilute it a bit. Is that ok? Or maybe I should get another jar and mix them together in their proper ratios?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It might be a little harsh for the skin if used straight… haven’t tried it, but if it starts to irritate your skin, it would probably be best to mix first..

  • Ralitsa

    Undiluted apple cider vinegar burns your skin. I use one cup of green tea mixed with 1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar and few drops of lemon juice as a toner.

  • Ralitsa

    I use baking soda and lemon juice instead of the strawberries. Only once a week, otherwise you are destroying your teeth enamel.

  • http://twitter.com/gingivitiscure Rose Mudd

    A better safer whitener is activated charcoal. Strawberries are acidic and as a result can strip the enamel from your teeth where as charcoal just absorbs the tannins that are staining your teeth.

  • Lelecano

    I have used coconut oil for my daughters bum when she was a baby and it kept her clear of diaper rash. Although now she has excema below her bum on the back of her legs, I use coconut oil but it doesn’t seem to be enough. Any tips on excema?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Usually allergy related… is she eating foods yet?

  • Lelecano

    Yes she is 3 1/2..

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Shea butter or magnesium mint also help, but I’d look in to GAPS or an allergy program. My son’s cleared up completely with dietary changes

  • Morneau_for_4

    Good advice. I didn’t realize that my acne, which was chronic for about 20 years, was actually a reaction of my body trying to get rid of the toxins in my body. I changed to a good fat diet, no sugar, no grains (like the food plate you recommend), and after a few eruptions to sweep the toxins, it cleared up. Good food is amazing. We always treat it topically, but it’s usually within.

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  • geideja

    Saw this post on the natural skincare forum. Some of your tricks aren’t safe.

    We shouldn’t use strawberries to whiten our teeth because it will damage the enamel because of sugar.

    Another thing about Natural Microdermabrasion, you said it stings because it is called abrasion. No, it stings because it is very alkaline and really bad for our skin. Baking soda’s pH is 9 (which is equivalent to SLS) and our skin is between 4.5 to 5.5. In the long run, it will damage the skin barrier. Scrubbing it with baking soda can increase moisture loss and decrease the ability to keep bacteria on your skin in check.

  • dinal

    I have a black pits on my bootom of my leg please help

  • Alison G.

    I had the same problem when I first used the Apple Cider Vinegar as a toner. I wet a cotton ball with Rosewater then add a few drops (6-10) of the ACV with a glass dropper. Works great and doesn’t burn! Also, I’ve been washing my face with ground Oatmeal, Almond Meal and buttermilk powder mixed with Rosewater, witch hazel, baking soda, a little carrier oil (jojoba oil, grapeseed oil, or sweet almond oil or a mixture there of) honey and a couple drops of essential oils. (I use Thyme, Lavender, Rosemary, tea tree, Chamomile (Blue or Roman) or a mixture there of). I know it sounds like A LOT but my face has never been smoother and my pores have never looked smaller!!! Oh also, after washing my face with this mixture I use some baking soda as an exfolient. After that is when I use the ACV with the Rosewater.

  • http://www.facebook.com/tiffany.kruger.31 Tiffany Kruger

    Did you use pure essential tea tree oil, or some kind of mixture?

  • http://www.facebook.com/florde4lunas Melina Castro

    Eggs in my hair! Once a week makes hair grow. I just mix one raw egg with my shampoo. Must rinse with cool water so not to” cook” the egg on your head. Or my favorite hair mask: avocado, egg, honey and olive oil, blended until smooth and let sit in my hair for 20 min.