Taking care of your skin is so important. It is the only skin you’ll ever have. You determine how well it will look now, and in the future. Therefore you want to be certain that the products or other items that you are using to care for your skin are the best possible.

This is why it may be advantageous to create your own natural skin care products rather than chancing it with the items you buy in the store. These products are often filled with harsh chemicals and other mysterious ingredients that you would not want to put on your skin if you really understood what they were. When you make your own products, you know exactly what goes into them. You can also save money, and even give away your products as gifts!

Did you know that you have many great items already in your home that can be used to create your natural skin care products? Everything from fruit to honey, oatmeal to eggs can be used to creative skin lifting products, moisturizing products, and more natural skin care remedies.

It can be as simple as creating a natural face lift with two egg yolks and a teaspoon of sugar, or a bit more complicated such as this bath milk recipe.

Cleopatra’s Bath Milk

• 2 cups powdered milk
• 1 Tablespoon Jojoba or Sweet Almond Oil
• 2 Tablespoons dried rose petals (can be obtained at large health food stores)
• 1/2 cup ground oatmeal (grind oats finely in your blender)
• 10 drops lavender essential oil or other favorite oil

Mix all ingredients well and keep in a glass jar in the refrigerator. To use, put as much as you like into your bath under running water. You can also buy reusable muslin tea bags at the health food store and place the mixture in these. To use, just drop one in the bath water.

The cold and blustery winter months are upon us and for many that means problems with their skin. Whether you suffer from dry skin all the time, or your skin becomes chapped from being outdoors in the wind or from forced indoor heating, or any other number of skin issues, I’m sure you wished there was a cure for what ails you.

Did you know there are actually many ways that you can care for your skin, naturally without having to purchase anything from your local drug or department store? That’s right, you have the ability to do your own skin care regimen at home for pennies, because most likely you already have everything that you need right in your own home.

Some ways that you can care for your winter skin naturally include:

Exfoliating: Especially if you have dry skin, exfoliating that old, dead skin can help allow moisture which you need to get into your pores once you have ridden them of those dead, flaky skin cells. To exfoliate you will need a physical agent like ground walnuts or apricot hulls, or an enzyme, which basically eats dead skin cells. There are even foods that are rich in enzymes which you can use to create your own at home mask to use in the process of exfoliation. These foods include pineapple and papaya. Milk also has fatty acids that mildly exfoliate. This is why the traditional milk bath has been so popular.

To create an easy inexpensive natural exfoliant, mix sea salt with olive oil. Smoothe in on in the tub and rub your skin gently, then rinse in the shower. You can do the same with sugar – not so great to eat, but awesome for your skin! Add a drop of your favorite essential oil to make it a spa treatment and relax you.

Eating: Yes, something that you already do on a regular basis if done correctly can change your skin. For example to help dry skin, include foods in your diet that are rich in fatty acids. Some of these foods include salmon, olive and coconut oils, avocado, and nuts. Incorporate these into your daily diet to see what a difference they can make. What may look like dry skin may even be eczema or a rash caused by food allergies, so be alert to that possibility too.

Make Your Own Treatments: You can also make your own at home masks and treatments to treat other skin issues. Some common combinations are oatmeal, honey and water to create a mask, or avocado and honey. Smear these on your skin, allow to dry and then rinse them off.

A simple honey treatment to moisturize your skin and make it glow? Pat two drops of honey on your face after cleansing, while still damp. Your skin won’t be sticky with such a small amount.

Skin care is important to the health of your skin as well as your appearance. It’s best to care for your skin as naturally as possible, so why not try these options for caring for your dry winter skin.

Even if you don’t technically know what cellulite is or why it develops, you most likely do know what it looks like. Cellulite is a collection of lumps that many say resemble cottage cheese, that form underneath the skin giving it an uneven appearance. Cellulite usually collects around the thighs, stomach, and butt and concern over its mysterious appearance has boosted sales of miracle cure products the world over. Unfortunately it seems most of these products have been declared relatively useless in the fight against cellulite and since many contain harsh and unnatural chemical ingredients they should be avoided anyway.

So what is cellulite? These lumps are actually just collections of fat that push against the connective tissue underneath the skin, which causes the surface of the skin to dimple or pucker. Whatever it is, most women would be happy to ban the cellulite for life if they only knew how. The battle against cellulite can not be won with a bottle of cream though. It needs to be fought from the inside of the body out. Here are some green and natural ways to fight the lumps.

Exercise and burn fat – Slimming and toning is the most important step to getting rid of cellulite. Eliminating excess fat and flushing your body with lots of water to remove toxins will help to reduce the appearance of cellulite. Exercise also helps to encourage circulation and lymph flow which will help with the removal of toxic buildup and cellular health. If you are already slim, then concentrate on toning and muscle strength, which will help burn away fatty deposits that even thin skinny people have.

Dry Brushing and Massage – These two practices help improve lymph flow and propel fluid in cellulite affected areas. You need to get the bad stuff mobilized and moving out of the body and as your body becomes congested. Massaging and dry brushing help to get your body systems working more effectively and get rid of the build-up. You can try home massagers, have your spouse be your personal masseur, and even regular visits to a massage parlor. Dry brushing is usually done in the morning before showering. Just spend 5-10 minutes using a soft bristled brush all over your body, using upward strokes towards the heart. Afterwards you can take a shower to wash off exfoliated skin…another benefit of dry brushing.

Get regular – It is not uncommon for women who have cellulite issues to also have issues with irregular bowels. In general they seem to struggle with releasing waste matter the way they should be. Start eating a balanced, organic diet with lots of fiber. Green smoothies in particular are wonderful for regularity. Just add a couple handfuls of spinach or kale and a couple frozen bananas to a blender with a few cups of water and enjoy! Many natural living enthusiasts also swear by using Colema boards, which are basically fancy home enema systems. Also drink lots of water and perhaps do a juice fast one weekend a month to help regulate your bowels.

Try these techniques for a few months and marvel at the results. Nothing in a bottle can even come close.

Have you ever heard of dry brushing? It is a centuries old practice of massaging and exfoliating the skin to improve its health and appearance. Your skin is the biggest organ you have and it constantly regenerates itself by eliminating toxic and dead skin cells.

Your skin can eliminate as much as two pounds of this waste material each day. Your skin needs to renew itself and breath for it to look its best and dry brushing can help. When your skin is clogged with dead skin cells and toxins that cannot be eliminated by perspiration, then your skin will suffer.

Your skin needs air and sunlight so getting rid of excess waste through exfoliation is vital. Most people already know that they need to exfoliate their faces but in reality your whole body can benefit from exfoliation.

Dry brushing involves talking a soft bristled brush, similar to what you use on your hair except with a long handle, and brushing it across your whole body in a massage like fashion. Some people also use special gloves to dry brush.

Your skin is dry when you do this and the best time is usually before you shower. Our bodies form a new top layer of skin every 24 hours or so. Dry brushing helps to slough off that topmost layer allowing the softer, smoother, skin below to surface and breath.

In addition to exfoliating your dead skin cells and removing barriers to toxin excretion, dry brushing is also wonderful for lymph vessels and capillaries.

Dry brushing should be done using strokes that go towards the heart, aiding in the body’s blood circulation. This is why many dry brushing enthusiasts feel so refreshed and invigorated after a brushing session, because their circulation improves. Starting out gently is advised and then as you get used to the practice you can brush more vigorously.

Dry brushing also massages the lymph nodes and gets them functioning as well. Our lymph nodes are responsible for filtering and removing invading organisms and abnormal cells as part of our immune system. Massaging them to encourage better functionality can have a big impact on our health and our ability to keep from getting sick.

When starting a dry brushing routine it is good to keep in mind the following tips:

- Start our softly at first to avoid soreness and gradually apply more pressure over time.
- Be careful not to brush over open wounds and cuts or rashes.
- Use brush strokes that go towards the heart. The exception to this is when you are brushing over the stomach, when you should brush in a clockwise fashion to aid digestion.
- Wash your dry brush after every use to wash off dead skin cells.
- Brush when the skin is dry and then shower afterwards to wash off any remaining dead skin cells.
- Use natural bristles if possible and brushes made with sustainable materials such as ethically harvested wood or bamboo.
- If your skin is dry, rub in natural oils like Jojoba afterwards. It will soften the skin and it won’t clog pores.

Many women today use a wide range of skincare products. These products might include cleansers, moisturizers, toners, and shampoos and they might be used several times a day throughout most of their adult life. Women have come to rely on these products and spending on them has reached unbelievable levels. But do most women ever take the time to read the ingredients listings on these beauty products? Do they know what they are using and if they might be putting potentially dangerous ingredients on their bodies? Most women probably do not. It may never occurs to them that ingredients considered unsafe might even be used in the products offered to consumers.

Unfortunately, there are many skincare products on the market that have questionable and dangerous ingredients. Some of these ingredients include synthetic fragrances, Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS, Phthalates, and Parabens.

But what are they and why should they be avoided?

Parabens are preservatives put into beauty products to extend their shelf life. They have no benefit to us…only the manufacturing company. They do in fact have adverse effects for us though, including estrogenic qualities. They have produced abnormal hormonal effects following application on laboratory animals, particularly males, that resulted in decreased testosterone levels and other varied abnormalities. They have also been found to accumulate in the breast tissue of women with breast cancer.

Phthalates are a group of chemical compounds that are basically used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility). It is hard to imagine that we need plasticizers in our skincare products but you can find them in cosmetics, soaps, and various lotions. High Phthalates doses have shown hormonal activity in animal studies and have resulted in damage to the liver, the kidneys, the lungs, and the developing testes.

Sodium Lauryl Sulfate or SLS for short is an ingredient that gives a product like a shampoo or facial cleanser its foaming ability. Most people equate cleaning ability with the amount of suds or bubbles created, so companies use SLS to give us the impression that it is an effective cleanser. SLS is a known skin irritant and when companies test new healing ointments or crèmes, SLS is the irritant they first rub on the skin to irritate it so they can then see how well their new product works to heal the inflammation. SLS can infiltrate the eyes, brain, heart, and liver with potentially harmful effects according to the journal of the American College of Toxicology. SLS can cause rashes, eczema and other skin irritations. Even more shocking is the fact that some products containing this ingredient are labeled as “natural” or organic because SLS is a detergent derived from coconut oil.

Synthetic perfumes or fragrances can contain hundreds of chemicals. Some, such as methylene chloride are carcinogenic and others might cause headaches, dizziness, coughing, vomiting and skin irritation.

These ingredients hardly sound beneficial or even appropriate for our skin care needs. So what can you do to avoid these dangerous ingredients? First, read the ingredients labels carefully and search for them online to do some research into negative effects. Find out exactly what they are and what they do before you put them on your skin. Second, find reputable companies that offer organic and 100% natural products. This may be a tall order since there is no regulation for organic bath and body products in most countries. Ask around and you will be able to isolate ethical companies using safe ingredients. Third, try making some of your own skincare products. When you make your own you know exactly what is in them and you can feel comfortable that they are safe.

Contains: Sweet Almond Oil, Apricot Kernel Oil and Essential Oil of Lemongrass

Uses: A light solution for adding shine and frizz-free definition to natural curls. Paraben-free. No petroleum, mineral oil or artificial color.

Carol’s Daughter is a brand that focuses on creating healthy and natural products for African American hair. They’ve gained a lot of popularity lately due to the Tyra Show and Sephora. Having a ½ Black child myself, I had to try this product and got to say, am pretty satisfied.

Any mother that has a child with African American hair can tell you it’s a difficult process to find a hair product that works best for their hair. It can be even more challenging when you only wish to use all natural products. The problem I’ve found in the past was products that were either too oily, synthetic, or didn’t tame the frizz.

Luckily, Hair Milk contains all natural ingredients and smells great, like lemongrass, in fact. As soon as I got this in the mail, I tried it out. Start by lightly spraying your child’s hair with water, until slightly damp. Rub in a small amount of hair milk and brush to evenly distribute. Twist curls if you so desire.

Hair Milk left my baby’s hair with soft curls that contained moisture for hours. It was not oily or sticky. In fact, I just had to rub it in my hands with the leftover hair milk on my hands. It feels just like a lotion and has an invigorating scent. The one small setback is that I find I do have to reapply half way throughout the day. Either way, I prefer Hair Milk over the synthetic pink lotion any day!

As a Latina with curly hair, I even use this hair product on myself after a shower. It tames my fizz, reduces the tangles and leaves my hair feeling like cashmere. I encourage moms and kids alike with curly hair to try this product. I think you will be satisfied. Find them at CarolsDaughter.com.

Size: 4.34oz
Price: $9.00
Retailers: Burtsbees.com, Whole Foods, Walgreens, Amazon, and more
Ingredients: Vegetable glycerin, olive oil, oat flour, lanolin, coconut oil, quillaja extract, oat oil, rosemary leaf oil, tocopherol (vitamin E), fragrance.
My rating: B-

Uses: To moisturize feet in the dry winter months or during sandal season. Use to “rejuvenate neglected feet”. You could also apply a dab to rough or cracked elbows. Pamper yourself with a rich blend of coconut oil, various oils and yummy herbs.

Pros:
The scent is absolutely delicious! I would actually like this scent in other products like chapstick or aromatherapy. The fact that it has real coconut oil in it is what persuaded me to get it in the first place. The scent is sort of sweet and tropical with a fresh peppermint aroma. Not only is it 98.6% natural, it comes from a company that believes in eco-friendly procedures such as using recycled and biodegradable materials. It’s important to know what is going on your skin and where it is coming from and this product fits the bill of “natural and safe”.

Cons:
Directions say “apply liberally” to your feet. I did this the first time using it and didn’t think it was such a good idea. I got to admit the creme is pretty viscous. It sort of reminds me of Vaseline, but much stickier and oilier. My feet and hands were left feeling kind of sticky after applying, almost as if it was something that was supposed to be rinsed off afterward. (Ironically, it would not rinse off my hands or absorb into my hands either.) I don’t recommend using this before bedtime without socks because it WILL get your bed sheets oily and sticky. After full absorption, the stickiness fades but the oiliness does not.

Results:
Burt’s Bees Coconut Foot Creme is ideal in small amounts, especially on the heels. It soaks into your skin to moisturize dry and cracked areas in the feet. I do not recommend following the directions of applying liberally unless you plan on putting a pair of old socks on afterward. The scent is wonderful, but next time I’ll be using my $9 on something a little less sticky, but still just as natural and eco-friendly.

Did you know stress can actually show up in our feet? Our feet are in need of some major pampering on a regular basis. This natural regime is the perfect remedy for removing some of those toxins, and giving your feet the attention they so much deserve.

Honey is used as an ingredient in each of the following steps. Be sure to look for honey that is locally produced and organic. (If you are vegan, you can leave out the honey or go for some organic agave nectar.)

All-natural detox:

2 bags of black tea (look for fair-trade brands in stores)
Teaspoon of honey
Teaspoon of lemon
Bucket of warm/hot water

Soak your feet in the mixture for at least ten minutes. Be sure to use a pumice stone to remove dead skin. Proceed to the next step.

Foot scrub:

½ cup of Hawaiian sea salt (or any sea salt will do)
Teaspoon of honey
Three tablespoons of coconut oil (or any oil)

After combining these ingredients, massage onto your feet, paying extra attention to achy spots. While you’re at it, massage into your hands as well. Rinse off with warm water.

Moisturizing salve:

A tablespoon or two of honey (look at the farmers markets for the best deals)
A teaspoon or two of coconut oil (sweet almond oil would as well)

Stir together the above ingredients in a bowl. Place the bowl in a larger vat of warm water to heat the honey/oil mixture as you detox and scrub. Slather onto your feet and read a magazine for 10-15 minutes. You can wrap those puppies up in saran wrap or old socks for an extra touch. When the time is up, rinse off thoroughly with warm water and your favorite gentle organic soap.

Moisturize those deserving feet with shea butter and slip into some fuzzy slippers. Enjoy!

We have been programmed from birth it seems by TV commercials and magazine advertisements to think that beauty comes in a bottle. We become convinced that beauty products can only come from laboratories and people with doctor’s initials behind their name. The truth though is that nature has provided us with many beauty ingredients that are safe and effective. Many of them can be found in our pantry because we already buy them on a regular basis, for other things. You don’t need any special training to make your own skincare and beauty products at home using pure and natural ingredients. Here are a few of the ingredients you may need:

Honey – Not only is it a tasty and healthy sweetener, it is good for your skin. Honey is great for skin rashes and dry spots. It is especially yummy to use in lip balms for dry and chapped lips. Honey can even be use on wounds because of its natural anti-bacterial qualities so it can aid in healing your skin as well. It makes a great healing, facial mask that you can apply as is or add to a homemade cream.

Baking Soda – This versatile ingredient can be used to make ant-bacterial facial scrubs. It is safe and mildly abrasive making it a good clean cleanser for all skin types including acne prone skin. Baking soda is also great for brushing your teeth.

Ginger – This flavorful staple of Chinese cuisine has analgesic and anti-bacterial properties. It promotes good circulation and is a good ingredient in creams and shampoos. It also smells heavenly.

Lavender – This herb is wonderfully soothing to inflamed and acne prone skin because it is antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. It is commonly diluted in rose water or witch hazel to make an astringent for the face. It also repels bug and soothes insect bites and even helps you get to sleep.

Milk – This ingredient is commonly used in baths to soothe and exfoliate. The lactic acid in milk helps to slough off dead skin cells so that new ones can emerge. Milk can also be used to make facial masks as well.

Carrots – Carrots are very high in vitamin A and are a source of vitamin C, folacin and potassium. Just cook them lightly and blend with a bit of honey to make a great facial mask.

Oats- They are more than just breakfast food. Oats can be very soothing and anti-inflammatory and make great additions to a baths perhaps after a bad sunburn.

Beets – Beetroots contain powerful anti-oxidants and they have a red pigment that makes them a great ingredient for making liquid blushes and lip color. You can’t get make-up more natural than that!

Green Tea – This powerful tea has long been held in high esteem for its healing properties. It has a soothing and calming affect on skin and is a wonderful ingredient for sunscreens, moisturizers, and toners. It is especially helpful for rosacea and acne.

As you can see, nature has already provided a wondrous array of natural beauty products.

The beauty industry is a huge multi-billion dollar industry. We are bombarded with ads in magazines on the television that tell us these companies have succeeded in creating beauty in a bottle. They make money hand over fist selling products to us that are “supposed” to make us look more youthful, give us softer looking skin, hide our imperfections, and make us look like a supermodel.

But they are not so forthright in telling us that their products are full of chemical ingredients that can do more harm to us than good. Looking younger in the moment is just not worth it though when you may eventually get cancer because the skincare products you were using contained carcinogenic chemicals. For beautiful skin and good health on the inside as well we need to rediscover natural skincare ingredients and products. Your skin is your biggest organ and it needs to be treated with care.

If you really care about your health from the inside out, then you must make a resolve to get rid of conventional products and start using organic and natural ingredients in your beauty routines. Here are some easy ways to go natural:

1. Keep your skin healthy from the inside with a healthy diet. Also drink plenty of water to flush out toxins and impurities. Water is an internal shower for your body so make sure to drink your eight to ten glasses a day.

2. Use natural oils and natural moisturizers that won’t clog pores like olive oil or coconut oil. You usually only need a small bit around the nose and under their eyes.

3. Use coconut oil as a moisturizer for your driest spots like lips, heels and elbows.

4. Skip washing your hair everyday as the soap can dry your skin. When you do wash your hair use a shampoo bar with natural ingredients and healthy oils.

5. To wash make-up off just rub some olive oil onto your face and wipe off with a soft, dry rag that will exfoliate your face as well. Microfiber cloths are particularly nice for cleansing the face.

6. Use a natural sea sponge to apply facial toner.

7. Try your hand at making your own skin care products with easy ingredients like salt, sugar, oatmeal, milk, honey, olive oil, or avocado oil. They are cost effective and you know exactly what you are putting on your skin. You don’t need a chemistry degree to create beauty products of your own.

8. Dry brush your body to exfoliate your skin and slough off dead skin cells. This is a centuries old practice that is still used by many today.

9. When purchasing products read the labels carefully and only buy products with recognizable ingredients, organic if possible, without parabens or fragrance.
10. Get some sun every day but not too much. Your skin needs sunlight for optimum health but staying out to long and damaging your skin isn’t good either so strike a balance and wear protective clothes and a big sun hat if you can instead of using chemical sunscreens.