In your home, right there on the kitchen shelf, your fridge or even your wine cellar, are some of the most powerful ingredients, not only for gourmet meals, but also for beauty treatments. In fact, some of them can be used for exotic beauty care. From vinegar, mayonnaise, cooking oils, eggs, fruits and vegetables, to chocolate, juice and even caviar, edible home ingredients can be used for a quick fix, or for long-term skin care. You will not need to eat your skin-care routine, but you can use edible items for your beauty care!
Natural edible ingredients play a vital role in skin care. They complete the cleansing process, dissolve impurities, soften dead cells and help their removal. This helps to refine the skin, making it clear, translucent and youthful. Natural ingredients, like fruits and vegetables, for instance, contain vitamins and minerals that enhance skin beauty and can even heal specific skin problems.
Exotic natural ingredients have become a part of modern skin care. Recent research has highlighted the health and beauty benefits of grape juice. It is rich in antioxidants and contains valuable vitamins and trace elements that have a rejuvenating effect on the skin. Grapes contain polyphenols, a powerful antioxidant, known to delay the visible signs of ageing.
Take honey and yogurt and add a few tablespoons of grape juice. Apply this on the face and leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse with plain water. This softens and moisturizes the skin, removes tan and also adds a glow. For an oily skin, mix grape juice, green tea and oats.
Chocolate is a popular ingredient for face packs and can be made at home easily. Mix together three teaspoons cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons oats with egg white and one teaspoon each honey and yogurt. Adjust the ingredients, so that it is a thick paste, which does not drip. First cleanse the skin and then apply the mask, avoiding the lips and area around eyes. Wash it off after 20 to 30 minutes with plain water.
Fruits like banana, apple, mango, oranges and even kiwi, avocado and strawberries may be used for face packs. Kiwi, for instance, is rich in vitamins and citric acid. It deep cleanses and revitalizes the skin, also moisturising it. Make a pulp of the fruit, add one teaspoon olive oil and egg. Apply on the face and wash it off after half an hour. For dry skin, a cream of milk and honey mask can be most nourishing. Mix together one tablespoon each honey and thick cream. Apply on the face and leave it on for half an hour. Rinse off with warm water. It adds a glow to the skin. Ground almonds can also be mixed with cream of milk for a nourishing mask. Mix ground almonds into a paste with cream. Apply on the face and leave on for 15 minutes. Then rub gently on the skin and rinse off with water.
For oily skin, mix half teaspoon honey and one teaspoon yogurt with the white of an egg. Add 2 teaspoons oats. Mix into a paste and apply. Remove after 20 minutes with water. For oily skin with enlarged pores add lemon juice and a little milk to oats. Apply the paste and remove after 20 minutes with water. For blackheads, mix egg white with oats and apply on the area. When it dries, moisten with water and rub gently on the face. Wash off with plenty of water.
Nature has provided such versatile ingredients for our sustenance and beauty. I would say that an entire range of cosmetic products exist at home.