Treat your skin naturally

These days, more and more people are beginning to understand the importance of a simpler way of life and are trying to incorporate more natural and healthier products, foods, methods of transport etc. into their lives.

Making your own natural beauty products at home is a great way of saving money, lavishing your body with the best treatments available from Mother Nature herself, whilst doing your bit for the environment at the same time.

Just because a product has an expensive price tag of €40, it does not mean that it is necessarily the best on the market. More often than not it’s a case of very clever marketing!

Essentially, all beauty products such as cleansers and moisturisers are made from the same basic ingredients, which are all fairly cheap to produce.

Cleansing your skin is an essential part of any skin-care routine, as dirt from the atmosphere must be removed regularly to prevent pores from clogging and the appearance of the dreaded spot, or worse still – spots.

Many people are content on using a soap to cleanse their skin and to remove all traces of dirt and make-up, yet soap can be harsh and will upset the skin’s natural Ph balance. Using a natural cleanser is much gentler and softer and will not harm the skin in any way.

Common soaps that you find in the supermarket or drugstore all contain caustic soda, which is otherwise known as sodium hydroxide (NaOH), a highly corrosive substance and chemical. As well as being used to manufacture soaps and detergents, it is also used to bleach paper in paper production and in petroleum refining!

Below is a selection of natural recipes for cleansers that will cleanse the skin and remove make-up as well. Take care when applying around the eyes as the skin here is very delicate and needs special care.

The recipes below are all made from natural ingredients and are therefore inexpensive to produce, refreshing on the skin and more importantly free from chemicals and preservatives. For this reason, they will not keep for as long as commercially made products but can be stored for several months in an airtight container. Those made with only natural products will have to be used within a few days though. It is a good idea to make small batches to ensure that these natural products do not go off.

There are several skin types – normal, dry, oily, combination (most common), sensitive and mature – so choose the recipe that best suits your type of skin.

For combination skin:

125ml of boiling purified water

40g ground almonds

Cucumber

Method:

Place the ground almonds into a muslin bag, secure with string and place in a bowl. Add the boiling water and leave to soak for two hours. Press the bag from time to time with a spoon. Cut the cucumber into pieces and place in a blender. Remove the almond bag and add the juice in the bowl to the cucumber. Process until smooth. Transfer to a container and refrigerate. This cleanser should be used within 4 days.

For dry skin:

4 tbsp of avocado oil

2 tbsp of coconut oil

2 tbsp of warm purified water

1 tbsp of emulsifying wax or ointment

Method:

Place all the ingredients except the water into a bowl. Place the bowl into a pan of hot water and heat gently. Stir until the wax has melted. Add the water and beat with a fork until the mixture has thickened. Transfer to a bottle and close with an airtight lid. This will keep for several months.

For oily skin

1 tbsp of natural live yoghurt

1 tsp of lemon juice

2 drops of pure essential lemon oil

Method:

Mix all the ingredients together and apply immediately.

GO NATURAL: The more natural products you use on your skin, the better.