Natural Sunscreen
June 14, 2009 | 3 Comments
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Summertime is here and we’ve spent nearly every day outside, often at the pool or just hanging out in the yard.
The kids are getting as brown as nuts but noone has had even the slightest bit of red.
We all hear how important it is to take precautionary measures to ensure the kid’s safety in the sun, but limited sun exposure can actually be beneficial. In fact, some scientists claim that some skin cancers are caused by lack of adequate sun exposure (related to low vitamin D levels).
Everyone needs to soak in a few minutes of sun every day in order to absorb vitamin D into their body.
Newborns, of course, should really limit their sun exposure during the first few weeks of life. This means using shaded stroller covers, a window shade in the car and perhaps using an umbrella if you are holding the baby. If you wear your baby in a ring sling, you can use the “tail” to cover him up, as long as it isn’t too hot.
After a few weeks of age, the baby can be exposed to the sun in limited amounts, but they should be protected in order to do so. It was once thought by the medical community that babies less than 6 months of age should not wear sunscreen at all; for fear that their skin is too sensitive. The American Pediatrics Association now recommends that even smaller babies wear sunscreen. But, it’s important to find one that is safe.
I wrote about this topic last year too: Healthy, safe, effective sunscreen. The EWG (Environmental Working Group) is coming out with more info shortly on the subject, and you can go to their site to get the report on sun safety free of charge when it’s ready.
According to them:
“An investigation of nearly 1,000 brand-name sunscreen products finds that 4 out of 5 contain chemicals that may pose health hazards or don’t adequately protect skin from the sun’s damaging rays. Some of the worst offenders are leading brands like Coppertone, Banana Boat, and Neutrogena.”
Of course, hats and long clothing can also serve as protection from the sun. But who wants to spend
summertime covered up?
Natural Sunscreen
Recently I got a bottle of sunscreen from Oceana Naturals. Instead of the chemicals found in conventional sunscreens, it uses zinc oxide for protection from the sun. It also has antioxidants (which I’ll talk more about in a second) among its ingredients such as green tea, vitamin E, and date extract.
A read of the ingredients listing shows nothing unnatural - I can pronounce all of the words. All of it looks like food in fact! It’s also free of synthetic preservatives and fragrance. The natural oils give it a lovely scent. And unlike many sunscreens, you can apply it and get protection immediately. If you want to purchase a natural sunscreen, this would be a good choice.
Coconut Oil as a Sunscreen
For many generations, native populations living in tropical climates and islands have used coconut oil to protect their skin from the sun. The author of “The Coconut Oil Miracle”, Bruce Fife, shows how coconut oil is very beneficial for skin and body.
It can be used as a natural sunscreen and can even help absorb nutrients in the body, such as the much needed vitamin D. It also makes your skin incredibly soft and is surprisingly non-greasy. I feed coconut oil (and CLO) to the kids and they spend a couple of hours a day in the sun, and never get burned. I also haven’t used any sunscreen at all on them so I know it must be working.
Another Reason to Take Your CLO
You can also help protect your child’s skin from the sun by the type of food they eat. Free radicals are responsible for sunburn as well as the damage (premature wrinkling, skin cancer) from too much time spent in the sun.
Eating foods rich in antioxidants can help fight free radicals in the air and strengthen body’s resistance to UVA and UVB rays. Antioxidant-rich foods include berries, legumes, vegetables, citrus and green tea.
Cod liver oil may also have a protective effect because of the omega 3 fatty acids and vitamin D content. The University of Manchester published results of a study that pointed to a reduced risk of sunburn and skin cancer among people who take cod liver oil supplements.
Interestingly, the other week I got a touch of sunburn on my shoulders, but had been slacking on my CLO. It was a reader who reminded me of the connection. I started taking it again and haven’t had any problem since - even though we’ve been at the pool every day for weeks!
Sugaring
May 30, 2009 | 6 Comments
I’m blessed with lots and lots of dark, thick, coarse, wavy, curly hair.
Yeah, and the mane on my head isn’t half bad either.
Seriously though, being a hairy kind of gal can be a mixed bag.
I just signed the kids up for swimming lessons, and bought a pool pass. There will be swimming, maybe a trip to the beach, not to mention the everyday shorts and skirts of summer.
photo credit: Oneras [what about peace?]
I spend the first weeks of summer trying to figure out how to deal with it. If I were blonde and had thinner hair, I would probably just go au naturel.
But I’m not that crunchy.
If I were stranded on some deserted island, I would find a sharp flinty rock to take care of business. Now when it comes to pit hair? I don’t mind that a bit. But unfortunately, I live in the United States.
If a woman as hot as Madonna can disgust an entire nation with a little pit hair, who am I to try to rock the cultural expectations of beauty boat?
When I heard about sugaring, I was immediately intrigued.
Firstly, the ingredients are all natural - sugar, lemon juice, water - you can even make up a batch of the stuff yourself. Google for recipes, there are several on the internet.
Similar to waxing, you are basically applying a sticky substance to your skin, pressing it down with linen cloth strips, and ripping in the other direction. You first apply the sugaring wax with this little plastic thingie Then you apply the cloth strip on top, and rub it 3 or 4 times in the direction of hair growth. Then, holding the skin taut with your other hand, you quickly pull the strip back quickly as close to the skin as possible in the opposite direction of hair growth.
I had also heard that sugaring was less painful than waxing, which was a huge plus in my mind.
Traditional waxing makes you want to slap your mama for being more Italian than native American.
I went to the drug store and bought a NADS Sugaring Kit
It certainly WAS far less painful than traditional waxing.
My complaint with this product is that there are far too few cloth strips. You CAN wash and reuse them, which makes this a pretty eco-friendly hair removal product, as well as recycle the plastic tub the wax comes in.
I also didn’t know until I was nearly done that you can continue using the same strip over and over until it no longer picks up any hair. Even when it’s all gooped up with sugaring wax. This makes it a little tougher to smooth it on your leg, but I found that I could use each one two or three times and it was still effective.
I have washed all the strips and dried them about 3 times now and they still work great.
The thing that’s great about waxing/sugaring is that the hair tends to grow back more sparse and thin.
If you keep it up, you’ll find that you have to do it less and less. So even if you go back to shaving or whatever, you can go longer inbetween hair removal sessions.
Of course, it’s more work and time spent up front. If you’re looking to save time, waxing may or may not actually be a time savings.
Sugaring also doesn’t seem to remove as much of the finer, thinner hairs as waxing.
In fact, I called around to several Atlanta spas to see if any of them offered sugaring. I had to call 5 or 6 before I found one that even offered it. And when I spoke with the aesthetician, she seemed very unenthusiastic about sugaring. She told me that she isn’t that pleased with the results, and often has to use a bit of regular wax after the sugaring process in order to get all of the hair. I asked her if the clients seemed happy with the results, and she reported that they did - so that seemed to be the key thing to me.
I’m not THAT picky. I don’t have to get every single last hair, as long as I don’t look like a hairy beast I’m ok. Nobody is going over my legs with a magnifying glass. And it’s not like there is a man feeling me up. (Besides, the last time I was actually having sex, if memory serves, my ex-husband couldn’t have cared less about a little stray hair or fuzz.)
And since shaving exfoliates your legs, you have to remember to exfoliate on a regular basis when you do sugaring or waxing, otherwise you’ll get ashy.
Overall I like the sugaring kit and intend on buying it again. Amazon’s prices are better than the drug store prices.
I did notice that in addition to less pain, the sugaring didn’t make my legs all red, angry and screaming at me.
Here are a couple of tips to make sugaring work better:
- Wash your legs (or wherever you’ll be sugaring) with soap and water, rinse thoroughly and dry well. Your legs need to be very clean and dry for the sugar to grip the hair properly.
- Warm the wax first by placing the closed tub in a pan of hot water. You don’t want it thin and runny, but it’s much easier to spread and there’s less waste if you melt it a bit.
- Even though sugaring is less painful than waxing, it’s still pulling hair out at the root and hurts a little. Don’t wax or sugar right before your period when your body is more sensitive to pain. If you’re really sensitive, you might want to take a pain reliever half an hour before you start sugaring. Me? I sometimes drink a beer before I do it.
- Make sure the hair is long enough before you start. This is one of the hardest parts! It should be about half a centimeter long, at least.
- After sugaring, rinse the area with cool water to remove the last bits of sugar. Cold water can feel really nice too.
So.
What do YOU do for hair removal?
How’s Your Belly?
April 9, 2009 | 1 Comment
Even though I exercise, eat right and generally take good care of myself, it’s no joke that motherhood can take its toll on your body.
All the abs work in the world doesn’t always firm up what looks like a deflated ball on your belly. And unfortunately, the problem seems to get worse as you lose weight - at least temporarily.
Short of surgery, which is risky and expensive and… kinda icky, there isn’t a whole lot a mom can do to firm up that extra skin.
Or is there?
The people at Belli Skincare asked me to review some of their products made especially for moms.
It’s only been a few days so I can’t really report anything amazing yet, but I am going to keep up the routine for a month and see what the results are. 
Of course I will update you all then.
The nice thing about these products is that they are free of synthetic dyes, phthalates and paraben preservatives, and the Belli Motherhood line is LactMed screened to avoid ingredients that may be questionable during breastfeeding.
So far I’m using the Stretchmark Minimizing Cream which claims to… “Reduces stretchmark length and irregular surface area by up to 52% and stretchmark depth by up to 72%.”
I didn’t think it was possible to do much about stretch marks but apparently two ingredients, called darutoside and registril – “…have been shown in independent clinical trials to be effective on stretchmarks of any age or from any cause.”
I don’t really have a problem with stretch marks so I’m more excited about the Body Firming Serum to help take up the slack in my belly skin.
It features ingredients like green tea, shiitake mushroom extract, pumpkin, lemon oil and rice proteins.
The Belli people have let me pass along a discount to you.
To get 15% off your order, use the code BELLIKMR
I’ll be back in a few weeks to let you know how the products are working for me. 
Piggy Paints Coupon Code
March 31, 2009 | Leave a Comment
A few months ago I wrote a review of a non-toxic nail polish called Piggy Paints.
The company was kind enough to extend a coupon code to Natural Moms Talk Radio listeners. Cool
At checkout, simply enter code:
NATMOM20L
This expires May 1, 2009 so don’t dilly dally!
I Have Bag Under My Eye
March 25, 2009 | 2 Comments
Oh wise blog readers, can you help me solve a problem?
I have bag under my eye. Not bags, mind you, as in under both eyes. Just under one.
photo credit: Look Into My Eyes
Anyone know why I am having this phenomenon? The eye in question is my right eye. I sleep on my back or on my LEFT side generally, and I use two pillows.
Any ideas?
I am intentionally drinking more water and for the next few days am going to avoid salting my food to see if that helps. Any more thoughts?
Also, my brown eyes have been turning hazel for some time now. Anyone else have this happen? Apparently it’s quite common and has no real implications in terms of health.
Don’t mind me, I’m just having a bit of an existential crisis about no longer being a “brown eyed girl”.
Natural Hand and Nail Care
March 14, 2009 | 5 Comments
This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. So far we’ve we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. Then we shared ingredients for natural skin care treatments and natural skin care recipes. The next post covered natural body care treatments. Then we talked about having beautiful hair via natural hair care treatments.
Of course, you can use many of the same skin care recipes for your hands that you use on your body. Don’t forget to use the same sunscreen you use on your face on the backs of your hands. And eating well goes a long way towards having healthy nails. 
Natural Hand and Nail Care
Our hands do so much for us. They’re constantly exposed to drying agents like soap, and since they’re always going in and out of water. They need a little T.L.C. - in the form of intense moisture.
Cocoa Butter Hand and Nail Cream
2 tbsp. beeswax
2 tbsp. cocoa butter
4 tbsp. jojoba oil
1 tbsp. lanolin
20 drops essential oil (such as sandalwood and rosemary)
Combine first four ingredients in a double boiler and melt. Remove from heat and let cool for several minutes. Add oils and stir until thoroughly mixed. Store in a jar for up to 4 months.
The Natural Manicure
To give yourself a manicure, soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. Then apply the cocoa butter cream to your hands and nails, working it into the bases of nails. Push the cuticles back with a cuticle stick, and trim the nails. Buff nails with a nail file for shine.
If you use polish, use a non-toxic nail polish such as Piggy Paints. A little lemon juice on a cotton ball can help lighten nail staining. If you’re like me and have a habit of picking at your cuticles, making it a habit to rub them regularly with this moisturizer will help prevent damage.
photo credit: bike queen
Natural Hair Care Treatments
March 13, 2009 | 3 Comments
This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. So far we’ve we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. Then we shared ingredients for natural skin care treatments and natural skin care recipes. The next post covered natural body care treatments.
Keeping our hair looking its best is a top priority for many of us. Since you’re reading this post, you’re probably already avoiding or minimizing the use of chemicals for hair care. Perming, heat styling, coloring etc can do a serious number on the health of your hair. By using all-natural treatments on our hair, we can make it fuller, shinier and healthier.
Treatments for Beautiful and Healthy Hair
Easy natural shampoo
If you’re looking for a safe and natural way to clean your hair, give baking soda a try. Just wet your hair thoroughly, pour a little baking soda into your hand, and work it through as you would regular shampoo. Rinse thoroughly.
Many people swear by apple cider vinegar as a treatment for the hair. Use a little of it on the scalp as a shampoo, rinsing thoroughly (the smell will go away when your hair dries). You might want to keep a spray bottle of diluted ACV in your shower for this purpose. It even serves as a natural conditioner!
Easy natural conditioner
Those with dry, frizzy or damaged hair need to condition it regularly. An easy way to do so is with coconut oil. Just apply after shampooing and rinse out. Coconut oil is amazing for the hair because it absorbs quickly and deeply and its antifungal properties help cure dandruff.
Deep conditioning your hair can be just as simple. Mashed ripe (brown) bananas make a wonderful deep conditioner. Apply them to the hair, cover with a shower cap, leave on for 20 minutes and wash out. Your hair will feel and smell wonderful. You can do the same with ripe avocados (which you’ve probably noticed is an ingredient in some hair conditioning products).
Here are some more hair care recipes.
Herbal Shampoo
* 2 cups distilled water
* 1/2 oz. fresh sage
* 4 oz. castile soap
Boil the distilled water, add herbs and remove from heat. Let stand for 30 to 40 minutes, then strain. Add castile soap and water to a plastic bottle and shake to mix. Use only a tiny amount for shampooing.
Egg Yolk Conditioner
* 1 egg yolk
* 1 tsp. almond oil
* 1 cup water
Beat egg yolk until frothy. Beat in almond oil. Mix in water. Apply to the hair and scalp, then wash out. Use immediately.
Egg Shine Treatment
* 2 eggs
* 1 tbsp. milk (use raw unpasteurized milk from grass fed cows)
Beat eggs and stir in milk. Apply mixture to hair and leave for 5 minutes. Rinse in cool water with a small amount of vinegar added. Use immediately.
Vinegar Shine Treatment
* 1 cup water
* 2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
* Juice of half a lemon
Mix ingredients together. Pour on freshly washed hair, and rinse thoroughly with cold water.
Vinegar Dandruff Treatment
* 3 cups water
* 1 cup apple cider vinegar
Mix vinegar and water. Apply to the scalp at bedtime and put on a shower cap. Leave on overnight. Rinse hair with the same solution in the morning. Continue until dandruff is gone.
Dry Scalp Treatment
* 4 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
* 2 cups aloe vera gel
* 1 tsp. Vitamin E oil
Put all ingredients in blender. Blend at low speed until thoroughly mixed. Apply to scalp and hair after washing and leave for 15 minutes. Rinse.
Natural Hairspray
* 2 cups water
* Juice of one lemon or orange
Combine water and juice in a saucepan. Boil. Cool the mixture and strain if necessary. Pour into a spray bottle and use for styling.
Tomorrow we focus on the hands and nails. See you then!
Natural Body Care Treatments
March 12, 2009 | 2 Comments
This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. So far we’ve we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. Then we shared ingredients for natural skin care treatments and natural skin care recipes.
Your face may be the first thing people see, but the skin on the rest of your body needs tender loving care too. It needs to be exfoliated on a regular basis to remove dead skin (”ashy” legs anyone?) and moisturized.
Natural body treatments are wonderful for your skin, fun and easy to make, and they make lovely gifts as well. Try these recipes on for size.
Natural Body Care Treatments
Lavender Sugar Scrub
* 1/2 cup of jojoba oil
* 3/4 cup of white cane sugar
* 1 tsp. Vitamin E
* 1/4 cup almond oil
* 6 drops lavender essential oil
Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Use scrub at least once a week to exfoliate dead skin cells. Store in a jar.
Body Butter
* 4 oz. shea butter
* 4 oz. jojoba oil
* 1 oz. beeswax
* 3 teaspoons sandalwood oil
Mix ingredients thoroughly. Use as needed to hydrate the skin. Store in a jar.
Banana and Honey Scrub
* 2 cups mashed bananas
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 tablespoon sugar
Mix ingredients thoroughly. Use immediately as a scrub after cleansing the skin at least once a week.
Lavender Body Lotion
* 2 cups boiling water
* Handful of lavender flowers
* 1 tsp. Borax
* 1 cup rose water
* 2 tbsp. olive oil
Add lavender flowers to boiling water and remove from heat. Let stand for an hour, strain and set aside. Dissolve borax in rose water. Slowly add warmed olive oil, beating constantly. When thoroughly mixed, stir in lavender oil. Store in a bottle and use as needed.
Under Eye Circle Eraser
(Potatoes contain an enzyme called catecholase. It’s actually used as a skin lightener in cosmetics, so why not skip the expense and extra ingredients make it yourself?)
* 1 potato
* Piece of cheesecloth
Peel the potato and mash thoroughly in a food processor. Place in cheesecloth and hold under each eye for 15 to 20 minutes, taking care to keep juice out of eyes. Rinse away residue.
Up tomorrow are natural hair care recipes. Be sure to come back!
photo credit: ribena_wrath
Natural Skin Care Recipes
March 11, 2009 | 1 Comment
This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. So far we’ve we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. Then we shared ingredients for natural skin care treatments.
Looking great doesn’t require lots of expensive, chemical-filled beauty products. We can get glowing skin, shiny hair and strong nails by using ingredients found in nature. By making our own natural beauty treatments, we can save money and spare ourselves from the damage caused by the ingredients used in most mass-produced beauty products.
Now that you’re familiar with some of the ingredients you can use for your natural beauty treatments, here are some recipes to try.
(for dry skin and/or makeup removal)
* 10 oz. apricot kernel oil
* 2 oz. cocoa butter
* 2 oz. beeswax
Melt all ingredients together in the top of a double boiler. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon until cooled. Store in a jar in the refrigerator.
Simple Sugar Scrub
(for all sorts of skin)
* 1 tbsp. sugar
* A few drops of olive oil
Put sugar in a small bowl. Mix in a few drops of olive oil at a time until a paste is formed. Massage into skin and rinse with warm water. Kosher salt may be substituted for the sugar to make a salt scrub.
Rose Water Mask
(for combination skin)
* 1 tbsp. rose water
* 1 tbsp. plain yogurt
* 1 tbsp. honey
In a bowl mix rose water, yogurt and honey. Mix well. Use immediately.
Oatmeal Mask/Scrub
(for sensitive skin)
* 1/2 cup uncooked oats
* 1 tbsp. honey
Mix oats and honey to form a paste. Massage into face and neck. Leave on face for 10 to 15 minutes and rinse off.
For an exfoliating mask, grind the oats finely in a blender, food processor or spice grinder. Mix with water to make a paste, apply and gently scrub. Rinse and moisturize.
Honey and Apple Mask
(for oily skin)
* 4 tbsp. honey
* 1 apple
Grate apple into a fine pulp. Stir in honey. Use immediately: applying to skin and leaving on for 15 minutes. Rinse.
Cornmeal Scrub
(for oily skin)
* 2 tbsp. cornmeal
* Enough water to make a paste (you can also use fresh, raw apple juice if you have it)
Mix ingredients thoroughly. Massage onto face and rinse off.
Green Tea Toner
(for normal to oily skin)
* 5 green tea bags
* 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chopped chamomile
* 2 cups mineral water
Combine ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Apply liquid with a cotton ball after cleansing the face. Store remainder in refrigerator for up to a week.
(Note: You may substitute any other herb that is appropriate for your skin type for the chamomile. Elderflower and marigold are good choices for dry skin.)
Papaya Peel
(exfoliates and reduces fine lines and wrinkles)
* 1 cup fresh pineapple
* 1/2 cup fresh papaya
* 1 tbsp. honey
Puree pineapple and papaya together in blender. Add honey and mix to create a paste. Apply to the face and leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse.
Mint Mask
(for reviving dull skin)
* 1/2 cucumber, sliced
* 1 tsp. cocoa butter
* 1 egg white
* Handful of mint leaves
Put mint leaves and cucumber slices in blender and mix into a paste. Add cocoa butter and egg white, and beat well. Apply to the face and leave on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse thoroughly with cold water.
Firming Mask
* 1/2 tbsp. Vitamin E oil
* 1 tbsp. yogurt
* 1 egg
Beat egg lightly. Gently mix in other ingredients. Massage into face and neck. Leave on for 20 minutes, then rinse with warm water. Use immediately - this recipe does not store well.
What about the rest of your body? So glad you asked. Come back tomorrow for recipes for natural body care!
photo credit: love･janine
Ingredients for Natural Beauty Treatments
March 10, 2009 | 2 Comments
This is a post in a series about natural beauty treatments. Yesterday we talked about nutrition for healthy skin, as well as other lifestyle factors that contribute to natural beauty. 
Today we’ll focus on individual ingredients you can use to make your own natural skin care products.
When making your own skin care treatments, the first step is to analyze your skin’s needs. Is it oily or dry? Is it prone to breakouts? Are you concerned about preventing or minimizing the appearance of wrinkles?
The answers to these questions will help determine which natural ingredients will be good for your skin and which you will use in your care products.
Ingredients for homemade facial cleansers:
- Lemon juice - Lemon juice is known for its ability to cut grease, so it’s an obvious choice for reducing oil on the face. Those with oily skin can use it to make effective and great-smelling cleansers and toners.
- Witch hazel - You can find witch hazel at most drugstores. It is often used alone as a gentle yet powerful astringent for oily skin, and it also makes a good ingredient in skin care recipes.
- Strawberries - Strawberries are also good for oily skin. They are often used in toners. Strawberries can also be used to create a whitening treatment for the teeth.
- Cornmeal - Cornmeal has a drying effect and is also an exfoliant. It’s great in masks and scrubs for oily skin.
- Apples - Apple pulp and apple juice are both good for oily skin. They reduce oil and exfoliate.
- Tea tree oil - This essential oil works very well against acne. I use a drop as an acne spot treatment. I apply it overnight and the pimple is dried up by morning. Use sparingly in cleansers and toners, because tea tree oil is highly potent and may dry the skin.
- Oats - Oatmeal is good for dry or sensitive skin. You can also use raw, ground oats to make an exfoliant to remove dead skin.
- Olive oil - Olive oil provides moisture without being too greasy. It is most often used on dry or combination skin, but may also be used in small amounts in treatments for oily skin. It contains antioxidants that help protect your skin from the effects of aging. It’s great for removing makeup too.
- Yogurt/Buttermilk/Kefir - Those with dry or sensitive skin will find a yogurt mask very soothing. The mild acids in the milk aids in sloughing off dead skin cell and leaves the skin nice and soft.
- Eggs - Eggs are also very moisturizing. They may be beaten and combined with olive oil to make a great moisturizing treatment. A raw egg white can be applied to the skin and left to dry to tighten up sagging facial skin.
- Cocoa butter - Cocoa butter leaves skin soft and supple. It may be used in dry skin or wrinkle treatments.
- Honey - Honey is used in treatments for every skin type. It adds moisture without being greasy and makes the skin super soft. It is also effective against wrinkles and fine lines. Honey is one of the oldest beauty treatments in the world, with good reason. Since it’s antibacterial, it helps prevent breakouts too.
- Banana - Bananas are very moisturizing. They are often used in fighting wrinkles as well.
Some of these ingredients have a consistency that makes it easy to use them on their own. Ingredients like yogurt and honey can be easily smoothed on the face. Bananas and strawberries can simply be mashed and applied as a mask. Others must be mixed with other ingredients to make a solution, cream or paste.
Tomorrow? We’ll combine some of these ingredients to make natural skin care recipes!
photo credit: amanda tait
